Chapter 633 Countdown

Zhao Yan's vegetable basket fell to the ground with a clatter, and the potatoes she had just bought, still covered in mud, rolled all over the ground.

She was completely oblivious, her face pale as she tilted her head back, staring intently at the loudspeaker that kept repeating the desperate countdown, as if trying to hear a hint that it was a false alarm.

After a brief moment of deathly silence, the surrounding crowd erupted in chaos!

Panic erupted at the farmers' market as people frantically grabbed food from the stalls.

The base was prepared, deploying a large number of senior sentries to the downtown area, and quickly brought the situation under control.

"Don't panic, the base has already made all the necessary arrangements!"

"Everyone, return to your residences in an orderly manner! Pack your belongings and report to the air-raid shelter!" the sentry shouted to the crowd through a megaphone.

A cold countdown began playing over the loudspeaker overhead.

Twenty-eight hours...

A man shoved his still-stunned wife, his voice trembling with extreme panic, "Get to the air-raid shelter! Hurry!"

The air-raid shelters of the Shuguang base are located in the inner city.

However, most residents of the outer city are unaware of the exact number of people it can accommodate.

It's important to understand that the base's population has expanded at an alarming rate in recent years. Many people have already realized that if the air-raid shelters can't hold all the people, and there are no seats left if they arrive late...

The crowd became restless again.

Everyone, clutching the food they had just bought, began to squeeze towards the exit.

Despite the sentry's constant attempts to reassure them through a loudspeaker, most people were no longer listening to a word and were simply rushing home to pack their belongings and hide in safe air-raid shelters.

Zhao Yan was jolted by the chaotic crowd and stumbled before she snapped back to her senses and quickly squatted down to pick up the potatoes that had fallen to the ground.

"Second Sister-in-law!"

He Guangyang and his friends, who had a stall in town, came looking for her and quickly pulled her up, saying, "Forget about those potatoes, come back with us!"

Qingshan Town recently harvested a batch of grain, and the public warehouses are full of food.

Safety is the most important thing at this time.

They need to get back to the assembly point as soon as possible.

He Guangyang pulled Zhao Yan outside, only to bump into the town's sentry who was rushing towards them. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xiao Liu! The children are still at school, quickly tell Xiangzi and the others to go pick them up!"

Zhao Yan seemed to have thought of something, shook off He Guangyang's hand, and asked urgently, "Where is Zhao Zhao? Where is Zhao Zhao?"

Seeing that she was about to be separated from the crowd, the sentry in town quickly pulled her back. "Auntie, come back with us first. As Yun Zhao is a guide, the base will definitely protect her safety."

The sentries were strong and quickly pulled her out of the farmers' market.

No one paid any attention to the coal and handicrafts on the stall; the group of people hurried home.

There were a large number of sentry troops stationed along the street. Although the crowd was in a state of panic, they did not lose order. The shops along the road were packing up and closing down, and there was no looting of supplies.

People in the town gradually returned to East Third Street.

After hearing the broadcast, the old town mayor, leaning on his cane, went downstairs to the entrance of the apartment building.

A large number of people had already gathered on the first floor, including sentries such as Cheng Dongqing.

They saw He Guangyang and the others running back.

"Xiao Liu, you and Dong Qing go to the inner city to find Dong Shu and try to rent a logistics warehouse. While you're at it, find out which air-raid shelter our street is being housed in."

The old mayor calmly made arrangements, saying, "Try to group everyone together so that we can look out for each other. If necessary, you are allowed to use Zhaozhao's name to act."

In times of disaster, we must always take care of our own people first.

"Okay, let's go right away!"

Cheng Dongqing and Xiao Liu quickly agreed, ran to the parking lot, got into their car, and headed towards the inner city.

"Xiangzi and the others have already gone to the school to pick up their children. The rest of you have gone back to pack your things and wait for news from Dongshu."

Although the old mayor is old, his authority remains.

The people in the town felt like they had found their pillar of support when they saw the old man.

Moreover, many people have realized that the situation is different now than it was back then. They are no longer in Qingshan Town, but in a large, powerful base, so there is not much to worry about in terms of safety.

The base's order to evacuate to air-raid shelters was mostly to prevent attacks from mutated bird species.

With this in mind, the people of Qingshan Town calmed down and lined up in an orderly fashion on the first floor to wait for the elevator.

Zhao Yan stood in the stairwell, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She was so worried that she asked the town mayor again, "Mayor, where's Zhao Zhao? Is she coming back...?"

The old mayor was silent for a moment: "Zhaozhao... has her responsibilities. You take care of yourself and the two children first."

Zhao Yan was stunned, and her eyes immediately reddened.

Even if the mayor hadn't said anything, she already knew that Zhao Zhao had been keeping it a secret from them...

*

Inner city area.

In stark contrast to the panic and chaos on the outside, everything here remained orderly, even exuding an almost cold calm.

The inner city is mostly inhabited by sentries, guides, core researchers, and their families.

Everyone has been notified that the air-raid shelters cannot accommodate everyone, they will not be evacuated, and life will continue as usual.

The shopping center opposite the central square is open as usual, supplying daily necessities.

Skilled workers are at work.

Layers of reinforced barbed wire were installed inside the towering walls to prevent more aggressive bird mutations from entering with the dark matter.

Several patrol squads of sentries marched across the square in orderly steps.

The researchers hurried about, carrying heavy data panels as they moved between buildings.

The eerie tranquility calmed the residents from the outer city who had flocked in, and they began to follow instructions, receiving their own air-raid shelter numbers according to their home addresses.

Two hundred thousand residents from the outer city were evacuated into air-raid shelters in just one afternoon.

In the conference room.

Minister Duan hung up the phone and looked up, saying, "People from three small shelters nearby are migrating to the Dawn Base. The total population is about 20,000. The Ministry of Security is ready to receive them."

Minister Han nodded, "Rest assured, the Security Department had all personnel on duty yesterday and made advance arrangements to ensure that no mutant species will be allowed into the city."

Minister Duan didn't inquire further and began reporting the situation outside to Chief Shen, who was at the top of the hierarchy.

"Currently, communications are intermittent. Within our jurisdiction, seventeen signal towers have lost contact, and thirty-two sentry posts have been attacked by nearby mutants..."

The base chief listened attentively with a serious expression.

"28 hours is just a conservative estimate by the calculation team. If there are more high-level contamination areas collapsing, the possibility of the time frame being extended cannot be ruled out. The base should prepare for the worst."

Minister Duan opened the data sheet and continued, "In addition, many of the teams on duty outside were unable to return in time. They have now been dispatched to the nearest Dawn, Dawn and Hope bases."

"I have issued the latest orders: we must not stay put and seek cover. Even when darkness falls, we must move forward in the darkness and reach the nearest shelter as soon as possible."

Shen Ji nodded. "Your arrangement is correct."

Minister Duan then reported the data.

Following closely behind was Minister Shao from the Logistics Department, who reported on the reserves of supplies, medicines, and ammunition from all parties.

Minister Bai sat at the very end and seemed somewhat distracted throughout the meeting.

His daughter, Bai Yu, has been out of contact since the day before yesterday.

The Sichuan-Western Plateau region is all mountain roads, with complex road conditions and many polluted areas. I don't know if I can make it back within 28 hours...