Under the moonlight

As Nasha spoke, it seemed he couldn't bear to recall that scene. He closed his eyes in anguish, covered his face with his hands, and his lips trembled. Yaqin also lowered her head and leaned tightly against his shoulder, letting out soft sobs. Xu Ao and Huang Meng exchanged a glance; just as they had guessed.

Nasha looked up, her eyes moist and filled with despair, and continued, "The man covered in blood ran past, and soon the gunfire grew closer, along with the piercing screams. Many people around me started running away without a care in the world. I hesitated, wondering if I should run with them, but I felt it would be safe to stay here. I put the door back in place and told Yaqin to hold the two children tightly. My heart was pounding in my chest. Through the crack in the door, I saw them—those demons from hell. They were sitting in armored vehicles, firing machine guns, with huge searchlights shining in front of them. Everyone who was running for their lives had nowhere to hide under the searchlights. The mercenaries following behind carried the fallen men onto the vehicles one by one. That's how they carried out a massacre in the city."

Nasha seemed to have used all his strength to finish speaking, and his words pushed Xu Ao and Huang Meng to the brink of despair. They had no idea that this group of people would act so swiftly and decisively.

After listening to Huang Meng's word-for-word translation, Xu Ao slumped onto the mat. He already knew what kind of killing machines they were facing, but he was still incredibly shocked when he heard Nasha's words. They were utterly inhuman; life was just a bargaining chip for money in their eyes.

Xu Ao sat for a while to calm down before looking up at Huang Meng. She was clearly frightened as well, keeping her head down and not saying a word. After all, they were just ordinary people, while she was facing some heartless demons with him. They didn't care about life or morality at all, which is why they took other people's lives so expressionlessly. Anyone would be afraid.

Xu Ao stood up and walked to Huang Meng's side. Looking into her dazed eyes, he reached out and held her shoulders, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." He then looked at Nasha, who seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, holding Yaqin and letting tears stream down her face.

The firelight flickered, dimmer than before, and the crackling of burning wood echoed from time to time. None of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.

Xu Ao lowered his head, already beginning to regret his decision. He had never truly faced mercenaries before. Although he had contacted them when he was collecting supplies, they represented the country at the time, and they did not cross any boundaries, which was why they were able to coexist peacefully.

This time, he abandoned his armor and was going to snatch the man from them again. Facing those brutal mercenaries was much more dangerous than he had imagined. In particular, Xu Ao turned his head to look at Huang Meng beside him. He scratched his hair in frustration and pushed up his glasses. This matter had to be resolved as soon as possible.

He looked up at Huang Meng and said, "We need to set off as soon as possible. We can't delay any longer. Those people have already started their plan. Right now, they're killing anyone they see. Later on, they'll definitely be searching the entire area, and then it will be even more difficult for us to move."

Listening to Xu Ao's words, Huang Meng took a deep breath, looked up, nodded to him, and said, "Okay, let's set off now. I'll talk to Nasha."

Huang Meng told Nasha that they were going to the factory to find someone. Nasha's eyes showed worry after hearing this, but seeing the determination in Xu Ao's eyes, he knew that everyone had their own path to walk. Just like him, in this chaotic world, doing his best to protect his family was the path he had to take.

He sighed, patted Yaqin's shoulder, then stood up and looked at Huang Meng, saying, "I know you have to go out to find people, and I can't stop you, but you must be careful. Those people kill anyone they see. Don't worry about us; as long as we don't get seen by them, we can live for at least a few more days." His words were simple, but they still had to go out to find food, and those mercenaries were like vengeful ghosts.

Huang Meng looked at Nasha with some sadness, then at the two children beside Yaqin. They were so young, at the age of innocence and romance, yet they faced the constant threat of losing their lives.

Huang Meng squatted down and looked closer at Duowa. She was sleeping soundly, her long eyelashes like fans covering her eyelids. She had beautiful brown curly hair. Huang Meng reached out and gently brushed away the stray hairs covering her forehead. Duowa was a little ticklish from her touch and twisted her body unhappily. Her pink lips moved and she let out a soft hum before falling back asleep.

Huang Meng lowered her head, took a deep breath to calm herself, and when she raised her head again, her eyes held a resolute look. She stretched out her arms and hugged Nasha and Yaqin. Xu Ao nodded to them, and then they quietly left under the cover of night.

Huang Meng and Xu Ao had already confirmed the route with Nasha before leaving. They just needed to keep walking along this street, cross an intersection, and go to the end of the next street.

Fortunately, they were going straight. They followed the roadside, using the gravel for cover. Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were few. Huang Meng looked up at the endless starry sky. She had once lamented that she didn't know when she would see the starry sky of her childhood again. Now, in the center of this city shrouded in death and devoid of light, she saw the starry sky above her head, but her heart was filled with endless sorrow and melancholy.

Seeing that she was feeling down and depressed, Xu Ao realized that he was feeling the same way. He wanted to comfort her but didn't know how to start. How could he possibly offer words of comfort when he couldn't even comfort himself?

Xu Ao took her hand and held it in his, then strode forward in the moonlight. Huang Meng followed closely behind. Neither of them spoke. As they walked, they kept an eye on their surroundings. After the massacre in the early morning, people were like insects trying to survive, hiding somewhere and afraid to show their faces. No wonder they hadn't encountered anyone else along the way except for Nasha's family, and they couldn't even hear the sound of breathing. As they walked, they resembled ghosts in the dark, drifting through an empty city.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xu Ao heard faint breathing beside him and stopped. Huang Meng, who was standing next to him, quietly asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Ao turned to look at her and said, "Let's rest for a while. We've already passed the intersection, and this street is almost over. It's already past midnight, and I'm worried about you..."

“No, we can’t rest until we get there. It’s too dangerous on the road. We don’t know when those people will show up. They’re best at launching surprise attacks when people are least prepared.” Huang Meng interrupted Xu Ao before he could finish speaking. Xu Ao knew, of course, that now wasn’t the best time to rest; he was just worried about her.

"Alright, let's speed things up and make the most of it!" Xu Ao stopped insisting, and the two continued to move forward at a faster pace, one in front of the other.

After walking for a while, they suddenly heard faint voices coming from ahead. Along the way, there was nothing around them except their footsteps and breathing, and even the chirping of insects was rare. The sudden voices made Xu Ao, who was in front, tense up. He quickly pulled Huang Meng behind him and squatted down behind a pile of stones.

The sudden tension made his breathing rapid. Huang Meng also heard the voices in front of her. She held her breath and tried to hear what the other person was saying, but unfortunately the distance was limited and the other person's voice was not loud. However, she could tell that there were only two people, and they seemed very relaxed and casual from their tone of voice.

Huang Meng glanced at Xu Ao beside her. He leaned his back tightly against the pile of stones behind him, gripping her arm tightly with his other hand. After exchanging a look with Huang Meng, Xu Ao turned his head to listen carefully. The sound coming from the other side grew weaker and weaker until everything returned to silence.

Xu Ao listened intently, and after a while he turned to look at Huang Meng. Huang Meng shook her head at him, indicating that she had not heard any more sounds. He hesitated whether to stand up and check.

Xu Ao patted Huang Meng's arm, signaling her to stay still. He slowly stood up, crouched down, and took a few steps forward. The pile of rubble in front of him was relatively small, allowing him to lean out and peer into the distance.

Just as he left Huang Meng's side and darted behind a pile of stones, he suddenly heard voices above his head. Xu Ao didn't have time to go back to Huang Meng's side, so he had no choice but to hide behind a small pile of stones nearby.

He pressed his body as close to the floor as possible to barely cover his upper body. Although it was the middle of the night and the dilapidated city was pitch black, Xu Ao didn't have time to squat down properly, and his long legs were exposed without any cover.

Huang Meng watched from a few steps away, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She stared at him nervously, not daring to make any sudden movements.

Her muscles tensed, maintaining the same posture. Time seemed to stand still for her, with only the pounding of her heart and her deliberately controlled, soft breathing remaining.

When people are terrified, their hearing seems to become exceptionally acute. The conversations overhead sound unusually loud, slowly drifting over their heads. Accompanied by the creaking of leather boots on the pavement, Huang Meng could even clearly hear the sound of the fabric rubbing together as they walked.

Soon the footsteps faded into the distance, and the sounds gradually became indistinct. Huang Meng still dared not move until she watched Xu Ao slowly retract his legs, lean up and look for a while, before crouching down and running back to her side. Only then did her senses slowly return, and she finally dared to breathe heavily. The tension and the deliberate suppression of her breathing made her feel like she was about to faint.

Xu Ao patted her back and gently comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay, they should just be two mercenaries on patrol, don't be afraid."

Seeing the worry in Xu Ao's eyes, Huang Meng smiled slightly at him, relaxed, and her mind cleared. She recalled the conversation she had overheard and said earnestly, "Just now, when they walked past, one of me asked, 'When does it start?' The other said, 'The search will begin tomorrow afternoon.' Then another asked, 'When does the mission end?' And then the third said, 'If there are no unexpected events, we can retreat early the day after tomorrow.'" Huang Meng swallowed nervously, looking at Xu Ao.

Xu Ao lowered his head in thought, muttering to himself, "Search tomorrow afternoon, and finish early the day after tomorrow."

Xu Ao looked around and, after confirming there was nothing else amiss, reached out to help Huang Meng up, saying, "We need to hurry, let's go." Xu Ao pulled Huang Meng's hand and started jogging forward slowly. They had to find the people and get them away before they could begin searching.

They quickly arrived at the factory gate. Xu Ao turned on his flashlight and shone it on the gate, but it was tightly closed and pitch black inside. He had no idea if anyone was inside.

Huang Meng stepped forward and shook the iron gate, which seemed to be locked from the inside. Xu Ao anxiously looked around the gate from both sides and circled the wall before finally finding a gap in the wall to the left of the gate. Xu Ao half-squatted down, holding the flashlight in his mouth, and used his hands to support Huang Meng as she climbed up. Huang Meng checked the height of the wall, tightened her backpack, stepped on Xu Ao's hands, and used his strength to stomp her foot onto the wall. She carefully sat on the wall and turned to look at Xu Ao.

Xu Ao took a few steps back, then suddenly ran forward, using his toes to push off the wall and his strong arms to climb up. He crouched down, looked down with his flashlight, found a spot, and jumped down steadily, then caught Huang Meng's legs and brought her down.

After the two stopped, they looked around with their flashlights. The place where they were standing seemed to be a recreational area, with several ping-pong tables in front of them, and a basketball court further ahead, with two basketball hoops standing alone.

Xu Ao walked slowly ahead, holding a flashlight, with Huang Meng following behind him. As they continued walking along the ping-pong table, they came to see a row of crooked, deformed, and dilapidated prefabricated houses.

Looking through the flashlight, some of these prefabricated houses had large dents on their roofs, while others were collapsed and crooked. Huang Meng walked to the last prefabricated house, which was relatively intact. Looking through the window, she saw a bed, a simple wardrobe, and a desk inside.

Huang Meng and Xu Ao exchanged a glance and continued forward. Ahead was a four-story building, half of which was destroyed on the right, leaving only half standing. A sweep of their flashlights revealed that the surrounding buildings had also been destroyed.

Xu Ao turned off his flashlight, plunging the area into darkness. Only the moonlight above his head shone on the open ground in front of him, where three flags could be vaguely seen standing in the center. When the wind blew, the three flags rustled in the desolate night sky.

Xu Ao looked around, but all he could see was darkness. The place wasn't small, and they couldn't possibly shout for someone. They could only wait until dawn to search carefully.

Xu Ao pulled Huang Meng to the relatively intact prefabricated house they had just passed. The door was deformed and crushed and could not be opened, but the glass in the window had already been shattered. Xu Ao picked up a flashlight and smashed all the remaining glass shards in the window before they jumped in.

Xu Ao turned on his flashlight, looked around, and occasionally tapped on the wall and pushed it to make sure there was no danger of it collapsing before taking off his backpack and placing it on the desk. The furnishings in this prefabricated house were very simple. There was an office desk in the center of the room against the wall, and a single bed on each side. At the foot of the beds against the wall were two simple wardrobes, and by the moonlight, you could see a few clothes hanging inside.

He took out the food and water from his bag and handed them to Huang Meng. Then he took out his walkie-talkie, adjusted it, and began to speak: "Old Zhang, this is Xu Ao. We've found a factory, but it's a bit big. It's the middle of the night, so it's not convenient for us to search. We'll look again tomorrow morning to see if any survivors are hiding here. We're both fine for now. We'll follow up with my instructions on the next steps."

After Xu Ao finished speaking, he put away the walkie-talkie, looked up at Huang Meng sitting opposite him, walked over and sat down next to her, and started eating the compressed biscuits in his hand.

Xu Ao quickly finished the whole compressed biscuit, but when he turned to look at Huang Meng's hand, it was still the same; she had barely eaten any.

"You can't do it like this."

Huang Meng, who was lost in thought, was pulled back to reality by his words. She nodded in confusion, and Xu Ao gestured with his chin toward the compressed biscuits in her hand. Only then did she realize what he meant and said with a wry smile, "Um, I, I'm not very hungry, I can't eat."

"Eat even if you can't, or I'll feed you." Xu Ao said as he moved closer to Huang Meng. By the moonlight, Huang Meng could see the smile in his eyes. She knew he wanted to put her at ease, so she smiled and said, "Forget it, these compressed biscuits don't have much flavor to begin with. If you feed me, it will be even more tasteless." As she spoke, she put the compressed biscuit in her hand to her mouth and ate it in big bites.

Seeing that she could still take his joke, Xu Ao patted her head tenderly, smiled, then took off his glasses and leaned back to lie down.

A cloud of dust rushed into his chest. He coughed a few times and shook his head. He didn't care about being clean or not at that moment; he just felt extremely heavy.

Huang Meng finished the biscuit in her hand and drank a few more mouthfuls of water. She turned her head and found that Xu Ao had already fallen asleep. His lying position was definitely not comfortable. His legs were dangling over the edge of the bed, most of his body was lying on the bed, one arm was hanging at his side, and the other hand was holding his glasses in front of his chest.

Huang Meng lay down beside him. From her position, she could see the night sky through the empty window. The moonlight shone unrestrainedly into the room, illuminating the bedside. If one could ignore everything that had happened here, the mess in the room, and the pungent dust, this scene could be described as extremely romantic.

Huang Meng pulled his arm and slowly closed her eyes. She could hear Xu Ao's deep breathing. He seemed to be sleeping well. Perhaps he had been tense for a long time. Slowly, she also fell asleep.