I followed the direction he was pointing — it was a mountain pressed against the back end of the landslide.
Not large, but definitely not small either.
Probably because it was close to the roadside, there had once been an attempt to prevent falling rocks — a thin layer of wire mesh still clung to the rocky face.
The key issue was that the slope stood almost perfectly vertical, practically parallel to the road below.
That meant, to get across, we'd first have to climb ten or so meters of bare rock with our hands.
I couldn't help but recall the last time I had to climb vines after falling into that rushing river.
Compared to that, this rocky wall seemed a bit easier — if I really gritted my teeth, I could probably make it up.
But still…
I hesitated, then said to the black-clad man, "We've got elderly people and kids with us. They won't be able to climb that."
Hearing this, the black-clad man turned and glanced toward where the others — now little more than dark dots in the distance — were waiting.
After a moment's thought, he said, "All our gear's in Vehicle One. If we had ropes, we could rig something to help them up."
"Sure, but the problem is — we don't have ropes," Yangyang said.
"What if we do this instead?" Zhou Wen suggested.
"We pick a few who can handle themselves to climb up first — just as a scouting team. Once we reach Suo Tian and the others and get the equipment, we'll come back with more people and help the rest — the old folks and kids — up safely. If we move fast, we might even be able to get everyone out by today."
Xu Shu spoke up, "That sounds like the safest plan."
"But what if you can't make it back today?" Jun Di asked.
"There's food in every car," Zhou Wen replied.
"Even if we have to wait, that'll last us a couple of days."
"I don't mean that," Jun Di said.
"I mean — look at the weather. It's obvious it's going to rain again. If you're out there and another storm hits, won't that be too dangerous?"
At that, Han Lu shook his head. "If we pick up the pace, we can definitely make it there and back today. Judging from the terrain, the landslide can't be more than a kilometer long. If we move now, we'll be fine. Since the rain's stopped, it won't start again for a while."
"Then let's not waste time," I said.
"We should pick who's going and move out immediately. Can't count on guessing the weather — I'm really starting to miss those unreliable weather forecasts everyone used to mock. At least they were better than us just winging it."
Han Lu and the two black-clad men were the obvious first picks.
Zhou Wen, who'd been a fitness coach, had a strong build, so he was chosen too.
Finally, we decided on Xu Shu as the fourth.
I'd been reluctant to let her go — she was a woman, after all — but considering they might run into trouble up there and she was agile and skilled, I had no choice but to agree.
After repeatedly reminding them to be careful, the four of them began their preparations to set out.
The four of them moved with remarkable agility.
Using the wire mesh already covering the rock face for support, they climbed up at a steady pace.
In just about ten minutes, all of them had reached the top of the cliff.
Zhou Wen and Xu Shu waved down at us briefly before turning and disappearing into the mountain forest.
After they left, I told Jun Di and Yangyang to stay behind and keep watch — just in case the group ran into trouble and had to return, someone needed to be here to receive them.
Then I turned back toward where the cars were parked to update the others on what was going on.
As I walked back, I kept scanning both sides of the road, pretending to look professional — mostly fooling myself — trying to see if there were any signs of potential danger.
But by the time I reached Uncle Gazi and the others, I hadn't discovered a single thing.
Just as I was briefing them on the situation, Shen Feng — who had been asleep in the car — woke up.
Hearing what had happened, he refused to rest any longer, no matter what I said.
So I had no choice but to send him to join Yangyang and the others to help keep watch.
Once he left, I found something for Uncle Gazi and me to feed to Xiao Hu and Tingyun.
After eating, the two kids started playing nearby, leaving us adults to our own thoughts.
The five of us — me, Taozi, Zhang Hongsheng, Uncle Gazi, and Chen Pu — leaned against the car, eating what could only loosely be called lunch.
Between bites, Uncle Gazi muttered worriedly, "Girl, I don't know why, but I've got a real bad feeling about all this. One thing after another — I swear, I'm about to lose my nerves."
I swallowed my last bite of bread and smiled at him.
"You can't lose your nerves, Uncle Gazi. We've still got a long road ahead. Really, it's nothing — we've just had a streak of bad luck, that's all. But we're all fine, aren't we? Think about it — after everything we've been through, if anyone deserves some good fortune after disaster, it's us."
Uncle Gazi waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, come off it with that 'blessing after calamity' stuff. I'll be happy if we can just make it to the next stop in one piece. Eh, at my age, I don't expect much anymore—"
"Hey, hey, hey! Uncle Gazi, stop right there," I cut him off quickly, not wanting him to finish whatever ominous thing he was about to say.
He gave a couple of awkward chuckles and dropped the subject.
Taozi, who was usually the most talkative among us, had gone unusually quiet.
Ever since Zhou Wen, the black-clad men, and Xu Shu had gone to look for help, he kept glancing nervously toward where Shen Feng and the others were waiting — his face a mix of worry and unease.
Han Xue had told me privately that the three of them — Taozi, Zhou Wen, and Han Xue — had been classmates since college.
Taozi and Zhou Wen had even been roommates for over a year before they realized, by pure chance, that they shared the same orientation — after running into each other at a gay bar, of all places.
They decided to give it a try, and after all these years, they were still together.
When Xu Shu and I first heard that story, we were both touched — proof that true love really does exist.
Even someone as sharp-tongued as Taozi had found someone who loved him.
Lost in that thought, my gaze drifted — and I caught sight of Zhang Hongsheng crouching alone by the back of the car…
Although everyone had agreed to bring Zhang Hongsheng along when we left the valley, to some extent, we were all keeping our distance from him.
The black-clad men barely spoke to any of us to begin with, and as for Shen Feng and Xu Shu — well, I could tell they still held a grudge.
After all, it was Zhang Hongsheng who had called in those people in white coats, which eventually got us all locked up.
These past few days, even though we ate and traveled together, not a single person had spoken a word to him.
The only time I'd said anything was last night — when I bumped into him on my way to the bathroom and muttered a quick "sorry."
After thinking for a bit, I stood up and slowly walked toward him.
"Hey… you alright?"
He'd been crouching on the ground, and I hadn't noticed how pale he looked until I got closer — his face white as a sheet, his lips drained of color.
Hearing me, Zhang Hongsheng lifted his head.
He forced a weak smile and said, "Guess I've caught a bit of a cold… nothing serious."
"Mm. Take care of yourself. There's not much we can do right now, but once we get past this stretch of road, I'll try to find you some medicine."
He looked exhausted.
After nodding faintly to acknowledge my words, he slumped back against the car, resting his head against the metal, and said nothing more.
I could see his chest rising and falling shallowly — he was clearly struggling.
I stood there for a moment, watching him.
When it became clear he wasn't planning to say anything else, I sighed softly and turned to leave — but just as I did, something flickered in my mind.
That nagging sense that something was wrong — the one I'd been feeling since last night but never had time to think through — suddenly clicked.
Seeing Zhang Hongsheng's weakened state, everything lined up in my head all at once, forming a bold, terrifying suspicion.
I turned back to look at him again, hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly:
"You were bitten, weren't you?"
At once, Zhang Hongsheng's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"It's not just some wild guess, is it?" I said slowly.
His face went stiff for a moment before he forced a pale smile.
"We've been together ever since we left the valley. If I'd been bitten, don't you think someone would've noticed?"
I glanced over my shoulder toward Uncle Gazi and the others a short distance away, then crouched down beside Zhang Hongsheng, facing him directly.
"It happened last night, didn't it?"
"Chen Yang, what's wrong with you today? You're just talking nonsense." He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, refusing to meet my gaze.
Seeing that, I looked him over from head to toe, then reached out and grabbed the arm he'd been keeping wrapped around himself.
I squeezed — hard.
And just as I suspected, my fingers pressed into a soft, sunken spot beneath the fabric.
Zhang Hongsheng drew in a sharp breath through his teeth, then suddenly shoved me away and pulled his arm back, glancing nervously in Uncle Gazi and the others' direction.
Seeing that our movements hadn't caught their attention, he visibly let out a deep sigh of relief.
When he turned back, his face looked even paler.
He glanced at me twice, hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly,
"How did you know?"
"For several reasons," I said.
"First — after I bumped into you last night, I saw a female walker behind the bushes. That walker's body was already badly decomposed. You should know that after mutation, a walker's blood turns pitch-black in a short time. But the one I saw last night had bright red blood in her mouth — clearly, she'd just bitten something living."
Zhang Hongsheng stared at me for a while.
After a long silence, a faint, bitter smile appeared on his pale face.
Resting his head against the car, he didn't try to argue anymore but still said,
"Maybe it bit a rabbit, or a rat, or something else."
"That wound on the walker's belly — you were the one who cut it open, right? When I struck that walker down, I checked and didn't find any fur or animal remains inside the torn stomach."
I glanced at Zhang Hongsheng's arm and continued, "Also, considering what happened at the ancient tower yesterday — even the black-clad men were running for their lives — yet you came out so slowly. I noticed something was off about you then, but things were too chaotic for me to think it through."
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