Dream was incredibly enthusiastic. She chases after Coke’s tail every day, and it refuses to leave, which is really annoying!
Jiang Ning laughed uncontrollably. “Oh, Coke is really charming.”
It wouldn’t be an issue with other dogs, but Dream is a poodle and she is naturally energetic.
Jiang Ning discussed with Huo Yishen, “How about we try to match Coke with Dream?”
“Woof!”
The dog immediately turned hostile while lying on the ground and turning its face away in frustration.
As it’s Instructor, Huo Yishen was more considerate. “Dream doesn’t seem to be Coke’s type.”
Jiang Ning could tell as well, seeing the dog’s disgusted expression. “Alright, don’t be mad, I was just joking.”
In the apocalypse, finding companions wasn’t easy, so if the dog didn’t like it, it was fine.
Huo Yishen made a surprising comment, “Coke might think he’s human.”
Doudou comforted the dog, “Coke is just like us.”
“Woof!”
……
The massive earthquake greatly altered the geological structure which making it extremely difficult to locate water sources.
An experienced elder spent several days under the scorching sun, scouting the surrounding areas, and finally identified a site about 800 meters away from the settlement camp.
His face was even darker from the sun. “Let’s give it a try. The earthquake has diverted the underground water sources, so I can’t guarantee there’s water.”
The team selected seven or eight refugees who seemed physically strong and assigned them to well drilling, offering them an extra rice ball and half a bowl of water each day.
Before the disaster, not even a dog would have looked twice at such an offer.
But now, in the apocalypse, countless people were fighting for this job. If it weren’t for the soldiers with guns, they might have actually started fighting.
In the end, the squad leader had them line up and personally selected them one by one.
Aoyuan didn’t have water either, but to maintain good relations with their neighbors, He Tianming squeezed out half a bucket of water each day for the soldiers and the well drillers.
The community members were also short on water, but they didn’t want a repeat of that night’s incident, so they continued to conserve water strictly.
The squad leader thanked them, but they still adhered strictly to their standards each day, dividing the remaining water into the water tower to be distributed to the refugees in the settlement camp.
The extreme heat persisted, and out of the deep wells drilled in Fengcheng, only a few remained functional after the earthquake, which could not meet the needs of the survivors.
The settlement camp was relatively better; at least they could see water daily, while people outside were already dying of thirst.
For a time, water became even more scarce than food.
As the disaster relief efforts were wrapping up, Fengcheng’s municipal government couldn’t rest and convened a meeting with relevant departments to find a solution for the water source.
They ultimately decided to form a water transport team to cross Yuecheng and fetch water from the military base in Huicheng.
The military base was built along Wanshan Lake, not far from the Dongjiang River, and is in the city with the richest water resources in the province.
Although Dongjiang River had dried up, Wanshan Lake Reservoir still had water.
As a result, dozens of water tankers traveled through the ruins and navigated the unrecognizable roads, and covered more than three hundred kilometers to get water.
Three hundred kilometers, a distance that only took three hours to drive before the natural disaster, now it requires clearing roadblocks, detours, and dealing with unknown risks. It may take three days to reach the military base.
Not only Fengcheng was short on water but surrounding cities also sought help from Huicheng.
The military base had anticipated the extreme heat and drought and had never stopped expanding and maintaining the reservoir.
Immediately after the earthquake, they organized teams to drill again.
In this city rich in water resources, water gushed out from 20 to 30 meters underground, alleviating the urgent needs of surrounding cities.
On the fourth day, when the refugees in the settlement camp couldn’t even squeeze out their own urine to quench their thirst, the water trucks returned.
A 20-ton water tanker drove in.
Jiang Ning stood on the large terrace, watching the soldiers call the refugees out to line up for water distribution. She couldn’t help but feel emotional. “I wonder how Lu Yu and the others are doing?”
Huicheng had also suffered a severe earthquake. Fortunately, the heavens hadn’t completely abandoned them; Wanshan Lake Reservoir hadn’t sustained serious damage. This indicated the geological structure was still robust; otherwise, the military wouldn’t have built their base there.
Huo Yishen stood next to her. “Times have changed. Not only are they skilled, but they also have survival experience in this apocalypse. They’ll strive to live no matter where they are.”
Indeed, survival is a basic human instinct. They would find a way to live well.
After the roads were cleared, the water trucks made round trips every two days.
Although it was just three hundred kilometers, it required a huge cost. However, the official principle was that human life is paramount at all times.
The water distributed to the refugees was not much, but it was enough to sustain life.
The food they received was also minimal, but there was no room for complaints—potato and sweet potato balls mixed with dried vegetables.
These were the result of the officials racing against time, recruiting survivors to plant and preserve them.
Life went on, and each day was an ordeal.
In their dreams, there were bright lights, abalones, and sea cucumbers; upon waking, there was nothing but empty walls and a growling stomach. But fortunately, dreams offered some solace, a fantasy of the day the disaster would end.
Even if it was self-deception, there was always a flicker of hope inside.
In the glow of the setting sun, Doudou was watering the sweet potatoes under the sunshade.
The little kid was very smart. Even though their family didn’t lack water, others did, so she was careful not to waste it, just watering the roots.
Jiang Ning was just thinking about what to cook for dinner when she suddenly heard Doudou’s scream.
Thinking Doudou had fallen, she rushed out.
As soon as she reached the terrace, her arm suddenly felt extremely hot, followed by her face…
Boiling raindrops fell from the sky!
Damn, it was boiling rain again.
Ignoring her shock, she quickly grabbed Doudou and ran inside, nearly bumping into Huo Yishen.
“What happened?”
“It’s boiling rain again.” It was even hotter than last time.
This time it wasn’t just scalding feet; it was scalding feet and more.
With Doudou’s delicate skin, her arms turned red from the scalding rain.
Huo Yishen used cold water to cool her down while Jiang Ning looked for burn ointment.
“Anning, did you get burned?”
“Just a bit, but I’m fine.”
After treating Doudou, Huo Yishen insisted on applying ointment to Jiang Ning’s arms and face. “Just in case.”
Jiang Ning thought it would be better to use a luxury face mask instead.
The boiling rain came quickly, and in no time, it turned into a torrential downpour.
Under the bright sun, thick clouds soon gathered.
Huo Yishen did not rest and started to carry buckets to store water.
The rain was too heavy, and He Tianming’s loudspeaker wasn’t working, so he used a walkie-talkie to notify everyone.
When Jiang Ning answered, a thunderous roar sounded, and the walkie-talkie crackled.
She quickly turned off the walkie-talkie. If it got struck by lightning, it would be troublesome.
Except for coastal thunderstorms, this was the first thunderstorm since the extreme heat began — It was thundering so loud that it was deafening.
Even the dog was scared.
One moment the sun was shining, the next moment lightning was dancing wildly.
Yes, the sunlight disappeared at a visible speed, green lightning flashing continuously in the thick clouds, then thundering loudly, splitting the heavy clouds.
Last time, it was scorching sun and heavy rain simultaneously; this time, it was a thunderstorm swallowing the sun, making the sky terrifyingly dark.
Facing the frenzied lightning, Jiang Ning didn’t dare let Huo Yishen continue collecting water. If lightning struck the terrace, the rainwater would conduct electricity, electrocuting many at once…
She dried her feet and put on her slippers.
“Brother, why did the sky suddenly turn dark?”
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