Chapter 468: Eternity 29.

One

man wished them luck. A woman from the fifteenth floor reminded Yan to

keep the child warm if the road became cold. Someone else handed Mother

Yan a small packet of dried fruit, saying it was more useful to her than

it would be sitting in a cupboard.

Mother Yan accepted this gift without arguing. She thanked the woman and

promised to be careful. Bai noticed the exchange and said nothing,

though she was pleased to see Mother Yan accepting the gesture as Yan

had advised her to do with the earlier gift. People did not always need

to be paid back in the same way. Sometimes they needed only to know that

what they offered had been received with kindness.

At the ground floor, they paused by the main entrance. The reinforced

doors were locked, the lower corridor was clear, and the emergency

lights were working. The residents who had volunteered to check the

entrance stood nearby with their equipment. They looked nervous at the

thought of Bai leaving, but they had also spent the previous days

learning how to keep the building secure without depending on one person

for every decision.

Bai walked them through the warning signal one last time. She pointed

out the storage place for spare door plates, reminded them not to block

the stairs, and repeated that any unusual noise should be reported

immediately. One of the residents began to thank her. Bai raised a hand

before he could turn it into a speech.

"Keep the building safe. That’s enough."

The man nodded. "We’ll do our best."

"Then it’ll be fine for now."

Yan glanced at her. "You really need to work on how you say goodbye."

Bai lowered her voice. "I said goodbye."

"You gave them maintenance instructions."

"Those are more useful."

Yan shook her head with a fond expression. "You’re impossible."

"You’ve said that before."

"And I’m probably going to say it again."

Bai looked at her, and something warm moved between them. It was not a

confession, and neither tried to turn it into one. It was simply the

quiet comfort of knowing they had learned to understand one another’s

habits and would probably keep learning for a long time.

Out Through the Basement

The route to the garage was secured, and the caravan had been left ready

for departure. Bai went ahead to check the underground passage while Yan

stayed with Mother Yan and Lili at the access door. She listened for any

movement beyond the corner, tested the light, and looked at the concrete

floor for fresh marks. The garage remained quiet. The repaired pipe no

longer leaked, and the small puddle she had wiped away the previous day

had dried. She inspected the side doors, then returned and gave Yan a

signal.

They moved together toward the caravan. Mother Yan kept Lili close while

Bai unlocked the vehicle and checked the interior. Yan loaded the

emergency bag into its assigned place, then helped Mother Yan secure the

remaining supplies. Lili climbed into the seat Bai had chosen for her,

carefully placed her toy toolbox on the shelf beside her, and made sure

the storybook was still in its pocket. She looked around the cabin as

though trying to memorize every part of it.

"Is this really ours for the whole trip?" she asked.

"For as long as we need it," Yan answered.

Lili touched the edge of the seat. "It’s like a little house."

"That’s the idea," Bai said as she checked the seat belt and tightened

it to fit comfortably. "But it also has rules. You keep your seat belt

on when we’re moving, you don’t touch the controls, and you tell us if

you feel sick or frightened. We can stop when it’s safe."

"What if we can’t stop?"

"Then you tell us as soon as you can, and we’ll work out what to do. You

don’t need to wait until it gets worse."

Lili nodded and settled into the seat. Bai checked the belt once more,

then moved toward the driver controls. Yan took the front passenger

seat, where she could use the map, watch the road, and help Bai judge

the gaps between abandoned vehicles. Mother Yan settled into the area

behind them, close enough to Lili that she could reach the child without

leaving her seat.

Before starting the engine, Bai inspected the vehicle’s control panel,

checked the battery indicator, and tested the lights. The systems came

online one by one. The engine started with a steady low sound, quieter

than Yan had expected for a vehicle of that size. The cabin lights

remained stable, and the air system began circulating clean air through

the interior. Bai waited for the readings to settle before releasing the

parking brake.

Yan checked the map again. "The basement exit turns sharply to the

right. We should go slowly until we’re clear of the support pillars."

"I know."

"I know you know. I’m telling you because I don’t want you to scrape the

side panel on the pillar just to prove that you can fit through the

gap."

Bai looked at her. "I’ve driven through narrower spaces."

"I’m sure you have. Please don’t do that today."

Bai’s mouth curved. "I’ll try to restrain myself."

She eased the caravan forward. The tires rolled over the concrete

without much noise, and the vehicle moved through the basement passage

with enough room on either side. Bai kept her speed low, watching the

mirrors and the front camera while Yan called out the distance to the

next pillar. They cleared the turn without touching anything and reached

the ramp leading toward the ground level.

At the top of the ramp, Bai stopped and checked the external view. The

main entrance was still closed, but the vehicle route could be opened

from inside. She switched off the engine long enough to listen, then

used the controls to release the outer barrier. The mechanism moved

slowly, scraping once before stopping in the raised position. Bai

studied it, decided the noise was normal for the damaged track, and

started the engine again.

TO BE CONTINUED.