Chapter 208: Insect Plague, On the Road 7

Evelyn Ford only found out what had happened after returning to the convoy.

Someone had gone to the Mountain God Temple to fetch water and found a survivor.

This was the first time they had found another survivor since leaving the safe zone, so many people were thrilled. Taylor Vance and the others had already gone to check on the situation. Evelyn Ford thought for a moment before following them with Ronan Kendrick.

Following the group into the mountains behind the Mountain God Temple, they heard a series of screams. Everyone quickened their pace up the mountain. When they saw the survivors, they were all a little surprised.

It was an elderly grandmother and a young woman in her early twenties. The two of them were living in a cave on the mountain.

The old woman shielded the girl behind her, watching the crowd warily.

Whenever anyone approached, they would scream in terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"We’re not bad people. We’re refugees who were just passing through. We saw you when we went to get water and realized there were still people alive in this town." Taylor Vance, who had a kind face, raised his hands and stood at the front, gently trying to calm them.

"We’re from Wyrmrest Base. Ma’am, how many people are still alive here?"

The old woman aimed a wooden stick at Taylor Vance, not relaxing her guard at his words. The moment Taylor Vance moved, she and the young woman behind her would shriek uncontrollably.

"Everyone else, fall back. Evelyn Ford, Wyatt Vaughn, Serena Lynch—the three of you, come here."

Hearing Taylor Vance call her name, Evelyn Ford squeezed through the crowd to his side.

"The two of them must have been through something terrifying. They’re deeply distrustful and wary of people. You three are about the same age as the young woman, and you’re all women. You should be able to get them to lower their guard. I’ll take the others down the mountain first."

After speaking, Taylor Vance waved for the others to head down the mountain. Ronan Kendrick glanced at Evelyn Ford. Only after she gave him a slight nod did he leave.

Evelyn Ford was the slowest to warm up to people and wasn’t good at quickly building trust. Clearly, she wasn’t the right person to talk at a time like this. The difficult task fell to Serena Lynch and Wyatt Vaughn, while she stood guard off to the side.

"Ma’am, miss, please don’t be afraid. We really are just refugees. I’m from Marris, and we’ll be leaving soon. Is there anyone else in town? Why are you living up here in the mountains instead of in the buildings down below?" As expected, with the exceptionally friendly Serena Lynch taking the lead, the pair’s expressions softened considerably.

"You... you’re really not bandits?"

"Bandits? No, of course not. Have you run into bandits before?"

The old woman’s expression changed. She said nothing more, only hugging the young woman tighter.

Evelyn Ford was observing them as well. ’It looks like they definitely ran into some bad people, that’s why they moved into the cave.’

"There’s no one else in town, just my grandmother and me. Please, leave quickly. We don’t have any food for you. We have nothing. Don’t kill us."

As she spoke, the young woman dropped to her knees, curling up on the ground and trembling violently. The grandmother hugged her with a pained expression, trying to scare the three away with shrieks.

"We don’t want anything from you. I’m sorry. We thought the town was empty, so we were planning to scavenge for supplies, but we didn’t find anything except for the well at the Mountain God Temple."

Serena Lynch knelt down to be at eye level with her. "What’s your name? I’ll introduce us first. I’m Serena Lynch, this is Wyatt Vaughn, and that’s Evelyn Ford."

"My... my name is Claudia Schultz."

"Claudia, thank you for telling us. We’ll be leaving very soon, so you don’t need to be afraid."

Serena Lynch glanced back at Wyatt Vaughn and Evelyn Ford and gave a slight nod.

"You said you’re going to the Northwest?" the old woman suddenly asked.

"Yes. We plan to swing around through the Southwest to get to the Northwest."

The old woman lowered her head, lost in thought. Serena Lynch continued to comfort them for a long while.

"We’re going to head down the mountain now. You two take care."

Claudia Schultz looked up at them, some of the wariness in her eyes fading. She seemed a bit dazed.

After the three of them returned down the mountain, Serena Lynch told everyone what they had learned.

"They weren’t willing to say much, but they aren’t as guarded as they were before. We should probably leave quickly. They’ll be scared as long as we’re here."

Taylor Vance nodded. "Alright. It seems there really are no other survivors in this town. Since they’re not willing to talk, let’s just let it be. Pack up, everyone. We’re moving on."

Evelyn Ford slipped out of the crowd and went back to their vehicle.

Ronan Kendrick had already packed everything up. He would be driving the next leg, so Evelyn Ford settled into the passenger seat. Mina and Lola were curled up on her lap, squeaking nonstop.

"You two little critters finally have some energy. Were you getting carsick? Here, have some water and a little something to eat. We have to keep moving."

Quincy looked on with envy. "You’re amazing. You’ve managed to raise them so well. At first, I was worried they wouldn’t make it."

"They’re pretty resilient. They haven’t given me much to worry about."

"Once we get settled, I want to get a pet, too. I want to get a cat... I miss my kitten." As he spoke, Quincy’s eyes reddened.

"When we get to the Northwest, you might even be able to see a Pallas’s cat."

Quincy’s eyes lit up. "I’ll have to get one then."

Ronan Kendrick sat nearby, watching Evelyn Ford quietly. When she looked over at him, he seemed startled for a second before the corners of his lips curved into a small smile.

Just as the convoy was about to depart, the old woman and Claudia Schultz suddenly came down the mountain. They stood a short distance away, timidly observing the vehicles and the people.

When Taylor Vance noticed them, he hurried over.

"Ma’am, miss, we’re about to leave now. You don’t need to be afraid. We aren’t here to take your things."

Just then, the old woman suddenly dropped to her knees. Taylor Vance rushed to pull her up.

"Ma’am, what are you doing?"

"I can tell you aren’t bad people. I’m begging you, please take my granddaughter with you. Even to the Northwest is fine."

"Grandma, I’m not going!" Claudia Schultz was startled by her grandmother’s words, looking both helpless and panicked.

"We’re out of food, Claudia. You have to leave. I’m begging you, take her with you. I’m over eighty years old, and we have nothing left to eat at home. Claudia can’t stay here any longer."

The old woman remained stubbornly on her knees. Taylor Vance hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I promise. But... aren’t you coming with us?"

The grandmother shook her head. "I don’t have many days left. I’ll just stay here."

"Grandma, I’m not going! I won’t leave you! If we go, we go together!"

The grandmother sighed. "Claudia, if you don’t listen to me, I won’t be able to rest in peace even after I die."

Then, the old woman told Taylor Vance why they had moved into the cave.

"Three years ago, a group of refugees came to town. Back then, there were still quite a few people left here. But when they arrived, they killed everyone and took all the food. Claudia’s parents were beaten to death by them. Claudia and I had gone into the mountains to dig for wild vegetables, so we survived. After that, we lived in the mountains and never dared to come back down."