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Chapter 202 Summary
At noon, the weary supply convoy arrived at Jinta County for a much-needed rest. The journey had been fraught with rain and bumps, leaving both men and horses exhausted.
Jinta County is under the jurisdiction of Jiuquan, characterized by its flat terrain and surrounded by mountains to the south and north. It is about fifty kilometers from the center of Jiuquan City. Shaoshan had initially planned to push on into Jiuquan without stopping, but upon seeing the condition of his companions in the back of the vehicle, he decided it was best to rest for a while. The soldiers had traveled a long way and fought tirelessly through the night; now that they had escaped danger, there was no reason to continue pushing themselves. The original team of fifty had suffered significant losses; Wang Zhongyu's group fared better with almost no casualties, while Shaoshan's side was more tragic, with only twenty-two members remaining. Eight soldiers had fallen in the Gobi Desert and could not rise again.
Jiang He and his three companions filled the gaps left by their fallen comrades, squeezing in with the weary Brothers in Arms, leaning against each other as they drifted into a deep sleep. The girl beside Jiang He woke up, maintaining her position against the edge of the vehicle, careful not to disturb him. Shaoshan stood outside the vehicle, grinning foolishly as he dismissed the idea of waking everyone up with his hoarse voice. Instead, he quietly roused the soldiers sleeping at the back of the truck, gently shaking them awake before carefully jumping down from the vehicle. Although their movements were light, they still managed to wake Luci and Summer Rain. Luci had been on edge lately and hadn’t slept well, while Summer Rain was so accustomed to years of work that even the slightest noise could wake her.
The three women exchanged glances, their eyes landing on Jiang He, who was snoring evenly, and they couldn't help but laugh.
"You all stay here; I’ll take some people to find supplies. If you need anything, just call these guys," Shaoshan instructed, pointing at a group of soldiers who had rushed off to relieve themselves in an alleyway before leading a bunch of people away.
Jiang He remained fast asleep, seemingly unaffected by the commotion around him. Summer Rain quietly stood up, carefully making her way to the back of the truck under the tarp. She gazed at the gloomy sky shrouded in rain and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
"I never thought I would have another chance to see daylight," Summer Rain said with joy in her eyes as she reached out to catch some raindrops on her hand and splash them on her face. The cold water instantly extinguished the heat from their bumpy journey.
Song Yao and Luci watched Summer Rain with smiles in their eyes, silently sharing in her excitement. They were all people who had "died" once; fortunate enough to be spared by Heaven, they had managed to escape from beneath the earth and return to a world that was scarred yet alive.
Summer Rain had every reason to feel exhilarated; her fate had seemed sealed—merely surviving day by day while slowly wasting away—but Ming Junwei and his group had forcibly rewritten her future. Looking through the heavy curtain of rain reminded her of those calm and confident eyes; if it hadn’t been for Ming Junwei reaching out to her back then, she might still be wandering aimlessly in that hopeless underground Experimental Base.
Though not very familiar with each other, the three women had shared simple conversations along their journey about their past experiences. As they pieced together their stories, a clearer picture emerged. It was undeniable that Summer Rain played a crucial role in their escape—whether it was during their search for An Zheng or later rescuing Song Yao; none of it would have been possible without her.
Raindrops dripped steadily onto the tarp above them, while a gentle breeze carried water droplets into the cabin, sweeping away the stale smell of gasoline inside.
Song Yao glanced down at the sleeping Jiang He on her shoulder, a smile creeping onto her lips as she looked at the dazed Luci and asked, "So, in the end, Huihui saved his life?"
"Yes, without that potion, I don't think Jiang He would have made it," Luci replied, tying up her long hair. After a moment of thought, she added, "By the way, I wonder how she's doing."
"Maybe she has already left," Song Yao said comfortably, resting her head on Jiang He's. Tilting her head, she continued, "If we get the chance to meet again, I must thank her properly."
"Indeed. In that situation, she could have easily turned a blind eye," Luci said with a hint of regret. People's hearts are fickle; Huihui had no obligation to them. Initially, she might have been considered a Survivor, but after Bai Yudong's indiscriminate shooting, Huihui must have harbored some resentment or even hatred. If it were someone else, they might not have been generous enough to offer help when it was most needed.
The two fell silent for a moment before Song Yao's expression suddenly turned strange as she questioned, "Didn’t you say the lower levels were destroyed? How did she manage to retreat the same way? If we had known there was an escape route, why did we leave Dr. An behind?"
"It shouldn't have been a return through the same path; the explosion was very intense, and the passage behind must have collapsed," Luci asserted confidently. She furrowed her brow in thought but couldn't come up with an answer and shook her head. "It's possible she didn't leave at all. I was too focused on getting Jiang He to find you that I didn't pay much attention to her."
A rumble of thunder interrupted their conversation as Jiang He slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes and sitting up straight.
"Awake now?" Song Yao stretched her stiff neck and smiled.
"Yeah... where are we?" Jiang He yawned and scanned the surroundings with squinted eyes. Noticing only the four of them in the vehicle, he asked curiously, "Where are the others?"
"It seems we're in Jinta County. The Vice Commander said we should rest for a bit; we're still several dozen kilometers from Jiuquan," Song Yao replied as she leaned against the edge of the vehicle and reached out to massage his neck. Across from them, Luci smiled gently and stood up to call Summer Rain to leave the compartment, giving space for the long-separated couple.
This moment of peace was hard-earned and could be traced back to that early morning when they reunited in Underground Level Two's Laboratory.
That night, Jiang He and Song Yao met again, with Wang Zhongyu tagging along and unexpectedly finding An Zheng—the person everyone had been searching for. The various emotions surrounding their unexpected reunion need not be elaborated here; in short, all they needed to do next was break out from underground and join forces with Shaoshan outside. Then they could make their escape from this cursed place, marking their grand escape operation as a success.
However, good fortune does not accompany one endlessly; the surprise of one moment may merely set the stage for the tragedy of the next.
Jiang He and the others gathered victoriously, and Summer Rain timely opened the Elevator, preparing to assist everyone in their retreat. Yet, amidst the joy of reunion, they forgot one crucial detail: what about An Zheng's child? As if sensing their unspoken concern, a sudden cacophony of electrical noise erupted from the Laboratory. Moments later, Kenny's cold voice echoed through the speakers in the Laboratory, delivering the news that no one wanted to hear.
"The child is with me."
All schemes ultimately pale in comparison to the bond between mother and child; every hope shattered in that instant. Kenny firmly held An Zheng's life in his hands, despite her being an utterly incompetent mother.
Wang Zhongyu and his group fell into a brief chaos. This situation was difficult to balance; it was not simply a matter of choice. Could they really convince An Zheng to abandon her child? Wang Zhongyu questioned whether he could ever do such a thing and had never even considered it. A sudden ambush had taken an unexpected turn; various complications clearly disrupted their original plan. Wang Zhongyu had no choice but to halt their escape and request some time to think.
Kenny did not refuse this request; in fact, it aligned perfectly with his intentions. Caroline returned to report on Bai Yudong and Chen Zhao Zhou's situation, while Black Behemoth went to check on Song Yao. However, Summer Rain reached him first and rescued Song Yao. The two most important individuals from the Underground Base had fallen into enemy hands one after another. If things went awry, the losses would be far more than just a couple of lives. Weighing his options, Kenny made a decision that left Caroline and the others utterly astonished.
"Concede," Kenny informed everyone of his thoughts, unexpectedly met with a chorus of dissenting voices.
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