Apocalyptic Hoarding Diary

Chapter 473 Riverbed

Some people simply sat on the ground, using their hands to support themselves as they slowly slid down. The friction between their pants and the rocks provided some slowing, but it also accelerated the wear and tear on their pants.

Some people were walking too fast and slipped, falling backward and grabbing at nothing in the air.

The person behind him reacted quickly and grabbed his backpack strap, preventing him from rolling down the slope with his bag.

Captain Gu waited at the bottom. Every time someone came down, he would glance at them to make sure they could still walk, and then wait for the next person.

When the last person came down the slope, he nodded slightly, then turned around and continued walking.

After passing through a patch of low bushes, they came to see a river.

It can't be called a river either, because there's no water here, only silt and rocks. The riverbed is completely dry, exposing the rocks and silt underneath.

The stones, ranging in size from the size of a fist to the size of a washbasin, covered the entire riverbed, a vast expanse of white.

Both sides of the river are collapsed embankments, with steel bars protruding from the cement. The binding wires have rusted, and reddish-brown rust marks run down the steel bars, leaving rust marks on the cement surface.

Fallen trees lay across the riverbed, some of them mostly buried by rocks and silt, with only a few bare branches showing.

Team Leader Gu stood on the edge of the riverbed, looking at the silt and rocks. He was silent for a few seconds, then he made a decision: "Walking along the riverbed is at least five kilometers shorter than taking a detour," he explained.

No one objected, and the procession began crossing the riverbed.

The stones may look dry, but you'll only know how many traps are hidden underneath when you step on them.

Some stones are loose; if you step on one, it will flip over, and you'll suddenly sway to the side, and you'll have to quickly find the next place to land with your other foot.

Some stones have a slippery gray film on them, making them extremely slippery to walk on. There is almost no friction between the soles of your shoes and the surface of the stones, and your feet will slide down uncontrollably.

Some of the gaps between the stones are so wide that you have to take a big step to cross them, and where your foot lands after that step is a complete gamble.

Xu Xiaoyan walked very slowly, making sure each step was firm before daring to take the next. Lan Yue followed behind her, stepping on the stones she had stepped on.

Someone fell on the riverbed. It was a young man. He probably thought he was young, had good balance, and could walk faster, so he took a big step and his left foot landed on a rock that looked very large.

It turned out the rock was loose, and he fell forward, landing on a pile of rubble with both hands. His palms were cut in several places, and blood immediately seeped out.

He didn't shout, he just lay there catching his breath for a couple of moments, then got up on his own.

He wiped the blood on his hands on his pants and continued walking.

No one stopped to help him. It wasn't indifference; it was just that in a place like this, even if you wanted to help, you couldn't.

The stones under everyone's feet are uncertain; if you reach out to pull someone up, you might both fall together.

There is a particularly difficult section in the middle of the riverbed, where the stones are pebbles washed by the water.

Each piece was huge, with a smooth, waxed surface, leaving almost no place to step.

When you step on it, your ankle will be twisted to an inappropriate angle in an instant.

Xu Xiaoyan saw a person's foot stepping on a pebble ahead. The stone rolled, and the person's ankle twisted outward, causing them to squat down in pain.

He squatted for about ten seconds, then gritted his teeth, stood up, and continued walking with a limp.

She didn't know how wide the riverbed was, but estimated it to be two or three hundred meters. However, in this situation where "every step could be fatal," two or three hundred meters seemed to have become two or three kilometers.

All she remembers is taking steps, constantly searching for the next foothold.

Blue Moon faced exceptionally difficult circumstances during this period.

She has a poor sense of balance and sometimes trips over her shoelaces when walking on flat ground, let alone on these white stones.

After nearly falling for the third time, she simply reached out and grabbed Xu Xiaoyan's backpack strap, minimizing the distance between them.

Xu Xiaoyan walked in front, pausing slightly after each stone to wait for Lan Yue to step on it before continuing forward.

The two of them walked one after the other, like conjoined twins; they were slow, but steady.

When we reached the middle of the riverbed, someone in front of us stopped.

Xu Xiaoyan tiptoed and looked ahead. At the front of the group, Captain Gu was standing next to a huge rock, tilting his head slightly as if listening to something.

Everyone stopped.

Team Leader Gu folded the map in his hand, stuffed it into his pocket, and turned to face the team.

His expression remained unchanged, but he spoke faster than usual: "Everyone, squat down and don't make a sound."

Everyone squatted down in unison, the stones making a soft, crackling sound under their feet, but the sound quickly faded away, replaced by a deathly silence.

Xu Xiaoyan squatted on a large rock, with Lan Yue squatting close behind her, both of them breathing very softly.

Xu Xiaoyan's hand unconsciously touched the folding knife at her waist. She didn't pull it out, but just placed her hand on it, feeling its cold, hard texture.

The sound was getting closer and closer; it was coming from the other side of the riverbed.

There were many voices in the sound, but they were different from the voices of their team; those voices were noisier, more chaotic, and more disorderly.

There was a man shouting something, and a woman laughing. Yes, she was laughing, and that laughter carried far across the empty riverbed, carrying an unsettling and unrestrained tone.

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't hear it very clearly, but she felt that it was the sound of wheels, the sound of something with wheels rolling over stones and sand.

Captain Gu remained crouched beside the large rock, half his body hidden behind it, revealing only half his face and one eye, staring in the direction from which the sound came.

The sound lasted for about three or four minutes, then gradually faded and finally disappeared completely on the other side of the riverbed.

The laughter and shouts of those people gradually faded into the distance, as did the sound of wheels rolling over stones. Once again, the wind became the only sound on this riverbed.

Captain Gu stood up from behind the rock, brushed the dust off his knees, and his expression remained unchanged, revealing no emotion. However, Xu Xiaoyan noticed that his jawline was more taut than before.

"Keep going," he said, his voice returning to its usual deep and steady tone. "Keep quiet, don't talk anymore, until you reach your destination."

No one asked who those people were; everyone had the answer in their hearts. In this world, the phrase "unexpected encounter" is itself the greatest danger.

The group quickly set off again, and everyone quickened their pace, eager to leave the riverbed, which offered no cover, as soon as possible.