Inside the convenience store.
Xu Yan gently woke Yueyue, who was still sleeping in her arms.
By the time Xu Yan had prepared food for the child, quite a few other people had already woken up.
The mother and daughter who had caused trouble yesterday were once again arguing over food.
Xu Yan suddenly felt a moment of regret.
If she had known, she might as well have left with that girl yesterday.
Feeling unlucky, Xu Yan quietly shifted her position, fearing that the ill-fated mother and daughter would find her again.
And so, everyone passed the morning in a daze of tension and anxiety.
It wasn't until the afternoon that people no one expected arrived outside the convenience store. When the people at the door knocked on the convenience store's door, everyone's expressions were varied.
“Is it the rescue team? Has the rescue team come to save us?”
Just as a girl excitedly spoke, someone poured cold water on her.
“What are you thinking? How could it be the rescue team? I suspect they are just refugees, desperate and trying their luck. I think we shouldn’t open the door. What if they are refugees? If we let them in, what if they steal our food?”
As the words fell, a few pessimists were instantly convinced by this reasoning, thinking the other person was right.
“That’s right, the space here isn’t very big, and there are already more than a dozen people. If we let more people in, let alone not having enough supplies to support so many people, there might not even be enough space.”
“Exactly, exactly. If it were the rescue team, they would have arrived long ago. Would they knock so politely?”
People chimed in one after another, but no one was willing to be the first to open the door.
Seeing these people arguing until their faces turned red over whether to open the door, Xu Yan silently covered Yueyue’s ears.
She could do nothing else, nor could she stop this farce.
All she could do was quietly bring her child, not attract attention, and quietly survive.
Until a faint sound came from the door.
A girl stood up, “Stop arguing for now, there seems to be a sound outside.”
This finally quieted the entire convenience store.
Xu Yan also heard the movement. Amidst the noise, she seemed to feel a familiar sensation.
Her heart gave a strange twitch, as if someone was pulling her heart outwards.
The answer was on the tip of her tongue, but Xu Yan was afraid of disappointment and anxiously watched the direction of the door.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Is there anyone inside?”
Xu An stood at the door, her anxiety evident in her eyes.
When they rappelled to another building using ropes, Xu An had already sensed a gaze on her.
However, the gaze only carried a hint of inquiry and no malice, so Xu An ignored it.
It wasn't until that girl actively sought them out.
Xu An learned that the girl's name was Liu Liu. She had just escaped from a convenience store and was now heading to the boundary to consult them about something.
Upon learning that District B had been sealed off and they might not be able to get out, Liu Liu only showed an unusual calmness.
Xu An had expected the other party to break down. Many people, upon learning that District B was sealed and they might never be able to leave, would collapse in tears or simply give up.
Some even willingly walked into the zombie horde, saying as they walked that they didn't want to live such precarious lives of hiding and fleeing.
But Liu Liu in front of them was different. Her face didn't even have many extra expressions, as if she were ordering food and the boss said they were out of fish balls, so casual and relaxed.
However, when Xu An heard about the convenience store, hope rekindled in her heart.
“Have you seen a woman around forty years old?”
As Xu An spoke, she opened her communicator and found Xu Yan’s photo.
Liu Liu looked at the photo and said nothing.
Xu An then took out Yueyue’s photo and placed it in front of Liu Liu.
“Or, have you seen this little girl?”
Liu Liu looked at Xu An and Zhou Haimei, as if appraising them.
“Who are you people? What are you looking for them for?”
As soon as Xu An heard this, she immediately became excited. Liu Liu’s wary demeanor made it seem like she knew the whereabouts of these two people.
“The older one is my mother. I came here specifically to find my mother. That little girl is my friend’s daughter. No matter who you’ve seen, could you please tell me? I will reward you.”
Liu Liu did not jump to conclusions but first sized up Xu An.
She did indeed notice that the girl in front of her bore some resemblance to the woman in the photo.
Only then did she tell Xu An about Xu Yan’s whereabouts.
At the same time, she also informed Xu An that Yueyue was with Xu Yan.
Hearing this, Xu An was overjoyed.
She hadn’t expected these two to end up together.
After ensuring her mother was safe, Xu An exchanged a look with Zhou Haimei.
Zhou Haimei immediately understood what she meant, realizing that Xu An intended to tell Liu Liu the location of the secret passage as a thank you.
Zhou Haimei nodded in agreement.
After Xu An told her the location of the secret passage, Liu Liu’s expression did not change much.
It was as if she had already known.
“Do you really not need me to accompany you back?”
Xu An shook her head firmly, “No need. Our group is too large a target. The attitude of the officials outside is ambiguous. You should quickly find the secret passage and leave immediately. Don’t wait for us.”
Xu An told her that only one person could pass through the secret passage at a time.
“Although I’m telling you this, I still need to pick up my mother and my friend’s daughter. We have more people, a larger target, and I don’t know if the secret passage can fully support so many of us. So, I hope this information is only known to you.”
After speaking, Xu An remembered something. “You don’t have any relatives here, do you?”
Receiving Liu Liu’s affirmative reply, Xu An’s mind was somewhat at ease.
“I know this might sound selfish, but now is not the time to show sympathy or act like a saint. If more people know about this secret passage, then none of us can leave. The path through this secret passage is very long, and we’ll let you go first.”
“It’s because we’ll be following behind, but if you tell anyone else, the final consequence will be that none of us can leave. Do you understand what I mean?”
Xu An’s last sentence was almost threatening.
They traveled from the outer city to District B. Although the boat trip only took a few hours, it was because they were going downstream.
In reality, the path through that secret passage, even without rest, would take at least a full day.
The interior was not only old and dilapidated, but due to disrepair, it could collapse or cave in at any moment.
The lighthouse was enormous and complex in design.