Under the moonlight

Chapter 122 Why are they all here?

Xu Ao watched them approach with shocked expressions, then went up to Jiang Ying and said, "To make a long story short, our goods will arrive soon. We'll be splitting into two groups. Jiang Ying, you know the area well, so you and that tall, grumpy guy over there, and that pretty boy, you'll be in one car. Old Chen, Huang Meng, and I will be in the other car." Xu Ao finished his concise explanation, and Jiang Ying and Old Chen nodded in agreement.

Seeing them walk towards them after they finished speaking, Huang Meng quickly went to greet them: "Jiang Ying, are you all alright?"

"Yes, we're all fine, except for Chen Che, he's been infected." Since she was able to come along, there was no need to hide it from her.

"What? Is it serious? Did you take your medicine?" Huang Meng asked anxiously, while glaring at Xu Ao beside her.

"Yes, it's alright, it's alright for now. It will take some time to fully recover." Jiang Ying's gaze passed over him and looked at Zhao Meng behind him.

"Hello, Zhao Meng." Zhao Meng sensed her probing gaze and introduced himself directly.

"And this one?" Jiang Ying looked at Li Shuo again.

“Li Shuo came with Huang Meng.” He then gave Jiang Ying a bright smile. Jiang Ying lowered her head helplessly, then looked up again, her eyes filled with gloom. “This is utter nonsense! Huang Meng, I already thought it was the biggest concession Xu Ao had made by having you come along. And what about these two? Are they your bodyguards? What do you think you’re here for? Tourism?”

After Jiang Ying finished speaking, she looked at the three of them. Huang Meng lowered her head, feeling a little guilty after hearing what she said. Indeed, if it weren't for her, they wouldn't have come along.

"Who are you, and what gives you the right to say that about her?" Zhao Meng looked at Jiang Ying, his previous polite smile gone, and said coldly.

Xu Ao looked at Zhao Meng standing behind Huang Meng like a fighting cock, and helplessly rubbed his forehead with an awkward smile, saying, "Um, well, now is not the time to talk about this. Everyone, calm down first."

"Everyone, is that car outside our stuff?" Just as Zhao Meng and Jiang Ying were glaring at each other, Li Shuo interjected.

"Yes, it's ours. Let's go." Xu Ao glanced at the car outside the hall; the logo on it couldn't be clearer. Jiang Ying glared fiercely at Zhao Meng, then looked at Huang Meng, her eyes filled with helplessness and anger.

The group walked outside the airport terminal, separated only by a glass wall. Li Shuo was shocked by what he saw. "Holy crap! Are those real guns?" He was about to point to the mercenaries patrolling not far ahead when Old Chen pressed him down. "Young man, they're legitimate mercenaries. If they're not carrying real guns, are they toy guns?" Old Chen finished speaking, looked at Li Shuo's shocked expression, shook his head sympathetically, and ignored him.

As soon as Xu Ao and his group walked to the front of the car, mercenaries came forward to check them. The inspection was so thorough that Li Shuo even had the illusion that he was about to enter the examination hall. But the people in front of him were not kind teachers. If they got anxious, they would really use him as a target!

After finally getting through the inspection, the mercenaries behind them had also finished checking all the goods on the truck. Then, a car followed closely behind the truck, and several mercenaries got into the car. Xu Ao and Zhao Meng exchanged a glance. Just as they had guessed, they would be following them all the way from the airport to the embassy, ​​or rather, watching them.

"Let's go back to the embassy first," Xu Ao said softly to Zhao Meng.

“Yes, that’s the only way. They’ll keep a close eye on us.” Zhao Meng said, glancing at Huang Meng. “I’ll talk to her about it when we get back.” Xu Ao quickly chimed in from the side.

Jiang Ying observed the subtle actions of the two. What exactly was their relationship? Just now, judging from Zhao Meng's posture, he was very protective of Huang Meng. Anyone could guess what he was thinking. But Xu Ao acted as if he hadn't seen it and even came to Huang Meng's rescue. What happened between him and Huang Meng?

The group split into two groups. Before they arrived, Xu Ao had specifically instructed Jiang Ying to find a small car to pick them up. In the end, Xu Ao sat on the top of the truck because there was really no room. After hearing Huang Meng's explanation, the mercenaries thought for a moment and didn't say anything. They waved for them to get into their own vehicles. After all, they were right under their noses, and they figured the mercenaries couldn't do anything about it.

Xu Ao sat in the truck bed, and the truck slowly drove out of the airport. If the airport only gave people a feeling of coldness and desolation, then driving out of the airport and on the streets of the city, the word "deadly" became so vivid for the first time.

The streets were no longer piled with rubble; the roads had been cleared, and only the broken walls and ruins on both sides still stood. The wind blew through the broken window and door frames, making a series of mournful sounds, as if lamenting the damage that the past artillery fire had caused them.

There wasn't a soul in sight along the way. The city seemed to have been forgotten by time; apart from the sunrise and sunset, not even a single bird could be seen.

Huang Meng looked out the car window, and suddenly her expression tightened. That place had once been where Nasha's family had taken refuge. The wooden planks that had sheltered them were gone, leaving only the broken wall behind them. There were traces of smoke on the wall, and that patch of darkness was a vivid mark of their struggle to survive. Now, only that broken wall stood there all alone.

Huang Meng turned around, her eyes already brimming with tears. She stubbornly raised her head, refusing to let the tears fall.

Zhao Meng noticed her actions from the side, opened his mouth but didn't know how to comfort her. He himself was also terrified. If they had struggled and tried to survive under the gunfire before, now, after walking for so long, there was not a single person. The city was devoid of any vitality, with only masked mercenaries carrying guns everywhere. They were like ghosts wandering in this city.

This was the first time Li Shuo had witnessed firsthand what the horror and ruthlessness of war truly meant. The sheer number of enormous, terrifying holes in the roadside buildings alone filled him with dread. Without the vibrant life of human beings to adorn them, these towering concrete structures were nothing more than cold, empty shells.