Chapter 556: Zhang Jin 257 (This chapter does not include Ruirui and Ji Ge)
Outside the window, torrential rain had been going on for three weeks. The sky was a sickly leaden gray, and the thick clouds seemed to last forever. The rain poured down like countless silver needles, shrouding the entire mountain area in a hazy mist.
This shelter, built halfway up the mountain to avoid tsunamis, is now facing another test from nature.
Cheng Jin stood in the office on the top floor of the institute, looking through the rain-blurred glass windows at several newly appeared landslide marks on the distant mountain.
"Professor Cheng, the monitoring data for the west slope is out." Professor Lin walked quickly into the office, her raincoat still dripping, leaving a trail of wet footprints on the floor.
Cheng Jin took the tablet, pushed his glasses up on his nose, and swiped his fingers across the screen. As the data unfolded, his brow furrowed further and further.
The soil moisture content has reached saturation point and the slope stability curve is plummeting.
"The situation is worse than we expected," Cheng Jin said in a low and urgent voice. "Activate the emergency plan immediately. We need to evacuate the people on the lower floors immediately. This place can't hold out for much longer."
Professor Lin nodded, a flicker of fear in her eyes quickly replaced by professionalism. She turned and hurried to the stairs to organize the evacuation of the institute staff. Cheng Jin picked up the intercom and notified the military while searching for the person in charge of the shelter.
Torrential rain pounded against the shelter's iron roof, creating a deafening roar. Cheng Jin had to raise his voice to be heard clearly: "Notify all residents, this time is different from last time. Evacuate immediately! The mountain could collapse at any time!"
"It's raining so hard outside, where can we go?" The director wiped the sweat from his forehead. A large area on the back of his uniform was wet.
"Go to the top of the mountain! There is a granite base there, it's safer!" Cheng Jin almost shouted, his voice sounding particularly sharp amidst the thunder.
Just then, a thunderous roar echoed from afar, followed by the crackling of trees breaking. Cheng Jin rushed to the window and, through the hazy glass, saw a large swath of trees on the distant hillside falling at an alarming rate—like building blocks being pushed down by an invisible hand. The mountain had begun to shift.
"Quick! Everyone evacuate immediately! Go to the top of the mountain! Don't take anything with you!" Cheng Jin grabbed the loudspeaker and shouted, his voice echoing in the shelter.
The shelter erupted in chaos, a panicked crowd surging like a tide toward the mountain path. Cheng Jin was swept along by the flow, involuntarily moving in the opposite direction. In the distance, two helicopters roared into the air, several nimble Evolvers weaving through the chaos to help maintain order. Dozens of soldiers were prioritizing the evacuation of the elderly, the weak, women, and children.
Cheng Jin peered through the throng of people and saw his wife, holding their daughter, Xiaoyu, as they slowly moved forward with the procession. He desperately tried to squeeze through, but was pushed further away by wave after wave of fleeing people.
"Come in order! Don't push!" Cheng Jin tried to maintain order, but fear had already taken over everyone's heart.
The rain was getting heavier, and the big raindrops hit my face painfully, and the lenses were covered with raindrops.
Cheng Jin squinted his eyes and saw several streams of mud had appeared on the hillside, winding down like giant snakes. The air was filled with the smell of torn soil and plant roots, mixed with the damp and cold rain, making people feel uneasy.
"Professor Cheng! Over here!" Assistant Xiao Li waved to him from the crowd. Cheng Jin saw several elderly people with limited mobility around him. He pushed his way over and said, "Anyone with special abilities, please! Is there anyone who can help me?"
Cheng Jin carried an old man with limited mobility and moved him to a higher place with great difficulty.
The ground beneath my feet began to shake slightly, and in the distance I could hear the rumbling sound of a mountain being torn apart.
That was the sound of the mountain gradually losing its support under the heavy rain.
As they desperately climbed to the upper platform of the shelter, Cheng Jin saw a scene that froze his blood—the entire western slope was sliding downwards. Trees, rocks, and tens of thousands of tons of earth mixed into a deadly mudslide, hurtling towards the shelter with overwhelming force. It was as if the earth had suddenly come alive, threatening to devour every trace of humanity.
"Run! Run to the top of the mountain! Don't stop!" Cheng Jin shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice almost tearing his throat.
The crowd screamed and fled to higher ground. Cheng Jin searched for his wife and daughter in the chaos, but his vision was blurred by the rain and the running crowd. The last thing he saw was his wife, Xiaoyu, being carried up the mountain by a psychic in military uniform.
Just as Cheng Jin was about to catch up, a sharp cry made him stop. A white-haired old man fell into the mud.
Cheng Jin turned around and ran back without hesitation. By the time he helped the old man up, the vanguard of the mudslide had already rushed to the shelter. The huge impact caused the nearby buildings to groan horribly, and the sound of metal beams twisting and breaking was eerie.
"Hurry up!" Cheng Jin practically dragged the old man up the mountain, but it was too late. A torrent of mud mixed with tree trunks and rocks broke through the wall of the shelter and swept towards them.
Cheng Jin could feel a biting chill coming towards him, it was the breath of death approaching.
In the final moments, Cheng Jin exerted all his strength to push the old man toward a rocky outcrop, only to be struck by a torrent of mud himself. The world suddenly spun, cold, muddy water poured into his mouth and nose, and countless pieces of gravel pelted his body like bullets. He felt the excruciating pain of broken ribs, and his vision went dark.
However, at the last moment before consciousness faded, all the pain suddenly disappeared.
Cheng Jin felt his body lighten, as if lifted by some force, then gently dropped back to the ground. He remained in the position he had fallen, but the next second, a warmth enveloped him like a spring breeze, accompanied by a faint melody, like some kind of healing hymn. The sharp pain in his back, lungs, and nasal cavity gradually subsided, replaced by a tingling, comfortable feeling, as if the wounds were being gently healed.
He subconsciously opened his eyes and coughed violently, spitting out the mud and sand that had choked his lungs. When his vision refocused, he was shocked to find that the world had changed.
The sky was crystal clear, a pure blue devoid of a haze. The sunlight, no longer the glaring paleness it had before a rainstorm, now shone warmly, casting tiny specks of light across the verdant grass. The air was filled with the delicate fragrance of grass and wildflowers. The rustling of leaves in the distance echoed, punctuated by the occasional crisp chirp of birds. The tranquility was uncanny.
What astonished him even more was that his vision had never been so clear. He subconsciously raised his hand to push up his glasses, but found nothing—the thick lenses he had worn for twenty years were gone, yet he could clearly see the veins of distant leaves and even the dewdrops condensed on the tips of the grass.
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