Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 267: The Information Was Incorrect
Afternoon, at guard post number 62.

The armor plates blocking the road have been removed, and the blocked road has been reopened. Several old Americans, emboldened by their presence, sneaked through the checkpoint like thieves.

Mori stood expressionless atop the wall, his lowered gaze looking down at the passing old Mi.

As the commander, he wanted to continue, but the outpost was now an isolated island in the epidemic area, and there was no point in continuing to block the road.

What's even more frustrating is that when he received the news, he was so emotional that he lost control of his voice, resulting in the news being leaked and spreading rapidly among the garrison.

The soldiers were emotionally distraught, had no will to fight anymore, and just wanted to get out of this hellish place as soon as possible.

At this point, what's the point of continuing to hold on?
Unfortunately, the US military blocked their way from both the north and south, so the soldiers didn't want to make contact with them and could only hide in their barracks like ostriches.

Or perhaps "cowardly turtle" would be a fitting description.

Although the outbreak in the south has just begun and is only spreading in a small area, an outbreak is an outbreak, and last night's life-and-death struggle is like a clumsy joke.

What saddened Morrie even more was that after learning of the spread of the epidemic, he received no response no matter how many times he called the command center.

It is clear that the command has abandoned Post 62, leaving the US troops there as a helpless and isolated force.

Forget it, I'm too tired. Let's just destroy it!
Morrie looked up at the sky, his heart filled with despair.

Below the checkpoint, Ouyang and his men mingled among a group of old Americans, passing through at a leisurely pace.

His original idea was to bypass the checkpoint, but he later discovered that the seemingly bypassable path not only added several kilometers of unnecessary walking, but also ultimately led him to the checkpoint.

North of the checkpoint, more rebels hid by the roadside, still choosing to observe.

Worry, anxiety, and unease were all written on their faces.

Seeing others pass through smoothly, they were somewhat tempted, but they did not lose their minds or rush forward. Instead, they passed through in waves and in an orderly manner, with a maximum of about twenty people passing through at a time, to prevent being wiped out by the guards.

Ouyang originally thought that he would be in a good mood and feel like the world was suddenly open after successfully passing through the checkpoint, but what he saw was a large group of old Americans wearing protective masks.

They stayed as far away from the road as possible, watching the southward-moving rebels warily.

Just a checkpoint away, the south side was completely normal, while the north side was littered with corpses, and an indescribable eerie odor was so strong that it could be smelled even through the checkpoint.

At this moment, countless Americans are probably regretting that they came this way.

Faced with the elderly from the epidemic area, some people backed down and quietly left in other directions; some chose to wait and see, planning to go north to find a way out after the rebels passed through; and some were completely confused, not knowing where there was a way to survive.

Just as Ouyang was about to ask an old American for directions, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out from ahead. Several American men heading south were hit by bullets fired from the roadside. Several died on the spot, while others were injured and lay on the ground groaning in pain.

The rebels behind them, including the trio, immediately became alert and quickly left the road.

By lying on the roadside and observing carefully, they soon discovered several old Americans hiding in a pile of rocks, sniping at the other Americans on the highway.

They're both old friends, but separated by only one whistle, they now seem like sworn enemies with a history of deep-seated grudges, which is truly lamentable.

Ou Yang felt a surge of emotion, and his gaze towards the other Americans became more wary.

Yes, the rebels heading south did indeed come from the plague-stricken areas, while those heading north were fleeing the plague-stricken areas; there is indeed a significant difference.

A group of rebels immediately launched a counterattack, and the two sides exchanged fire from a distance. Before long, they had killed all the Americans who participated in the attack.

The conflict exacerbated the antagonism between the two groups in the North and South, and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense. All North Americans stared wide-eyed at each South American as if they were potential enemies.

Most South Americans were also surprised; although they hated North Americans, they wouldn't go so far as to open fire directly.

No one wanted to be caught in the conflict, and South America, which was already far from the highway, sprang into action, moving to even more distant locations.

Some South Americans, though not intending to attack, also did not want to show weakness, so they chose not to move. They gathered together and coldly watched the North Americans on the road.

After a brief standoff, and finding no sign of South America firing, North America resumed its operations, sending a group of men to continue advancing.

The North American mission continued only after confirming that there was no threat from the South American.

They traveled in this stop-and-go manner, encountering several attacks in succession, before finally passing through the section where the South Americans were gathered.

Ouyang and others also mingled among the North Americans and successfully passed through.

He suddenly stopped and looked back at the checkpoint standing in the middle of the road.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yuwei asked.

"It's nothing." Ou Yang turned around and continued forward. "Before I came here, I always thought this side of the outpost was a vast and open area, but after I came here, this side has also become an epidemic zone. It's really... a twist of fate!"

He couldn't think of a suitable description, so he could only use a word he saw in a novel.

"It's good that we're here. Anyway, we didn't plan to stay here... It's strange, wherever we go, the epidemic follows us!" Zhu Yiming said carelessly, without thinking at all.

Jiang Yuwei glared at him fiercely: "Shut up, who are you cursing? No one will think you're mute if you don't speak!"

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Zhu Yiming immediately slapped himself twice, not too hard: "Pah, pah, pah, forget I said it!"

Women, more or less, believe in all sorts of strange things, and Jiang Yuwei is no exception.

Ou Yang didn't think it was a big deal; it was just a few words, and it wouldn't become true.

The three continued forward, their tense nerves gradually relaxing.

Coincidentally, when Ouyang was looking out at the outpost, Mori was also looking in this direction.

He had witnessed the previous conflict but had no intention of intervening. Now that he saw North America successfully pass the test, his mind started to wander, and he decided to wait a little longer before leaving.

Those who want to leave together can leave together; those who don't, let them be. Mori's spirits have already dissipated, and he has no interest in meddling in other people's business.

Just then, the communications soldier suddenly rushed out: "Major, communications from headquarters!"

Mori frowned. There was no response when he called command. How come there was a message all of a sudden?
He didn't really want to pay attention to it, but out of curiosity, he took it anyway: "I'm Mori."

A familiar voice came through the radio: "Mori, this is Kaul. Seal off the checkpoint immediately, quick!"

"A blockade?" Mori exclaimed in surprise. "Why?"

Kaul said urgently, "The intelligence department is mistaken. The situation in southern Kizilsu isn't that serious. Immediately close the checkpoints and don't let a single infected person pass through!"

Mori froze, a sense of desolation rising in his heart: "Closed off? Sorry, too late!"

If he were familiar with Eastern culture, he would definitely retort on the spot: "You're here to nurse your dead child? Where were you before?"
Kaul cried out, "I order you to seal off the checkpoint immediately!"

Morrie suddenly felt an urge to burst into laughter: "Orders? When we're trapped here, unable to move forward or backward, why don't you give orders? Don't be silly, the rebels have already passed the checkpoint, they're already gone, you understand?"

"Major Morrie!" Caul exclaimed angrily. "Do you know what you're doing? Do you want to be court-martialed?"

"Wow, that really scared me!" Morrie completely let loose. "Come and catch me if you dare!"

With that, he hung up and cut off communication. The communications officer looked at Mori in surprise: "Major, is this a good idea?"

Mori took off his helmet: "What's wrong with it? I've had enough of this army. I declare that I am leaving the U.S. Army from now on. From now on, I'm an ordinary person, no longer some damn major!"

As soon as he turned around, a group of American soldiers surrounded him, placing him right in the middle.

Morrie was taken aback and was about to say something when the sergeant suddenly led the applause, followed by the others, some of whom shouted, "Major, you're absolutely right!"

"That's right, I didn't want to do this job anymore from the moment command abandoned us here!"

"Yeah, screw it!"

Everyone chimed in, speaking freely, as if it were a carnival.

"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and get out of here. If we don't leave soon, the bombs might fall on our heads," Morrie said.

He dared not overestimate the conscience of those bureaucrats in the command headquarters; those utterly ruthless guys were capable of anything to cover up mistakes and destroy evidence.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately became serious.

Those present were all professional soldiers, and they knew very well what the US military was really like.

"Did you all hear that!" the sergeant shouted. "Get moving! Quickly, quickly, quickly!"

The crowd scattered and rushed out to pack their belongings as quickly as possible.

Mori exhaled a deep breath, suddenly feeling a sense of relief, as if he had been freed from his constraints.

But he knew very well that this was just the beginning. If the command was determined to eliminate future troubles, there were plenty of ways to wipe these people off the map.

However, the situation may not be as dire as it seems.

First, the illegal immigrants came ashore, then the checkpoints were opened. Right now, the command center must be in a complete mess and may not have time to deal with the remaining small fry at the checkpoints...

Just as my mind was filled with all sorts of messy and confused thoughts, a low whistling sound suddenly came from the sky.

Morrie instinctively looked up and immediately saw two drones in the sky whose models he couldn't identify.

His pupils constricted instantly, and he took off running, yelling, "Run! Run! Run!"

Chaos erupted inside the outpost as everyone scrambled out of their barracks and fled for their lives.

Morrie charged ahead, but the mask restricted airflow, and he soon felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath.

Like a drowning person sinking into the water.

The others weren't much better off. Some soldiers, desperate to escape, didn't care about anything else, ripped off their masks, gasped for breath, and ran as fast as they could.

Morrie wanted to stop it, but was powerless to do so.

He kept reminding himself that he must not take off the mask, he absolutely must not take off the mask, but his increasingly heavy breathing made it difficult for him to breathe, he staggered, and his vision went black.

His hand was already on the mask; he could easily lift it off, but he suppressed the impulse with great willpower.

Hang in there, just a little longer!

Morrie told himself that.

However, he ultimately couldn't hold on and collapsed to the ground, his vision going black.

In the air, the cluster bombs under the drone quietly detached, and the heavy bombs fell from the sky, accurately hitting the sentry post.

In an instant, flames shot into the sky, turning the area in front of and behind the outpost into a sea of ​​fire. Dozens of Americans were reduced to burning human torches, becoming victims of the bombing.

After destroying the outpost, the drone did not leave but continued to drop bombs on the American forces on both the north and south sides of the outpost. Thick smoke immediately billowed from both sides of the road. Regardless of whether they went south or north, countless American soldiers were killed in the bombing, and there were corpses and wounded everywhere.

Ou Yang and the others managed to escape by going far away.

Seeing the drone still hovering in the air, everyone scattered like startled birds.

Everyone rushed off into the distance at breakneck speed, each one wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

The trio sprinted into the distant bushes at top speed. These three, who never believed in gods, resorted to prayer at the last minute, unanimously praying to all the gods and Buddhas in the sky, hoping that some supernatural force could influence the bomb's landing point.

Several more muffled explosions followed, followed by a strong tremor in the ground.

The three people hid in the bushes, hugging their legs and huddled together. After a while, they got up with a look of surprise and uncertainty and peered out to observe the situation on the road.

The smoke of battle had not yet cleared, and the roadsides were a scene of devastation, littered with mutilated corpses, while the air was thick with the aroma of roasted meat.

Zhu Yiming exclaimed, "Has the US gone mad? These are their own people!"

"What's wrong with our own people?" Ou Yang frowned, a deep frown forming between his brows. "Who would blame them?"

Zhu Yiming fell silent.

What was the purpose of the bombing? Of course, it was to prevent infected people from leaving the epidemic area.

Those infected have no human rights. It is no exaggeration to say that the epidemic area has now been abandoned by the Militia. The Militia, who is in a safe zone, does not care about what is happening in the epidemic area, but only cares about whether the pneumococcus continues to spread.

Their perspective is dictated by their own position; they can't hear the protests from the epidemic area, and even if they did, they wouldn't take them to heart. Instead, they would praise the Yonex Palace for its wisdom and decisiveness.

"Let's hurry up and leave," Jiang Yuwei said. "If the plane comes back, we might not be so lucky again."

"Yes, yes, let's go, let's go!" Zhu Yiming urged repeatedly.

The three of them returned to the highway as quickly as possible and ran south.

Ouyang really wanted to find a means of transportation, but there were no suitable ones nearby, so he had no choice but to rely on his two legs.

Moreover, a car driving on the road is definitely more conspicuous than a pedestrian, so once the drone returns, it will definitely prioritize bombing vehicles.

A wise person avoids standing under a dangerous wall; walking is safer.

The surviving old rice also rushed out from their hiding places, no longer caring about the south or the north, and ran around like sheep.

One should not linger in a place of trouble. Old Mi may not know the saying, but he understands the principle.

Near the checkpoint, Mori slowly woke up, and it took him a while to realize that he was still alive.

He sat up abruptly, unable to see any of his companions beside him, only a few motionless corpses in the distance.

Needless to say, on the highway, the sturdy outposts have been destroyed by bombing, and the deformed armor plates lie on the ground. It's hard to imagine that not long ago, they were blocking the road.

Forget it, why think about these things?
Morrie propped himself up on his arms, and after figuring out the direction, he walked away silently, stumbling along until he disappeared from sight.

(End of this chapter)