Chapter 469: Eternity 30.

The caravan rolled out into the morning light.

Jianghu Riverside Complex looked different from the road than it did

from the twentieth floor. The buildings rose above the damaged

landscaping, their windows reflecting the pale sky. A row of parked

vehicles had been left at odd angles near the entrance. Beyond them, the

road led toward the city, marked by broken signals, scattered debris,

and the remains of an evacuation that had ended too suddenly for anyone

to clean it up. The complex was still standing, but the area around it

had become part of the larger ruin.

Bai drove slowly at first, giving the family time to adjust to the

movement. Yan checked each turn against the map and watched the sides of

the road. Mother Yan looked out through the protected window, keeping

one hand near Lili’s shoulder. The child pressed her face close to the

glass until Bai reminded her to stay back from the window and keep her

seat belt fastened. Lili obeyed, then began pointing out small details

she noticed from her seat: a fallen street sign, a bicycle tangled in a

hedge, a row of shopping bags scattered near a bus stop.

They passed the front of Building 9, where a few residents were watching

from behind the reinforced entrance. One raised a hand in farewell.

Another gave them a cautious thumbs-up. Bai acknowledged them with a

brief nod and kept the caravan moving. She did not look back for long.

She had already checked the apartment, secured the building, and left

instructions for the people who would remain. The next responsibility

had begun, and she would not help anyone by spending the first kilometer

thinking about whether she had locked a door properly.

Yan looked at her from the passenger seat. "You’re not going to check

the locks again?"

"No."

"Not even in your head?"

Bai glanced at her. "I have other things to think about."

"Such as?"

"The road. The vehicle. Your mother’s supplies. Lili’s safety. The first

route out of the district."

Yan smiled. "Very important things."

"Yes."

"Nothing else?"

Bai kept her eyes on the road. "Not right now."

Yan let the answer stand. She knew there were other things Bai might be

thinking about, but asking would only make both of them more awkward.

She turned her attention to the map and called out the next

intersection. Bai followed her direction, steering the caravan around a

cluster of abandoned cars and onto the main road leading out of the

complex.

The First Roadblock

The road beyond Jianghu Riverside Complex was crowded with abandoned

vehicles. Some had been left neatly along the curb, as though their

owners expected to return after a short errand. Others had collided and

remained in the middle of the street, their doors hanging open and their

windows broken. A delivery van rested against a traffic pole, and a

motorcycle lay on its side near the entrance to a narrow alley. The

street had once carried commuters, buses, and trucks through this part

of the city. Now it was a long, uneven corridor of metal, glass, and

things people had dropped when they ran.

Bai reduced speed and scanned the road. The caravan could push through a

small obstruction, but she did not want to damage the vehicle when a

careful route might save them trouble later. Yan leaned forward

slightly, studying the spaces between cars. She marked a possible path

along the left side, then shook her head when she saw that an overturned

vehicle blocked the far end of the gap.

"That route won’t work," she said. "The road narrows after the bus. We’d

have to reverse all the way back if we can’t pass."

Bai moved the caravan toward the center of the street, keeping enough

distance from the wrecks that they could still turn around. "I’ll get a

better look from here."

Before they reached the first major intersection, the caravan had to

pass through a stretch of road narrowed by fallen branches and a small

cluster of abandoned cars. Bai slowed to a crawl, watching the gaps

between the vehicles and the curb. The road had been designed for

traffic moving in two directions, but the wrecks had turned it into a

crooked single lane. One car had a broken window and a door hanging

outward. Another sat half on the pavement, its rear wheel resting

against a damaged planter. The caravan could fit through the center if

Bai kept the wheels straight, but the right side panel would pass close

enough to scrape metal if she misjudged the distance.

Yan leaned forward to check the side camera. "There is a little more

space on your left. The front tire can clear that piece of bumper, but

don’t turn too early or the back end will swing into the silver car."

Bai adjusted her hands on the wheel. "I see it. Tell me when the rear

wheel has passed the planter."

"All right. Keep moving slowly. A little more. That’s it. Hold the

line."

The caravan rolled through the gap without touching either vehicle.

Mother Yan watched from behind them, one hand resting lightly on Lili’s

shoulder. The child had gone quiet, taking in the damaged street and the

houses with curtains hanging loose from their windows. This was the

first time she had left the familiar route between the apartment and the

rooms on the lower floors. The city looked enormous through the glass,

and the silence seemed much bigger than she had expected.

"Is this what it looks like everywhere?" she asked.

Yan glanced back. "Not everywhere. Some places will be worse, and some

may be quieter. We won’t know until we see them."

"Will there be people?"

"Yes," Mother Yan said. "There may be people who need help, and there

may be people who are frightened. We must be careful when we meet

anyone, but that doesn’t mean everyone is dangerous."

Lili nodded, though she still watched the houses as they passed.

TO BE CONTINUED,