Chapter 319 Highland Survivors
The people of Mincheng have been trapped on the highlands for more than five months.
Their crew has a total of five artists, and initially there were more than 80 staff members.
At first, the crew learned about the great changes in the city through mobile phones and TV news. They were shocked by the news footage of the plants in the city changing overnight, and all the phone calls for help were fruitless.
The grass on the meadow began to grow wildly, soon rising from a few centimeters to more than one meter high; the fruit trees in the orchard mutated, and the fruits became strange shapes; the animals in the pasture grew bigger and escaped; the various vegetables in the vegetable greenhouse became like vines in the tropical rain forest; the fish and shrimp in the fish pond not only grew bigger, but also jumped onto the shore with a crackling sound, hopping around in the mud and on the path, and then were caught and eaten by a huge flying bird passing by...
Every new change on the high ground made them tremble with fear.
In the first week or two, the program crew, a few tourists, and the staff on the plateau all hid in the B&B, closed the doors and windows, and dared not take a step out. They only looked at the situation outside through telescopes and cameras installed in various places on the plateau.
Fortunately, the plateau is at a high altitude, and other animals cannot come up except flying animals.
In addition, the building of the B&B is strong enough. In order to soundproof and keep warm, all the glass windows are double-layered, and each B&B has a storage basement with more or less some supplies.
Everyone huddled in the building, because there was electricity, water, and food, they all survived.
But soon, the network was disconnected, and the mobile phone signal was intermittent. After that, even the TV news was gone.
They lost contact with their family and friends outside the highlands, and had no idea about the situation outside. They began to worry, and the atmosphere became worse day by day.
Some people began to plan to leave, and of course there were also people who opposed it. The disagreement caused several disputes.
Finally, a group of people who were concerned about their families and children walked out of the B&B fully armed. After they left, there was no news.
However, the people hiding in the B&B saw clearly through the surveillance equipment in the office that those people not only safely crossed the grassland and forests of the highlands, but also successfully got on the cable car going down the mountain.
After that, the rest of the people also began to make plans to go down the mountain.
At that time, everyone was still thinking out of habit. They thought that although there was water, electricity and food in the highlands, they couldn't stay there forever. They had to go down the mountain to find out what was happening outside.
But on the night when most people were planning to leave, huge fluorescent butterflies came in groups and covered the windows outside the B&B. Their huge bodies and dense, long legs made them want to vomit.
The people in the B&B panicked and turned off all the lights. The sound of frightened children crying, the sound of tables and chairs being knocked over due to nervousness, and the sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard everywhere. Every time there was movement in the B&B, the fluorescent butterflies outside would flutter their wings in groups, rub their long and thin legs, and make rustling sounds.
The scene was like a nightmare. Everyone took everything that could be used as a weapon, hid in the closet, or hid in the windowless bathroom, and dared not sleep all night.
The fluorescent butterflies stayed outside the B&B for a day and a night before leaving, leaving only a thick layer of fluorescent scales on the B&B's outer wall and the surrounding ground.
The people who had planned to leave the plateau could no longer bear it. They packed up and left the B&B when the swarm of fluorescent butterflies left. However, they did not walk far before they felt a strong burning sensation in their throats, noses and eyes.
They did not have professional protective clothing, and masks and clothes alone could not completely resist the scale powder. It was not until they fell to the ground and convulsed in pain that they realized that it was the scale powder that caused them.
A group of people retreated back to the building in a panic, and the others hurriedly washed them with clean water. After a long struggle, they finally resolved the burning pain. This group of people later rested for a long time before their injuries barely recovered. After this battle, everyone's desire to leave the plateau was gone.
**
A few days later, a group of survivors from a nearby county town overcame numerous dangers and took a cable car to the highlands.
There were more than a hundred survivors when they set out, but in the end, only less than forty people reached the highlands.
They brought news from the outside world to the people in the B&B. The animal and plant mutation crisis started from several large cities, and gradually spread to other cities, and eventually even small cities were not spared.
Before the situation in the county town got worse, this group of people risked their lives to break through, and according to the previous online statement, they moved to an area where wild plants were not restricted in their growth.
They knew that there was a highland in the nearby ecological park, which was surrounded by dense bamboo forests. Due to the growth environment and other reasons, there were not so many vegetation on the highland. There are reservoirs and water filters, generators and wind turbines, and the buildings are solid and the food is sufficient.
The B&B, which was originally only 40% to 50% full, was crowded all of a sudden. At first, the people in the B&B were happy because they were the first group of outsiders they had seen in nearly four weeks.
But soon, with problems such as the distribution of rooms, water and supplies, small conflicts began to occur frequently.
The two sides naturally split into two teams. The crew originally wanted to gain the right to speak by relying on their status as artists, but in the face of a planet-wide crisis, survival is the most important thing. No one cares whether you were a director, screenwriter or star before, and no one cares how famous you are, how much traffic you have, or how many endorsements you have.
Among the five artists, Mincheng was the first to recognize the current situation and wake up.
In the past few weeks, he has been avoiding mentioning his identity as an artist.
At the critical moment, he did not want the survivors on both sides to continue to oppose each other, so he took the initiative to apologize to the other side and sincerely stated his position.
After all, he is an artist, and he has the advantages of affinity and appearance, and finally resolved the conflict between the two sides.
Everyone began to cooperate.
People in the county town know a little about animals and plants. They gradually figured out which fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish and shrimp can still be eaten after mutation, which ones have become dangerous and are best not to be approached, which plants have new functions that can replace drugs, and which animals and plants are mutually reinforcing and can be used to enhance the safety of the area around the B&B.
As for the filming crew, they were even better at using their brains and coming up with plans. Some wrote down some rules that could constrain both sides to achieve peaceful mutual assistance, arranged the rules that the other team also agreed to, printed them out, and posted a copy in each homestay; some dug out old models of mobile phones and tried to connect to radio waves to receive news from the outside world intermittently; some emphasized the necessity of standing guard and set the location of the guard posts; some made new protective equipment with stronger waterproof tent fabrics...
In short, although the two sides always had some minor conflicts from time to time, they had been cooperating in the general direction to learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses.
Fortunately, after enduring the abnormally hot January and February, the temperature finally dropped, which greatly reduced the activity of the surrounding animals and plants. They were finally able to go out for a breath of fresh air without having to be on guard all the time.
During this period, they also heard some incomplete news through the radio, such as the large cities most seriously affected by plants have organized evacuation and transfer operations, the space in the shelters is seriously insufficient, and the people who have the conditions are ordered to avoid going out as much as possible. At present, the rescue is far from enough and the people are encouraged to save themselves and help each other...
They also learned about the situation around the highlands, and the nearest known shelter is hundreds of miles away.
After weighing the pros and cons, everyone chose to stay.
The situation outside was actually worse than on the high ground. At least they had food, drink, electricity, and could cook and keep warm, which was better than the situation of many people outside. In the end, most people gave up the idea of leaving.
They lived relatively steadily for two months after the temperature dropped. They relied on the huge fruits and vegetables that had mutated and captured poultry with low fighting power to have food and drink.
This situation made everyone's minds active again. Some people planned to leave the high ground to check the situation, while others thought of planting for long-term planning.
There was already a planting area here, with seeds, fertilizers, and tools. In addition, the temperature had risen before, and the time and place were favorable, so the planting plan was decided first.
In order to be fair, both teams sent out a lot of people, and Mincheng and two other artists also joined the team.
They originally wanted to carry out the planting plan after the rain stopped, but after this drizzle, the temperature on the plateau began to rise rapidly again. The
rain stopped today, and it was humid and hot outside. The team that went out to plant could not help but take off their homemade protective gear soon.
These protective gears are too thick and not breathable. In addition, the situation on the plateau has been stable for a long time. Many people who went out to catch poultry before did not wrap themselves up tightly. They just protected themselves symbolically and there were no problems.
Everyone finally took off their protective layers and went into battle lightly, ready to fight quickly, complete today's planting task and go back early.
But not long after they started to get busy, they stopped what they were doing again.
From outside the vegetable greenhouse where they were, there was a strange buzzing sound, as if several low-flying planes were passing over their heads. Someone reacted immediately, shouting if it was a rescue plane, then dropped his tools and ran out.
Driven by this, the rest of the people looked at each other and ran out one after another.
However, not long after the people at the back ran out, they were shocked by the horrific scene in front of them.
The first person who ran out was now covered in a dark green color all over. He fell to the ground, his body convulsing and twitching. He was obviously in extreme pain but couldn't even make a sound.
The "dark green" covering him suddenly moved, and then retreated with a whoosh, revealing the person inside who was already skin and bones like a skeleton.
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but scream. That person was one of the people who were later transferred from the county town. He recognized this kind of death. On the way to escape from the county town, they passed by a bamboo forest. They originally wanted to cross the bamboo forest to save distance, but they saw two bodies like this just a few steps into the bamboo forest.
They didn't know what caused such a death. Most people finally decided to exit the bamboo forest and take a detour. Only a small number of people wanted to save time and continue forward.
In the end, they never saw that small group of people again.
The movement of the crowd attracted the "dark green" that had already circled into the air. Those things circled twice in the air and suddenly came in their direction.
Everyone panicked and turned around to run, but some people behind them were still standing there, bumping into each other.
Some people thought of the protective gear they had left in the greenhouse, but could such crude gear stop these creatures? Some people also
thought of the produce display hut next to the greenhouse, which had doors and windows, and the glass on the windows was intact. It was one of the retreat points they had planned when they took action.
The people on the high ground had been stable for too long, and when something unexpected happened, many people completely forgot the response plan they had made. In the panic, everyone went in different directions, and people kept bumping into each other. When they fell to the ground, they took others with them, and the situation immediately became a mess.
The few people who fell behind were soon caught up by the "dark green". Those things quickly covered their bodies. Mincheng, who was close, looked back and was so shocked that his scalp went numb. These patches of pigment-like things were actually swarms of mosquitoes!
These mosquitoes were different from the mosquitoes that had grown to a huge size. They were only about two to three times larger than before, and their color had changed from the original black brown to the current dark green.
They changed their previous characteristics and actually worked in teams like ants and bees, so that they could not tell what they were before.
Mincheng slowed down his steps because of these eyes, and another wave of dense "dark green" had already flown to him.
"Acheng!" Among the fleeing crowd, someone looked in this direction and shouted anxiously. He had clearly been running with the other party before, how come he fell behind in just a few seconds?
Not far in front of him was the produce display hut, where several people had already fled in, and others were rushing in from behind, and the person who ran in first seemed to be planning to close the door.
He hurriedly ran two steps, blocked the door with one hand, and shouted again in the previous direction: "Acheng! Run!"
He knew that everyone here wanted to survive, even though there were people from their own filming crew in the hut at the moment, but facing such a terrifying creature, at this critical moment of life and death, people's instinctive reaction would be to choose to protect themselves.
It's not that they are cold-hearted, but if the door is not closed in time, the people in the hut will die together.
Although in his heart, Min Cheng has always been different. After all, he was once the person who stood at the top of the starlight. No matter how the world changes, the other person's status in his heart will not change.
But at this time, he couldn't selfishly ask others to save him regardless of the danger. He could only buy him a few more seconds as much as possible.
But it seems...it's too late.
He raised his head and watched helplessly as the terrifying "dark green" covered Min Cheng's head -
suddenly, a fire lit up, and a slender figure who didn't know where to come from appeared in front of Min Cheng.
"Get out of the way!" As the flames burst out and engulfed the "dark green" mosquitoes, the man grabbed Mincheng's collar and pulled him down, then pressed his shoulders and made him half squat, while she leaned sideways and used her body to block the mosquitoes that were falling with flames.
Mincheng looked up while half squatting, and the other party tilted her head. He could only see the woman's white chin and the slender arms that shielded him from the burning mosquitoes.
She was not wearing protective clothing, not even long sleeves!
"Be careful!" Min Cheng called out, but attracted a puzzled glance from the other party. He met her gaze and was stunned for a moment. He did not expect that she was so young.
You Xi moved quickly, burned the mosquitoes and saved the man. She picked him up and ran two steps towards the display hut. She threw him to the man who was holding the door, and then rushed back again to continue saving others.
This was the first time she had seen such a swarm of mosquitoes. The color reminded her of the bamboo sea under the valley.
There are the most mosquitoes in the bamboo forest, but there is a difference of more than 2,000 meters between the valley and the highlands. In the past, even the mutated mosquitoes would not fly so high.
It seems that the drizzle that lasted for several days not only made the bamboo sea grow several meters taller, but also caused the mosquitoes in the bamboo forest to mutate again.
Fortunately, when she was using the drone to survey the situation, she noticed the strange "dark green clouds" on the southwest side of the highland and headed in this direction in advance, so she was able to save people in time. Otherwise, most of the people here would have died.
The people who were already covered by the mosquito swarm could not survive. Youxi grabbed a few people who were about to be approached by the mosquito swarm and threw them to the door of the hut, and began to concentrate on burning the mosquito swarm. She didn't wear a mask to cover her face, and she was too lazy to wear it. She was too lazy to hide the [high temperature perfume], and she fought the battle in the easiest way.
While she was burning the mosquito swarm, another group of new mosquitoes flew here, but this group of mosquitoes seemed to sense the danger and kept circling in the air and refused to come down.
Youxi glanced at the mosquitoes and adjusted the [High Temperature Perfume] from the third gear to the fifth gear, lengthening the spray distance. Then she took a few steps to run up the three-meter-high wall outside the display hut. After running two steps along the wall, she jumped up and pressed the [High Temperature Perfume] at the same time.
The mosquitoes that stayed in the air were instantly engulfed by the flames. Youxi jumped high and landed lightly. The mosquitoes in the air were like burning fireworks, falling behind her.
The people hiding in the huts and greenhouses looked at this scene in shock and did not speak for a long time.
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