Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 403 Soldiers Appear Again

People walked in the rain, some with umbrellas, some with plastic sheets, and some with nothing at all, just letting the rain soak them as they walked with their heads down.

It was then that she realized that this group was actually led by an army.

There were several people in military uniforms standing upright along the middle edge, forming a stark contrast with the hunched-over, head-down crowd around them.

The raincoat was dark green, and the brim of the hat was pulled down low, obscuring their faces. As Xu Xiaoyan walked past them, she deliberately slowed her pace and glanced at them out of the corner of her eye.

A man had a pistol tucked into his waistband, the handle mostly covered by his raincoat, with only a small section of the black, rain-soaked rubber grip showing.

Another person was holding a walkie-talkie and talking to someone while rainwater streamed down the antenna of the walkie-talkie, but he didn't wipe it away.

There was another person standing at a fork in the road, his arm outstretched, pointing straight ahead, motionless.

Knowing that the military was taking the lead, I finally felt relieved. Although I was still physically tired, at least I no longer had to bear all the direction and right and wrong on my own.

But she soon noticed that many people in the crowd were whispering among themselves.

It wasn't the kind of whispered conversation where people deliberately lower their voices to avoid being overheard, but rather a low murmur filled with resentment.

The sounds came from all directions. At first, she didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just people chatting. But after walking a few steps, some fragmented words drifted into her ears:

"It's the ninth day..."

"My legs don't even feel like my own anymore..."

"When will this end...?"

"Another person collapsed last night..."

She pulled her ears together, slowed her pace, and listened attentively for a while.

The cause and effect gradually became clear: it turned out that since the start of the expedition, the team had been in a state of forced march, except for six hours of rest each night.

They set off before dawn and didn't stop until it was completely dark, only allowing themselves very short breaks to drink water and eat a few bites of dry rations before continuing on their way.

I've been walking for nine days straight. Apart from six hours of sleep each day, I spend the rest of my time inching forward on muddy mountain paths.

Many people are already overwhelmed.

Some people have blisters on the soles of their feet, which they pop and then rub again, until now their entire soles are covered with layers of scabs and tender flesh, making it incredibly painful to walk on.

Some people had swollen knees, and every step they took was excruciatingly painful. They wrapped their knees with cloth strips again and again, gritting their teeth and enduring the pain.

Someone had a fever, their forehead was burning hot, but there was no medicine, so they could only keep walking with their clothes soaked through. They would cough every few steps, coughing until they were bent over.

Some people collapsed at night and never got up again.

These rumors circulated within the group, but no one bothered to verify them, nor did anyone dare to, yet everyone knew they were true.

Because they witnessed it with their own eyes: someone was walking along and suddenly fell to the side of the road, and was helped up by the people behind them.

They helped each other walk for a while, then the person stumbled and fell. They helped the person up again, then the person stumbled and fell again. Finally, the person disappeared.

The most discussed topic among the crowd was the desire to find a place to rest for a couple of days.

Even if it's just for a day, or even half a day, get them to sit down.

Wring out the soaking wet clothes, pop and bandage the blisters on the soles of your feet, boil a pot of water, catch your breath, and get a full night's sleep without being woken up by the whistle in the early morning.

"Can't we just find a hilltop up ahead, stay there for a couple of days, and wait for the rain to subside before continuing?"

A hoarse male voice came from Xu Xiaoyan's left front, carrying a kind of anxiety that had been suppressed for too long and was about to burst out.

"Exactly, exactly. If we keep walking like this, we won't even have to wait for any disaster; we'll just walk ourselves to our deaths."

Another voice chimed in, sounding like a joke, but everyone could tell it wasn't.

Someone sighed and said, "The soldiers are just trying to help everyone. Let's get to a safe place quickly..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted: "A safe place? Does anyone know where a safe place is?"

We've been walking for nine days and haven't even found a place to shelter from the rain. You're telling me it's safe?

The discussions grew louder and louder, and some people even went to negotiate with relevant personnel in the military.

Xu Xiaoyan followed the crowd's gaze and saw several people surrounding a man wearing a military raincoat under a large tree on the right side of the line, talking about something.

Those people looked like elected representatives. One was a middle-aged man whose clothes were covered in mud, but he stood up straight, like someone with some authority.

A young woman was holding a child in her arms. The child was wrapped in a rag, revealing half of his pale face.

There was also an elderly man with a limp, leaning on a cane, standing to the side, not saying a word, just squinting at the person in the raincoat.

The middle-aged man was speaking, his voice so loud that it could be heard even through the rain:

"We've been walking for nine days, and many people can't take it anymore. Can we find a place to rest for a couple of days so everyone can catch their breath before continuing?"

His tone was pleading, but there was a sense of humility and self-assurance in his pleading.

The young woman didn't say anything, but simply hugged the child in her arms even tighter.

Rainwater streamed down the child's face. The child remained motionless, it was unclear whether he was asleep or unconscious.

The lame old man remained silent, but he tapped his cane on the ground.

After listening, the soldiers remained silent for about three seconds before saying, "We won't stop. If you don't want to follow, you can find a hilltop to rest on."

He paused, tilted his head slightly as if glancing at the group, and then added, "We are responsible for the lives of the majority."

It was brief, cold, and left no room for explanation. After speaking, he turned around, took a step, and walked forward in the direction of the line.

"Be responsible for the lives of the majority? Then what about the lives of the minority?"

We've been walking for nine days. The elderly and children are sick and have no medicine. Their feet are swollen like buns and they still have to keep going. And you're telling me you're being responsible for the majority of people—”

His words were mostly swallowed by the sound of the rain and further amplified by the distance, leaving only a few indistinct echoes when they finally reached the other end.

The soldiers didn't look back and simply disappeared into the gray rain.

The middle-aged man's voice gradually faded, and the surrounding crowd fell silent for a few seconds before whispers began to rise again.

Xu Xiaoyan observed all of this and discerned something different from those few words:

The leader of this team has goals, priorities, and a sense of time, and considers the survival rights of the majority of the people.

As for their additional needs, illnesses, and fatigue, these were not within their consideration. This should be a well-disciplined migration team.