Before Alice returned, they had hinted to Cecilia to leave several times, and the thank-you gifts were prepared. However, Cecilia seemed oblivious, chatting with Blanche for a long time.
Alice squatted down in front of Blanche, reaching out to check her foot. The ankle was slightly swollen, and they had already applied medicine. "Mom, is it still hurting?"
Blanche put her foot down and shook her head gently. "The moment it twisted hurt a bit, but it's much better now."
"I found a transportation job tonight, and I'll depart tomorrow afternoon," Alice informed.
Atticus looked concerned. "?"
The next afternoon, Alice drove to the entrance of the safe house, where more than a dozen cars had already gathered. A man in his forties, wearing military uniform, approached with an application form in hand, asking, "Are you Alice?"
"Yes."
The man checked her name off the list and introduced himself, "I'm Javier, in charge of this transportation task. We'll depart in ten minutes."
The car behind was extremely dilapidated, rusty, and seemed like it could break down at any moment.
The convoy set off, encountering many people walking towards the safe house with fully packed luggage. Pedestrians couldn't help but stop and watch the convoy for a while.
Taking advantage of the cooling temperatures as the sun set, many people came out to search for suppliesAlmost the entire population of the city had flocked to the safe house. The neighborhoods they passed through were pitch-black, exuding an eerie and terrifying silence.
It wasn't until the next morning at 7 o'clock that the convoy stopped in a wooded area to rest. Javier got out of the car and said, "The safe house only prepared compressed biscuits—two per person—and a bottle of water. If you have the means, you can cook your own food."
As the conditions had been made clear before departure, no one objected. They took the compressed biscuits and headed back to their cars to start eating. Beryl looked at the compressed biscuits with some disdain. Just as she was about to turn around to cook something in the car, she unexpectedly turned and saw Alice. A look of surprise appeared on Beryl's face.
Alice glanced at her, took the compressed biscuits from Javier, and walked away.
After leisurely enjoying her breakfast, Alice took out a small blanket and a tablet, preparing to catch up on shows before sleeping. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the heat outside became unbearable. Since not every car had air conditioning, many people chose to set up tents under the trees.
Herschel's car didn't have air conditioning, and they sweated profusely after eating a pack of instant noodles. In the absence of alternatives, Beryl reluctantly came out of the car and set up a tent under a large tree.
Some people boldly approached other car owners, asking if they could share their air conditioning. Considering that they were all part of the same convoy and might rely on each other in case of danger, a few car owners agreed.
However, the space inside the cars was limited, accommodating at most two people. Otherwise, everyone would have no place to sleep. Since Alice was a woman, several big men felt awkward asking her. Nevertheless, Herschel thought Beryl could give it a try with Alice.
Alice hadn't come out of the car from start to finish, indicating that the inside of the car was cooler than the outside. Beryl stayed outside for a while and was covered in sweat from the heat
Instead, Beryl turned to find Javier. Alice was watching a sci-fi movie and getting ready to take a nap when someone knocked on her car window. She opened a crack and saw Javier, so she lowered the window.
Alice looked at the flushed Beryl and sneered inwardly. She was clever, knowing to seek help from Javier.
"Captain Javier, you might not know, but I and Beryl have some grudges. It wouldn't be good if a homicide happened." Alice said with a cold tone.
Hearing this, Javier's expression stiffened, and he couldn't help but look at Beryl, frowning. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
Beryl had thought about how to respond if Alice refused. She had planned to leverage everyone's sympathy when Alice rejected her. Little did she expect that Alice would be so straightforward, leaving her no room to maneuver.
Beryl awkwardly explained, "I just broke up with her brother, and I never expected Alice to hate me for that."
Herschel, who was standing with Beryl, couldn't believe it and shook off her hand. He looked at her suspiciously, saying, "Don't tell me you're still having messy relationships with other men now."
Alice remarked, "People are not always what they seem. It's good to be cautious."
Herschel glared at Beryl, then walked away.
Apologizing, Javier said to Alice, "I'm sorry; I didn't know about your conflict with her."
Alice reassured him, "It's fine." She didn't blame him; after all, Beryl was skilled at using her innocent appearance to deceive others.
"I remember that the recruitment specified a requirement for physical strength and good combat skills. Beryl seems not to meet either of these criteria. Why was she recruited?" Alice asked curiously.
Javier, feeling apologetic, explained, "She claimed to be excellent with firearms, and after the test, she indeed performed better than many others, so I made an exception and let her join."
The inside of the car was comfortable, shielded from the scorching heat outside. Alice slept until 5:00 in the afternoon. Just as she opened the car curtains, she saw Javier approaching.
"Prepare for dinner; after eating, we'll continue the journey. We aim to reach Peach Blossom Village before nightfall," Javier called from a distance.
Alice leisurely freshened up and then went to get the compressed biscuits. She didn't need them, but to avoid standing out, she joined the queue.
After a while, two people lined up behind her—Herschel and Beryl.
Beryl seemed to have reconciled with Herschel, and the two were chatting and laughing.
Beryl stared at Alice's well-protected car, filled with jealousy.