Before everything goes out

Silent all night.

The next day.

At five o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the group packed their luggage and set off again.

"Changjiang City, 38 kilometers away".

This is what the signpost on the highway said before I left.

Li Fei quickly calculated that if everything went smoothly, excluding time for meals and rest, they would definitely be able to get off the highway before dark. Once off the highway and into the city, they could then find their way to the amusement park using the map Zhang Cheng had given them.

"Everyone, give it your all, we'll be in town today."

Li Fei addressed his teammates in this way.

Having confirmed this, the group walked with even greater determination.

Noon.

Things went even more smoothly than I had imagined.

After walking for six hours under the scorching sun, they stopped by the roadside and looked up at the sign above them.

"Bishan Service Area is 10 kilometers away from Changjiang City."

"Ten kilometers to go, let's take a lunch break here and see if there's anything we can use."

After confirming that there was plenty of time, Li Fei led everyone off the highway and into the long-abandoned service area.

Bishan Service Area.

The mountain in its name should come from the continuous mountain range beside the highway.

The service area doesn't look very big from the outside.

From the outside in, the layout includes a parking lot, a gas station, a food court, and so on.

It was no different from the service area Li Fei had seen in his previous life.

As they passed through the parking lot filled with garbage, their eyes lit up. It wasn't that they had any intention of scavenging for trash; it was just that after many days, they had finally seen a "car" again.

Looking around, several cars were parked haphazardly in the center of the parking lot.

Most are sedans, but there are also SUVs.

Regardless of their original color, these cars now appear as a rough reddish-black due to corrosion.

It's not just corrosion.

All these cars combined don't even have a single intact pane of glass, and all of them have varying degrees of impact damage.

Needless to say, they were all scrapped.

even so.

The group still went over and pried open the car door and trunk, rummaging through the car.

Although they don't actually lack anything, or rather, what they lack is something that can't be found here, the feeling of rummaging through unfamiliar things is actually quite nice.

It's like opening a blind box.

Creak, creak, creak.

Amidst the grating sound of metal scraping against metal, Li Fei lowered the trunk.

"Mine's empty, what about yours?"

He looked at the other three.

"I have some baby clothes and a stroller here, but the stroller is broken."

She Qingqing leaned out from the back seat of a car.

"I'm having bad luck, there's nothing here."

Niu San jumped off the back of a van, causing the van to shake and make noise.

"Ugh."

The little mute boy pulled on the car door twice, but couldn't open it. He smiled sheepishly.

"These cars must have been parked here during the disaster. There wasn't even a body left in them, so it's normal that there's nothing there."

Li Fei said this.

As soon as I closed the trunk, I heard a dog barking beside me.

"Woof woof!"

From the tone of that dog's barking, he knew it wasn't good news. Following Ertong's gaze, he saw the food court not far from the parking lot...

He glanced over but saw nothing.

"What's wrong with Er Tong?"

"I don't know, it might be a wild animal."

She Qingqing was also looking in that direction, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Be careful, everyone."

Li Fei picked up his gun and took the lead.

The group followed behind him, and he followed behind Ertong, as they walked out of the parking lot and headed towards the food court.

Happy Spicy Hot Pot, Takoyaki, Fried Rice and Noodles...

His gaze swept over each counter. This place was cleaner than the parking lot, and there was very little trash on the ground. Apart from a very thick layer of dust, there was nothing on the counters. He guessed that they had probably been emptied long ago.

"Woof..."

A low growl sounded.

As it drew closer, Ertong lowered its body even further. After turning two corners inside, it lay completely on the ground, baring its teeth in a certain direction.

"That is..."

Li Fei frowned slightly and looked ahead.

"A person? Or a dummy?"

in view.

In front of a shop called "Fresh Roasted Beef," a figure stood with his back to them, in front of the counter, his body twitching rhythmically.

It looks somewhat like a human, but it's clearly not a normal human.

After hesitating for a moment and confirming that there were no other threats around, Li Fei called out to the retreating figure.

"Raise both hands above your head."

No response.

"Hold both hands above your head. If you make any other movement, I will shoot... Can you understand human speech?"

Li Fei repeated it again.

There was still no response, so he aimed at the counter in front of the man and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

Only after a shallow dent appeared on the counter did the man slowly turn his head.

He paused for half a second and glanced sideways at the group of people behind him.

Before Li Fei could see what it looked like, it turned back slowly without a word and continued the rhythmic twitching.

"What was that? Did anyone see it clearly?"

"I didn't see it clearly."

"No, it might be a zombie? This place is conveniently sheltered from the sun."

"I don't know, I'll go check it out, you guys don't come over yet."

Holding his gun, Li Fei quietly walked a few steps behind the man, maintaining a certain distance. He slowly circled the man until he was facing him directly, at which point he could see his face clearly.

"this..."

Li Fei swallowed hard, his hesitation growing stronger.

After staring for a full five seconds, he put down his gun and called out to the few people who remained not far away.

"It's alright, everyone come over here."