Chapter 694: A Song of Sorrow

Soon, more people emerged from the vehicles.

Some walked onto the beach, unable to open their eyes against the sun overhead, but tears were already streaming down their faces.

It had only been a week, but to some, it felt like a year.

Some people stumbled out of the vehicles, their knees giving way as they collapsed to the ground, prostrating themselves and wailing uncontrollably.

Others simply shed silent tears, finding a secluded corner to sob quietly.

If they had merely spent a week living inside the vehicles, perhaps it would have just felt stuffy, without eliciting such strong reactions.

But the survivors hadn't just been sitting idle inside those vehicles.

They hadn't only endured the bone-chilling cold brought by the sea anomalies, but also the extreme terror gnawing at their hearts.

In the worst moments, they were teetering on the brink of total collapse, pulled back and forth at the edge of madness.

The occasional howls, wails, and bitter crying that came from outside the vehicles.

They all became weight pressing down on their minds.

Ordinary survivors didn't even know what was happening outside the vehicles.

But they all knew that beyond the vehicles was a demon's den on earth, and the situation inside wasn't much better. If anyone cracked under the pressure, the superhumans would execute them without mercy.

Given all that, the pressure they felt was unimaginable.

Even the superhumans were shaken, their emotions in turmoil.

Chen Ye stood outside the Monster Pickup Truck, stretching his limbs, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief. But hearing the faint sobbing drifting through the air, a layer of gloom settled over his heart.

A tentacle whipped out, flinging the few bottles of liquid in the corner of the truck bed far away.

On the other side.

Iron Lion silently carried the corpses out of the vehicle, one by one.

These were all people he had killed with his own hands.

Twelve in total.

Even though he knew full well that under those circumstances, if he hadn't killed these people, everyone would have been buried with them, Iron Lion's spirits remained low.

Even though he knew that even if he could have controlled these people, they had already gone mad. And in the current situation, anyone who lost their mind was essentially beyond saving.

Maddened teammates weren't just dead weight for the convoy, they also drained its resources. And for the afflicted themselves, it was a painful punishment.

Killing them was the best solution.

Just like back in Rong City, that one whose eyes had been blinded...

Even knowing all these truths, Iron Lion still felt a gnawing guilt.

Xu Lina's truck bed held five corpses as well, all killed by her own hand.

The situation she had faced hadn't been any better than Iron Lion's.

Under those circumstances, Xu Lina didn't think there was any better solution than quickly putting these mentally broken people out of their misery.

On the Fair Convoy's side.

A total of seventeen corpses were laid out on the ground.

The surrounding survivors gathered around, their faces etched with grief.

The Fair Convoy wasn't the only one in this situation. The other convoys were the same.

The Shepherd Convoy also had over a dozen corpses.

These bodies were all former members of their convoy.

The Post-Apocalyptic Opera Troupe was in slightly better shape.

Only four or five corpses.

Wu Zehui, that cheerful, sunny young man, wasn't so sunny anymore. The kid stood silently in front of the few corpses, his face tearless.

But from his expression, it was clear the boy was feeling deeply dejected.

"Ah~~~ ah~~~"

A soft, murmuring chant rose around everyone's ears.

There were no lyrics, yet it carried a mournful sense of fate.

It was Lin Qingge.

The woman, clad in a white dress, stood before the riddled migration vehicle.

Behind her were countless grief-stricken faces.

This vehicle had originally belonged to the black-fire teenager from the "Happy Family" convoy.

But now...

The vehicle's body was covered in dense, head-sized holes.

The interior had long been stained crimson with blood.

Various supplies were scattered across the ground.

Along with traces of desperate struggles and fights.

The people who had been inside were long gone, their whereabouts unknown.

The surrounding crowd looked at this scene in silence, not knowing what to say.

Auntie Zhao shuffled slowly toward this battered migration vehicle.

Those legs of hers usually moved quickly, brisk and decisive.

But now, they seemed filled with lead. Every step appeared to take all the strength Auntie Zhao had.

Standing before the broken vehicle, Auntie Zhao reached out a trembling hand, caressing its body.

The fate-laden humming continued.

"Ah~~~ ah~~~"

The wind whistled through the broken shell, producing a mournful "Wooo~~~" like weeping.

That apocalyptic grief and desolation merged together.

Even the most heartless person would be infected by the emotion.

The Insect Breeder, forever dressed like a villain, stood silently in the shadows of the convoy, head bowed, his expression hidden from view.

He was like a wooden statue, standing there motionless.

Even the sea breeze itself seemed to veer around him.

Auntie Zhao's lips trembled. She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something more.

Her shaking hand stroked the battered vehicle's body, as if she were patting the head of that rebellious teenager.

Auntie Zhao opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again...

Finally, she uttered two trembling words: "My child..."

The moment those words left her lips...

Auntie Zhao's tears burst forth like a reservoir with its floodgates thrown open, streaming down her slightly plump face onto the ground.

And then, no further words could she speak.

Lin Qingge's humming was gentle, sorrowful, blending with the sea breeze, the weeping, and the grief of the living into a single melody.

Though the woman stood right there...

Everyone could hear her song.

No lyrics...

No accompaniment...

Just the painful reflection of the heart's depths...

When that black-fire teenager had been fighting the sea anomalies.

Lin Qingge, the Insect Breeder, and Auntie Zhao had all wanted to intervene.

The relationships between superhumans in the Happy Family convoy were different from those in other convoys.

They weren't just teammates, they were also relatives, bound by blood.

Therefore, their convoy's bonds were the most harmonious and the most intimate.

Back then, both the Insect Breeder and Lin Qingge had made their moves.

But in the end, Auntie Zhao had stopped them both.

Did that mean Auntie Zhao didn't want to save the boy???

Absolutely not...

Because as the pathfinder, Auntie Zhao could clearly sense that even with all the combined strength of her convoy, they couldn't save the boy.

There was no benefit to be had except dragging everyone else down with them.

Even if every superhuman at the base fought those sea anomalies...

The final result would be everyone dying...

Such a battle held no meaning whatsoever...

No matter how much her heart ached as if it were being carved out, Auntie Zhao had to stop Lin Qingge and the Insect Breeder from saving him.

This pain, Auntie Zhao had to swallow it down alone. No one else could share the burden.

Auntie Zhao at this moment... couldn't utter a single word!

The members of the Silent Council finally emerged from their shop.

Elder Hou Junji watched it all in silence.

Song Wei, with his square face, stood there silently as well...

Including those sweet young ladies of the Silent Council, standing there in their work uniforms and black stockings...

In the past, they had been the most eye-catching stars of the entire base, but now...

No one spared them a single glance...

This time, when the sea anomalies came ashore...

Though no battle had erupted.

The consequences were far more devastating than any fight.