Chapter 201: A Place to Rest
From there, things became much easier.
The road ahead was wide and mostly open, with trees lining both sides at a distance. There were no tall buildings for the Grasshopper Infected to climb or use as launching points, leaving them with only their speed and jumping ability to chase the convoy.
As the vehicles continued moving, the soldiers at the rear began preparing their final counterattack.
"Grenades, now! Fire the grenade launchers!"
Soldiers quickly pulled out grenades and loaded their launchers. One after another, they fired toward the horde chasing them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted across the road, sending infected flying and tearing apart the tightly packed horde.
Jaxon didn’t stop firing either.
With the infected clumped so closely together, a single bullet could pass through several of them. He carefully picked his targets, sometimes taking down five or more infected with a single shot.
THUP! THUP! THUP!
The notifications continued ringing in his head as he kept firing. He took advantage of every opening, eliminating as many infected as possible while the soldiers kept the horde at bay.
Slowly, the explosions and gunshots began to fade behind them.
The screams of the infected became quieter and the convoy was finally gaining distance.
Jaxon eventually lowered his rifle and glanced back one last time.
Far in the distance, the Mongoloid Safe Zone was still visible against the dark sky.
The colossal infected towered over the ruined city, its enormous body moving through the streets as countless infected swarmed around it. Buildings collapsed one after another, fires spread across the city, and the once heavily fortified safe zone was being completely torn apart.
It grew smaller and smaller as the vehicles continued driving away.
"Will this happen to the other safe zones too?" Hannah quietly asked from inside the military truck. Her voice came through the radio, allowing the others to hear her as well.
No one answered, but they all knew the possibility was real.
"Even a safe zone that was this large and heavily fortified..." Bong-gu muttered, glancing back at the distant destruction before turning toward the road ahead.
The convoy continued driving through the night.
Hours passed as the vehicles kept rolling down the open road. Eventually, the darkness began to fade, and the sky slowly turned brighter as the first rays of sunlight appeared over the horizon.
By then, the chaos from earlier had almost completely disappeared.
Only a few infected were still chasing them, and the soldiers quickly took them down whenever they got too close.
THUP! A final shot echoed through the morning air.
The infected collapsed onto the road and was left behind as the vehicles continued forward.
"Ugh... I can’t feel my arms anymore," Jaxon muttered as he finally lowered his DMR. His shoulders were sore from hours of shooting, and even with his enhanced physical abilities, the constant firing had taken its toll.
"You’ve been shooting all night. Of course your arms hurt," Natasha said with a small smile.
Before Jaxon could reply, Bong-gu suddenly called out from nearby.
"Jaxon, look. The convoy is slowing down."
Everyone immediately became more alert. Those who had been half-asleep from exhaustion opened their eyes and looked toward the convoy ahead.
After passing through the mountainous area, the convoy had finally reached a wide, open field. Twenty-two buses remained, along with five armored vehicles and three military trucks, and after hours of nonstop driving, they finally began slowing down.
One by one, the vehicles came to a stop.
The soldiers quickly got to work, using the buses and armored vehicles to form a defensive barricade around the convoy. They positioned themselves around the perimeter, keeping their weapons ready in case the infected attacked.
Jaxon’s group also brought their vehicles to a stop nearby and climbed out one after another.
"They finally stopped," Elaine said, letting out a small sigh of relief. "They must be exhausted too."
"Should we go join them now?" Hae-in asked.
"What are we waiting for?" Bong-gu quickly said. "Let’s go over there."
"I don’t think that’s a good idea." Na-rin’s quiet voice made everyone look at her.
"What do you mean?" Hannah asked. "Haven’t we been waiting for them this whole time?"
Haris and Bong-gu nodded in agreement, but before anyone could argue further, Jaxon spoke up.
"She’s right."
Everyone turned toward him.
"We won’t join them just yet," he continued. "At first, I thought they would eventually meet up with the other military forces, but looking at the convoy now, there are too many civilians and not enough soldiers."
He glanced toward the buses in the distance.
"They have hundreds of civilians, dozens of vehicles, and exhausted soldiers. If another horde finds them, the entire convoy will become a target."
"So you’re saying it would be more dangerous if we joined them now?" Elena asked.
"Basically," Natasha replied, giving a small nod. "If another horde catches up to us, we’ll be trapped in the middle of all those people too."
Elena thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Then let’s not do it."
Bong-gu scratched his head but eventually nodded as well. "Yeah... when you put it that way, staying separate might actually be safer."
Thomas remained silent for a moment, watching the exhausted soldiers and civilians around the convoy. He seemed reluctant to leave them behind, but after a few seconds, he sighed and shook his head.
"Cindy, can you find us a building where we can rest?" Jaxon asked.
Cindy nodded and quickly took the drone from the vehicle. She activated it and sent it into the air, using the camera to scan the surrounding area.
A few minutes later, her eyes suddenly lit up. "I found something! There’s a resort about two kilometers from here. It’s away from the main road, and I don’t see any infected around it."
"A resort?" Bong-gu perked up slightly. "Does it have beds?"
Cindy looked at him and nodded. "Looks like it has several buildings and a large parking area."
"Then that’s perfect."
Jaxon gave Cindy a small smile and gently patted her head. "Good work. Let’s go."