Inquiring Travelers  

As they were about to leave, the sound of vehicles came from the road ahead. Not long after, five cars stopped not far from them, and a dozen people, young and old, got out, likely from several families. Seeing Alice and the others, they approached and asked, "Hello, can vehicles pass through the road ahead?"

Arnold, seeing that they were just asking for directions without ill intentions, replied, "No, there was an earthquake on that side."

Fletcher Rogers thanked them and walked back disappointedly, explaining the situation to his family. "We can't go through that way; we'll have to take another route to Base M."

Hearing the mention of Base M, Alice looked up. Those people were heading to Base M?

Fletcher and his group weren't in a hurry to leave; they rested on the spot and struck up a conversation with Arnold.

"Which base are you headed to? We just came from Base C. I don't mind you going there; it's too chaotic," Fletcher said.

Alice was curious about other bases and asked, "How chaotic is it?"

"In Base C, those without power or abilities can only be slaves. Initially, the Base Commander and others were willing to assist everyone, but then disasters kept coming, and some people began hoarding supplies. It gradually became chaotic. Those with abilities left early, and those without weren't allowed to leave. Base Commander became the ruler, demanding supplies from the people below every month. If they refused, they were forced into servitude," Fletcher explained.

Alice surveyed them, "How did you manage to get out? With families of different ages, you wouldn't have gone far, even with cars."

"We were also oppressed. These cars belonged to the person who enslaved us. We united and killed him, took his city exit permit, and barely escaped," Fletcher's father added. "On our way here, we heard that Base M isn't lacking in food. Base Commander there is from a military background, dedicated to the people, and life is calm."

Alexander interjected, "Hearsay isn't trustworthy; we just came from Base M."

Fletcher quickly asked, "Can you tell us about Base M? Is it still accessible?"

"I suggest not going; it's chaotic there too. The original Base Commander ran away, and a new person took over. We don't know the current situation," Arnold warned.

Einar Scott is not a good person either. Despite his current distribution of supplies, who knows if he has malicious intentions. Additionally, many factions operate within Base M, and it's not a peaceful place to be. Unless someone is capable, they won't have any say.This statement left Fletcher and the others silent.

Arnold: "Even if you want to go to Base M, you won't make it. It's better to take a detour."

Whether Fletcher and his group believed it or not was their business; it wasn't something they could control. Fletcher and his group were indeed hesitant.

"Or just don't go. We can choose another base. There are more than twenty bases; there must be one we can stay in."

"We have no idea how to get to other bases. We worked hard to get here, thinking we'd reach Base M in the next two days, only to end up with nothing," Fletcher said, coming over, "Which base are you heading to?"

Alice replied casually, "We don't have a specific destination. We'll go wherever we end up."

Fletcher's wife, Cornelia, muttered softly, "I don't believe it; you're just afraid we'll follow you."

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone around could hear it. Alice didn't want to walk with strangers, so she didn't want to reveal their destination. She glanced at Cornelia and admitted, "You're right."

Without caring whether they felt awkward, Alice looked at her family and said, "It's getting late; let's go."

The family got into the cars one by one and left on their own.

Cornelia sneered and muttered, "What's so great about them? There are plenty of robbers ahead, let them deal with it."

"Shut up," Fletcher had originally planned to walk with them, but this woman ruined it for him.

"Those people don't seem to lack food, and besides, surviving in the apocalypse until now requires exceptional abilities. If we can get close to them, we might have a chance to benefit," Fletcher, who managed to escape from Base C, still had some brains.

Cornelia, scolded harshly, dared not speak. In a regressed human society, most women relied on men to find supplies for survival. If they angered their men, they could be replaced at any time.

Upon hearing his son's words, Fletcher's father delivered a slap to Cornelia's face, angrily scolding, "Useless! Be obedient. If you act on your own again, you'll be out."

Cornelia held her stinging face in silence."Fletcher, why don't we secretly follow them? We can't get through to Base M anyway, and we'll have to take a detour to another place. Following them can't be wrong," Fletcher's father suggested.

"Okay, let's go."

...

Not long after, Alice noticed a car following them from behind. Blanche looked back and frowned, "Why are they following us?"

"It might not necessarily be following us. There's only one road here, and it's blocked by earthquake debris at the end. They can only turn back," Atticus casually remarked.

They didn't pay much attention since this road wasn't their private property, and others had the right to use it too. A day passed, and Fletcher's family still followed them.

That night, they parked their cars in an open area and prepared dinner for rest. At this speed, they could reach Base K by tomorrow afternoon.

Seeing that they stopped, Fletcher's family also found a spot nearby to park. Alexander glanced at them and grumbled, "They are indeed following us."

After passing so many intersections that day, Fletcher's family never left. If this wasn't following, then what was it?

Alice lazily said, "If they want to follow, let them. Just don't disturb us."

They were going to Base K, and others could go there too. She had no reason to prevent it, but if the other party didn't respect boundaries and came to disturb them, she wouldn't be pleased.

While they were cooking, Fletcher and his family were also cooking, but their meals were quite simple – a small pot of rough rice boiled into a thin porridge, a small bowl of pickled vegetables. A dozen people gathered around, barely filling their stomachs.

Smelling the delicious aroma of food coming from the Allen family, Fletcher's family couldn't help but salivate.They hadn't eaten meat for a long time, although back in Base C, when they were enslaved, they could often catch a whiff of it.

"I'm going to ask them for some dishes," Cornelia couldn't stomach it any longer.Previously, she didn't think porridge with pickled vegetables was bad. During their escape, being able to have a mouthful of porridge was already a great blessing. However, without comparison, there is no harm. Seeing others eat well and live comfortably, she felt a bit itchy inside.

Fletcher's family had no intention of stopping her and even persuaded, "You're persuasive; they have two women over there, it should be easy to get along with. Don't worry; we'll save your share of the meal for you."

Putting down her chopsticks, Cornelia was about to go when she suddenly pulled up her nine-year-old son. "Let's go together."

Today, Alexander prepared spicy chicken, fish-flavored shredded pork, spare rib soup, and pan-fried tofu. As they sat down to eat, they saw Cornelia coming with her child.

Arnold directly closed the car door, and Alexander drew the curtains, completely ignoring them. Anyone with a bit of intelligence would understand their intentions.

Cornelia had been eyeing their food for a long time. She walked over, thinking about how to act pitiful later, but the next moment, they closed the car door and windows.

"..."

"Mom, it smells so good. I want to eat meat," Claude Rogers salivated, even more anxious than Cornelia.

Cornelia gritted her teeth inwardly, "Today, I'll go all out to get you a bite of meat."Mother and son approached the car window and knocked while softening their voices, "Is there anyone in the car?"The car was silent. Cornelia didn't hear a sound, but her eyes didn't deceive her; they were clearly inside, deliberately pretending not to hear.She knocked harder on the car window.

Inside the car, Alice and the others heard the commotion outside, but pretended not to hear anything.