Chapter 397 Earthquake

Inside the makeshift barracks

The patrolling soldiers in Ping District reported the rats' unusual behavior in detail.

Upon hearing this, Lu Huailin, Gao Guoqiang, Zhao Xu, and the director of the Tang City Revolutionary Committee frowned deeply.

Upon receiving the news, Chen, an expert from the Geological Bureau, rushed over.

I haven't had a chance to ask in detail yet.

The soldiers patrolling the ancient district also walked in with solemn expressions.

Upon seeing this, Lu Huailin's heart skipped a beat, fearing that it brought bad news.

As a result, what you fear most is exactly what happens.

The hens of the villagers in the ancient commune refused to go into the coop overnight, even if they were forcibly driven there.

They would flap their wings and fly up into the trees, and the roosters would crow incessantly, day and night.

The pigs raised by the brigade crashed through the wooden fence and rushed out, running wildly and squealing on the ridges of the fields.

The sound was so shrill it sent chills down your spine.

What's even more unsettling is that the patrol soldiers in the suburbs have also returned.

"Commander Lu, overnight, a large number of dead fish floated to the surface of the fishponds near the suburbs. Their white bellies were upside down on the water, and there was a layer of foam floating on the shore."

"I had someone catch one, and we found that its gills were black and its body was stiff, as if it had suffocated."

An elderly local man witnessed this phenomenon and, pointing to the fishpond in alarm, cried out, "This is because the earth's energy is wrong!"

"As the old saying goes, moving house, birds climbing trees, fish turning belly up, disaster is coming, and something big is about to happen."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room felt a chill in their hearts.

His face was solemn like never before.

Now, Chen, the expert from the Geological Bureau, finally has a chance to speak.

He calmed his panic and explained, "Before an earthquake, the earth's crust releases sound waves, which humans cannot hear."

"But it can be detected by the animal's auditory organs, triggering their escape response."

Lu Huailin frowned and asked, "Old Chen, can you estimate the exact time the earthquake occurred?"

Expert Chen shook his head with a troubled expression.

Upon hearing this, Lu Huailin felt a sense of unease.

From that day on, he increased the number of soldiers on patrol and extended the patrol hours.

They were to be divided into three groups and patrol continuously for 24 hours a day, and any unusual activity was to be reported immediately.

One night, Lu Huailin had just finished inspecting each resettlement site and was walking towards the one in the suburbs.

Then they saw a group of villagers running towards the pond with kerosene lamps in hand, shouting, "A lot of fish have floated up again!"

Lu Huailin stopped and followed closely behind them.

Seeing a layer of dead fish floating on the surface of the pond, I inexplicably sensed an approaching danger.

The frequency of earthquake drills for the public was immediately increased to once a day, and temporary earthquake-resistant tents were set up in open areas such as playgrounds and squares.

Emergency supplies and first-aid medicines transported from Beijing were transferred there.

Over the next few days, the soldiers at the resettlement site in the northern suburbs were unusually busy. Gu Yihan and Zhang Mei went to great lengths to cook various cooling soups for these people who were exhausted and on the verge of heatstroke.

Lu Huailin arranged all the preparations in an orderly manner.

Soldiers were organized to reinforce barracks and transfer important supplies to temporary earthquake-resistant sheds.

The public was notified to be prepared for an earthquake and to evacuate in an orderly manner.

On the evening of July 27, the weather was unusually hot and humid, with not a breath of wind, and the air was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Gu Yihan and Lu Huailin lay in the tent, holding his hand tightly, their palms sweaty.

My heart was pounding and my body was trembling uncontrollably—this was fear of an unknown disaster.

Lu Huailin felt his wife trembling, so he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head.

He gently comforted her, "Wife, don't be afraid."

"No matter what happens, I will protect you and won't let you get hurt in the slightest."

Lu Huailin's embrace was firm and warm, but it did not calm Gu Yihan's tense and flustered heart.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and said in a trembling voice, "Huailin, my heart tells me... there might be an earthquake tonight."

Lu Huailin paused in his arms holding Gu Yihan, then, as if remembering something, gently patted her back.

"Honey, I'm going out for a bit."

After saying that, he quickly put on his military uniform and walked out of the tent.

One hour later

The entire resettlement site was brightly lit, and all the soldiers were assembled on the parade ground.

Lu Huailin urgently arranged for them to go to the resettlement sites in various areas and inform them to wake up the sleeping people one by one that night.

Those who were woken up looked annoyed. Some thought that Commander Lu was making a mountain out of a molehill, talking about earthquake prevention and control every day.

More than a month has passed, and nothing has happened yet?

Gu Yihan, inside the tent, was also busy. She took the initiative to wake up the military wives in the family compound and helped them pack their things.

"Auntie, it's cold at night. Take out a thick coat and leave it outside for when you're cold."

"Pack everything else up first!"

Zhang Mei and the other military wives all looked out at the windless night sky.

Is it really necessary to wear thick clothes in this hot and humid weather?

Zhang Mei was careful and took out a thick coat, placing it where she could easily reach it.

When Gu Yihan returned to the playground, she saw Lu Huailin standing at the front with a blank expression.

Listening to the crowd's constant yawning complaints: "It's already past 1 a.m., if there were an earthquake, it would have come much earlier!"

"Yes, we have to do earthquake drills during the day and stay up late at night. I'm afraid I'll be exhausted before the earthquake even comes!"

"That's right, they keep saying there's an earthquake, an earthquake, and it's been over a month already, and still..."

Before the man could finish speaking, a faint blue light suddenly flashed across the sky.

He stared wide-eyed and exclaimed, "Look! Is that lightning?"

At this moment, Lu Huailin's eyes were fixed on the blue light that was slowly moving along the ground.

Gu Yihan tried hard to control her wildly beating heart. She gripped Lu Huailin's arm tightly, her lips trembling.

"Ah... smoke is coming from the ground."

A middle-aged man suddenly exclaimed.

Chen, an expert from the Geological Bureau, grabbed his earthquake detection tools and immediately ran out.

White mist was rising from the cracks in the ground, and a faint smell of sulfur could be detected if you got close.

Lu Huailin walked up to him and said in a deep voice, "Old Chen, do you know what's going on?"

Can you predict when the earthquake will occur?

The geological bureau experts shook their heads. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; their country's earthquake detection technology was simply too backward.

The exact time of the earthquake could not be determined.

At 3:42 a.m., the earthquake struck without warning.

The violent fracturing of underground rock strata lifted the ground.

The house collapsed instantly like building blocks.

The rails were twisted into a rope

Only 23 seconds

A city turned into ruins

The villagers at the resettlement site stared blankly at the rising dust from the direction of Tangshi city in the distance.

The screams and cries that followed exploded out instantly.

Some mothers holding their babies were so frightened that they trembled all over and covered their children's eyes and ears tightly.

Tears mingled with dust and streamed down my face.

The villagers who had been complaining were now ashen-faced and their legs were weak.

While crying, he clasped his hands together and kept repeating, "Thank you, Commander Lu, thank you, People's Liberation Army, thank you, organization, for not abandoning us."

Tears of fear streamed down my face uncontrollably.