Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 63 Returning to Yunhua
A red heavy truck is driving on an empty highway.

Wang Yan was driving, Guan Tong was sitting in the passenger seat, and Chen Na was on the sleeper berth in the back. Their destination was Yunhua City.

It is now July 9th. Several days after the rules ended, under the scorching sun, the snow on the road has mostly melted, and the meltwater has turned the deep ditches on both sides of the road into small rivers.

"Look at all this snowmelt, the city's sewers are all flooded," Wang Yan said. "I wonder what they'll do."

"Mom, the sun is so strong now, the water on the road will dry up quickly, right?" Chen Na said, lying on her sleeper berth.

"Hmm, that makes sense." Wang Yan nodded and asked Guan Tong in the passenger seat, "Guan, you're a local from Yunhua, what are your plans after we get back?"

"I don't have many plans yet. I'll just prepare for the next apocalyptic rule as soon as I settle down," Guan Tong said.

Wang Yan sighed, "That's true. A month goes by so fast. Today is the 9th, and in about twenty days there will be new rules again. Sigh, when will this ever end?"

"Isn't there forty-nine in total?" Chen Na had the optimism of a child. "Four have already passed, which is... one-twelfth of the way through. It feels like it went by so fast!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan smiled helplessly.

Children don't know how cruel reality can be, but she, as an adult, knows it all too well.

If most of the rules were like the second and third, where you could choose to give up the challenge, that would be fine. But if there were many survival-related rules like the first and fourth, then each challenge would be a major test.

Guan Tong also remembered that the Fire Stealer had clearly stated that after passing the forty-nine rules, they would still have to participate in the apocalyptic operation. The latter was probably far more dangerous than the rules themselves.

However, he felt there was no need to think too much or too far ahead now, or put too much pressure on himself.

Every hurdle is difficult, but you'll overcome it; just focus on the rules at hand.

After the truck had been driving for a while, Wang Yan's face turned unusually pale as it passed the ruins of a village.

Chen Na, who was in the sleeper berth, also sat up and looked out the window, saying, "Mom, isn't this our village...?"

"……yes."

Have we arrived at Sunjiazhuang?
Guan Tong looked out the car window and saw that almost all the houses in the village on one side of the road had collapsed. They must have been buried in snow before, but now, eight days later, the snow had melted and the houses were exposed.

The roofs, door frames, tiles, wooden beams, composite boards... and all sorts of farm tools and other items were floating in the melted snow.

If you look closely, you can still vaguely see some villagers' corpses floating in the overflowing snowmelt.

Guan Tong looked away and glanced at Wang Yan, who was driving. Seeing that the latter was pale, she asked with concern, "Sister Wang, are you alright?"

"It's nothing... Xiao Guan. I'm just still scared. If I hadn't taken Nana with me when I drove out, I'm afraid..."

"..."

Indeed, if they had chosen to stay in the village without receiving assistance, the outcome would likely have been unfavorable.

"I have to take Nana to the capital!" Wang Yan said through gritted teeth. "Only there can Nana be safe!"

She had already planned this before, and now, after witnessing the tragic state of her village, her belief has become even stronger.

Chen Na stared wide-eyed at the village ruins floating in the snowmelt, and suddenly blurted out, "Those who bullied us should be dead too, isn't that a good thing?"

Wang Yan and Guan Tong both turned to look at her in surprise, but neither of them said anything.

The vehicle continued its journey.

The closer we got to Yunhua, the more water accumulated on the road.

When the distance to the city was less than ten kilometers, the road conditions were like those of a torrential downpour that had lasted for several days, with the water depth almost reaching the wheels of large vehicles.

"Did the city drain all the floodwater outside? Why is there so much water outside?" Wang Yan slowed down and carefully observed the road conditions. Guan Tong guessed, "It's possible that the emergency department transported a large amount of snow to the outside of the city a few days ago before the snow melted, thus relieving the pressure on the city's drainage system."

"But this makes it difficult to get in and out of the city."

"Yes. But there probably aren't many people going in or out of the city these days."

The truck drove through the water and into the outskirts of Yunhua, where it found the water was even deeper, almost reaching the truck's door.

Fortunately, it was a large truck. If it had been a small car, the entire vehicle would probably have been submerged, and the driver would have been sitting inside, helpless.

Fortunately, after driving a while longer, the water on the road gradually decreased. As the terrain rose higher into the city, much of the water flowed down to the lower-lying suburbs.

After the vehicle entered the development zone, the water on the road was only knee-deep, and some vehicles could be seen driving on the road, but most of them were supply vehicles and special vehicles of official departments.

"Xiao Guan, should we go directly to the hospital or take you somewhere else first?" Wang Yan asked Guan Tong for her opinion.

"Let's go to the hospital first, Sister Wang, your matter is more important."

Guan Tong thought for a moment, then took out her phone: "I'll contact the various hospitals first to see which ones are open now."

After entering the post-apocalyptic era, machines replaced manual labor in almost every industry, and many people in these industries stopped working.

But important institutions like hospitals are still operating. Although many doctors and nurses have resigned, some have chosen to stay, while others have joined out of their love for medicine. The government provides extra rewards and support to those who stay at important institutions to ensure their continued operation.

There are many hospitals in Yunhua City. Guan Tong called five of the more well-known hospitals to inquire. Three of them were still closed, and only two had recently opened, but the operators on the phone said that there were a lot of patients and that it was not guaranteed that they could see a doctor quickly.

It makes sense. After a month of blizzards and freezing temperatures, countless survivors must have caught colds and fevers, and hospitals would probably be overflowing by now.

But she still had to go. Guan Tong chose one that was nearby, but when Wang Yan drove to the edge of the development zone, she was stopped by people in emergency management bureau uniforms.

After two officers approached and inquired about the situation, they informed the officers: "There are a lot of supply trucks moving around in the city right now. Your large trucks might cause traffic congestion if you go in, so you're not allowed to enter. Please park in a nearby parking lot first."

"Then how will the patients in our vehicle get to the hospital?" Guan Tong asked.

After a brief discussion, the two officers said, "We happen to have a few colleagues who need to drive to the city for work, and we can take the patient there. However, there's not enough room for all three of you in the car. Who is the patient?"

“It’s me,” Wang Yan said.

"Okay, you're one. There can only be one more person in the car. Let your youngest daughter come with you. We'll talk about the son later."

Guan Tong was speechless upon hearing this, and Wang Yan also said awkwardly, "Oh dear, you've got it wrong, this isn't my son."

"Sister Wang, you and Xiao Na should take their car. Getting medical treatment is the priority," Guan Tong said. "I'll just go back to the city later."

"Is this...is this really okay? Leaving Xiao Guan here all alone..."

An official from the Emergency Management Bureau said, "What's there to worry about? He's just a young man. We'll take him to the city when we have another empty vehicle. Hurry up, our colleagues are urging us."

"Okay." Seeing this, Wang Yan could only drive her truck to the parking lot first, and then she and her daughter Chen Na got into the Emergency Management Bureau's car and left.

After Guan Tong watched them leave, the bureau chief told him, "If you're going to the city, just wait a bit. We might have a car that can give you a ride later."

After saying that, the staff member also said with some curiosity, "But speaking of which, you are the first private car to enter the city from outside in the past few days. I heard that the nearby villages and towns were buried in snow, but you managed to hold on. That's impressive."

Guan Tong nodded, but didn't say anything more.

Moreover, he didn't want to wait there idly, so after standing there for a while, he decided to walk towards the city center on foot.

(End of this chapter)