Chapter 615: Scramble for the 615 Evacuation
Chapter 615: Scramble for the 615 Evacuation
The evacuation plan was finalized. With so many people to move, Rhys Chase ordered a phased withdrawal. The base’s administrative staff would lead the groups, which were divided into twenty teams. Each team consisted of thirty thousand people, escorted by three hundred armed soldiers.
Each team was assigned twenty trucks, and all necessary supplies were under military control. En route, anyone who caused trouble would be executed on the spot, without mercy.
As for their destination, Rhys Chase had studied a map all night before finally settling on the Khoros Steppe.
Central Base was still out of contact, so heading rashly to Gryphold seemed unsafe. The south was completely out of the question. The Southwest was a possibility, but the long journey and treacherous mountain roads made it only a backup option.
That afternoon, two special teams quietly departed the base. The first team flew ahead to the Khoros Steppe to survey the environment, their mission to select the most habitable area and partition it with markers. The second team, comprised of twenty elite special forces soldiers, left on horseback. They took forty horses and a large cache of weapons to fend off any bandits they might encounter. The horses were the base’s thoroughbreds, which had been transferred into Evelyn’s space six months earlier.
Their purpose was to scout the path for the main groups, leaving behind route markers and warnings of potential dangers.
After the two special teams had left, the first team of residents departed at twelve noon.
Evelyn Ford and her group were assigned to the fifth team. Since she and Wendy were doctors, no one would object to them riding in one of the trucks. The truck bed had a canopy, and Officer Graham and the others had emerged from the space. Now that they were on the move, a personnel list had to be registered, so they needed to make an appearance.
Within each team, there was a captain for every five hundred people and a squad leader for every hundred. The squad leaders had to take a headcount every morning. Any deaths, disturbances, or disappearances along the way had to be clearly recorded and reported to the administration upon arrival.
Quincy joked that this migration was much like an ancient exile, and the squad leaders and armed soldiers were the Prisoners.
At six in the evening, Evelyn’s team officially departed. All the trucks drove at the front to clear the way. The sick and injured, children under ten, and adults over sixty-five were allowed to rest in the truck beds; everyone else had to walk.
Liam Sterling was traveling with Evelyn’s group, while Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe were in the first team. Each team was given a walkie-talkie and a telegraph machine. The devices weren’t easy to use; learning to send a telegram required starting with Morse code.
In the truck, Ethan Dawson was driving, with Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell sitting beside him in the cab.
The others were riding in the truck bed. Only half an hour into the journey, the bumpy road made both Annie and Zoe carsick.
"Why don’t you go into the space and rest for a bit?" Evelyn suggested.
Zoe refused. "I want to stay with everyone."
Annie nodded. "Me too."
Just then, someone outside with a bullhorn called Evelyn Ford’s name. Evelyn grabbed her medical kit. After Ethan Dawson stopped the truck, she jumped down from the back.
"Squad Leader, what is it?"
"Someone’s feeling sick. They’ve started coughing up black blood. Could you take a look, Dr. Ford?"
Evelyn nodded. "Alright."
’We’ve only been on the road for half an hour, and someone’s already coughing up blood.’ Evelyn didn’t delay. She grabbed her medical kit and headed toward the walking group behind them. Rhys Chase had placed all the old, weak, sick, and disabled in the middle teams. Evelyn worried their numbers might be cut in half by the time they reached their destination.
A man in his forties lay by the side of the road, two older children clutching him and crying. When Evelyn arrived, one of the kids immediately dropped to his knees, begging her to save his father. Evelyn pulled him back to his feet.
"Let me examine him first. Did he suddenly start coughing up blood? How has his health been recently? Has he been injured?"
"No, my dad’s always been healthy."
Evelyn frowned. "Where did he work before?"
"Hauling cargo in the warehouse. Before that, he worked in the coal mines."
Based on her initial assessment, Evelyn concluded it was likely a lung disease. Coughing up blood meant it was probably in the late stages.
Evelyn gave the man a bottle of potent medicine and a pack of masks. A proper diagnosis and treatment were impossible on the road; all she could do was manage his pain with medication. She then had him moved to the sick bay truck. After taking the medicine, some color returned to the man’s face.
"Dr. Ford, will my dad get better soon now that he’s taken the medicine?"
"I can’t guarantee that, but the medicine should stop him from coughing up any more blood."
The two children let out a sigh of relief. They wore ill-fitting clothes and shoes so tattered their toes poked through. Their faces were grimy, but their smiles were innocent and pure.
"Your dad is on that truck, so don’t worry. Stay with the group, and if you need anything, find your squad leader. Got it?"
Evelyn picked up her medical kit, ready to leave. Looking at the two children, she patiently added a few more reminders.
"We understand. Thank you, Dr. Ford."
The truck had already driven far ahead. Evelyn found the squad leader, who gave her a ride on his horse to catch up. After the whole ordeal, Evelyn finally made it back into the truck bed.
"There are only three or four doctors for a team this large. How are we supposed to take care of everyone?"
Wyatt Vaughn immediately handed Evelyn a towel. She wiped her hands and shrugged helplessly.
"We just have to bite the bullet and do our best."
"Don’t worry, I’m practically half a doctor. I can help share the burden," Quincy said. The moment he finished, Wyatt Vaughn shot him a glare.
"Why didn’t you say that a minute ago? Evelyn’s already back. Stop being a Monday-morning quarterback."
Quincy looked aggrieved. "It just didn’t occur to me, alright?"
"I think they should assign a horse to each doctor," Officer Graham said. "Otherwise, running back and forth like that is exhausting."
Evelyn nodded. "That’s a good point, but all the base’s thoroughbreds have already been distributed."
"Where’s Ronan Kendrick? I haven’t seen him around."
Evelyn pointed to the truck behind them. "He’s with Liam Sterling in that one. He’s really interested in the telegraph, so Liam is teaching him how to send messages."
At twelve noon, the trucks at the head of the convoy stopped for lunch. Up ahead, soldiers began distributing compressed biscuits.
According to the rules, the convoy would stop to rest at ten every night and depart at five the next morning. They were given two meals a day: compressed biscuits or canned food for lunch, and noodles or thin rice porridge for dinner.
Just as their truck came to a stop, Ronan Kendrick returned.
"Did you figure it out?" Evelyn asked with a grin as he lifted the canopy and climbed into the truck bed.
"Yeah, I got it. It’s pretty simple."
Ethan Dawson and the others returned to the truck bed as well. Just then, two soldiers came by distributing compressed biscuits. Each person received half a block—not a large portion, but enough to fill you up.
After the soldiers left, Evelyn retrieved a basin of steaming hot buns and a large bowl of chili sauce from her space.
At that moment, Liam Sterling came over.
"What are you, a bloodhound? We were just about to eat, and here you are," Quincy huffed.
"What a coincidence. I was born in the Year of the Dog."