novelraw Chapter 740: Service Station Out of Contact
Chapter 740: Service Station Out of Contact
The atmosphere within all the caravans grew tense. Police Sanliang reviewed everyone’s duties once more and recruited an additional ten people. Besides quickly digging latrines and boiling water, they also dug snow ramparts and traps at both ends of their camp.
They simply poured water on the snow, shaping it into walls. In no time, hard, thick ice walls emerged, providing a sense of security. However, when some people saw the hollow, terrifying eyes of the dozens of Hulks, they thought, With these scary Hulks around, why bother building walls?
"Shu, we still need to take precautions when we sleep. I’ll keep watch tonight so your dad and mom can get a good sleep when they return. Jinglai can then report to the cafeteria without worry tomorrow, Youai has to work with her tutor on important matters, and her grandma needs to cook. Counting everyone up, I’m the only old man here with free time," Mr. Jing declared, banging his hand on the table.
He conveniently ignored the fact that Jing Shu, another significant idler in the household, was also present.
So, it was settled. Though Jing Shu felt it was entirely unnecessary. If they had truly reached a point where they had to rely on an old man to detect an enemy’s approach, then there would be no point in her keeping so many Hulks and rotten mermaids.
Besides, there were many snakes and insects in the vicinity, all serving as Jing Shu’s ’little eyes.’
On average, there was a rotten mermaid conducting surveillance every hundred meters underground. It was no exaggeration to say she had sentries posted every hundred steps.
Jing Shu feared death more than anything. It was no exaggeration to say she could detect any living person within a several-kilometer radius.
Despite this, Jing Shu still said earnestly, "Alright, Grandpa, you can keep watch tonight. We have our Hulks around, so if they show any signs of disturbance, wake us up."
For this, Grandma Jing, in a rare display of consideration, prepared some warming soup for Mr. Jing, along with two ounces of pork head meat, a dish of peanuts, various snacks, a thick patrol coat, and a firearm.
Indeed, with Mr. Jing on night watch, the initial, inexplicable anxiety among the group subsided, replaced by a sense of security.
Jing Shu couldn’t recall if such an incident had occurred in her previous life. Back then, they were part of the third migration batch. Although they encountered many difficulties on the road, as long as the Township Government was present, they didn’t have to worry.
Their only concerns revolved around keeping up with the daily progress, securing a good spot at the rest stops, getting a bowl of hot soup, freezing their behinds when using the makeshift toilets, or being bitten by rotten corpse insects at night—all issues related to their personal comfort.
At 8:00 p.m., all the pedestrian migrants reached the service station. Those who had arrived earlier had already prepared the day’s food and hot soup. The clamor from their area could be heard hundreds of meters away, perhaps due to the novelty of the situation or because they hadn’t yet adapted.
By 10:00 p.m., the caravan’s lights dimmed. The people walking at the other end of the tunnel also quieted down. Outside, apart from the occasional sound of footsteps from patrolling guards, nothing else could be heard.
The other end of the tunnel was crammed with sleeping people. Like the vehicle convoy, they had built protruding ice walls at both ends for cover and to block the wind.
No one minded the crowding; in such cold weather, everyone preferred to huddle together for warmth as they slept.
At midnight, Mr. and Mrs. Jing returned after finishing an emergency planning meeting. Grandma Jing had left them two bowls of chicken soup with poached eggs. After they ate, the lights in the RV were finally turned off.
Jing Shu slept on her bed beneath the 270° panoramic skylight. The Hulk King was at her feet, two ’little liquid cuties’ were by her hand, and the fat chicken was beside her bed. Amidst this peculiar assembly, she quietly drifted off to sleep.
「The night passed without incident.」
Indeed, for the next several days, there was no further news of bandits. Even when the large migration convoy slowly passed National Highway 312, everything went smoothly, though there were plenty of other petty, messy problems along the way.
For example, if a vehicle in the convoy ran out of fuel and the fuel truck hadn’t arrived, the entire convoy had to wait. There was no alternative, as the police escort was responsible for everyone’s safety. When they tried to borrow fuel from other vehicles, the owners demanded exorbitant prices, which the stranded vehicle’s owner was unwilling to pay. In the end, the police escort managed to borrow some fuel.
The fuel trucks were part of a collaboration between the Food Department and the Oil Transport Department.
Could the migrating convoy really not be as resourceful as Jing Shu’s family, who had stored several tons of fuel and brought it along? The most outrageous part was that they had even brought their charging station.
Of course, not everyone could follow the example of Jingshu’s house. The transport of livestock from breeding farms, transplanted fruit and vegetable seedlings, and other such things all required fuel en route, so the Oil Transport Department had dedicated vehicles for this purpose.
Then there were the wealthy officials in the Food Department who used their connections to obtain fuel, storing it with the Oil Transport Department. When fuel was delivered to government officials, they’d skim some off as kickbacks. They also supplied private individuals. This gasoline was essentially their private stock. Want to buy some on the spot?
Sorry, but without connections or money, you truly couldn’t get any gasoline.
Other minor issues included fights among the pedestrian migrants over not wanting to sleep on the periphery at night, or various dramas erupting because someone in a convoy supposedly slept with another person’s younger sister-in-law.
Once they passed National Highway 312, everyone gradually forgot about the bandits and focused wholeheartedly on their daily lives. During this migration, most people still had to work.
Take Third Aunt, for example. She managed the logistics canteen and still had to arrive at the service station two hours before mealtimes each day. She would direct people to dig fire pits, boil water, cook food, calculate portions, and so on. Human beings don’t just need to eat; they also need to use latrines, have shelter, and sometimes they fall ill. There was an endless list of tasks to manage along the way.
In short, all basic necessities—eating, drinking, sanitation, clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—required comprehensive planning. If any single aspect was mismanaged, it could affect the next, creating a chain reaction that would disrupt the entire journey’s progress. If the service stations failed to stockpile food in advance, or if there were issues with transportation personnel leading to a supply chain breakdown, then one could only imagine the entire migration convoy would descend into chaos.
They had traveled 400 kilometers in 16 days. Jiang Jiang had now officially left the charted area of the Northwest and had just arrived at the border of Xinlan. The third and fourth groups of pedestrian migrants were now fully underway. This included the factory workers from Jingshu’s house, who were part of the last migration batch and were now also on the road.
Thus, all three million residents of Wu City had embarked on this epic journey! With such a vast undertaking and so many logistical challenges along the way, Jing Shu still hadn’t heard any news from Jun Bao.
No news is good news.
Just as people were beginning to forget the bandit incident, shocking news arrived.
The Six-bend Bay Service Station, located at the border with Xinlan, had experienced a major incident!
「1:00 p.m.」
"Stop! Everyone out of your vehicles and assemble! Turn off all headlights and kill your engines! From this moment on, no one is to speak loudly or make any significant noise!"
The convoy halted inside a tunnel approximately two kilometers from the Six-bend Bay Service Station. Police vehicles blocked the tunnel entrance. After everyone had been gathered and their identities re-verified, the situation was briefly explained:
"Half an hour ago, the Six-bend Bay Service Station was attacked and robbed by an unidentified force. The missing include a supply convoy from Xinlan to Wu City, comprising 30 armed personnel. Additionally, 10 logistics staff and 30 armed personnel from Wu City are also unaccounted for."