"What were you two talking about over there?"
The others had been resting on some rocks, stealing glances at the pair chatting in the distance, silently speculating about their conversation. When Bryan finally returned, Sarah couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and immediately asked.
Bryan noticed everyone pretending not to care while their ears were clearly perked up, eager to know what he and Wilfred had discussed privately. He found it somewhat amusing.
But there was no way he could reveal that Wilfred had been infected with Cordyceps. He sat down beside Sarah, ruffled her hair, and said casually, "Nothing much. Just planning out our next moves."
A few moments later, Wilfred walked back as well. He stood beside Anna and began explaining things about the future to her. His hand gently stroked his daughter's hair as he gazed at that face so reminiscent of his late wife. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. But he masked it well, keeping Anna from noticing anything was wrong.
Still, there's a bond between parent and child that transcends words. Anna sensed something strange about her father's behavior these past two days. Whenever he spoke to her, it felt like he was leaving final instructions. She couldn't help but ask, "Dad, are you okay? Why do you keep saying things like this?"
"It's nothing, really."
Seeing that Anna had noticed something was off, Wilfred knew he couldn't say anything more. He explained, "I just see that you've grown up. I can't always be by your side. Whatever road lies ahead, you'll eventually have to face it yourself."
Hearing this, Anna grabbed onto Wilfred's arm and said with a playful whine, "No way. I don't want to grow up. I want to stay with you forever."
Father and daughter shared a moment of warm laughter. Bryan and the other children nearby couldn't help but look on with envy.
Allen, standing closest to them, was moved by their bond. Without knowing why, he thought of his own father and mother. Suddenly, the scene before him felt unbearably painful to watch. He turned his head away, refusing to look any longer.
Sarah unconsciously took hold of Bryan's arm and murmured softly, "I still don't know if my dad and uncle are alive or dead. Will I ever see them again...?"
Feeling her low spirits, Bryan gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and spoke in a soothing tone: "I believe Joel and Tommy are still alive. Someday, we'll find them."
Only Lucy sat expressionless in place, her head tilted back to gaze at the azure sky. Her lips moved silently, as if in prayer.
Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the ten minutes of rest slipped away. The soldiers stood up and gathered the scattered survivors once more.
Tracy stood at the front of the group. Seeing people still whispering among themselves, she frowned and raised her voice: "This is the final stretch. I need everyone to stay sharp. Life and death are in our own hands now—don't let everything fall apart at the last moment."
Her words had an immediate effect. Those who had been chatting received nudges from the people beside them, and everyone fell silent with their heads down. Within moments, the area had grown quiet.
Satisfied, Tracy gave a firm nod, took a deep breath, and turned around. "Alright, let's move out."
The group set off again. Everyone moved carefully through the ruins, eliminating any Infected that blocked their path, using the half-destroyed buildings for cover to avoid detection. They pushed forward without pause, reaching the collapsed apartment building in the shortest possible time.
When they arrived at the building's edge, one soldier climbed up first, crouching at a window frame to survey the interior.
The entire apartment building had toppled over. The first and second floors, which had absorbed the brunt of the impact, were completely destroyed. The remaining floors were passable, but heavily damaged—they would have to find their own route through.
Making matters worse, the corridors were now oriented sideways. What had once been the height and width of the hallways had been swapped. People could only move through by crouching or crawling. Getting nearly a hundred people through this mess would be no small feat.
But there was no other choice. However difficult, they had to push forward. Several soldiers entered the building first. Inside some of the rooms, they tied curtains together, secured them with tight knots, and dropped them from a third-floor window to serve as makeshift climbing ropes.
The distance from the ground to the third-floor window was about forty feet. For the adult men and women present, it was nothing—they scaled it effortlessly.
But for the younger children, it was a real challenge. Fortunately, they were light enough that with the soldiers' help—pulling, hoisting, and guiding—over a dozen kids were hauled up safely.
"God, this is miserable!"
Walking through the wide but low corridor, Bryan hunched over, stepping on what had once been a wall. Staring at the rear end of the person ahead of him while inching forward at a snail's pace, he felt thoroughly uncomfortable.
He glanced back at Allen, who could actually stand upright, and suddenly realized that being short had its advantages in certain situations.
After several minutes of awkward hunching, the path ahead was blocked by rubble. They changed course toward a room with an opening in the ceiling and climbed up to the next level.
The route ahead remained impassable. They found another collapsed section and clambered up to the fifth floor, then moved into an adjacent corridor to continue forward.
They wound through the building, going up and down, constantly searching. Everyone wanted to escape this suffocating place as quickly as possible, but so much of the structure had been destroyed that they were forced to navigate it like a maze, testing one path after another.
"Ugh! I can't take it anymore!"
Finally, a heavyset man with a bushy beard reached his breaking point. With a groan, he collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat, his face contorted in misery as he gasped for air.
With him blocking the way, no one behind him could move forward. They all stopped. An elderly man with a full head of white hair but still sprightly spoke up: "Come on, son, just hold on a little longer. If you need to rest, at least wait until we're somewhere more open. You're blocking everyone here!"
The heavyset man just gave the old man a sidelong glance, his expression dismissive. "I'll rest wherever I damn well please. Just go around me. What's the big deal?"
"Now hold on, what kind of attitude is that?!"
A beautiful young woman beside the elderly man spoke up, clearly annoyed by the man's rudeness.
The heavyset man turned his gaze to her and let out a disdainful snort. Disgust flickered in his eyes, and his tone grew even nastier: "What's it to you? Mind your own business, you nosy bitch!"
"You—! You—!"
The woman's face flushed crimson with anger. In all her life, no one had ever spoken to her like that. She sputtered, unable to form words—her upbringing and manners simply wouldn't allow her to curse back.
Crack... crack...
Just then, a strange splintering sound echoed from somewhere, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"What was that?" Everyone began looking around, trying to locate the source.
The commotion naturally caught the soldiers' attention. A young soldier rushed over, hunched low, and surveyed the crowd blocking the passage. "What's going on? Why aren't you moving?"
Seeing him approach, people stopped searching for the source of the sound. The crowd parted, some continuing forward while others squatted against the walls to watch the drama unfold. They were tired anyway—might as well take a break.
Bryan and his group glanced at the situation. The smell in this cramped space, made worse by so many bodies, was unbearable—sharp with the stench of sweat. They pinched their noses and hurried forward, not wanting to linger for another second.
"Sir, thank goodness you're here! This man is blocking everyone's way, and when we politely asked him to move, he not only refused but started insulting us!"
The young woman saw the soldier arrive and perked up immediately. She dropped any thought of arguing with the heavyset man and quickly explained the situation.
When the young soldier saw it was an attractive young woman speaking to him—and calling him "sir" no less—a brief look of satisfaction flashed across his face.
After hearing what happened, he frowned and looked at the bearded man sitting on the ground. He walked over and said, "Sir, I understand you're tired, but you can't block everyone's path like this. Please move just a bit further ahead—there's a room up there where you can rest."
"Tch! How do I know you're not lying?" The man clearly didn't believe him. He clicked his tongue, suspicion written all over his face.
But the moment those words left his mouth, he noticed everyone around him staring at him like he was garbage. His face twisted with anger. He raised a fist and slammed it hard against the ground, pointing at everyone and shouting, "What are you all—"
Before he could finish, the impact of his fist sent cracks spider-webbing across the floor—spreading faster and wider, multiplying by the second. The structure couldn't bear the weight of the crowd any longer, and with a thunderous crash, the entire section gave way.
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