The faintly reddened sky to the southwest was indeed reflecting lamplight. Lu Xin and Gecko followed the road forward, and soon discovered that the patch of reddish sky had grown more distinct, like a blurry red mist, with faint light shining beneath it.
After walking for another ten minutes or so, they saw a rusty signpost by the roadside.
It stood crookedly beside the road, with several messy large characters and an arrow painted on it in bright red oil paint:
"Blackwater Town"
"..."
Beneath those three characters were several slightly smaller ones: "Gas," "Food," and "Brothe..."
The last character was difficult to make out.
"They've got quite a full range of services..."
Gecko perked up a little. Following the arrow, he turned the car onto a narrow road covered in gravel.
The sides of the road were pitch-black, with only waist-high wild grass.
Sometimes, Lu Xin heard rustling from within the wild grass and saw it swaying.
Gecko chuckled softly and explained, "Rabbits."
Lu Xin glanced over and asked, "Can we shoot one?"
"Don't!"
Gecko was startled and hurriedly stopped him. Lowering his voice, he said, "Those are rabbits released by Blackwater Town to watch for movement."
"By the time we reach Blackwater Town, those people will have basically figured out everything about us."
"..."
Only then did Lu Xin understand that "rabbits" meant scouts.
After driving along the narrow road for about half an hour, they finally reached the brightly lit place that had looked so close. It was a town built on higher ground, surrounded by thick wooden fences three or four meters high, covered in vicious barbed wire. The lights they had seen from a distance were actually only a small portion leaking through the fences.
Outside the fences, large, pitch-black trucks were parked one after