The Blocked Road

The truck’s engine roared as we moved forward, leaving behind the bushes and messy vegetation half-buried in the snow.

Leaning against the edge of the cargo bed, I rested my chin on my hand, quietly watching the cold, silent snowy landscape.

Because of the thick fog, I could only see about ten meters around the truck; beyond that, everything was a blur.

There were many people in the convoy, but not everyone was qualified to sit in the truck.

Most of the soldiers were trudging along on both sides of the vehicles.

One deep step, one shallow step; the sound of their bodies sinking into the snow was masked by the engine’s roar, and no one would know how tired they were.

“I’m actually pretty lucky.”

I sighed softly.

I thought, if Su Yanlan hadn’t happened to join this convoy, and if I hadn’t happened to come with her, I would probably be one of those people struggling to walk down there.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Miss Qin Yue?”

Beside me, Su Yanlan heard my sigh and reached out to pinch my earlobe.

It was a little uncomfortable.

“Nothing, I’m just very grateful to you, Miss Yanlan. Meeting you was my good fortune.”

A tiny, insignificant bit of luck amidst misfortune, but better than nothing.

Su Yanlan didn’t know my inner thoughts. Hearing my words, she smiled and stopped pinching my ear.

Leaning against the side wall of the cargo bed, she half-forced me to turn around and rest my head on her shoulder.

The scent of lavender mixed with the smell of truck diesel filled my nose, making me feel a bit queasy.

But I didn’t refuse her closeness.

In the cargo bed, the soldiers wearing hazmat suits looked at Su Yanlan and me with curiosity.

Our behavior was a bit too intimate.

Hair color, appearance, and aura—everything was completely different.

I was certain these soldiers wouldn’t mistake us for sisters.

“Are you lovers?”

Over the sound of the truck engine, a soldier wearing a gas mask asked aloud.

His voice was mostly drowned out by the engine, so I couldn’t hear his specific tone, but I imagined it wasn’t very friendly.

In any era, same-s*x relationships aren’t widely accepted by the public, even though there was no romance between Su Yanlan and me.

“No.”

Su Yanlan answered the question for me.

The soldier who asked let out a bored “Oh,” and then stopped focusing on us.

Bored out of my mind.

The truck wasn’t moving fast, so it wasn’t too bumpy, and I didn’t feel carsick.

I took a cold potato out of the bag next to me and peeled it bit by bit.

I glanced at Su Yanlan, hesitating whether to offer her a bite.

I thought about it and decided against it. Food was limited, and unless necessary, I wouldn’t share it with anyone.

I wasn’t generous like Su Yanlan, who would share her food with me; I was selfish.

The slight chewing sound disturbed the soldier next to me again. The eyes behind the gas mask scanned me once, then quickly looked away.

I didn’t care much. I knew my behavior might affect others, but what did that matter?

The convoy drove for a long time, slowly entering the forest Su Yanlan and I had visited before.

The Medium Radiation Zone.

The fog had thinned a bit, but it showed no signs of dispersing.

The forest was dark, and the truck’s headlights were glaringly bright in the pitch blackness.

The soldiers walking on the ground alongside the truck also became alert.

They either held their slung guns in their hands or turned on their flashlights.

The sound of the truck engine could easily attract mutants, so to avoid being killed, everyone was forced to be on high alert.

The soldiers in the cargo bed also stood up, raising their guns, watching the woods and fog beyond the road.

Those damnable mutants could hide well even in normal conditions, let alone in this thick fog.

“Miss Yanlan, don’t you need to be on guard like them?”

I looked at her, still leaning quietly against the side wall, looking lazy. Her pink hair no longer looked dreamlike in the dim light; instead, it seemed a bit eerie.

“It’s just a medium radiation zone. This is a convoy with plenty of guns and ammunition; it’s not that easy to encounter a threat.”

She paused, then continued explaining.

“Generally, there are only C-class and B-class mutants here. Most can be killed with guns, and the strongest can’t survive a grenade. Thermal weapons are still very effective.”

She gently held my hand.

“Mhm.”

I nodded, involuntarily wondering about the grade of the mutant Su Yanlan and I killed last time.

B-class? Or C-class?

It probably wasn’t very high, since it was easily killed by a pistol.

My knowledge of these things was truly lacking, but I felt that a rifle must be more powerful than a pistol.

The convoy continued deeper into the forest, and the fog continued to fade little by little over time.

The menacing trees around us were revealed. Sharp branches, and claw marks visible on the trunks from time to time.

The smell of rotting corpses occasionally wafted from the vines on the sides of the road, probably mutants killed by their own kind.

Occasionally, one or two strange bird calls came from the forest, as if announcing the tragic fate of some unlucky soul.

The breeze blowing against my face carried the scent of blood, making me feel uncomfortable.

I closed my eyes, and the unease in my heart slowly crept out.

“Are you scared? Miss Qin Yue.”

Su Yanlan squeezed my palm. Her warmth made me feel a little safer.

There was no need to be nervous.

There were many people in this convoy, at least a hundred, and everyone had a gun.

What was there to be afraid of?

Suddenly, the truck stopped.

“The road is blocked.”

The driver’s voice came from the front.

Su Yanlan and I got out of the car and walked forward.

We saw a large tree, nearly three meters thick, that had fallen, perfectly blocking the road in the forest.

The trunk was straight and tall, and the branches at the top were still green. The break point was uneven and bore traces of blood.

Standing in front of this fallen tree, we could hear faint chewing sounds coming from the surroundings.

Something was eating.

Su Yanlan tentatively placed her hand on the tree and pushed hard.

As she exerted force, the trunk slid forward.

Strength beyond my imagination.

The branches and leaves rustled against the ground, and the chewing sounds around us stopped.

Su Yanlan stopped pushing.

“There are mutants. Prepare for battle.”

As her voice fell, the soldiers in hazmat suits all fell silent.

The forest became instantly quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

At some point, Qin Dai had also arrived at the front. She placed her silver metal arm on the tree trunk.

Gears turned, and she shoved forward violently.

A dull cracking sound echoed as the tree trunk snapped in response.

Behind the trunk, a monster similar to the mutant I had seen last time was crouching over a human corpse.

It looked up, blood constantly dripping from the corners of its mouth, along with bits of meat it hadn’t finished swallowing.