The two fell silent for a moment. After a long while, they heard another rumbling sound, but it was not as loud as the previous one.
Seeing that Bi Qiaoan's face was pale, Shen Yanming took out a bottle of pure spiritual spring water from his space and gave it to her to drink a couple of sips to calm her down.
Bi Qiaoan didn't make a fuss; she really wasn't feeling well. Not only was she frightened by the earthquake, but she also felt a bit irritable thinking about her future life.
She prefers routine and dislikes change. Their previous life was simple and warm, but if their home really became uninhabitable, where would they move to? Would she be able to adapt quickly to a new environment?
Shen Yanming squeezed her hand and said, "Don't think so much. No matter what happens in the future, we can survive, and our lives will be better than everyone else's!"
Looking at the confident expression on the man's face beside her, Bi Qiaoan felt a sense of peace. Yes, they had the space; they were already ahead of many others. If they were both filled with fear, what would become of the rest?
Seeing that Bi Qiaoan's complexion had improved a lot, Shen Yanming, in order to divert her attention, told her about his experience of going to handle the procedures that day.
Listening to his vivid and engaging story, Bi Qiaoan found herself immersed in his emotions, sharing his joy, distress, frustration, and elation. When she heard him secretly helping someone from his workplace cut in line, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The silvery laughter dispelled the gloom in their hearts, and the atmosphere between Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan became lively again.
They were enjoying their sweet time in the car, unaware that the aftershock had nearly cost someone their life.
Some people thought that since Shen Yanming and his group could drive the car out, they could too, so they secretly slipped into the underground parking garage, avoiding anyone. And indeed, they did manage to drive the car out.
Then, in order to show off his abilities, the man exaggerated in various ways, saying that the broken items were fragile things like glass light tubes, and that the cracked walls were non-load-bearing walls, which looked scary but were actually not that dangerous.
He never considered the consequences of his words; he was simply carried away by others' praise.
Until a young man, following his advice, went inside to gather his belongings. Unable to avoid the aftershocks, he was struck by a collapsing wall, leaving him covered in blood. He managed to drag his broken right leg out of the building, only to hear the man still boasting.
Enraged, he pounced on the man from behind, his blood-stained hands gripping the man's neck. He then bit into the man's ear, slurring, "I'll teach you to lie! What do you mean it wasn't dangerous? I was about to die! If I hadn't listened to you, would my leg have been broken? In that case, you'd better pay me back with your ear!"
The onlookers were dumbfounded. What was going on? Hugging someone's neck and biting their ear—what grudge could they have?
It wasn't until everyone heard the man's mutterings that they understood what was going on. Those who had initially sympathized with him began to look down on him and were no longer as enthusiastic about breaking up the fight.
One of the leaders, seeing that the man was about to pass out and that his ear was bleeding profusely, quickly said, "Stop biting! Is your leg beyond repair? He has a car, have him drive you to the hospital right away, maybe your leg can still be saved!"
The young man thought about it and realized it made sense, so he let go of the man. But the man had never been wronged like this before, and he immediately started to fight with the young man.
"Hey, do you want to lose your ears? They're already split in two and you still have the mood to fight? You're all just bored!" The leader didn't expect the man to fight back and quickly stopped him.
Finally, both parties reached an agreement to go to the hospital to treat the wounds first, and discuss the rest later. However, because they didn't trust each other, they insisted on having the leader accompany them as a witness.
The leader was almost laughing in exasperation. Damn it, I shouldn't have said anything. You two went to the hospital to treat your wounds, not to negotiate. What kind of witness am I supposed to be? Witness how many stitches the doctor put in?
But since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to go. The surrounding onlookers were all egging him on.
Oh well, I'll just consider it a good deed and accompany them on this trip.
So, the leader became the driver, letting the two of them sit in the front passenger seat and the other in the back seat, and the three of them went to Haishi Hospital together.
Of course, neither Shen Yanming nor Bi Qiaoan knew about this incident; they lived far away and didn't want to get involved. More importantly, Shen Yanming was afraid that if anything happened to anyone, he would be stalked by them, which is why he had made it clear beforehand and tried to stay away as much as possible.
Time seemed to stretch on this day; although the sun was no longer scorching, the sky was still exceptionally bright.
The people sitting around in the square started to feel a bit lost. They had finished talking about everything they wanted to say, and they couldn't just sit there waiting for it to get dark.
Although it's safe here, I still have family members, and I don't know what their situation is.
I checked my phone again and again, but there was still no signal. Looks like I should go home first; otherwise, not knowing each other's situation will only cause us worry.
Having figured things out, the crowd greeted each other and dispersed, leaving the once bustling square deserted.
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan were getting a little bored sitting in the car for so long. Although they could spend the night anywhere, they always felt that the outside world was not home.
After discussing it, the two decided to go back to Qingyu Residential Area first. Even if their home was uninhabitable, they could still take refuge at Qingning Mountain.
So, Shen Yanming got out of the car, said something to Yu Shui and the others, and then drove away with Bi Qiaoan.
Yu Shui, Cui Xian, Li Yinhe, and Chen Qing, who had originally planned to wait and watch in the square, decided not to stay any longer after everyone else had left. Indeed, it was time to go home and visit their families.
On the way, due to ground subsidence or brick and stone blocking the road, Shen Yanming had to take several detours before the two of them finally made it back to Qingyu Community.
This was Bi Qiaoan's first experience with a major earthquake. Previously, because she had been in an open square, her feelings weren't as direct. But the ruins and rubble along the way were relentlessly assaulting her senses.
Throughout the journey, Bi Qiaoan kept thinking that even with high intelligence and advanced technology, humanity is still incredibly fragile in the face of nature. Therefore, never try to provoke it, or you'll really have to kneel down and call it "daddy"!
As soon as the two arrived at Qingyu Residential Area, they saw Chen Shunwei and a group of security guards standing at the entrance.
Shen Yanming got out of the car and asked, "How is it inside? What are you all doing here?"
"The building quality of our community is good, and the earthquake at noon did not cause much damage. But everyone is still worried and is staying on Qingning Mountain now."
The power's out, so the access control isn't working. We're staying here to keep watch, afraid other people might sneak in. It's not that we're worried about them taking advantage of resources, we're just concerned about safety.
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