Chapter 675: Money

On the road lay a father and daughter.

The father was covered in mud and blood. He lay on a cluster of raised stones, with a fresh red wound on his forehead, as if he had hit something hard. His daughter, who looked to be less than ten years old, had no visible injuries but was lying on the ground unconscious.

“Neither of them is in life-threatening danger,” said the convoy's doctor, who had squatted down to examine them. “It appears to be low blood sugar, combined with long-distance travel. They must have tripped and fainted.”

Seeing this, Uncle Quan hesitated and looked back, asking:

“Miss, what should we do?”

“Bring them into the car,” Huang Suyue said after a moment’s pause. “Since we’ve seen them, we can’t just leave them to die. The convoy members can squeeze a bit; it’s not hard to make room for two more. We have enough water and food, so give them some sugar quickly.”

Under Uncle Quan’s arrangement, several bodyguards helped the father and daughter into the vehicles. They also prepared some sugar water for them to drink. The girl sat in the back seat with Huang Suyue and Uncle Quan, while her injured father was cared for by the doctor in the next vehicle.

Once they were settled, the convoy continued its journey.

Not long after, the girl slowly regained consciousness with a groan.

“Where... where am I?”

“Don't worry, you’re safe now…” Huang Suyue gently explained what had happened and reassured her that her father was in the car behind them.

After some questioning, the girl explained that they had fled from Penglai Town. On the road, they were attacked by a group of silver monsters. A tall figure carrying a general's banner appeared and bought them time, allowing them to escape, but they got separated from the others.

“Carrying a general's banner…?” Huang Suyue’s eyes filled with confusion upon hearing this description.

In this day and age, who would be carrying a general’s banner around?

“They must have encountered someone who possesses a divine path along the way,” Uncle Quan explained.

The girl had clearly never been in a car before. As she sat in the back of the roaring vehicle, her gaze out the window was filled with unease:

“Sister… where are we going now?”

“To Liuzhen.”

“But Papa said we should go to the main city, that it’s only safe there.”

“Liuzhen is safer than the main city.”

“Then why can’t everyone go to Liuzhen together?” the girl asked innocently.

“Because Liuzhen is too small to accommodate several million people.”

“So, are we going secretly, while others don’t know?”

Huang Suyue froze.

She opened her mouth, intending to explain, but ultimately fell silent.

In a sense, the girl was right. While Liuzhen was safe, it couldn't accommodate millions of people. In other words, the more people who knew about it, the less safe Liuzhen would become. This was also why Huang Suyue hadn’t answered truthfully when questioned by the police officer at the city gate earlier.

At the time, Huang Suyue hadn’t thought so deeply, but the girl’s simple question made her suddenly realize that her subconscious thinking had indeed been along those lines…

Her hands, resting on her briefcase, unconsciously clenched.

She felt a pang of selfishness.

“If… if we’re going to Liuzhen,” the girl began tentatively, pressing her lips together, “could we bring Young Master Jun and his family?”

“Who?”

“They’re neighbors who escaped from Penglai Town with us. We fled together when we encountered the silver monsters. Later, Young Master Jun broke his leg when a collapsed wall fell on him, so his parents took him to rest in a house ahead. My father saw that my blood sugar was dropping rapidly, so he brought me and ran ahead first…”

Huang Suyue exchanged a look with Uncle Quan and asked, “Which house?”

“The one right ahead!”

The girl pointed towards the front windshield, and there, directly ahead of the convoy, the outline of a village became faintly visible.

“Miss…”

“It’s on our way anyway. Let's pick them up.”

Perhaps to atone for the guilt of feeling “selfish,” Huang Suyue agreed with little hesitation. She had a car and supplies, and she could do her best to save people within her means.

Seeing this, Uncle Quan naturally didn’t object. He knew his young mistress’s character; the only charity fund in the entire Main City of Hongchen had been founded by her. Leaving someone to die was not in her nature.

The convoy slowly pulled to a stop in front of the dim village.

Huang Suyue, Uncle Quan, and numerous bodyguards disembarked one by one, a total of over twenty people, moving through the empty village.

Under the dim sky, a continuous drizzle fell. A gentle breeze swept across the withered land, whistling through the deserted buildings. A few minutes later, guided by the girl, they arrived in front of a house.

“They’re in here.”

Seeing the familiar house, the girl immediately ran towards it. “Young Master Jun! I’ve brought people to help you!”

A faint smell of blood wafted into Huang Suyue’s nostrils. She paused, and before she could react, a bodyguard beside her suddenly moved, shielding both the girl and Huang Suyue behind him.

“Miss, please step back… something isn’t right,” a bodyguard said gravely.

Huang Suyue nodded slightly, holding the girl’s hand as they retreated behind the others. As several bodyguards simultaneously kicked open the door, a strong stench of blood surged out.

The back wall of the house had been smashed to pieces by something. The howling wind swirled through the broken wall, and three horribly mutilated bodies lay within, a shocking sight.

“Young Master Jun…” The girl stood frozen in place.

Huang Suyue was also startled. She instinctively covered the girl’s eyes, her expression incredibly complex.

Several bodyguards stepped forward, first checking the two adults for signs of life. They exchanged glances, shaking their heads in resignation. But as they approached the last child, a flicker of surprise suddenly appeared in their eyes:

“Miss, both adults are gone, but the child is still alive!”

Huang Suyue’s dim eyes immediately brightened with renewed hope!

“Quick! Find a way to save him! Doctor? Where’s the doctor??”

At Huang Suyue’s urging, the convoy doctor quickly stepped forward. After a careful examination, his brows furrowed deeply.

“How is he?”

“This child is lucky; his heart is naturally positioned to the left, so even though his chest was pierced, it wasn’t fatal. However, he has lost too much blood, and the wound is already infected. If we don’t treat him soon, it will be too late.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“Miss, I need blood bags for intravenous injection… also antibiotics, anesthetic, disinfectant, and surgical instruments…”

“Uncle Quan, give him the supplies,” Huang Suyue said, turning to Uncle Quan.

Uncle Quan opened his mouth, then shook his head helplessly:

“Miss, our convoy doesn’t have blood bags…”

“What about antibiotics?!”

“None either.”

“Anesthetic and surgical instruments??”

“…None either.”

“Damn it, then what do we have?!” Huang Suyue watched, frantic, as the child was on the verge of dying before her eyes.

Uncle Quan was silent for a long time before speaking bitterly:

“Money… Miss, all we have is money.”

Huang Suyue froze in place.