Chapter 279: Going Out, Encountering Danger in the Town
"Comrade Meng (female)!"
Qiao Ya felt incredibly distressed seeing this.
"You should take them back with you."
Though he wanted the five little ones to stay at the military district, he didn't want to see the male eagle lose his family.
Meng (female) didn't agree, but simply gestured for the male eagle to come over.
"Bark bark!"
The male eagle walked over to Meng (female), barking twice. There was no aggression towards Qiezi and the others, just a hint of guilt and determination.
Meng (female) crouched down and patted the male eagle's head. "Are you sure you want to leave them here permanently?"
"If you decide to leave them here, you won't be able to visit them easily in the future. They might even face danger or death due to various missions."
"Are you certain?"
Meng (female) believed that the male eagle could understand her words. Besides, Kele and the others were the male eagle's children, so it was up to him to decide their fate.
"Bark!"
After hesitating for a long time, the male eagle barked once, his voice firm, expressing his decision.
"Okay." Meng (female) patted the male eagle's head, then stood up and instructed,
"Say a proper goodbye to them."
"Bark!" The male eagle barked and walked over.
The five little ones, seeing their mother approach, hesitated for a moment before finally rushing over.
"Ow ow!"
"Woof woof woof!"
The five little ones sounded heartbroken.
Meng (female) couldn't bear to watch and, seeing Qiezi standing in front of her, kicked him on the backside.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to your kids? What are you waiting for?"
Hearing this, Qiezi quickly ran over, nuzzling his children and mate, even rolling over and acting playful, clearly not wanting to be separated from his kids.
However, the male eagle was insistent, barking to leave the children behind.
"Bark bark bark!"
The male eagle's bark grew stern, showing his determination.
Qiezi looked at the male eagle helplessly, then at the children, his eyes full of reluctance.
In the end, Qiezi couldn't persuade his mate and could only agree to leave the children behind.
Zheng Yan had been following behind Meng (female) and Shen Que. He had no reason to object to the decision about the five little ones.
When it was finally time to leave, Zheng Yan ran up and hugged each one of the five little ones, feeling their soft fur, his heart filled with reluctance.
"Woo-woo, Coke, you have to live well in the military district."
"Woo-woo, Sprite, you must protect yourself, understand!"
...
When it was Wahaha's turn, Zheng Yan held it and reminded Lu Chen and the others.
"Wahaha's leg is slightly injured. Are you sure you still want to keep it here?"
Zheng Yan looked at them expectantly, hoping to hear them say no, so he could take Wahaha back with him.
"Yes," Lu Chen nodded.
Qiao Ya began to explain, "Although Wahaha's leg is slightly injured, its sense of smell is very sharp."
"Don't worry, we will provide specialized training for it and make sure it doesn't get hurt."
Meng Ci knew that Lu Chen and the others really liked the five little ones, so he trusted that they would take good care of them.
Hearing this, Zheng Yan patted Wahaha's head, "You better keep your word, or I'll risk my life to make you regret it."
"Also, if they retire in the future, you must find me!" Zheng Yan instructed.
Qiao Ya and the others acknowledged his words.
Zheng Yan then hugged each one again, patting their heads and scratching their chins, as if he wanted to engrave them in his memory, before finally leaving with one last lingering glance.
Meng Ci and Shen Que didn't even look back, and Meng Ci even wondered whether he was the grandfather of Coke and the others, or if it was Zheng Yan, given his much stronger reaction.
Leaving the military district, the three humans and two dogs walked back, all feeling quite down.
But since they had already decided to leave the five little ones behind, they had to move forward.
Meng Ci took out food for the five little ones from his storage space and divided it into three portions, giving one to Qie Zi and one to Xiong Ying, placing the dishes in front of them.
Both were even more disheartened, eating only a couple of bites before losing their appetite.
Meng Ci also felt a sudden sense of discomfort. The noisy barks from before were now something he found himself missing.
To prevent everyone from falling into a funk, Meng Ci suggested driving out to cheer up.
After all, they had all been vaccinated, so even if they encountered zombies, they didn't need to worry about turning into zombies if bitten.
Shen Que agreed.
So, they decided to set off the next day.
After driving the off-road vehicle for more than three hours, Meng Ci pulled out the motorhome when he saw that the area was deserted, with Shen Que taking charge of driving, while Meng Ci prepared lunch in the kitchen.
This time, they didn't have a specific destination; they would just go wherever the motorhome could pass.
On the third day, they arrived at a small town.
It was nestled between two mountains, with a flat area of only four to five hundred meters in the middle, and the town was nestled against the mountainside.
There were only a few tall buildings in this small town, and most of the other structures were only one or two stories tall.
A massive stone monument stood at the entrance of this ancient town, still standing strong amidst the somewhat rundown surroundings.
On closer look, the words "Xunhe Ancient Town" were carved into it.
It was already past four in the afternoon by now. Meng Ci noticed a large stone platform on the right side where vehicles could drive through.
He suggested that they could drive the vehicle there and rest for the night.
Hearing this, Eggplant and Hawk in the car immediately got excited, as they had been eager to get out and explore the place.
Shen Que agreed with Meng Ci's suggestion and started driving the vehicle towards the platform.
"Bang!"
As soon as the vehicle stopped, a gunshot was fired at their motorhome.
But Meng Ci and Shen Que were already prepared and quickly dropped to the ground.
Living in the apocalypse for so long had sharpened the instincts of both men, as well as those of their wolf and dog.
There was no way forward, and someone had quietly blocked their rear, so they could only use the flat ground here, take cover behind the motorhome, and then hide in the opposite building.
They hadn't expected the others to have guns.
"Go!"
Shen Que opened the motorhome door, and he, Meng Ci, and their two swift companions rushed out and entered a room.
There was a blackboard at the front, and in the middle, a rundown classroom that must have been part of a school before the apocalypse.
"Everybody inside, come out now."
At that moment, a voice, similar to that from a loudspeaker, came from outside.
"Leave the RV and all your belongings, and you can leave safely.
If we catch you, you'll leave your lives behind."
Meng Ci and Shen Que ignored them and looked around, searching for a good hiding spot.