Chapter 190
Aunt Wang had just wiped the sweat from her forehead with her coarse cloth sleeve when she felt a sharp, needle-like pain on the back of her neck—
Looking up, a few murky raindrops fell from the dark gray clouds, hitting my bare wrist with a soft "sizzle," and my skin instantly blistered red, as if scalded by boiling water.
Her heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered that the people at Chen Yang's stronghold had said yesterday that "there will be acid rain today." However, she hadn't managed to snatch enough demon cores and hadn't been able to buy an acid-resistant protective suit from "Number One Shop Under Heaven." She could only wrap herself in two layers of tattered burlap sacks. She had hoped to find a piece of sheet metal in the ruins to keep out the rain before it got too heavy, but she was still a step too late.
"Ouch—it hurts! My hand!" The red blister burst quickly, and yellow pus flowed down her wrist. Aunt Wang squatted on the ground in pain and tried to wipe it with her uninjured hand, but as soon as she touched the wound, another piercing pain shot through her.
Several other unprotected refugees nearby panicked. Some covered their heads and hid behind the broken walls of the ruins, while others tore off their burlap sacks and covered their heads with them. But the acid rain fell more and more heavily, and the large raindrops hit the burlap sacks, quickly soaking the fabric. The acid seeped through the sacks and onto their skin, and screams of agony rose and fell.
"Don't wipe it with your hands! Acid rain will only make it worse!" A shout came from not far away. He was wearing a silver-gray acid-resistant protective suit, which he had bought yesterday from "Number One Store in the World" for one first-tier demon core. He was also carrying a spray bottle filled with acid-resistant manganese crystal coating, which he was spraying onto the protective net support next to him.
Aunt Wang tried to crawl over for help, but as soon as she moved, the acid rain hit her ankles, which weren't covered by the burlap sacks. Her skin instantly became red and swollen, and she staggered and fell to the ground. The pus from her ankle mixed with the rainwater and flowed into the mud. She was in so much pain that she rolled around and cried out "Help!" but her voice was drowned out by the screams of the people around her.
Amin watched this scene with a heavy heart, but he couldn't step forward—his acid-resistant clothing could only protect himself, and the coating in his spray bottle was only half full, which had to be reserved for the equipment at the outpost.
He could only shout to Aunt Wang, "Run to the dilapidated factory to the east! There's a makeshift rain shelter there that was put up before; it can keep you out of the rain!"
But Aunt Wang was in too much pain to move and could only watch helplessly as the acid rain poured down on her face. Her cheeks quickly ulcerated, revealing the raw flesh beneath. Her screams grew weaker and weaker until she finally collapsed in the mud, only her shoulders still trembling slightly.
On the other side of the ruins, in the courtyard of Chen Yang's stronghold, Akai was wearing an acid-resistant suit and using a brush to apply an acid-resistant coating to the tracking laser gun.
Acid rain hit the coating on the gun body, forming small water droplets that rolled down the smooth coating without leaving a trace.
He looked up at the ruins outside the courtyard, his brows furrowed: "This acid rain is even stronger than the system indicated. The pH value is definitely below 3.0. Look at the sheet metal outside; it's starting to emit white smoke."
Following his pointing finger, a pile of discarded sheet metal outside the yard was being corroded by acid rain. Pale green smoke rose from the surface of the sheet metal, carrying a pungent acidic smell. The originally smooth sheet metal quickly became pitted and uneven, as if it had been gnawed by rats.
Ah Jie, who was in charge of guarding the gate, was wearing acid-resistant boots. He kicked a rusty steel pipe next to him. The rust on the surface of the steel pipe peeled off quickly after encountering acid, revealing the metal inside. However, it was drenched in acid rain and turned black within seconds. With a "crack", it broke into two pieces with a gentle bend.
"Luckily, we bought five extra bottles of acid-resistant coating from the 'Number One Store in the World,' otherwise our protective netting wouldn't have lasted two hours."
Ah Jie pulled out his communicator from his pocket. New orders were still popping up on the screen of "Number One Store Under Heaven". "Look, individual customers in the west of the city are scrambling for acid-resistant emergency kits. The stock is almost gone. Someone said, 'I am the God of Wealth,' will you put another batch on the shelves?"
Akai didn't turn around, his brush still in his hand: "It'll definitely happen. Last time during the epidemic, 'God of Wealth' added more stock. Now she's definitely trying to figure something out. Let's take care of our equipment first and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Deep within the ruins, a young man in a tattered acid-resistant suit was helping his grandfather run towards a makeshift rain shelter.
The old man's acid-resistant clothing was exchanged by the young man for three first-tier demon cores. His own clothes had a hole in them, and acid rain had soaked his waist, causing his skin to turn red.
"Grandpa, hang in there a little longer, we'll be at the shed soon!" The young man gritted his teeth and pulled his grandfather's arm onto his shoulder, but the old man's legs had been soaked by the acid rain, and he walked with a limp, groaning in pain with every step.
The rain shelter was made of several manganese crystal supports and acid-resistant canvas. It was built with the help of Chen Yang's base when "Number One Store Under Heaven" held a mutual aid activity. There were already more than a dozen refugees crammed inside, most of whom had some protection. Most of those without protection were still struggling outside.
The young man helped his grandfather to a corner of the shed and quickly took out a small bottle of anti-acid repair fluid from his bag—it was bought from the "Number One Store in the World," where one first-tier demon core was only exchanged for 10ml. He poured out a little and carefully applied it to his grandfather's leg. The old man's groans subsided a bit after the wound came into contact with the repair fluid.
"Young man, do you still have any repair fluid? My granddaughter's hand got wet, could you lend me some?"
An older woman came over, holding a little girl of about five or six years old. The girl's hand was swollen so badly that the sleeve was soaked with pus.
The young man hesitated for a moment, but still poured some repair fluid for her: "Use it sparingly, this is all I have left. Once the rain subsides, I'll have to find a way to place an order with 'Number One Store Under Heaven'."
The woman thanked her repeatedly and applied the repair solution to the girl's hand with a cotton swab. The girl cried in pain but dared not move.
The acid rain fell harder and harder, and the canvas of the rain shelter was pounded by the rain with a "slapping" sound. The ruins outside the shelter were already shrouded in acid mist, and the visibility was less than ten meters.
Occasionally, refugees who couldn't hold on would run past the shed, their clothes tattered and their festering skin exposed, leaving trails of blood. Their screams would gradually weaken and eventually fall silent.
Looking at the scene outside the shed, the young man felt a chill in his heart. He took out his communicator and sent a message to Chen Yang: "We're almost out of repair fluid in the shed, and a few refugees without protective gear are about to collapse. Can 'Number One Shop Under Heaven' send some more urgently?"
Chen Yang's reply came quickly: "I have already placed an expedited order with 'Number One Store Under Heaven' for 10 bottles of repair fluid, 5 acid-resistant garments, and 8 first-tier demon cores. It should arrive within half an hour. You guys hold on and make sure the shed doesn't leak."
The young man breathed a sigh of relief and read the news to the people in the shed. A glimmer of hope appeared on everyone's faces. Someone whispered, "Luckily we have 'I am the God of Wealth,' otherwise we really wouldn't have survived this acid rain."
Inside the base, Akai had finished coating the last tracking laser gun. He walked to the monitor in the center of the courtyard and looked at the image of the ruins on the screen—
Acid rain is still corroding everything that isn't coated with an acid-resistant layer: the dead trees by the roadside are blackened by the rain, their branches break at the slightest touch, and they emit pale green smoke.
The abandoned car bodies were quickly riddled with small holes by the acid rain, and metal fragments fell off the car bodies; the water beast carcasses that had not been recovered in time had ulcerated skin, and the acid had made the carcasses swell and emit a foul stench.
"Kai! The order has arrived!" A-Jie ran in carrying a light blue package containing an expedited order of acid-resistant clothing and repair fluid from "Number One Store Under Heaven." "The system says that this batch of acid-resistant clothing is thicker and can withstand acid rain with a pH of 2.5, making it better than the previous ones!"
Ah Kai took the package, unpacked an acid-resistant garment, and touched it. The fabric was thicker than the previous one, and the surface had a faint silver sheen. "Quickly send it to the people in the shed, and keep two spares so anyone whose clothes are torn can have one."
The rain hadn't stopped, and the refugees in the shed, seeing the acid-resistant clothing and repair fluid that had been delivered, finally couldn't hold back their tears—
Some people quickly put on new clothes and threw their old clothes outside the shed. Others used repair fluid to change the dressings on their wounds. The screams gradually subsided, leaving only the "patter" of acid rain hitting the canvas.
Aunt Wang was also dragged into the shed. Repair fluid had been applied to her cheeks and wrists. Although she was still in pain, she was at least alive. Looking at the half-empty bottle of repair fluid in her hand, she muttered softly, "Thank you, 'God of Wealth,' thank you, 'God of Wealth'..."
Akai stood by the gate of the stronghold, watching the refugees in the shed gradually calm down. He glanced at the ruins shrouded in acid mist in the distance and knew in his heart: he didn't know how long the acid rain would last, and their acid-resistant supplies would only last for three days. They would have to place another order with "the best store in the world".
He took out his communicator, ready to order another batch of acid-resistant coatings, but a new system prompt popped up on the screen: [Acid rain intensity will continue to escalate, and the pH value is expected to drop to 2.0 within 24 hours. Please reinforce the protection as soon as possible to avoid exposure to the outside].
His heart sank, and he quickly sent a message to Chen Yang: "The acid rain is going to get stronger. We need to order another 10 bottles of acid-resistant coating and 5 emergency kits, otherwise our equipment and sheds won't be able to hold up."
In the distant ruins, the acid fog grew thicker, and occasionally the screams of refugees who hadn't had time to hide in the sheds could be heard. Akai gripped the communicator in his hand, hoping that "Number One Store Under Heaven" could put more acid-resistant supplies on the shelves as soon as possible.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com