It was a windless, moonless, starless night.
The earth lay in darkness.
In the oppressive night, a point of light appeared on a wilderness road.
It was a pickup truck, with seven or eight people sitting in the truck bed.
There were men and women, as well as a child.
They swayed unsteadily in the truck bed, and after a while, when the vehicle stopped, they had arrived at a camp.
The camp guard was a fierce-looking man with an automatic pistol strapped to his waist. Like he was inspecting livestock, he shone his flashlight over the people in the truck bed.
"None of them are sick, right?"
"It'll be trouble if they bring in an infectious disease."
The guard muttered. He wasn't saying this without reason. Medical conditions on the surface were limited, especially in a small camp like theirs.
Forget doctors—even medical supplies were in extremely short supply.
If an infectious disease broke out, the consequences would be terrifying.
The driver poked his head out and said with a smile, "Don't worry. These folks are all in good health. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought them to the camp."
Only then did the guard take two steps back. "All right, go in."
The pickup drove into the camp and stopped in an open area.
The driver said with a smile, "Everyone, get out."
The people in the truck bed climbed down one after another. A burly, middle-aged man with a square face asked,
"Brother, you didn't lie to us, did you?"
"You really provide lodging and food here?"
The driver laughed. "Don't worry, brother. It's all true."
"Of course, just like I told you before, we don't keep idle people here."
The burly man nodded. "No problem. As long as we have somewhere to stay and food to eat,