Chapter 244 - 242 Arriving in Anhui Province

Words : 1694 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

The journey that followed was rather uneventful; even though four more people were on the vehicle, it didn’t bring much change to Chen Xin’s voyage. Compared to Zhang Chengguang and the other astronauts, Chen Xin didn’t have much trust in Zeng Liu and the others, so he didn’t let them help with driving. Moreover, among Zeng Liu’s group, only Old Tang could drive, but Old Tang obviously lacked the professional skills to interpret radar scans. Even if he were to drive, he might not know how to use the equipment in Chen Xin’s vehicle, which could pose a danger instead. However, there were indeed some benefits. At least someone was there to wash dishes and cook, which saved Chen Xin a lot of trouble, especially now that he had injured one of his hands. Initially, Chen Xin planned to drop off Zeng Liu and the others at the next town, but just as he had anticipated earlier, this town was the same as the one Zeng Liu’s group came from, with all its population evacuated, leaving only a few survivors behind. Chen Xin had no intention of dealing with these people and didn’t make contact. He merely scanned the town with radar and, seeing that it was nearly empty, turned the vehicle around and continued on his journey. "Mr. Chen Xin, are there any other shelters ahead?" Zeng Liu asked anxiously while sitting in the passenger seat, noticing that Chen Xin hadn’t stopped at the town. Zeng Liu was very afraid, worried that there might actually be no more shelters. If Chen Xin dropped them off all along the way, they feared reaching the end of the road without finding another shelter. However, Chen Xin wasn’t worried at all. He simply shook his head and said, "There probably aren’t any shelters left within Hubei Province, but there should be some in Anhui Province. The place I’m heading to is a relatively important city in Anhui Province. Even the surrounding towns have railway connections, so it’s unlikely that everyone would be relocated." Hearing Chen Xin say this, Zeng Liu still felt uneasy but didn’t say anything further, just nodded and held her tongue. This concern gripped Old Tang and Ning Jie as well. After recovering, Ning Jie, the previous linchpin among the four, called Zeng Liu and Old Tang together to discuss what they should do next. Both Zeng Liu, Old Tang, and Ning Jie could sense that Chen Xin had no intention of keeping them. He was only bringing them along because Zeng Liu had treated his injury. The fact they weren’t asked to leave was only because Chen Xin thought there were shelters ahead to drop them off at, and he needed someone to help since his injury hadn’t healed yet. Initially, they weren’t worried, just relieved to leave the desolate town, which was initially But as they moved forward without discovering new shelters, their anticipation turned to unease. After all, the existence of shelters ahead was something only Chen Xin had mentioned, and Zeng Liu’s group had long lost communication with the outside world. They had no clear perspective on the situation, so it wasn’t strange that they questioned whether any more shelters existed. Zeng Liu’s earlier inquiry was an attempt to probe Chen Xin’s intentions. They were terrified of being kicked off the vehicle by Chen Xin, which would be a death sentence for all four of them. But clearly, Zeng Liu’s probing didn’t yield any results. This inevitability cast a shadow over Old Tang and Ning Jie’s hearts. Only Little Leaf, being younger, didn’t have significant concerns about this and was instead worried about having to continue with school once they reached a shelter. Chen Xin was unaware of Zeng Liu and the others’ anxiety and fears, and even if he knew, it was unlikely he would comfort them or do anything about it. Ultimately, in Chen Xin’s view, helping Zeng Liu’s group was just lending a hand when possible. He wouldn’t deliberately pay much attention or show much concern for them. ------------------------------------------------------ Despite the accumulated snow making the mountain roads difficult to pass, Chen Xin successfully reached the Hubei-Anhui border after a few days of delay. "It seems there really are no more shelters in Hubei Province, so next, we have to head to Anhui Province," Chen Xin said with a helpless shake of his head, looking at the boundary marker buried mostly under snow by the roadside. "Could it be that there are no shelters in Anhui Province either?" Zeng Liu asked anxiously, staring at the boundary marker and the heavily damaged, almost unreadable sign next to it that said "Welcome back to Hubei Province," her feelings mixed with worry and complexity. Chen Xin shook his head, unperturbed by the concern, and told Zeng Liu, "There’s no need to worry about that. There are definitely shelters in Anhui Province. The issue in Hubei Province is due to inconvenient transport, so they relocated the population from two counties. However, the place we’re going in Anhui Province has access to railways, highways, and airports. The transport is still convenient, so there’s no need to relocate the population. Moreover, if there really are no new shelters, you guys can just stay in my vehicle a bit longer, and when I pass by the Three Towns on my return trip, I’ll drop you there instead." "The Three Towns... is it really possible?" Zeng Liu asked excitedly upon hearing the mention of Hubei’s capital. Even though they worried that there might be no other shelters, the Three Towns still held a significant place in the minds of Hubei natives. In Zeng Liu’s mind, if there was going to be a shelter anywhere in Hubei Province, the Three Towns would surely be one of those places. "There’s nothing impossible or possible about it. I’ll make sure to drop you at a still-functioning official shelter," Chen Xin set the base tone for the discussion, not elaborating further. Ultimately, it was just a matter of where to drop off Zeng Liu and the others. To Chen Xin, even if it meant taking them back on the journey and dropping them in the Three Towns, it wasn’t a big deal. However, he felt that his vehicle would need some modifications. Once he picked up his parents, space might become limited, and he didn’t want too much interaction or connection between Zeng Liu’s group and his family. As he pondered these matters, Chen Xin drove past the border of Hubei Province into Anhui Province. Anhui was Chen Xin’s hometown, and despite moving to Xiang Province with his parents at the age of four and living there for nearly thirty years, home remained home. In Chen Xin’s memories, home was a poor place, quite run-down, with inconveniences here and there whenever he returned for holidays, but his relatives lived there for generations. Beloved elders and other family members, they all lived there. Even though he didn’t particularly like the place, it was, after all, Chen Xin’s hometown. More importantly, Chen Xin’s parents were there, and he was determined to bring them back no matter what. Crossing the border, the roads remained as rugged and difficult as before, not making any difference between the regions of Hubei and Anhui. The stretch Chen Xin traveled, whether in Hubei or Anhui, traversed mountain roads between ranges. Before the disaster, it was fine, but in the current snowbound state, only something like Chen Xin’s crawler vehicle could manage it; ordinary cars wouldn’t have the capacity to pass. "Mr. Chen Xin, do you know where to find your parents?" Zeng Liu asked out of curiosity about the issue. Considering the present circumstances, everyone understood that transport and communication had long been severed. Chen Xin traversed through four provinces—Xiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Anhui—spending significant effort and cost, even losing the use of a hand, to fetch his parents. How was he so sure he could find and bring them back? Chen Xin nodded, "Before the disaster, I was still in contact with my parents. They were located in the mountains at home, where a small shelter was also built. That shelter was constructed at my suggestion, considering issues like food, water, and heating; it’s basically the same as the shelter where I live myself. If I can survive, then naturally, so can my parents. Moreover, the shelter is inhabited by my relatives from home, so they can help look after my parents if anything arises. There shouldn’t be any problems." Upon hearing this, Zeng Liu didn’t press further, just nodded, refraining from saying anything that might diminish Chen Xin’s spirits. Even though Zeng Liu internally feared that maybe Chen Xin’s parents weren’t still alive or that his retrieval might not succeed. Before encountering Chen Xin, Zeng Liu’s companions comprised only Old Tang, Ning Jie, Little Leaf, and a group of vagrants who weren’t really companions, but before that, their numbers had been greater. However, after the mass evacuation of the town, they were left short of clothing, food, supplies, and medicine, lacking adequate medical care, leading to many dying from illness, starvation, or cold. Zeng Liu vividly remembered a friend who simply never woke up the next day after drifting to sleep. More companions didn’t even have the chance to die in their sleep, and Zeng Liu had once seen a child cry to them, saying they didn’t want to die, but they succumbed to illness nevertheless. So, it’s not surprising that Zeng Liu maintained a pessimistic view about Chen Xin’s parents surviving. Having witnessed too many tragedies, she had a cynical view of the world at large. However, Zeng Liu was not one to speak without tact, and she knew better than to say such disheartening things to Chen Xin directly. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Zeng Liu fell silent after the topic was bypassed. Oblivious to Zeng Liu’s fears, Chen Xin might have some similar doubts himself but chose to suppress any negative thoughts with hope of reuniting with his parents. After all, people always want to believe things will turn out well; nobody plans for worst-case scenarios to come true.

Chapter 244 - 242 Arriving in Anhui Province

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