Summer has arrived, and this summer is slightly warmer than the previous two years. At least it's above freezing.
Because Shen Yanming delivered grain to the base from time to time, the news eventually got out and reached several neighboring cities.
Several base chiefs from the surrounding area made a special trip to Haishi to complain to Wen Chaohui.
The Wenmeng official had no choice but to agree to their request: if they had any grain, he would give them half of it.
Although each cent wasn't much, none of the bases were willing to give up this extra income. When Chief Alliance Officer Li found out, he didn't say anything, only telling them not to cause conflict.
That day, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan were at home discussing whether to increase the amount of grain to be distributed next time when they heard a loud rumbling sound from the sky.
Shen Yanming looked up and saw a helicopter fly by. Knowing it came from the capital, he didn't think much of it and continued talking to his wife. But before he could finish speaking, the building began to shake violently. It was no longer the slight swaying it had been before; it felt as if it were about to collapse.
The couple quickly grabbed their coats from the sofa and their backpacks from the doorway and rushed outside. They were out of the building in no time. Both were worried about An'an and Nuan'nuan, so without discussing it, they ran towards the school.
Meanwhile, An'an and Nuannuan, who had jumped down from the window, were also a little frightened. This earthquake was not as perfunctory as before.
The security guards inside rushed out and called to them, "Run to the evacuation area immediately!"
The buildings are clustered together here; if one were to collapse, it would be a serious matter.
Especially after the first earthquake, it didn't stop at all; the entire ground was shaking violently, which looked extremely dangerous.
Others inside the building also ran out, causing a temporary stampede due to the crowded conditions. Fortunately, the well-trained security personnel quickly regained control and ensured an orderly evacuation.
Before they even reached the refuge area, they heard a "whoosh" and a gust of air shot into the sky, blowing away the nearby crowd. Several children landed on the ground, crying loudly and unable to get up.
Everyone was stunned. The children, who had never seen anything like it before, were so frightened they couldn't move.
Some of the guards woke them up and told them to keep running, while the rest picked up the children.
It was only then that everyone realized how hot the blast of air had been. The children's faces were scalded, and even though their arms and legs were covered by cotton clothes, they were still so burned that they couldn't move and it hurt at the slightest touch.
Logically, with such severe injuries, they should be treated as soon as possible. But there is neither time nor resources available; they must evacuate this dangerous place.
But no one expected that several accidents would occur along the way. Sometimes they were lucky and escaped unharmed, but more often than not, even the guards were injured.
"Ah!" A heart-wrenching sound rang out, and An'an turned around to find that it was her classmate Miao Ruzong.
He was hit in the left eye by something and injured it. He covered his left eye with his left hand, blood seeping through his fingers; it looked horrifying. One eye was injured, obstructing his vision. He was nearly knocked down by the children running towards him.
An'an usually had a fairly good relationship with him, and for a moment she felt a little reluctant. But the situation was critical, and he had to ensure his own safety, and even more importantly, that his sister was alright.
Nuannuan noticed his hesitation and tugged at his arm, saying, "Brother, if you want to go, then go."
Helping others is a good thing, but she was afraid that An'an would regret it later if she didn't do anything about it.
An'an glanced at her sister guiltily, nodded, and pulled her along against the flow of people for about ten meters. She then grabbed Miao Ruzong, who was standing there helplessly, and said, "Come on, follow my lead."
Despite being in excruciating pain, Miao Ruzong still smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you!"
Without a word, the three of them squeezed forward with the crowd. They also had to dodge the ever-present gusts of heat. An'an and Nuannuan were fine, but Miao Ruzong was struggling. The other two had to accommodate him.
They were finally approaching the refuge area when the heat rising from the ground became even more intense. An'an noticed some subtle movements coming from Miao Ruzong's side and pulled him away, but just then, Nuannuan was swept away by the crowd.
"Nuan Nuan!" An An cried out in fear.
"I'm fine, brother, be careful!" Nuannuan answered loudly, walking forward with the flow of people.
An'an wanted to catch up, but there were about twenty people between them.
Moreover, Miao Ruzong moves very slowly; he can't just abandon him to chase after Nuannuan. If he were a normal person, it wouldn't be a problem. But Miao Ruzong is injured; if he lets go now, the child will die.
Miao Ruzong nudged him: "Go quickly!"
An'an's eyes were sore and her throat felt a little tight. She shook her head and said, "It's okay, Nuan Nuan will take good care of herself."
He regretted it; he regretted not having blindly charged forward in the first place. If he hadn't turned back, would he have avoided this difficult choice?
"I'm sorry!" Miao Ruzong felt somewhat guilty, but to be honest, he wanted to live.
Nuannuan felt a little flustered as she was pushed to the front, but she forced herself to calm down after thinking about all the training she had received.
The unexpected happened suddenly; the hot air coming from both sides caused those in front to retreat while those behind to move forward. Caught in a pincer movement, Nuannuan was accidentally pushed out of the line.
This wouldn't have been a problem, but suddenly a burst of hot air came out from her right side, while there was a crowd on her left with nowhere to hide.
Nuannuan closed her eyes in pain, covering her face with her hands. Tears welled in her eyes as she braced herself for the steam. But unexpectedly, she was pulled into someone's arms. With a turn of her back, the person groaned, narrowly avoiding the gushing steam.
Nuan Nuan lowered her hand, opened her eyes, and found that it was actually her familiar brother Qi Lin. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he still managed a smile and asked her, "How are you? Are you hurt?"
Nuannuan shook her head, unable to hold back any longer, and burst into tears. Qi Lin sighed and hugged the little girl. He thought to himself that she was still young and inexperienced.
But the situation didn't give them much time to vent their emotions. Soon, Qi Lin patted Nuan Nuan's back and said, "Alright, we need to get out of here quickly. We can cry when we're safe."
Nuannuan nodded, wiped away her tears, and took Qilin's hand as they ran forward.
Qi Lin's back ached terribly, but he dared not stop. He thought to himself that even he, a grown man with special training, couldn't bear the scorching heat just now; how much pain would the little girl suffer if it had hit Nuannuan's face?
The two quickly ran to the refuge area. A considerable number of people had already gathered there, but because the area was large, each person had about a meter of space around them, giving them a chance to dodge to the left or right.
An'an ran over and saw his little sister being held by a big man from afar. His face darkened, but before he could get angry, he noticed that Nuannuan was crying.
"Sister?" He let go of Miao Ruzong and ran to Nuannuan's side, only to find that the person holding her was Qi Lin.
Qi Lin was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat. An An's anger vanished, and she asked with concern, "Brother Qi Lin, what's wrong?"
Qi Lin was in so much pain he could barely stand and couldn't speak. Nuan Nuan choked back tears and said, "He was injured by the heat while saving me."
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