hotmtlnovel Chapter 243 Take Care of Yourself
Chapter 243 Take Care of Yourself
"Xiao Wu!" At the last moment, it was Sister Hong who grabbed Xiao Wu's arm.
She gave a smile that was incredibly poignant.
The smile was short, and the laughter was even shorter.
The laughter was as cold as ice crystals falling into a tin can.
"Yes, we are unclean." She spoke each word slowly and deliberately, each word sharp as ice, shattering into pieces.
"Sister Hong!" Xiao Wu exclaimed in disbelief.
"But are you any cleaner than us? You're urging everyone to stay; what filthy thoughts are you harboring? Do you think we don't know?"
"Qingfang, do you think you'll end up with someone like that?"
Hongjie's last words were spoken to the woman who had just tried to persuade her.
The remaining two women froze for a moment.
In the apocalypse, life is really tough for women!
They had no other choice.
Qiu Biao's face turned even uglier.
He realized that these three women definitely wouldn't stay, so he only had two chips left.
"You'd better watch yourselves!"
After saying that, she didn't look at anyone else, opened the car door, and jumped out.
The two sisters followed closely behind, their eyes moist but no tears fell.
Xiao Wu glared at Qiu Biao and jumped out of the car, chasing after Sister Hong and the others in the direction they had left.
After a moment's hesitation, the three college students also filed out.
Director Liu sighed, gave Qiu Biao and the others a deep look, his eyes filled with disappointment and warning, and finally shook his head before getting up and leaving.
Inside the bus, only Qiu Biao and his four companions, along with the two women whose eyes were filled with struggle, remained.
The air was so heavy it was suffocating.
Apart from Qiu Biao, who remained indignant, everyone else fell into deep thought.
……
Outside the car, across the lake.
Lu Xun sat casually, twirling a blade of grass in his hand, his gaze sweeping across the other side of the pond.
He saw the tense backs of Sister Hong and the others as they got out of the car, and he saw Xiao Wu and the others rushing after them.
I also saw the vague standoff inside the bus and the few remaining figures.
A faint, elusive smile curved his lips as he sighed softly.
I don't know whether to feel regret or satisfaction.
Yue Li had somehow wandered up to him, followed his gaze, and lazily yawned: "The talks broke down? Looks like the other side isn't all-powerful after all."
"People's hearts are never monolithic."
Lu Xun tossed aside the grass stalks and turned his gaze to the small pond in front of him!
In the distance, Xu Si's starry eyes took in everything that happened inside and outside the bus, his pupils remaining calm and undisturbed.
Fu Xiaojian and Shao Bing had also appeared not far away at some point.
Shao Bing's face was ashen, clearly indicating that he had a lot to say.
Fu Xiaojian simply stared quietly at the bus, his eyes filled with a kind of knowing compassion.
He knew better than anyone how many undercurrents were hidden in the hearts of this hastily assembled team.
Some undercurrents are better uncovered than buried.
The previous unity was nothing more than a way to stick together for warmth under the pressure of survival.
Once the illusion of "comfort" is shattered, the cracks will immediately become apparent.
"Old Fu, are you just going to watch like this?" Shao Bing lowered his voice, his tone filled with a soldier's incomprehension and anger.
In his view, Qiu Biao's actions were tantamount to inciting separatism and would be punishable by military law in wartime.
"No rush." Fu Xiaojian's voice was soft, but his gaze turned to Lu Xun, the seemingly casual young man across the water.
Fu Xiaojian actually had a contract of life, but he hadn't used it yet; he was just waiting.
Waiting for an opportunity.
Wait for the restless people in the convoy to jump out on their own.
Under the star pulse detection, Xu Si heard what the group said.
Fu Xiaojian may seem gentle on the surface, but he's ruthless to the core.
He wanted to put Qiu Biao and his group, along with some members of the Changsheng caravan on the other side, into the fire and slowly roast them.
He wanted to see if he could actually get some moisture out of the oven.
True gold is not afraid of being tested by fire.
……
Liang Hong's steps were hurried, the kind of hurried escape, as if she wanted to trample all the humiliation and anger into the mud.
Xiao Wu caught up with them on a grassy slope a few dozen meters away from the camp.
The three women stood with their backs to him, their shoulder blades taut like bows about to break beneath their thin clothing.
"Sister Hong..." Xiao Wu gasped for breath, the words stuck in his throat.
Sister Hong didn't turn around, her voice hoarse: "Let's go back. We didn't have the courage to choose death back then, and we have even less courage now."
"I'm not going back!" Xiao Wu said stubbornly.
"They're talking nonsense! Nobody in the convoy thinks that way!"
Hongjie finally turned around, her eyes red-rimmed, but no tears came.
"Xiao Wu, you're still young. Some things aren't about 'wanting' or 'not wanting,' but about 'having' or 'not having.' If it's there, it's there; if it's not, it's not. Qiu Biao is actually right."
The dejection in her voice made Xiao Wu feel suffocated.
A slightly younger woman beside them whispered, "Xiao Wu, thank you. Don't worry! We'll really be fine!"
Xiao Wu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then he saw Xu Si leaning against the car in the distance.
The red-haired man seemed to glance in their direction, his gaze calm and unwavering, yet it sent a chill down Xiao Wu's spine, and he swallowed back all his words.
Perhaps, they just want some peace and quiet.
Xu Si withdrew his gaze and looked at Fu Xiaojian.
Fu Xiaojian nodded almost imperceptibly, and a silent exchange was completed.
……
The convoy had a comfortable day.
Except for a few individuals whose minds are completely occupied by their thoughts.
The rest of the convoy almost all chose to lie on the grass and leisurely spend the afternoon.
As dusk fell, the blood-red sun painted the grassland a poignant crimson.
Crow's third attempt also ended in failure.
The proud giant bird appeared unusually agitated. As it landed back at the edge of the camp, its three heads turned restlessly, and its cries were short and angry.
However, it only dared to rage in a state of impotence, but dared not vent its anger on anyone.
In the end, it could only lie on the grass and bask in the sun, just like its owner.
DouDou stroked its cold feathers, her little face full of worry.
If they are really trapped here, then...
As the sun sank below the horizon, the last rays of golden red were swallowed by the deep indigo.
Night falls swiftly and silently on the grassland, as if an invisible hand has drawn back the curtain of the sky.
Xu Si remained lying on the roof of the car, continuing to consume the enhancement potion. After the sequence was expanded, the rate at which the potion was consumed seemed to have increased to some extent.
He sat up, his starry eyes scanning his surroundings, and he felt that something was not right.
Two bonfires had been lit beside the pond, and it took Xu Si a while to realize that something was wrong.
There was no reflection of the firelight in the central pool.
Of course, not only the firelight, but also the reflections of other objects were absent, as if the light had lost its home here.
"Xiao Luo, when you went to fetch water today, were there any shadows in the pond?"
Xu Si didn't need to fetch water, so he only noticed this detail at this moment.