Hoo...
Hoo...
Cheng Ye was breathing heavily, never imagining that he would one day crave the fresh air so much.
Yes, air has a taste and qualities of its own.
In the Buffer Zone, vegetation was extrely scarce, and with the sewage pipes constantly clogging, a faint sour and rotten sll lingered in every corner except the inspection stations.
Over the past few days since crossing over, he had already grown accustod to this sll, almost forgetting what "fresh" was supposed to be like.
But now, stepping into the Wilderness outside the city, the air, filled with the fragrance of plants and the scent of damp soil, was like a fresh spring, instantly washing away the stuffiness accumulated in his lungs.
It was as if he had entered another world; every breath carried a clear freshness that penetrated to the bone, so refreshing that it made one want to shout.
"Go ahead and shout, because there won’t be another chance ahead."
Jiang Chuan turned his face, a smile of soone who had been there on his lips, clearly not his first ti accompanying soone through their "first outing" ceremony.
Cheng Ye paused, then couldn’t resist lowering the car window and sticking his head out.
With no preamble, he just opened his mouth wide and scread with all his might:
Ah——!!!
The rolling sound waves pierced through the rain, startling She, who was directing the cleaning in Zone C, into a jump.
But seeing the inspection station mark on the pickup, then spotting Cheng Ye sticking his head out, the panic on She’s face quickly turned into envy and yearning.
It was as if the one sitting in the car wasn’t Cheng Ye, but himself, heading toward that dangerous yet enticing Wilderness.
He continued shouting for four or five seconds until his lungs ran out of air, then Cheng Ye pulled his head back, his chest heaving violently, as if all the pent-up frustration in his heart dispersed with that shout.
During the days in the Buffer Zone, he never experienced such exhilaration.
Even after taking down Zhang Can, what surged in his heart was a heavy ntal exhaustion, not the complete release he felt now.
"Feels good!"
He lifted his right hand to rest on the car door, breathing heavily, the rain splashing on his face, cold yet exhilarating.
"You’re adapting very quickly, and... you seem to really like this feeling."
Jiang Chuan gripped the steering wheel, deliberately keeping the speed at around 15 mph, mindful of Cheng Ye’s experience.
Many people wouldn’t get carsick in the Buffer Zone but would feel utterly nauseous from the bumps outside the city.
He intended to give Cheng Ye so ti to adapt, but Cheng Ye’s reaction surprised him.
After the release, there was no common excitent or fear of setting foot in the Wilderness for the first ti, but rather a deep sense of return, with a barely noticeable hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Yeah, back when I dread, I used to live on this land for a long, long ti..."
Cheng Ye blurted out, his tone sowhat dazed.
Jiang Chuan listened, assuming it was the romantic imagination of an intellectual, and laughed heartily: "Young people dare to dream, when I went adventuring for the first ti, my mind was full of hoping not to encounter any Infected Bodies, and returning safely to the settlent; who dared to think of such things."
He didn’t know that Cheng Ye’s thoughts had already drifted back to the distant past, crossing the chasm of ti.
In those days, humans traveled without such trepidation.
Climbing over a mountain, crossing a river, going to a neighboring province, or even traveling to another country, was as ordinary as going for a stroll.
The distances on maps were rely several hours of driving or short flights.
There were no yellow lines dividing civilization and chaos, no shadows of infection lurking, nor the anxiety that engulfed one when stepping out of Shelter City...
"Yes, safety is most important."
Cheng Ye reined in his wandering thoughts, gazing straight ahead, and began to seriously observe this unfamiliar Wilderness.
After leaving the South Inspection Station, the ground outside Happiness City had been fundantally hardened, so even on rainy days, it wouldn’t splatter with mud.
To get onto the provincial road to Dapo Town, they had to first loop northward toward the direction of the North Inspection Station.
The pickup drove slowly along the Happiness Defense Line, moving unobstructedly.
But soon, Cheng Ye’s brow furrowed as they were about to enter the dark crowded refugee area.
Days passed, yet an endless line still remained, the sa scene he had seen days ago from the watchtower.
Perhaps because the numbers were so large, they beca blurred figures: a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, four hundred thousand... From above, it seed no different, all were the sa endless crowding.
But approaching from a ground-level perspective, the dense oppression hit face on, especially in rainy weather, adding a tinge of somber oppression.
In the past, Cheng Ye would have instinctively gripped the gun in his hands to feel safe.
But now, he only tensed slightly, with heightened focus, yet his breath remained steady without any extra movents.
"So far, twelve refugee camps have been set up, each with around fifty thousand people. Newer migrants are being guided to new areas to ensure there’s no chance of contamination from previous migrants."
Jiang Chuan carefully avoided the roadside puddles as he introduced, "When counting, there are over five hundred thousand residents outside. The newly established Settlent Office in the Buffer Zone is leading the efforts with departnts like the dical Office, Welfare Office, and Supplies Office, pushing forward initial settlent, including dical treatnt, clothing changes, and explaining rules, making sure everything is done thoroughly."
After a pause, he added, "It’s expected that all the groundwork will be completed the day after tomorrow, after which the Inspectors will take over the recruitnt, making it much easier."
This is the confidence of the Super Shelter City.
Although the Inspectors take the refugees out into the wild to build Satellite City, it doesn’t an they handle all the trivial tasks personally.
User Comments
0 comments from readers