Chapter 599: Everyone, Shanghai Has Disappeared
“Huff… huff…”
Chen Ye sat up abruptly, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, the moisture soaking his hair and clothes.
Shaking off the lingering fear, Chen Ye reached out and grabbed the Hundred-Ghost Eater and Hatred in his hands.
All he saw was the familiar interior of the vehicle.
Beside him sat a plastic bucket filled with water.
On the table lay half a piece of bread left over from yesterday.
He breathed in deep, letting the cold air rush into his lungs, which finally made him feel a bit better.
His remaining blood-red eye was still filled with terror.
The dream from just moments ago lingered in his mind.
In that dream, aside from the threshing ground, it seemed like everything else around him had vanished.
The entire world was just that threshing ground.
Nothing else existed except for it.
Those familiar faces disappeared one by one, until only he was left.
That intense loneliness left a deep impression on Chen Ye.
It felt as if he had experienced it himself.
Some say the ultimate form of loneliness is eating hotpot alone, being hospitalized alone, doing everything alone.
But in that dream just now.
That loneliness was so profound that even the appearance of an Anomaly would have been something Chen Ye craved.
“Gulp, gulp…”
He grabbed a nearby bottled water and chugged the remaining half bottle in one go, which eased his state a little.
His mood calmed slightly.
Chen Ye pushed open the door of the truck bed.
The cold air outside rushed at him, helping him regain some clarity.
That idiot Iron Lion was dozing by the campfire, fast asleep.
The fire had died out long ago.
Having this guy stand guard was truly…
Chen Ye sat down by the fire without waking Iron Lion, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it.
Thin green smoke rose into the air.
As if it were carrying away the nightmare from before.
A nightmare wasn't scary just because of ghosts and ghouls.
No, it was this kind, carrying a certain negative emotion, that truly drained one's spirit.
Watching familiar faces leave one by one, until only he stood there alone with nowhere to go.
This dream left Chen Ye unable to snap out of it even now.
Maybe this dream meant something?
Was everyone going to die in the end?
If the world really ended up with only him left.
Just like in that dream.
Would living even have meaning?
In the dream, that ultimate loneliness sent chills down Chen Ye's spine.
“Yawn… Yezi… you're awake!”
Just as Chen Ye was lighting his third cigarette, Iron Lion beside him stirred awake.
The guy opened his mouth wide, yawning.
Looking completely well-rested.
You had to admire him.
He always slept so soundly.
No matter when, where, or what the circumstances, he could always sleep peacefully.
“Yeah, you… did you dream last night?”
Chen Ye asked curiously.
He didn't even know why he was asking.
“Dream? No, why would I dream?”
Iron Lion looked confused.
“You don't dream at all?”
Chen Ye felt a bit envious.
“Nope, I haven't dreamed in a long time!”
Iron Lion said stupidly.
Chen Ye waved his hand weakly.
Only someone like him, or someone older, would understand.
How important sleep was to a person.
Soon, people began waking up one after another.
Sun Xixi yawned, holding her toothbrush mug, wearing her pajamas as she passed by Chen Ye.
“Morning!”
“Up so early?”
“Yeah!”
Chu Che, Gong Yong, Ding Dong, and the others also woke up one by one.
The bustling camp seemed to drive away the fear in Chen Ye's heart.
Breakfast today was still noodles.
But yesterday, after receiving guidance from Squad Leader Chu, Aunt Gu finally managed to get her hands on two Screaming Radishes.
Actually, Screaming Radishes were a relatively easy wild vegetable to find.
A small one weighed about two to three catties, while a large one could be four to five.
So for breakfast this morning, the noodles were topped with a Screaming Radish sauce mixed with some minced meatworm meat.
Screaming Radish tasted a bit like regular radish, but with an indescribable hint of something else.
It wasn't bad, nor was it particularly amazing.
At least it helped make up for the convoy's lack of supplies.
“Lin Shu Tong and her group haven't shown up yet!”
Captain Chu said casually while holding his bowl of noodles.
Hearing that name, Chen Ye let out a faint sigh.
“That Little Girl probably won't make it back.”
Neither of them continued discussing the topic, both harboring their own suspicions.
Obviously, if they still hadn't appeared by now, their convoy was likely never coming back.
Tang Le Le was still so young, probably just over ten years old.
And that kid Su Jisheng wasn't much older either.
The mere existence of Lin Shu Tong's convoy was already a miracle.
Among all the convoys in the base, the elderly were almost nonexistent.
But Lin Shu Tong's convoy was made up entirely of old people.
Just making it to the Oasis was already impressive.
Back then, when he gave that gun to Tang Le Le, he'd hoped it would help them survive a little longer.
But clearly, this goddamn apocalypse showed no mercy to anyone.
Even the Fair Convoy had hardly any elderly; the oldest was only about fifty.
But that foolish woman still insisted on dragging all those people along.
Little Fish's mood had clearly been low these past couple of days.
Maybe she'd also realized that her best friend would never show up again.
…
After breakfast.
Chu Che left the camp.
Yesterday, Elder Hou Junji had come to notify him that there would be a captain's meeting this morning.
Today's meeting was obviously about the Return to the City Plan.
Time was drawing near, and the plan was about to launch.
Some planning was definitely in order.
The morning's meeting was held on the third floor of the Silent Council Shop.
By the time Chu Che arrived, many convoy captains were already there.
He went straight to find a seat next to Yang Han and Auntie Zhao.
The three chatted idly.
Of course, the main topic was still the rumor about Chen Ye and Jiang Rou.
Whether it was true or not, they chatted away enthusiastically.
A woman of Auntie Zhao's age was a prime candidate for gossip; back in the village, she would've been the main promoter.
With such explosive news, how could she not dig into it?
So, Auntie Zhao naturally joined the gossip-sharing squad and quickly became the lead.
Their lively chatter naturally drew the attention of those around them.
The base wasn't big, so many people already knew about the gossip between Chen Ye and Jiang Rou.
A woman that strong and that good-looking naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Before long, a crowd had gathered around the three.
As for whether any of it was true?
Who cared?
Except for Jiang Rou herself, even Chen Ye didn't really care.
Let them talk—it wasn't like he'd lose a chunk of flesh over it.
In fact, Chen Ye was even tempted to charge money for people to listen; only those who paid could hear the story, and those who didn't couldn't listen or talk about it.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, Elder Hou Junji showed up.
The meeting officially began.
Many people reluctantly returned to their seats.
But Elder Hou's expression was grim; he even seemed a bit dazed.
Seeing him like that, everyone knew something bad had happened.
The meeting room fell silent for a full three minutes.
Only then did Elder Hou open his mouth.
The bird on his shoulder let out a hoarse, grating sound.
“Everyone…”
After those two words, the bird paused, as if processing some information.
The bird continued: “We just received word. Shanghai has disappeared!”