The rain in the sky was getting heavier and heavier, and it was even showing a tendency to get worse. It had only been less than five days since we arrived at the mountain, and the heavy rain had turned into a storm. There were lightning and thunder in the sky every day, and strong winds were howling.
Two days ago, He Zhennan and his three companions went down the mountain twice to check on the situation in Wanxi Village. However, the water level was just as they had expected, and the speed of its spread was too fast!
When the group of people first went up the mountain, only the fields near the river bank in Wanxi Village were flooded. But on the second day, the flood in the whole village had risen to the height of calves. When He Zhennan and his four companions went down the mountain again on the fourth day, the rolling flood had already submerged most of the entire Wanxi Village!
Qin Suyun's family's originally three-story building was also flooded to the second floor!
The wooden and red brick houses that were newly built in the village after the earthquake were all submerged, leaving only the roofs. In the entire village, only a few houses that had survived the earthquake and the mutation of plants and animals were still intact, and some parts of them can still be seen.
The yellow floodwaters carried a disturbing smell. Floating above the water were all kinds of plastic waste and the carcasses of drowned animals that hadn't had time to escape. He Zhennan and his companions even spotted a pig floating above the water, emitting a strong, rancid odor...
These things drifted to Wanxi Village with the flood, and then swirled around Wanxi Village again with the flood, rushing towards a farther place...
After He Zhennan and his companions learned that the village had become a flood hell, they never went down the mountain to check on the situation in the village.
The current situation...
They really couldn't go down the mountain anymore, but when they came back and passed by the military base, they still found an opportunity to leave a message to the village chief and others, explaining what was happening in the village.
certainly……
At the same time, this incident was soon known to other ordinary villagers in the military base cafeteria. Everyone's face was filled with panic because their houses were flooded, but they were also grateful that they had escaped in advance and saved themselves, their families, and their property.
It's really complicated and contradictory.
Now, with heavy rain pouring down, Qin Suyun and her group stayed in the cave every day. Besides getting food for the livestock, there wasn't much else to do. However, with the constant downpour, the temperature inside the cave dropped significantly. Qin Suyun estimated that the temperature outside was only around 7 or 8 degrees Celsius, and even slightly colder at night. It was as if the downpour had brought them back to winter.
For this reason, Qin Suyun had to take out the thick quilt that she had kept as a spare, and also searched out the thick clothes she wore in winter.
As for He Zhennan and his friends, they have been going out to chop firewood every day to keep warm recently.
Although they now lived in the mountains and it was very convenient to chop wood every day, and even the cave where they lived was surrounded by large trees that several people could not hug together, as well as bushes taller than people, but now it was raining heavily and the wind was howling.
In order to prevent the cave they lived in from being attacked by heavy rain and strong winds, and to let these lush plants help them block some of the wind and rain that invaded the cave, He Zhennan and his companions walked farther away to chop wood. They asked Xiao Qi and the others to help drag the chopped wood directly back to the cave entrance.
The firewood that had just been chopped was all wet and could not burn, so He Zhennan and his companions collected the wood and placed it in bundles in the cave to dry.
Looking at the bundles of firewood piled up in the cave, Qin Suyun sometimes couldn't help but feel fortunate. If He Zhennan and his team had not found these caves and stored enough dry firewood in them, their days in the mountains would probably not have been easy. It would have been fine if they had a gasoline generator, but people like the Qiu family would probably not even be able to drink a sip of hot water.
Although she was somewhat curious about how the other party had managed to find four suitable caves in such a heavy rain and prepare the firewood in the caves so early, Qin Suyun had no intention of asking He Zhennan and the others. When the other party wanted to talk, they would naturally explain the matter to her. If the other party did not mention it, she would not be tactless to ask further questions, just like she had no intention of revealing the secret of the jade token. Everyone has their own secrets, and so does she.
Life in the cave was rather boring. In this rainy weather where it was almost as dark during the day as at night, Qin Suyun and her companions had no intention of going out for a stroll. In order to save some gasoline, Qin Suyun and Lu Liqing did not even turn on the lights when they stayed in the cave. They just stayed in the cave in the dark and chatted with a group of cats and dogs at home.
Qin Suyun would also exercise actively during the day. In the current environment, even though she took Jade Dew every day to make her body stronger and more energetic, she also hoped that she could do better, become stronger, and have the ability to protect herself in danger without being a drag on others.
Now the rain outside is still getting heavier and heavier, with no sign of stopping. No one knows how big the flood will eventually rise, and how long their mountain can hold out?
What if some dangerous people come to their side by boat due to the flood, or if the people who went up the mountain with them this time don’t have enough food and want to rob them, she must have a way to deal with it!
Qin Suyun was actively exercising in the cave every day. No one knew about it in the first two days. Only Lu Liqing, who lived in the same cave, saw Qin Suyun exercising. Lu Liqing just sat by and watched others exercise. She felt a little uncomfortable staying in the cave all day doing nothing. So, on the third day, Lu Liqing also started exercising with Qin Suyun.
As for He Zhennan and others who lived next door, they learned from Dongzi that Qin Suyun and her husband exercised at home every day after Lu Liqing started exercising.
Although neither He Zhennan nor Dongzi Pang Xiong let Qin Suyun, Lu Liqing and the mother and daughter of the Qiu family go out with them to the mountains to chop firewood, hunt chickens and catch rabbits in the heavy rain, they still supported Qin Suyun and Lu Liqing's exercise, and even took advantage of the free time in the evening to teach them a set of grappling techniques, allowing them to practice more at home.
As for Qiu Jiayue and her daughter, Cui Wen wanted them to come and practice together so that they could keep each other company.
In Cui Wen's opinion, everyone lives close to each other, less than 200 meters away. They can just open an umbrella and walk a few steps to get there. Isn't that great?
Unfortunately, neither Qiu's mother nor Qiu Jiale himself had any interest in this kind of exercise. They lived in a cave, and the environment was already bad, dark and damp. They had to worry every day, fearing that some blind people or mutant animals would suddenly sneak into their cave!
After all, these days, the dangers in the mountains are not just wolves, snakes, and wild boars, but also those mutated insects that have grown to huge sizes!
The Qiu family did not have much food stored. They were not like the Yunhai citizens who moved here more than ten days earlier than them. They had already harvested a crop of food and had more food stored. Therefore, when this rainstorm seemed to have no signs of stopping and was obviously going to continue for a long time, they were in a difficult situation.
The Qiu family eats frugally every day, for fear that one day a flood will rise to the mountain and submerge other places, and there will be nothing else to eat in the mountain.
What if I starve to death?
They were not full every day, and there was not enough oil and water. In addition, the temperature outside had dropped sharply, and the mother and daughter had to stay in the cave every day. They were really cold and hungry. There was no man at home, and they didn't even dare to close their eyes when they wanted to sleep!
Not to mention exercising with Qin Suyun and the others, he was too lazy to even leave the cave!
What's more, Qiu Jiayue still can't bring herself to talk to Qin Suyun.
…
The days in the mountains passed one by one. This seemed to be a peaceful life for Qin Suyun and the others, but it was not the case for others. Especially Zhao Xingguo and his group, they were so worried that they could hardly sleep at night!
It is not an easy task to find a cave suitable for human habitation in this mountain. The mutated vegetation is too lush, and it is raining heavily. The whole jungle is dark, and everyone has to worry about poisonous snakes and insects suddenly emerging from the grass from time to time.
Just finding a place to live almost took up all of everyone's energy.
There was no other way. According to the original plan, the military base canteen, which could only accommodate about 70 to 80 people, now had more than 130 people living in it. Everyone slept on the floor, and many people had frictions due to conflicts. Zhao Xingguo and his family now also live in this military canteen base.
It's not quite right to say they are a family. Actually, it's just Zhao Xingguo and his wife, along with Mrs. Zhao, who live here.
The three Zhao brothers and their wives found a place to live outside. It was a cold and damp cave. Unlike the large cave that He Zhennan found, which could accommodate more than a dozen people, this cave was relatively small. There was even a part of it that was dug out later by the three Zhao brothers.
If you are not careful when sleeping, your clothes might get wet by the heavy rain outside. In such an environment, how could the three Zhao brothers dare to let their parents and grandmother live in such a cold and damp environment?
So they left most of the food at the military base, and the three brothers stayed in the cave with a small amount of food. From time to time, they picked some wild vegetables and fruits in the mountains, hunted some small prey, and got some firewood for their parents and grandmother at home.
The whole world is filled with torrential rain and dark clouds. I have no idea where the road ahead lies. Every day I can only watch the food reserves I brought with me decrease day by day, and the rising river level keeps approaching the mountain. It feels depressing. It's really terrible!
Zhao Xingguo sat not far from the canteen entrance, smoking the cigarette he brought with him. His brows were furrowed so tightly that they almost pinched a mosquito to death. He stared at the heavy rain outside, feeling the dampness brought by the heavy rain and the raindrops splashing on his face from time to time, and felt depressed.
When they first moved to the mountain, Zhao Xingguo thought that even if it was a bit hard, at least everyone would be able to find a place of their own in the mountains. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a place to rest like a cave or a tree hole. It would take at most three to five days to find a place of their own.
However, he thought too highly of everything.
The previous rainstorm not only caused a huge change in the flora and fauna, but also caused a huge change in the original mountain forest. The topography was completely different from its original appearance! The animals that were also affected by the rainstorm were also looking for the same shelter.
Zhao Xingguo knew in the past few days that there were at least seven or eight people in their village who were bitten by various snakes, insects and wild beasts. One of them was searching for a place to live. The most unlucky person was bitten by a mutant poisonous snake and died on the spot!
The news that someone had died from a poisonous snake bite spread among the crowd. This spreading panic made those who were already afraid of the mutated animals in the jungle even more frightened and dared not go out. If it were not for the need to eat and keep warm, they would not even dare to go out to chop firewood.
But even so, these people only dared to collect wood for heating in the place closest to the military base. If Zhao Xingguo and his men had not tried their best to stop them, Zhao Xingguo suspected that they would even cut down the two big trees in front of the cafeteria door that could provide them with shelter from the wind and rain!
Anyway, these guys all live in the middle of the cafeteria, so who cares whether the wind and rain outside will blow onto the villagers living at the entrance?
…
"Grandma, I'm cold, and I'm so hungry... Can I have a cookie?"
At the canteen entrance, the little boy spoke in a baby voice with a hint of the local dialect of Wanxi Village. He looked at his grandmother eagerly, his eyes full of desire for food!
"Okay, grandma will give you one piece, but this is the only one I have today! After you eat it, you can't ask grandma for more today, okay?" An old lady, about seventy or eighty years old, with white hair and wearing a black cotton-padded jacket, stretched out her dry palm, touched the face of her little grandson, and took out half a box of biscuits from her pocket tremblingly.
When the cold wind blew outside, the old lady shivered again, but she still held the biscuit tightly in her hand.
This was the most common milk biscuit in the village market before. The biscuit was not big, only 1/4 the size of an adult's palm, and it was a thin piece. The old lady was reluctant to eat any of it. She carefully took out a piece from the half box of biscuits and handed it to her grandson. In order to save food, the old lady did not dare to eat too much, let alone waste it.
Zhao Xingguo felt sad when he saw the actions of the grandfather and grandson. The grandfather and grandson were also the original residents of Wanxi Village, but after their son and daughter-in-law went out to work, they never came back.
The two of them, the old and the young, walked slowly, and in the end, they could only reluctantly live at the outermost door of the house with the help of Zhao Xingguo's mediation.
In order to keep her grandson warm, the old lady held the child tightly in her arms, but the wind and rain at the entrance still came in from time to time.
The old lady who lived next door was helpless.
There are so many people in the cafeteria, it is normal for people to come in and out from time to time. The big guys even step on the mud and water when they come in and out. Such a small thing may seem like a small thing, but for the old lady and her grandson, this life is really hard. They can only wrap themselves in more thick clothes and occasionally rub against other people's fire.
Zhao Xingguo sighed deeply and smoked the cigarette in his hand even more fiercely. He really had no other choice. His own mother, who was in her eighties and almost ninety years old, also needed care. Otherwise, Zhao Xingguo would rather be left alone and switch places with this pair of grandparents and grandchildren.
"Grandma Zhao, why don't you take your grandson over there to warm up by the fire with others? It's not a good thing to keep freezing here all the time. I'll help you keep an eye on your luggage. I guarantee it won't get lost!" Zhao Xingguo pointed in the direction of his home and asked Grandma Zhao to go over there to keep warm.
There are so many people in the cafeteria of the entire military base now, so it is naturally impossible to burn a large fire for heating. However, after burning the firewood outside into charcoal, you can still use an iron basin to put it in and use it.
Every morning, when Zhang Cuifen was cooking, she would prepare some charcoal, put it in a large stainless steel bowl she brought from home, and bring it in to warm the old lady's hands and feet.
"Oh, no thanks... How can I keep bothering you? I'm not here just for the luggage." Grandma Zhao sighed, "Village Chief, you should have noticed that there are more and more people here. Many people can't stand it anymore and have moved out of those caves and squeezed into our house... But the space here is so small, I'm afraid that if I leave, my sleeping place will be moved away. You're the village chief, so it's not easy to argue with others. It's more convenient for me to do it myself, so I won't bother you..."
Because of her poor location and the fear that her bedding would be damaged, Grandma Zhao would get up early every day to roll up her bedding and put it away. This way, if someone moved closer to Grandma Zhao, she would be unable to spread out her bedding at night.
Nowadays, military base cafeterias are often filled with men, women, and children crammed together on large bunk beds. Everyone spreads their own bedding on the floor, forming their own family. Many families share a single bed, leaving no gaps between them. While it's fine for the elderly and children to share, with all the necessary formalities, sometimes it can be quite awkward for young men and women.
But now that things have come to this, what can we do?
Compared to these embarrassments, your own life is more important.
"Alas." Zhao Xingguo shook his head. "What kind of trouble is this? I'll go to the mountains tomorrow to chop more firewood. When it dries, it'll be enough to keep me warm."
All he can do now is just what he can do.
"Oh, I don't know when the rain will stop. We have been living beyond our means these days... I don't know how long we can hold on. What if the rain doesn't stop yet and we're out of food... What should we do then..." Grandma Zhao shook her head and once again tightened her arms around her grandson.
Zhao Xingguo didn't say anything, just sighed deeply.
In fact, after harvesting the last batch of grain, everyone's life has become much better. No matter what, these grains can at least last for several months.
Even for these residents who have just moved in from Yunhai City, if they eat the food they have sparingly, they will have no problem surviving for a few months.
but……
If this heavy rain continues for several months.
Zhao Xingguo felt that the flood might also submerge the military base located in the middle of the mountain.
…………
The heavy rain kept falling, and the entire northern hemisphere seemed to be soaked in water.
The storm descended on the sea, creating a tornado. Countless coastal cities were hit by the storm, and the tide continued to spread upward. Among these people, those who were able fled inland, while others could only watch their houses being submerged by the sea layer by layer.
First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor... tenth floor, eleventh floor... eighteenth floor...
In just less than a month, the originally prosperous coastal city has become a vast ocean, and only a few lonely high-rise buildings are still standing in the wind and rain.
These elevator buildings are already overcrowded with people, and everyone is fighting for the last living space, for the residence on the top floor, and for the food in other people's hands!
Death is everywhere...
The losers after the fight were thrown out of the windows of high-rise buildings.
On the churning water, rotting, smelly corpses drifted above. From time to time, large fish would bite off some of the rotten flesh from the corpses. The bloody smell of the corpses attracted more mutant fish, and soon they would devour the corpses.
These corpses include humans, livestock, and fish...
Along with these corpses floating on the water are all kinds of plastic garbage...
They rolled and drifted in the heavy rain, and no one knew where they would eventually flow to...
…
Some inland cities that were not eroded by sea water also had their streets and alleys flooded.
This devastating flood, mixed with huge waves caused by wind and rain, directly submerged the entire city in water. The entire Yunhai City was almost submerged in water!
Everyone was praying, hoping that the heavy rain would stop, but these prayers were obviously of no use. Those who were still alive in the city were all trying their best to rush to higher places. Those buildings that were originally only five or six stories high were now completely submerged, and not even a roof was left.
Several rubber boats were drifting in the heavy rain, but the people on the boats could not find any place to dock. Some people standing on the roof waiting for rescue saw the rubber boats and kept waving and shouting, wanting the people on the boats to take them to the tallest TV station in Yunhai City in the distance. However, no one on the rubber boats paid any attention to them.
Even though the trapped people shed tears of despair, the people on the rubber boat turned a blind eye.
They paddled towards the TV station, but the storm was too strong. The people on the boat paddled desperately but could not move forward much.
The people on these small boats were only accompanied by the occasional smelly and rotten corpses and various garbage debris floating on the river.
In fact, the road ahead is long, and no one knows whether the TV station will be submerged by the flood when these rubber boats reach the TV station tower, or whether the TV station is already overcrowded and there is no place for them to stay.
There were many people trapped in the city. They all tried their best to move themselves to the highest point they could reach. However, some people did not have time to escape and disappeared in the flood. They became rotten corpses floating on the river and eventually became food for some mutated fish and shrimp.
However, the rainstorm did not stop and continued to fall. The sky was like a big water tank with a hole in it. No one knew when it would return to its original state. Some timid people hugged each other and cried bitterly, while other desperate people cursed this endless and disturbing God.
This global torrential rain continued for a full twenty-eight days...
The floodwaters in Wanxi Village had already risen to the halfway point of the mountain behind... and were now less than a hundred meters from the military base's cafeteria...
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