Chapter 165: She Was Overthinking It

Jiang Yan’s words were light and airy, clearly trying to change the subject.

“……” Ye Qing swallowed, a trace of disappointment flickering in his eyes.

“Brother Sun, have you all finished discussing?” Over there, Song Qian glanced at the three of them and called out.

“Yeah.” Sun Jingtao nodded and stood up. “Let’s go home first. We’ll pick up Su Dai and talk more then.”

In his view, there was still a long way to go before they got back—maybe Jiang Yan would change her mind along the way.

The three of them hopped onto the speedboat and put on the life jackets Song Qian handed over.

It was almost eight o’clock by now.

Daylight had fully broken, the water’s surface sparkling, and visibility had improved a lot.

With the rain gone, as long as they kept the right direction and followed the outlines of the remaining tall buildings, they’d soon find the Qianshui Bay community.

“Everyone, please hold on and sit tight. We’re heading out,” the soldier at the helm announced after checking with Song Qian, then started the engine.

With two outsiders on board, Ye Qing and the others didn’t discuss their own affairs any further.

Along the way, only Sun Jingtao and Song Qian made small talk, mostly about the Yaoben Base.

Jiang Yan only now learned that Song Qian and Qi Mengnan’s group had also joined halfway through.

It was clear that Mo Jingcheng valued them quite a bit.

As for why their boat had arrived here at just the right time, neither side brought it up.

Just like how they didn’t ask Jiang Yan or Ye Qing for their full names—everyone seemed to be deliberately keeping some distance.

The 101 Sky Hotel grew smaller and smaller in their view as the boat sped away.

Halfway there, a loud “boom” echoed from not far off.

A thick cloud of fog and dust billowed into the air, sending waves rolling across the once-calm water.

Their speedboat was fast, but even so, the jolt from the explosion was unmistakable.

Everything happening now confirmed Jiang Yan’s suspicions, and her heart sank.

It seemed the Yaoben Base and the Blaze Base were probably connected in some way.

But then, why did they choose to rescue people?

Logically, it didn’t make sense.

“This—” Sun Jingtao’s expression grew serious. “Was that the building we just visited? It collapsed?”

“Yeah, we had orders. That building needed to be demolished,” Song Qian answered honestly.

“Why?” Sun Jingtao was surprised.

Song Qian glanced ahead and shook his head. “I’m not really sure.”

Most of the time, they were just executors of orders.

As for why those decisions were made at the top, they had no way of knowing.

And even if they did, it wasn’t something they could just talk about.

Sun Jingtao wanted to ask more, but Ye Qing shot him a look.

Ye Qing had seen the bodies on the rooftop, but hadn’t had a chance to tell Sun Jingtao yet.

Jiang Yan was conflicted inside too.

She wondered if she should tell the two of them what she’d overheard.

After a few seconds’ thought, she decided to keep it to herself.

After all, they were just hitching a ride to Dongshan—they weren’t going into the base.

Sometimes, not knowing things was a blessing.

At least they wouldn’t become targets for silencing.

*

By the time their speedboat reached Qianshui Bay, the big boat that had been ferrying people home had just left.

Apparently, it had taken away a large group of people wanting to go to Yaoben Base.

Although the rain had stopped, most people were still afraid it would start pouring again.

Given the chance to leave, no one wanted to stay a minute longer.

It seemed many had chosen to go—the hallways were now empty and echoing.

The three of them got off the boat at the 24th floor landing.

“Brother Song, and you, little brother—would you like to come upstairs and rest a bit?” Sun Jingtao invited.

Song Qian checked his tactical watch and said, “No need. We’ll wait for you on the boat. One hour—will that be enough? We still need to catch up with the leader’s ship.”

“That’s enough,” Sun Jingtao nodded.

Jiang Yan only now learned that not long after they’d left, the big boat had also departed, heading toward Dongshan.

The three of them hurried upstairs.

They’d only been gone a day, really.

But it felt like they’d been away for ten days or half a month.

Sun Jingtao practically ran, eager to see his wife.

Ye Qing was also weighed down with his own thoughts.

Only Jiang Yan had a simple “going home” feeling.

They had just reached the 28th floor when they heard hurried footsteps coming from above.

“Honey!” It was Su Dai’s voice.

In less than three seconds, Su Dai appeared at the corner.

“Honey! Jiang Yan! Xiao Ye!”

She looked exhausted, her eyes red and ringed with dark circles and heavy bags.

Clearly, she hadn’t rested well since they’d left.

Su Dai rushed into Sun Jingtao’s arms, grabbing him and choking out,

“Honey, next time, no matter what, even if you’re going through fire and water, you have to take me with you! You can’t leave me behind alone again!”

“Okay, okay.” Sun Jingtao’s eyes were full of pain as he wiped her tears with his rough hands, deeply moved.

After all, when he left, he’d been prepared to die.

How could he bear to take his wife with him to face death?

But things had gone surprisingly smoothly, and they’d even had some luck.

But all that could wait until later to tell her.

The two of them hugged tightly, like a reunion after a long separation. After a while, Su Dai finally lifted her face from his chest.

She went over to Jiang Yan and hugged her tightly, sobbing without saying a word.

Jiang Yan froze, stunned.

A faint, inexplicable warmth slowly spread from Su Dai to her heart.

“Let’s go home—someone’s still waiting for us,” Sun Jingtao said, looking at his wife with a doting smile.

Su Dai snapped out of it. “I saw them through the binoculars—who are those people? And why didn’t I see Zhao Pengfei? When the boat brought people back earlier, I only saw his son, Zhao Xiaofei. What happened to them? Both he and Zhou Haotian’s wrists looked like they were about to break…”

As they walked, Sun Jingtao gave his wife a brief summary of what had happened.

Though he made it sound casual, Su Dai was still shocked.

Sometimes, outsiders see things more clearly than those involved.

Su Dai was suspicious. “Those boats came at such a strange time… Are you sure they’re not with the bad guys?”

“My dear, these days, who can really say who’s good and who’s bad?” Sun Jingtao smiled.

Even before the apocalypse, people weren’t just black or white.

Sometimes, there’s a lot of gray.

Jiang Yan glanced at him.

It seemed he understood perfectly well—she was the one who’d been overthinking things.

By now, they’d reached the 32nd floor.

Yesterday, the 32nd floor had been packed with people; now, the hallway was deserted.

The door to 3203, Zhou Wei’s apartment, was wide open, and several large dried bloodstains marked the threshold.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly at the sight.

Beside her, Su Dai looked at the blood and let out a silent sigh.

“Yeah… it’s true…”"