Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 472 A Minor Accident

Team Leader Gu stood at the front of the group for a short while, his head slightly lowered, as if he was thinking about something, before picking up the walkie-talkie again.

Less than an hour after dawn, new instructions came down.

Captain Gu held a paper map in his hand, pointing to a route marked in red.

"Our destination is Qing City, which is about 400 to 500 kilometers away as the crow flies, but we can't go there in a straight line."

His finger moved slowly across the map, following the red line from the starting point to the end point, passing several red crosses marked "landslide," "broken bridge," and "danger zone."

"The mountain collapsed and the road was cut off, so we can only take a detour. The actual distance is estimated to be more than 700 or 800 kilometers. Even if we travel 30 to 40 kilometers a day, it will take at least a month and a half."

"Considering the unforeseen circumstances that may arise during the journey, a two-month allowance is reasonable."

He looked up and closed the map.

"Today's mission is to reach the first foothold, which is about 35 kilometers away from here. It is located on the other side of the valley and is an abandoned hydroelectric power station."

Intelligence indicates there are still some buildings there that haven't been completely destroyed, which could serve as a campsite for tonight. If all goes well, we can get there before dark; if not—"

He paused, looked up from the map, and scanned each face. "If things don't go well, we'll spend the night on the road."

He didn't say how likely it was that things wouldn't go smoothly, nor did he specify what those possibilities were.

But his silence doesn't mean that people don't want to talk about the ground after the thunderstorm, the collapsed mountains, and the roads buried by mudslides.

Xu Xiaoyan picked up her backpack from the ground and put it back on her shoulder.

The team set off quickly.

Team Leader Gu walked at the front, but he didn't take the old road that had been completely buried by the mudslide.

Instead, they followed the edge of the mountain, stepping on the gravel and exposed rocks, to find a winding, upward route that was barely footholdable.

Everyone lined up and walked slowly along the side of the ridge.

Less than an hour after we set off, the first problem arose.

Wang Hehua, the middle-aged woman who had fallen in the tunnel, had turned from pale to ashen.

Xu Xiaoyan noticed that the backpack straps were digging deeply into her shoulder flesh, and her body involuntarily leaned forward, as if she was using her entire weight to fight against the backpack.

Wang Hehua walked slowly, and those behind her were unconsciously slowed down as well.

After walking for about twenty more minutes, she stopped. "I...I can't...I really...can't walk anymore..."

A young woman walking behind her stopped and reached out to help her.

The young woman was not tall, had a low ponytail, and her face was covered in ash, but her eyes were bright.

She reacted quickly, reaching out her hand almost as soon as Wang Hehua finished speaking.

The moment Wang Hehua's arm was supported, her knees bent, and she almost knelt down, but the young woman held her tightly.

The young woman's fingers dug into Wang Hehua's arm, and she used her own weight to lean back, pulling Wang Hehua back from the brink of kneeling.

"Sister, why don't you take your bag off first?" the young woman said.

Wang Hehua shook her head; her eyes were red, but she didn't cry.

She wanted to say something, but then closed her mouth, only managing a muffled "hmm".

The soldier at the back of the group quickly stepped forward and reached out to unbuckle the strap of her backpack.

Wang Hehua was stunned.

She probably thought the soldier was coming over to scold her, to urge her on, to say "Why are you so slow?" or "Everyone is waiting for you."

She was prepared to be scolded, and even had prepared her apology.

But she didn't get to see those things. The soldier simply unbuckled the strap of her backpack. The strap was plastic and had two buckles, one on the left and one on the right, which required some force to open.

"No...no need..." She shrank back a little.

The young soldier looked up at her, but his words silenced everyone: "What's in the bag?"

Wang Hehua's lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything.

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it, but rather that there were too many things, too many details, and too many trivialities, and she didn't know where to begin.

The young soldier said, "You have to reduce your pack to less than ten kilograms, otherwise you won't make it to the supply point today."

Everyone knows he was telling the truth; a person's capacity to bear a burden is limited.

Twenty kilograms is already the limit for a woman of Wang Hehua's age and body type.

Wang Hehua herself probably knew this, but she was unwilling to admit it.

Because admitting it would mean that all her previous insistence was wrong, and she couldn't even protect what she cherished.

Knowing something is one thing; actually throwing away the things you can't bear to part with is another.

The young soldier took a step back and said nothing more.

His job is to make sure no one is left behind, not to make decisions for people.

He can tell you what the right choice is, but he can't choose for you; ultimately, you have to walk this path yourself.

Wang Hehua stood there for quite a long time, until people behind her started whispering. They were very quiet, but she heard them.

Then she slowly squatted down, unzipped her backpack, and took out the first item.

It was a small outdoor pot, with some burnt marks remaining on the black bottom.

The second item was tableware: a bowl, two plates, and a soup bowl, stacked together and wrapped in newspaper.

The newspaper had several holes, revealing the white porcelain surface underneath and the hand-painted blue-edged patterns on top.

In a world where even a meal is not guaranteed, the fact that someone is reluctant to throw away a porcelain bowl is heartbreaking enough.

It wasn't because those bowls were valuable, but because they represented a certain level of respectability.

Then, Wang Hehua took out three more things from her bag: a thick cotton-padded coat, a pair of cotton shoes, and a thermos.

These items were taken out one by one and placed on the ground. Everyone was shocked, unable to understand how she had carried these things for so long.

Then she fastened the backpack again and slung it over her shoulder.

The bag was noticeably deflated, but it was still quite bulging.

Her shoulders slumped slightly the moment the backpack strap hit the ground, then straightened up again.

The group continued moving forward.

The road ahead became even more difficult.

They crossed a ridge that wasn't very high but was extremely steep, with the steepest part being about 40 or 50 degrees, requiring them to use both their hands and feet to climb it.

The road surface was covered with loose gravel, and you would slip with every step you took. You had to be very careful to control your balance so as not to fall.

Some people started walking in a zigzag pattern, moving sideways and inching down, taking three steps, pausing, and then taking three more steps.