章節 29: Soldiers' Interrogation
Shen Yize lowered the car window slightly and allowed the soldier to glance briefly at both of them. While Mu Xiao sat in the back seat, hidden from the soldier's view.
The soldier observed them and glanced towards the back area. To divert his attention, Jiang Zhi asked, "Can we assist you, Sir?"
The soldier lightly but firmly tapped the car. "What brings you here?"
"We're just taking a short break after a long journey," Shen Yize spoke with a tired tone, masking his drowsiness.
The soldier nodded and after a moment of silence, asked, "Long journey? Where are you coming from and where is your destination?"
"We're from a village in the south and headed to a small town in the west," Jiang Zhi answered.
The soldier nodded again. "Ah, I see. So, why are you here?"
Jiang Zhi shrugged casually, appearing calm and composed. "Just taking a brief rest."
This settlement was situated between the village in the south and the small town in the west, so it wouldn't raise significant suspicion to the soldier.
The soldier walked to the back, looked at the back of the van, and tapped it. Curiously, he asked, "Hey, what's inside here?"
With a hint of laziness in his voice, Shen Yize replied, "Just some snacks we picked up from a few stores to keep us going."
"Oh, really? Let me see it, how?"
Jiang Zhi agreed. "Of course, wait a moment. This van is old and hard to operate. Give me a few seconds."
Jiang Zhi exchanged a signaling glance with Shen Yize as he tried to buy some time. While Jiang Zhi tried to stall, Shen Yize whispered to Mu Xiao, who was hiding in the back.
"This situation is going to be difficult to handle. Stay low and wait for an opportunity to get out of this car. We need to meet up with Mu Yang and the others without getting caught by these soldiers."
Mu Xiao nodded. "Yes, understood."
Outside the car, Jiang Zhi opened the van's door and showed its contents to the soldier.
The soldier observed the contents of the van, inspecting them carefully, and commented, "You really work hard and do whatever it takes to survive in this crazy world."
"Yes, that's the way it has to be."
"So, is all of this food?" The soldier touched one of the bags inside the van, feeling its texture.
Jiang Zhi nodded, answering confidently, "Yes, it's all just instant food and some clothes we could find."
Upon hearing Jiang Zhi's explanation, the soldier seemed satisfied, and they chatted about a few trivial matters before the soldier left. Jiang Zhi quickly returned to the car and took a deep breath.
"I didn't think it would be that easy. Even though the soldiers left, they're surely still watching us."
Shen Yize nodded in agreement. He had experienced situations like this before, so he was naturally more experienced. "Yes, we better leave this place and not draw too much attention here. Mu Xiao can stay hidden here."
"Can she handle it?" Jiang Zhi felt a bit worried about leaving Mu Xiao alone in this place to hide.
"Absolutely. She has some special abilities and she's been trained at the headquarters. Don't worry about her."
Shen Yize explained that if they didn't do it this way, leaving Mu Xiao here, the soldiers would capture them and there would be no way to inform Mu Yang and the others. Alternatively, if the three of them stayed here under the watch of the soldiers, they would all be caught, including Mu Yang and the others, leaving no one to save them.
Mu Xiao agreed with Shen Yize's thinking. "Shen Yize is right. I'll be fine. I know how to survive."
"Alright, we'll follow Shen Yize's plan."
He and Shen Yize would leave in the car, diverting the soldiers' attention from this place. Meanwhile, Mu Xiao would hide here, waiting for Mu Yang and the others to arrive and inform them of the situation.
Before leaving, Jiang Zhi gave a warning to Mu Xiao. "Just be careful while hiding. Do you remember the way back to the headquarters? If Shen Yize and I don't return tomorrow, go to the headquarters."
"... That's crazy." Mu Xiao didn't agree with Jiang Zhi's last sentence. "How are we supposed to..."
Shen Yize cut her off. "Everything will be okay. Jiang Zhi and I will come back safely, don't worry."
Mu Xiao wanted to refuse the idea, but she saw the seriousness between the two of them, so she compromised. "Alright, take care."
After ensuring there was no immediate threat, Mu Xiao quietly exited the car and went to find a hiding place. She used her special abilities to conceal her presence, covering her hiding spot with moss so that anyone who looked would think that no one was there.
Shortly after, Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize drove away in their car. After half an hour of driving, Shen Yize glanced at the rearview mirror and sighed heavily.
"The soldiers are really following us!"
Jiang Zhi nodded. "Yeah, I felt something was off when they approached us earlier. They're definitely going to catch us!"
They couldn't fight off all the pursuing soldiers, so resistance was impossible, but they also couldn't appear weak or they'd arouse suspicion.
"Hey, Jiang Zhi, be careful, there's a car ahead!" Shen Yize warned Jiang Zhi.
Unexpectedly, a car appeared beside them and blocked their path. Jiang Zhi slammed the brakes and steered hard to avoid a collision.
Angrily, he rolled down the car window and exclaimed, "What's the meaning of this?!"
A soldier got out of the car and said, "We're just doing our duty as soldiers."
Jiang Zhi narrowed his eyes. "Seriously? Your friend checked our car and let us go. Why the sudden change?"
The soldier gave a dismissive answer, "There have been changes since then."
"Damn it!" Jiang Zhi cursed in frustration.
Shen Yize tried to stay calm and restrain his anger. He spoke to the soldier, "Listen, we need to get to the small town nearby to check on our families. Can you give us a little leeway?"
The soldier shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, can't do that. There's an order from above. Every vehicle with supplies needs to come to the headquarters for inspection."
"Forget your inspection at your headquarters! Can't you do it here?"
"No, come with us, now!"
Several soldiers disembarked from the military vehicle, aiming their rifles intentionally to intimidate Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize.
Jiang Zhi turned his face and asked Shen Yize in a low voice, but the veins on his forehead stood out, "Can we follow them?"
"Yes, don't worry, they won't kill innocent people." Shen Yize reassured Jiang Zhi, looking disdainfully at the soldiers. Even though he knew the people outside were dressed as soldiers, they were actually robbers.
Jiang Zhi snorted. "Oh yeah, I remember you don't like a certain general. Does that mean you hate all soldiers?"
Shen Yize shook his head. "No, it's just a coincidence that they're in the same team. There's no connection there."
They followed the soldiers' vehicle as it drove and discussed to find a solution. The military vehicle stopped after a long journey, and Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize were directed to exit the car.
The soldier asked for the keys to their car, claiming to inspect its contents.
Shen Yize was not pleased with the superior attitude of the person and spoke with a sour tone. "We can help you inspect it, why do we have to give you the car keys?"
"Just hand them over, others will take you inside the headquarters. Besides, there are many vehicles to be checked and people are already inside."
"Come on, we're not criminals! Why are you treating us like prisoners?" Jiang Zhi swatted away a soldier who came to force him into a room.
The soldier ignored their complaints and told his colleague, "Take them in!"
"Hey, let go of us!" Jiang Zhi struggled as someone grabbed his hand.
Jiang Zhi's hand was held by two people as he fought, and then they were all shoved into a small, enclosed room.
Jiang Zhi was extremely angry. "What's wrong with these people?! Who do they think they are, acting like they're great and powerful? They're just a bunch of robbers!"
After a while, the people who were still watching them left.
Shen Yize patted Jiang Zhi's shoulder. "Hey, now that nobody is watching us, stop pretending and let's discuss our situation."
Jiang Zhi sighed wearily.
"What's your opinion?" he asked.
This place should be far from residential areas, so there shouldn't be too many zombies. The two of them could try to escape.
"It's not easy to escape from here right now."
Think about how many people are hiding here. Even if there were no zombies before, it doesn't mean they won't show up after smelling human scent and hearing noise.
So, they couldn't rush to escape, or they would end up trapped amidst zombies if they tried to flee without preparation.
"But what's really puzzling is why the soldiers brought us here. Do they just want to take our supplies? Doesn't seem very likely."
Jiang Zhi nodded and pondered several possibilities until he speculated something. "Maybe they want to use us as bait to divert the attention of the zombies while they escape?"
"I doubt it." Shen Yize felt the soldiers wouldn't stoop that low even though they were very selfish. After all, soldiers were created to protect the country and its citizens.
"My guess is they have some secrets they don't want regular people to know, so they brought us here to cover their tracks."
"Huh?" Jiang Zhi was confused. "That's weird. They're soldiers, why would they want to create trouble for civilian folks like us?"
Ilene shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, but I'm really curious about what the secret is. I have a hunch."
"Oh yeah? What's your guess?"
Crash! The door was forcefully swung open from the outside, and a few people were pushed into the room.
The person who was pushed in was furious and pointed at the soldiers disdainfully. "Are you all crazy? We didn't do anything wrong, why are they locking us in here, huh?"
Other civilians also yelled, "Yeah, let us go, damn it! We just want to survive, what's the big deal with that?"
Due to the anger displayed by the two civilians, several others also expressed their dissatisfaction and wanted to leave the room.
The soldiers were furious. "Psst! Shut up, everyone!"
Unfortunately, the brought-in civilians paid no heed and became more agitated. They berated and forced their way out.
Bam! One of the soldiers fired a shot, hitting the stomach of one of the civilians. Total chaos erupted.
The person who got shot screamed in pain, "Damn it! My leg!"
"You monsters! You'll all rot in hell for this!"
The soldiers paid no attention to their complaints, threatening the others, "Shut up or you'll end up like your friend over there!"
The soldier's anger silenced the crowd, leaving only cries and subdued complaints audible.
"Alright, listen up, we're just checking if any of you have superpowers or something similar. This is all just a damn test, so stop whining!"
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