Chapter 317

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

The world after the hailstorm was a ground full of broken branches and fallen leaves.

Shen Yao parked the car under the tall trees, the vehicle surrounded by dead branches large and small; only after a good while did she push open the car door and slowly step down from the car.

Can't drive for now.

This hailstorm came too suddenly, blocking the road ahead; getting past will still take considerable effort.

"Sister-in-law"

Wei Minzhi, who had gotten out from the other side of the car, ran to Shen Yao's side and called out softly.

Mother Wei and Wei Chengning did not get out; they belonged to the old and weak group, and with the situation outside unclear right now, moving about would only add risk of trouble.

"Seen your brother and them?" Shen Yao asked casually, while pulling up the positioning map in the System window to confirm the distance between them.

Wei Minzhi shook her head, "None around; this hail came too fast, Brother's satellite phone can't get through for now."

Can't blame Wei Minzhi — natural disasters cannot be resisted by human power, especially when these hailstones fell distinct and clear, smashing onto the body leaving bruises purple and green.

Shen Yao and the others dodged left and right, the car who knows where it drove to; even though the surrounding crowd was not small in number, who let out more people? Hard to say they didn't get separated together.

"Go back to the car first, look after Mother and Chengning well, I'll go ahead to find people."

With the messy situation all around, wanting to set off immediately is pure fantasy; Shen Yao planned to first simply clear away the surrounding branches and fallen leaves, clear out a space to bring Wei Mingyu and the others back.

As for how to arrange things afterward, the family can discuss once gathered together.

Wei Minzhi listened and gave an "mm" nod, "Sister-in-law be careful," she took out the iron rod used for self-defense, and also took a thick coat and handed it over.

The hail's end also took away the stifling heat; Shen Yao in just a single layer of long sleeves and long pants would still be cold.

Accepting the clothes Wei Minzhi handed over, she practically turned around and put them on, "Rest assured, I'll be back very soon; during this time, if anything happens don't get out of the car," fearing the three left behind couldn't handle trouble, Shen Yao instructed the System to keep a tight watch on this side.

Wei Minzhi knew nothing of this; she waved her hand, turned and ran two steps back to the car, locked the door behind her leaving only a crack of the window.

Shen Yao stepped forward, bypassed the obstacles on the ground, and soon found the car Wei Mingyu was driving.

Good news, the car is still there, the people inside are safe, and uninjured.

Bad news, the car's starter engine has a bit of trouble; Wei Mingyu and Father Wei are busy repairing the car, won't be able to drive back for a while.

"No rush, this hailstorm the officials didn't anticipate, the departure will be postponed," Shen Yao glanced around; there were official personnel present.

"Already off the main road, turning back would take half a day; encountering broken roads on the way that need repair, conservative estimate, we'll be staying here for three days."

Wei Mingyu held up a few fingers, then pointed at the surrounding chaos.

It really is chaotic; all kinds of wailing and sorrowful sighs drill into everyone's ears unceasingly.

Shen Yao was already somewhat irritable; now hearing this she was even more furious. Brows furrowed, not knowing what to say, in the end she merely looked at the two children in the car.

"I'll go bring Minzhi and them over; our family must stay together," strength in numbers — even if some among them are weak chicks who can't withstand a blow, gathering together is still quite intimidating.

Wei Mingyu gave an "mm" and nodded, had Father Wei go with Shen Yao, while he stayed to continue fixing the engine problem.

Coming and going in haste, and having to clear debris from the road; by the time Shen Yao brought the people over, the sun was already hanging right overhead, constantly radiating heat outward.

The cooled sky inexplicably heated up again, still that scorching, baking feeling.

Shen Yao helplessly took off the clothes on her body and gave them to Wei Minzhi, while she went over to help Wei Mingyu repair the car.

Two vehicles parked together were not conspicuous, because there were still many people around who had met with trouble, even quite a few making a fuss wanting to go back.

What a joke, go back? They've left a hundred thousand li behind; aren't they just muddle-headed and having a hysterical fit?

Wei Minzhi complained inwardly, holding food taken from the car, she gathered some branches and fallen leaves, piled them together, and lit a fire to cook.

The heat isn't entirely without benefit; see, the sun-dried branches and twigs are fire-starting material, just casually pick some up and it satisfies the cooking needs.

Wei Minzhi's self-care ability has ascended these past years. Like cooking such a small matter, she handles it with absolute ease, completely without any difficulty.

Mother Wei came to help; mother and daughter, using the branches Father Wei had gathered, soon had fragrance drifting from the soup pot full of food.

Wei Mingyu and Shen Yao, still busy with the great undertaking of repairing the car, very tacitly stopped the tools in their hands, turned their heads and rubbed their own empty stomachs, planning to eat a meal first before speaking further.

"In a bit I'll go find the official people and ask about the situation; without a concrete notification coming down, staying here is nerve-wracking," afraid of being left behind or abandoned, if they don't have powerful force to protect them, it's very hard to reach the destination safely.

Father Wei held the bowl in his hand, his brows furrowed and never once relaxed.

Mother Wei patted Father Wei's arm, and ladled another bowl of soup for the three little ones, "No need to rush, everywhere is chaotic; what would we get by going over? Better to wait for the official people to come notify us."

They can't really not care; we aren't important, but there are important people.

Mother Wei, who has already learned to use status to pressure people, believes with son and daughter-in-law present, the officials will surely regard their family's lives; how was that phrase? Value.

Their family has sufficient value, no worry about being abandoned by the officials.

Even if the officials abandon them, it would only be arranged at the end, not a decisive discard right from the start.

Father Wei and Mother Wei clashed like this, the topic wouldn't stop; the couple bickered back and forth until they finished eating the food in their hands, only then barely stopping.

Of course, stopping isn't a result, just that neither could convince the other, temporarily calling it quits.

Shen Yao and Wei Mingyu finished eating and continued repairing the car; Wei Minzhi looked after the three children, picked up some fallen leaves and branches from the surroundings and brought them back for reserve.

By the time dusk fell and it was time to rest, the tent originally slept in was once again brought out.

Still the previous night-watch arrangement; the only difference is no need to rush the road at dawn, so can use it to catch up on sleep.

But staying in place like this isn't a solution either; time drags on and resentment qi is bound to arise.

Like some crowds already injured when the hail fell; even if they received treatment, it was only simple bandaging and taking medicine — some effect but not much.

Some people couldn't bear it, don't know how many trips they ran to the officials' residence; yet the officials still haven't produced an effective plan.

"Should be leaving, right? The road ahead is clear," the officials have been summoning manpower to help repair the road, known to all from the start.

Shen Yao drew close to Wei Mingyu, eyes glancing around, mentioning that recently quite a few people's minds are stirring restlessly; if the officials don't produce a plan, there will be trouble.

Once things blow up, this commotion will likely cost another batch of lives.

The group that set out already suffered certain losses; as long as it didn't cross the bottom line, the Official side wouldn't care. But with most of the journey behind them and victory in sight, most people were reluctant to throw away their lives for nothing.

Wei Mingyu nodded. "The Official side plans to travel at night. The area ahead is special — daytime travel is inconvenient." They would have to adjust their schedule accordingly.

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow. "You even know this. Have you come here on a mission before?"

Aside from missions he never offered any other explanation — who let Wei Mingyu have so few chances to go out?

On missions in previous years, once he left he'd be gone for several months; he's probably already run all over the Rimu City vicinity.

"I've been here," and not just once. They collected a special-purpose plant's mutated stem and leaf from here, beneficial to the human body.

As for what benefits, Wei Mingyu didn't elaborate, but Shen Yao could understand — most likely still a Laboratory product, not yet ready for large-scale use.

Pity. When she was in Rimu City she didn't know; now that she's left Rimu City, by the time the finished product comes out she'll probably have to wait a very long time to obtain it.

The two waited for the night journey, and conveniently packed up the tent.

Sure enough, before the sun had set, Official staff with speakers notified them to move — without even explaining the purpose of doing so.

Shen Yao was helpless. Truly ruthless in action; they must have prepared early. The population loss here was within their own acceptable range.

"Get in the car. Stay alert. Prepare the high-power flashlights." Driving needs bright light. This time Shen Yao planned to drive at the very front, letting Wei Mingyu follow closely behind her.

Relying on the System Cheat, she was safer than those who knew nothing. Having made up her mind to go first, when the two vehicles pulled out she could still see the panicked expressions of the others.

Shen Yao gripped the steering wheel, made sure everyone else buckled up, then stomped the accelerator — *whoosh* — the whole car simply flew forward.

The road still had scattered rocks and broken branches, but they didn't affect the journey. Besides, Official personnel were at the very front; their super-strong combat power gave a powerful sense of security.

Shen Yao chased after them; as long as they didn't stop, she wouldn't stop.

Wei Minzhi turned on her flashlight, and together with the vehicle's built-in lighting, the road ahead was clear and open.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling drowsy and unable to keep them open. Wei Minzhi reminded her sister-in-law, then let out a yawn with tears in her eyes.

In the back seat, Wei Mother and Wei Chengning had already tilted their heads and fallen asleep. A thin blanket still covered them, to prevent them from catching cold.

"You sleep too. Put the flashlight up front." Shen Yao didn't need Wei Minzhi to sacrifice sleep to help her; with the System giving verbal alerts, she could avoid all foreseeable trouble.

Wei Minzhi scratched her head embarrassedly, but in the end her head tilted and she fell asleep.

She was simply too sleepy — not something Wei Minzhi's self-control could overcome. Still, the flashlight in her hand wasn't dropped; Wei Minzhi gripped it steadily, and even asleep it kept shining on the road ahead.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao silently lowered the speed, and via the System kept tabs on Wei Mingyu behind her, confirming he hadn't fallen behind, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Once this stretch is past, there'll be no more danger, right?" Shen Yao asked the System.

"How could there be no danger? It's just that the danger weakens." To interpret it as no danger — the Host really automatically filters out bad news for herself.

"Weaken or not, right now there's nothing." She'd driven this long and encountered nothing — it made one suspect whether the System's words were true, or if it was exaggerating.

System:...

The System, suspected by its own Host, couldn't help but grind its teeth in anger. But it still couldn't say much for now; it merely indicated: ignore the System's words, suffer the loss right before your eyes.

This isn't ordinary danger. Hiding by day, active by night — changing creatures' habits — shows how dangerous this place is.

"Got it, I—" Before she finished, a white shadow flashed across the front. Shen Yao had to wrench the steering wheel hard, dodging the thing that suddenly appeared.

The originally smoothly driving car suddenly swerved at extreme speed, waking Wei Minzhi who had been sleeping soundly. Wei Mother and Wei Chengning in the back were also unsettled.

Shen Yao didn't attend to them, but asked the System what that was. It clearly shouldn't have appeared — her eyes aren't blind yet.

"That *is* the danger. Otherwise why hide by day and come out at night?" The System explained it was an animal. Active by day, sluggish at night. Not only highly aggressive, but also prone to causing personnel deaths.

No more bickering with the System. Shen Yao took out the satellite phone and called Wei Mingyu, warning him to be extremely careful. The worst thing while driving is something suddenly appearing in the middle of the road — no one can help being startled.

Wei Minzhi was already awake, staring with wide eyes at the road ahead, then at Shen Yao, blinking repeatedly.

"It's fine. Go back to sleep. Not a big problem." It was still night, dawn hadn't broken — even if they encountered it, she wasn't worried about being attacked. Besides, with so many vehicles around, who said bad luck had to fall on them?

Wei Minzhi woke up just like that, then was urged by her sister-in-law to fall asleep again.

In a daze, if not for waking up sober the next daytime, she would have thought last night was a dream. In reality she hadn't spoken a word with her sister-in-law at all.

The tents were already pitched. A circle of Official personnel and heavy weapons blocked the front; they could only huddle in the back and sleep.

Wei Minzhi chattered on about being startled awake last night. Shen Yao smiled, and exchanged a tacit glance with Wei Mingyu, who had already learned via satellite phone.

Wei Minzhi:...

Wei Minzhi puffed her cheeks, and was dragged away by Wei Chengyan playing nearby.

As a child, obedient and well-behaved all the way, Wei Chengyan naturally had special privileges.

Wei Minzhi liked her little nephew. Faced with his request to play, Wei Minzhi couldn't bring herself to refuse harshly.

Tossing this matter to the back of her mind, she laughed and pulled the three kids into the fun.

Soon, laughter and noise came from the pitched tents, adding a different kind of warmth to the surroundings.

No one could leave. Daytime was just sleeping, eating and drinking to replenish strength.

Shen Yao and Wei Mingyu had each sought out Official staff to inquire. All they got were vague, useless nonsense.

In the end the two conferred and concluded: the Official side simply didn't want to lay out the dangers involved here plainly.

As for reasons: worrying they'd be afraid was one; the second was to protect the special plant's reputation as much as possible, lest others covet it.

Once spread, it would definitely attract external covetous Forces. Rimu City's Official side didn't want to make wedding clothes for others, so they simply blurred it all over, preserving their known information to the maximum, keeping enough information asymmetry.