Every vehicle had its own group, sharing meals and accommodations. As members frequently changed, seeing new faces had become the norm. When others saw a stranger like Zhou You coming over for porridge, they didn't question it, merely continuing their meal in silence.

It was called meat porridge, but there were hardly any meat pieces in it. The taste was bland. However, Zhou You was more interested in the rice; meat wasn't important.

Seeing Zhou You savoring every bite, several people nearby stopped eating and just watched him, probably wondering if his serving was somehow different from theirs. How could it possibly taste that good?

After finishing his serving, Zhou You let out a satisfied burp. Looking around, he joked, "Did I eat too much and shock you all? My apologies, I have a big appetite."

The middle-aged man sitting next to him shook his head, forcing down the remainder of his meal, then said, "It's a shame. If my son were still alive, I'd be eating grilled meat today, not this bland rice porridge."

Zhou You replied, "Was your son a warrior? Who else is in your family?"

The man gazed into the distance, murmuring, "My son was once considered a prodigious young man. Sadly, he died saving others. Now, no one remembers him."

Another interjected, "Old Qiao, stop dwelling on the past. Your son's been gone for years. Those he saved are gone too. That's the way of the world. We should be grateful we're under the protection of the Dawn Exploration Team."

"What's the point of living like this?"

"Enough talking. Finish up and pack. We're setting off soon. These days, just staying alive is an achievement. No time for regrets. Just think about getting to Yang City." said a man, chewing on a tobacco leaf.

Zhou You started to help clean and pack. Seeing his initiative, the tobacco-chewing man asked, "You new here?"

"Yes," Zhou You nodded.

The man generously offered him a wrinkled tobacco leaf, "Want some?"

"No, I don't smoke."

"Oh, other than that, I have nothing else to offer. I was hoping you'd help."

From inside the vehicle, Old Qiao shouted, "Young man, don't mind him. He's always asking for favors that no one can grant."

"Nonsense! How would you know? Wishing others ill just because your own family's gone?"

Seeing a potential quarrel, Zhou You quickly retreated to a corner inside the vehicle, adopting a hands-off attitude. Indeed, no one bothered him, and the two men's tempers cooled. Everyone else seemed indifferent to the squabble.

Zhou You understood; these times were hard for everyone. But he didn't believe he could help, just as the man had said earlier, staying alive was already an achievement.

Minutes later, the vehicle started moving. The convoy rolled out of the city on a bumpy road. Everyone seemed accustomed to the rough ride, resting with their eyes closed.

After an hour, Zhou You felt nauseous. The odor inside was overwhelming. He climbed to the top of the vehicle for fresh air, immediately feeling better.

A guard from a lead armored vehicle spotted him and shouted angrily, "Damn it! Car #3256, what's that idiot on your roof doing? Has he got a death wish?"

"3256 here. I'll handle it now."

Zhou You didn't have an earpiece, so he didn't hear the radio exchange. However, he noticed someone leaning out from the co-driver's window, aiming a gun at him, and shouting, "You trying to get yourself killed, kid?"

Zhou You instinctively raised his hands and explained, "I get carsick; just needed some fresh air."

"Fresh air? Damn... Do you even realize where you are? This is the Yunlan Mountain Range, the most dangerous in the country. Believe me, in two minutes, a mutated beast could snatch you away. If you wish to die, do it elsewhere and don't endanger the rest of us!"

Zhou You was aware that beasts in this forest were aggressive towards humans. He hadn't expected them to approach such a large convoy of vehicles. Though he believed he could protect a vehicle on his own, he obediently returned to his carriage.

Being new here, it's always wise to stay low-key.

Just as the window was rolled up, an anxious voice buzzed in the earpiece, "Boss, there's a dark patch about 500 meters ahead. It appears to be an ant swarm, and their numbers... they're incalculable."

Li Hongxi grabbed binoculars and climbed to the roof of the vehicle. He immediately spotted the dense black mass moving towards their convoy.

A chill ran down Li Hongxi's spine. One ant is easy to deal with, even for a regular person. But a swarm in the thousands is catastrophic. They devour everything in their path. He had once seen ants crawl over a human corpse, leaving not even bone fragments behind.

"All vehicles, turn right into the forest immediately. Stay about 20 meters away and try not to alert them."

As the vehicles took a sharp turn, passengers inside were tossed about. Everyone quickly grabbed hold of anything stable, maintaining a grave silence.

It clicked for Zhou You. They were scared too. But with experience, they knew the best response was calm obedience. They seemed unconcerned about the external threats; in times like these, listening to orders without causing panic was paramount.

Zhou You, with his sharp hearing, could sense something approaching. The unknown was always the scariest. He climbed to the roof again, and this time, no one had the time to scold him.