“Not chaotic?” Bai Youwei raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone tinged with surprise. “You mean, even though the supplies inside are nearly gone, there’s no mess?”

“Mm.” Shen Mo nodded. “The shelves are orderly. No scattered items on the ground. No signs of looting or trampling. It’s as if… people took things away in batches in an orderly fashion.”

This was strange.

In such chaotic times, if people rushed to grab supplies, how could there not be any disorder?

Unless—

Unless someone was maintaining order. Or perhaps, the people of Yangzhou had already established a new order under some kind of management.

Bai Youwei’s gaze drifted toward the white fog in the distance.

Perhaps the answer lay within that fog.

“Should we… go in and take a look?” Tan Xiao asked hesitantly.

No one answered immediately.

Going into the fog meant unknown risks. Not going in meant they might never find the people of Yangzhou.

After a long silence, Teacher Cheng said softly: “I want to go in. My parents… I need to know if they’re safe.”

His voice trembled slightly, carrying an old man’s helplessness and determination.

Shen Mo looked at the white fog, then at Bai Youwei in the passenger seat.

She had her eyes closed, as if asleep, her expression calm.

But Shen Mo knew—she was thinking.

After a while, Bai Youwei opened her eyes.

“Let’s find a place to stay first,” she said. “We’ll decide about the fog after we rest and prepare properly.”

It was the most rational decision.

Rushing in blindly would only lead to danger.

Shen Mo started the car, driving away from the white fog’s edge, searching for a suitable place to stay temporarily.

The sun was setting.

The sky gradually darkened.

And that white fog, under the twilight, appeared even more eerie and mysterious.