The taxi driver froze inside his vehicle, watching as Mr. Sheng climbed into the military truck behind him. The truck started and passed by him, going by the road-blocking Liberation Army soldiers. The military vehicle merely rolled down its window for barely more than ten seconds before speeding off, soon disappearing from sight.
The farther they drove toward A County, the heavier the rain poured. After approximately one hundred kilometers, the car exited the national highway and turned onto a county road. Perhaps because of the severe earthquake in A County, many people had set up tents in the open.
Gradually, as they drew closer to the earthquake's epicenter, bits of the road were found to be damaged. The vehicle's speed slowed more and more. By the time they nearly reached A County, the sky had darkened, the rain outside was particularly heavy, and numerous rocks had tumbled onto the road, making passage impossible. The military vehicle was forced to stop.
