Chapter 73

Sweetwater Creek State Park, located on the outskirts of Douglasville, is easily accessible from the interstate highway and is close to Austell County. Therefore, the park is situated between the two county towns.

In the past, it was a popular destination for nearby residents to relax and travel, but after the apocalypse, it became a deserted park. Perhaps in not too distant a future, it would become a paradise for the infected.

At this moment, there was a faint smell of gunpowder lingering throughout the park. Bright lights illuminated the entire dark park. The brick and dirt roads were filled with large craters, resembling the aftermath of intense battles. Several military trucks seemed to have been burned by fierce flames, turning them pitch black, with wisps of smoke still emanating from them.

Dozens of bodies lay on the ground covered with snow, their crimson blood staining every corner. One could imagine the fierce battles that had taken place here not long ago.

At this moment, a dozen or so survivors and soldiers were working together to move the bodies on the ground together. Afterwards, they began covering the blood with snow, burying the evidence of the recent carnage.

At the entrance of the reception center in the center of the park, dozens of people dressed in civilian or soldier attire knelt on the snow-covered ground, their hands handcuffed behind their backs, trembling in the cold wind.

Surrounding these people were a dozen or so fully armed soldiers, their rifles at the ready. At the slightest movement from the detainees, they would be prepared to open fire.

Inside the reception hall, which had already been cleared out, all available space was filled with tents. Countless survivors roamed inside, while army medics treated the injured survivors.

All these tents were found in a warehouse of a store specializing in tents within the park. Most of them were damaged or torn, but after some repairs, they could still be used.

Although sleeping inside was definitely uncomfortable due to the smell, nobody complained. At least it provided some defense against the cold.

Brian sat in one of the tents, flipping through a book. The bustling crowd around him had no effect on him, as his mind was elsewhere, reminiscing about the events that had transpired earlier.

It had been exactly ten hours since they departed from the interstate highway exit. It was now 8 o'clock in the evening, and darkness had enveloped the sky.

The park was only a short ten-minute drive from the highway exit. Due to the short distance, they had planned to stop at a distance to observe the situation and decide whether to continue.

However, just as they were about halfway there, they suddenly noticed that the commotion from the park had disappeared. This made everyone uneasy, unsure of what to do next.

After some discussion, they decided to proceed according to the original plan. But just as they were about to stop at an intersection, four soldiers armed with rifles suddenly emerged from the woods on both sides, aiming their guns at them.

Facing the sudden appearance of the soldiers and the dark barrels of their guns, they didn't even have time to grab their weapons. Without any hesitation, they raised their hands in surrender.

Fortunately, the soldiers dressed in combat uniforms were not the hunting infected disguised as survivors, but genuine soldiers stationed in the park. This relieved everyone, but it also made them realize that the military had won the battle.

Under the leadership of one of the soldiers, they were taken into the park, where they witnessed the devastation that had befallen the park. Everyone was dumbfounded. Although it was just a minor skirmish for soldiers who had been to the battlefield, for those who had lived in peaceful countries, it was truly shocking.

As they talked with the soldier on the way, they learned that the explosion at the highway exit had attracted the attention of the military, prompting the commander to contact the stationed soldiers at the exit to inquire about the situation.

However, they couldn't reach the soldiers at the exit and instead received an urgent message from an external soldier, alerting the entire military to be on high alert.

The disguised hunters, upon hearing the commotion, realized they were about to be exposed. However, they didn't know that the military had already received the message and thought the military needed some time to figure out the situation. Although time was pressing, they still took some time to prepare.

It was during this time that the military detected their anomaly and launched a preemptive strike before they could act.

The hunters were numerous and had acquired a lot of ammunition and equipment from the previous convoy. They had also ambushed a portion of their forces outside the park. If it weren't for the military's early preparation, they might have caught them off guard.

Except for a few hunters who managed to escape, the rest were eliminated in less than half an hour.

"Come, have something to eat."

As Brian reminisced about the events, a loaf of bread wrapped in plastic suddenly appeared in front of him.

The sudden sound brought him back to reality. He looked up at the person and slowly closed the book, reaching out to take the bread, saying, "Thank you."

"Hey, you're not very cute, you know!" Tracy, without any courtesy, sat down at the entrance of the tent, tore open her own bread, took a bite, and chewed, saying, "The orders have come down. Tomorrow we're leaving to reach the Atlanta quarantine zone. Tonight is our last stop here."

"So soon?" Brian frowned slightly, surprised. They had only reached about a thousand survivors today, but many more survivors hadn't arrived yet. If they left like this, wouldn't they be abandoning those survivors?

"Didn't they say we were going to stay here for two days? Why the sudden rush to leave?"

Tracy glanced around, hesitated for a moment, leaned closer to Brian's ear, and whispered, "Our supply truck was blown up during the conflict earlier. After tonight, we won't have any food left to distribute. If we don't leave now while everyone still has the energy and strength, waiting for two days until everyone is weak from hunger would be the worst. Plus, many of us are injured or seriously ill. We're just barely keeping them alive for now, so we can't afford to waste two days."

"...."

Hearing this answer, Brian was suddenly surprised and looked around at the survivors who were enjoying their food. He fell silent. This decision seemed to be the best choice under the current circumstances.

After pondering for a while, he continued to ask, "What about the vehicles? Even though there are far fewer people now, the vehicles here alone can't carry so many people, right?"

"Don't worry about the vehicles." Tracy pointed to the hunters being punished outside and said, "These guys looted many other people's buses at great risk, but they are all concentrated elsewhere. Our people have already set off, so it shouldn't be long before they come back."

After saying these words, she finished all the bread in her hand in one gulp, clapped her hands, slowly stood up, and glanced at Sarah and Alan, who were sleeping soundly inside the tent.

She had already learned of Sylvia's death, and although she felt a little sad, she had experienced so many farewells in her life that she sighed lightly and said, "Go to bed early. We'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Then Tracy didn't stay here for long. She only came here to see how the children were doing.

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