Chapter 292: The Road Ends Here
The first sign that this place was the fact that the cul-de-sac looked exactly like it had on the map.
The moment they drove into it, Gu Han’s shoulders dropped in relief. Just because something had been on a map drawn before the fall didn’t mean that it was still there now.
But it was.
And it was perfect.
One road curved away from the rest of the neighborhood before opening into a wide circle surrounded by twelve large houses. Each property had a private garage, a fenced-in backyard, and enough space between the buildings that one fire wouldn’t take down the entire street. even better, there were no stores, apartment buildings, or major intersections nearby to attract people passing through.
The second thing that made this place perfect for him was the fact that there was only one way in.
When the SUV had finally come to a stop, Gu Han got out and stood beside the first vehicle. Ever so slowly he nodded his head and studied the entrance on the street while the rest of the convoy rolled past him.
This place wasn’t something that they had stumbled across while running from zombies, and they weren’t stopping because the vehicles were damaged or running out of fuel. All that would have made this a bad place to stay.
After all, if you do something out of desperation, then it wasn’t something you actually chose.
Instead, his scouts had spent two days searching for a location that could be defended without requiring hundreds of people, and this was the third place they had inspected
.
The other two had failed before the scouting teams reached the second street.
One had too many entrances with too many buildings around. Sure, that one was perfect for housing people, but it would also take months to clear out every single room and house. Not to mention the more space they had, the more people would want to come to them, and that wasn’t a good thing either.
The other potential location was close to a shopping district, maybe a ten minute drive away. While it would be good for them in terms of getting supplies, it also guaranteed that every survivor in the area would eventually pass by them while looking for their own supplies. That would lead to a war that Gu Han didn’t want to fight in the first few months of setting up his own territory.
But this one was different.
The cul-de-sac was buried deep inside one of the wealthier residential neighborhoods and was far enough away from the main roads. This wasn’t one of those places that someone just stumbled across because it was there.
Not to mention, anyone trying to reach it would spotting from a long way away.
The large houses with multiple rooms could shelter everyone currently following him, while the yards gave them room for storage, training, and eventually growing food. Once the entrance was blocked, no vehicle could approach without being seen.
Gu Han looked toward the man waiting beside him. "Any movement?"
"Three occupied houses," Chen Bo answered. "Two near the center and one at the far end. We counted eleven people, but there could be more hiding inside. No strong power users that we could identify."
"Zombies?" asked Gu Han. But that was like asking if the sun was shining. Of course there was zombies. There were always zombies around.
"There are four trapped inside the houses and another six wandering through the backyards," shrugged his second in command like it wasn’t a big deal. Months ago, when the undead first starting walking around, it was a huge deal. Now it was anything but.
And in those small numbers? That wasn’t enough to delay them.
Gu Han looked along the line of vehicles entering the street. The first two trucks continued toward the circle while the SUVs behind them stopped in front of the houses marked by the scouts. The doors opened before the engines had fully died, and armed men stepped out in teams of four.
They were like a well oiled machine. Everyone knew where to go.
The people following Gu Han had spent too long working together at the first military base that they had been put in before moving from one temporary shelter to another when the bases got too dangerous for even them.
By now, they were tired of sleeping with their weapons in their hands and wondering whether the building around them would still be safe by morning. He’d promised them that the next place they stopped would be somewhere they could hold.
He didn’t make promises lightly.
Gu Han took one last look at the single road behind them before turning toward the houses. "The road ends here," he called out, his voice echoing around them. "Now.... we are home."
Chen Bo nodded once and raised his radio to let everyone know the good news.
His words travelled through the group without having to be repeated more than once. And even if they didn’t hear his words, they would definitely hear the cheering.
This was what they were all looking for. A place to call their own. A place to breathe.
And now they had found it.
Chen Bo lifted his hand and did a spinning motion with his fingers. Two vehicles reversed toward the entrance and turned sideways across the road, leaving only enough space for one person to pass between the bumpers.
Men immediately began unloading chains, metal posts, and the portable barriers they had gathered along the way. The barricade wouldn’t stop a determined power user, but it would slow down vehicles and force anyone approaching on foot to expose themselves.
Another team began checking the backyards and clearing the zombies trapped between the fences.
No one fired a gun unless they had to. Blades, axes, and controlled powers were quieter, and Gu Han had no intention of announcing their location to everything within several kilometers.
After all, this was a slice of heaven, and he wasn’t willing to share it with anyone.
