Surviving the Apocalypse with the Young Miss - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Anomalies

While reversing the car, Tong Xiangyu took the opportunity to teach Song Ge how to check the rearview mirrors and how to turn the steering wheel to avoid obstacles. After watching for a while, Song Ge said, “Let me try.”

Tong Xiangyu got out to guide her. After all, backing into a space looks easy, but in practice, it requires a lot of proficiency. However, after just a moment, Tong Xiangyu watched as Song Ge turned the wheel and backed the car into the warehouse in one smooth, continuous motion.

Tong Xiangyu was dumbstruck. She exclaimed in shock, “Song Ge, you really didn’t know how to drive before? This is incredible!”

Song Ge stepped out of the car, closed the door, glanced at the position, and said, “It’s because you taught me well.”

Tong Xiangyu’s face flushed as she skipped into the warehouse behind Song Ge. “Really? Really?”

“Mhm.”

Being praised made Tong Xiangyu much more energetic about moving supplies. Together, they cleared out about seventy to eighty percent of the warehouse. Some were basic daily necessities, but most were long-shelf-life foods—like cured meats, dried fruits, canned goods, and, most importantly, water. There wasn’t much mineral water in the warehouse, only a few crates, but Song Ge moved them all into the trunk.

Finally, Tong Xiangyu held that 5L bottle of orange juice, unwilling to let go. Song Ge hadn’t wanted to bring it because the juice was nearing its expiration date, and she wasn’t sure if the young lady’s delicate stomach could handle it. Song Ge definitely wouldn’t drink it—it was sweet and didn’t quench thirst. However, seeing the other’s “pitiful and weak” expression of desire, Song Ge picked it up and put it in the car. At the same time, she placed the steel rod used to hook the rolling shutters into the car. “Drink this first then. Finish it early.”

Tong Xiangyu immediately became happy like a child. “Okay, okay, okay!”

The car drove out of the city under a scorching sun. Even with the air conditioning on full blast, the burning sunlight passing through the glass was still hard to endure. Tong Xiangyu didn’t even dare take off her sun-protection jacket. If she did, she would definitely get sunburnt and peel. Having run around looking for supplies with Song Ge, she was drenched in sweat, which was now trapped inside the jacket, making her feel miserably sticky.

She couldn’t imagine what would happen if the twenty-hour-day, four-hour-night cycle continued. To prevent fatigued driving, the two took turns. When it was Song Ge’s turn again, Tong Xiangyu asked what time it was.

Song Ge checked her watch. “6:30 PM.”

Tong Xiangyu got out of the car and looked at the sky through her sunglasses. The sun was high, the sky was cloudless, and the sun showed no intention of moving westward. Feeling hot and stifled, she fanned herself and sat back in the passenger seat, pouring out some of the orange juice they had opened earlier. To her surprise, the juice—opened only two hours ago—already had a distinctly sour smell of spoilage. She hurriedly opened the door and spat it out.

Seeing this, Song Ge knew they needed to rest. They couldn’t refuse to sleep just because the sun wouldn’t set. She drove forward a bit and pulled over in the shade of some trees.

They got out to rest in the shade. But while it was shady, it was not cool at all. Even under the canopy, the air they breathed was as hot as fire. It was actually better to stay in the car; though the sun hit it, at least the air from the AC was cool.

Song Ge threw away the spoiled orange juice while Tong Xiangyu watched longingly. After that, Song Ge took off her soaked sun-protection jacket, long-sleeved shirt, and pants—the clothes had been saturated with sweat. She tossed them into the sun, and before their eyes, the wet clothes were rapidly scorched dry.

Shocked by the sight, Tong Xiangyu immediately stripped off her jacket and T-shirt and threw them out to dry as well. Song Ge took some water from the car and gave it to the squatting Tong Xiangyu. Tong Xiangyu took a sip, found the water was also hot, and frowned in disgust, but took another sip before handing it back. Song Ge drank half the bottle and tightened the cap. “Want to eat something?”

Tong Xiangyu looked up. “I still have chocolate in my bag.”

Song Ge brought the backpack over. Tong Xiangyu rummaged through it; several bars had turned into chocolate mud. She tore a small hole and sucked it out like jelly. Noticing Song Ge’s gaze, she offered her another one. “Do you want some?”

“No. You eat it.”

They rested by the road for a while. Song Ge nimbly climbed the large shade tree and snapped off several branches thick with leaves, placing them on the car hood to insulate it from the sun. Tong Xiangyu took the opportunity to toss her dried clothes back into the car, letting the AC cool them down before putting them back on.

The car navigation had no signal and was useless. No one knew how far the next city was. Song Ge climbed the tree again, this time higher. She was steady and fast. Tong Xiangyu watched from below, heart in her mouth, shouting for her to be careful. Once Song Ge was stable, Tong Xiangyu’s attention drifted to Song Ge’s physique. Though Song Ge was thin, she looked powerful. She wasn’t frail; she had visible abs, and the lines of her arms and thighs were smooth and beautiful.

Tong Xiangyu stared blankly at Song Ge. Having finished her survey, Song Ge jumped lightly down. “The road is still long. I can’t see any villages or towns for now.”

Tong Xiangyu snapped out of it. “Then what do we do?”

Song Ge went to get her clothes. “Let’s go back to the car to rest. It’s too hot out here. By the way, I have a gift for you.”

Tong Xiangyu’s eyes lit up. “What?”

Song Ge handed her something. When she saw the giant black insect, she shrieked in terror, turning her head and closing her eyes. “AHHH! Song Ge, take it away! Take it away quickly!!”

Song Ge took it from her palm. “You’re even afraid of a cicada?”

Seeing it was gone, Tong Xiangyu shoved her irritably. “Why would you scare me?”

“I wasn’t scaring you,” Song Ge laughed. “It’s already dead.”

“Dead?”

“Mhm. Probably died from the heat. There are many on the tree,” Song Ge said. “I haven’t heard a single cicada call the whole way. They must all be dead.”

Back in the car, the contrast made the cold AC feel like a treasure. Song Ge drove. Tong Xiangyu pulled her fisherman hat down to cover her face. Suddenly, she had an idea, lifted the hat, and turned excitedly to Song Ge. “Oh! Song Ge, we can attach the sun-protection jacket to the brim of the hat and make a traditional veiled hat! That way we can have better full-body protection!”

Song Ge remarked casually, “Do you know how to make one?”

Tong Xiangyu nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes! It’s very simple. we just need scissors, a few jackets, and a needle and thread~”

“The things we ‘just’ need are actually quite a lot,” Song Ge teased.

Knowing Song Ge was being sarcastic, Tong Xiangyu huffed. “We have these things. For thread, we can use the palm fibers you used for the straw hat last time.”

“And scissors?”

“Your knife!”

“The jackets?”

“The ones we’re wearing, and there’s one in my bag I prepared for Yaoyao.”

Song Ge said, “So we just need to find a palm tree for you?”

Tong Xiangyu looked quite proud. “No need to go looking specifically. We’ll just keep an eye out on the road~”

Song Ge smiled. “As you command.”

However, they didn’t see a single palm tree along the way. The mountains of Taiyun were majestic and steep, and the vegetation was different from Kecheng. The car navigated turn after turn, crossing mountain after mountain.

Tong Xiangyu was hot, tired, and a bit dazed. Just as she was drifting off, the car suddenly braked hard. She woke up instantly, looking at Song Ge in a panic. “Song Ge?”

Song Ge had stopped the car, her gaze fixed straight ahead. Tong Xiangyu followed her gaze and saw the anomaly. Previously, the sky had been cloudless, but now, not far away, massive black clouds were rolling in—the setup looked exactly like the heavy rain they encountered after leaving Kecheng!

Tong Xiangyu’s heart sank. “No way… again?” If it rained for another half-month and the roads collapsed, wouldn’t they have to go on foot again? And this time without a guide, it would be even harder! She turned to Song Ge anxiously. “Song Ge, it’s going to rain again. What do we do?”

“It’s not rain,” Song Ge said, her face darkening as she restarted the car.

The car drove forward. Tong Xiangyu was confused by the phrase “not rain” until she realized she was still wearing sunglasses. She took them off and saw clearly: although the distant sky was being blotted out, it wasn’t rain clouds—it was rolling black smoke.

After driving for a few more minutes, a bizarre phenomenon occurred. Tong Xiangyu thought she was seeing things and leaned forward, only to realize she was right. A massive swarm of snakes, insects, rats, and ants was “migrating” from the opposite direction. Because of their sheer numbers, they formed a dense, black carpet over the ground, moving rapidly toward them in the opposite direction!

It was as if they had sensed something terrifying and were fleeing en masse. Tong Xiangyu’s skin crawled with dread. “Song Ge, this… this…”

Song Ge pursed her lips. At first, the insect numbers were low enough that the tires could crush through them, but as rats and larger mountain beasts increased, the car could no longer move and was forced to stop. Once stationary, they noticed the sky was also dark with something moving rapidly toward them—birds.

Birds and beasts were scattering, all fleeing in terror. Since leaving Taiyun, they hadn’t seen a living soul—even the cicadas were dead—but now they saw everything at once.

Song Ge said, “Don’t look at them like that. Aren’t you afraid they’re carrying viruses?”

Tong Xiangyu immediately rolled up the windows in fright. Song Ge looked into the distance. The heavy black smoke didn’t dissipate, rolling into the sky. Having driven further, they were much closer to this “strange scene.” Song Ge was now certain of what it was.

Support