After two days and two nights of hard work, the rescue mission has finally come to an end.
According to statistics, two people died at the Haishi base, seventy-six people were seriously injured, and the rest suffered minor injuries.
Compared to previous disasters, the casualty rate is much lower. It's just that losing your house leaves you feeling empty, as if life is bleak and the future is hopeless.
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan leaned against each other, much calmer than most people who were pessimistic and desperate. Even though the wind was biting outside, and they were surrounded by a tent and a stove, they still felt a sharp pain in their bones.
Bi Qiaoan even wondered if freezing like this would affect the fertility of these young men and women. She secretly told Shen Yanming about it, but her husband just smiled and didn't answer.
Bi Qiao thought to herself, "It should be alright, right? After all, the Kingdom of Sos, north of Qinghua, had winters that were minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius before the apocalypse. They've been frozen for so many years and haven't had any fertility problems. They've only been here for a few days; they shouldn't be that fragile."
The Wen Alliance official didn't keep everyone waiting long; news soon came that the guards were preparing to lead everyone outside the base to dig caves and dugouts. These were the quickest and easiest solutions to the immediate problem.
The people weren't particularly excited after hearing this. The problem wasn't just housing, but also how to make a living.
To restore everyone's confidence, Wen Chaohui invited the base's technicians over. Although the earthquake had once again destroyed technological civilization, after emergency repairs, the television sets that weren't damaged were still able to connect to satellite signals. Wen Chaohui gathered everyone together to watch the news from the capital.
Standing in front of the camera, General Lee solemnly explained the cause of the earthquake: a large-scale volcanic eruption.
These natural disasters are beyond human control, so they can only accept them. Fortunately, most volcanoes are located in sparsely populated areas, so they haven't caused many casualties.
However, due to previous earthquakes, tsunamis, and thermal eruptions, many places have formed new volcanoes, and the molten lava has completely erased any trace of human existence.
"Fellow survivors, please do not panic. Although disaster has struck, we have a space ability user to protect us. As long as he is here, we will not lack food, and as long as he is here, we can preserve the flame of humanity."
After General Li finished speaking, he instructed Li Sa to turn the camera towards the upgraded space. An endless expanse of plains stretched out before them, dotted with mountains and water.
If it weren't for General Li explaining that this was a space, one might have mistaken it for a scenic area before the apocalypse.
"Don't worry, as long as the alliance exists, we will not abandon you. If we work together, we will eventually usher in a new world."
Seeing the heavy load of grain, everyone suddenly felt a surge of hope. After the live broadcast ended, they excitedly followed the guard team out to dig tunnels.
Little did they know that Li Sikai in the capital was lying weakly in a hospital bed, unable even to sit in a wheelchair.
As soon as Li Zongmengguan left the space, he began to sigh. Most of Qinghua Kingdom's granaries were nearly empty, and their only food source was here. But Li Sikai's health was precarious; it was uncertain how much longer he could hold on.
"Uncle, don't worry, there's always a way out," Li Sikai said, extending his pale right hand to grasp the left hand of General Li.
General Li, whose temples were all white, nodded: "Yes, it will be alright."
The atmosphere between the two was somewhat heavy. Just then, a rapid knock on the door broke the silence between the uncle and nephew.
Qiu Man went to open the door, only to see Jiang Ji push him aside and squeeze in. She hugged General Li and exclaimed, "My dear, we've discovered something! A major discovery!"
Three black lines appeared on Li Zongmengguan's forehead as he pushed Jiang Ji away with disdain: "What are you doing, hugging and cuddling like that? It's not dignified at all!"
Jiang Ji didn't mind at all, and laughed like a bright old chrysanthemum: "Hehehe, if you knew I had made a discovery, you would definitely be more excited than me."
"What is it? Tell me!" Chief Li asked, raising an eyebrow as he gestured for him to sit down.
"Guess!" Jiang Ji kept them in suspense.
A thought struck Li Zongmeng, and he tentatively asked, "Has there been a breakthrough in space folding technology?"
"Yes, yes!" Jiang Ji couldn't contain his excitement and, without much pretense, began to show off: "Let me tell you, that black stone you gave me is actually a legendary space stone. Melt it into existing materials, and then..."
Jiang Ji rambled on and on, but in summary, the black boulder brought about a major breakthrough in his research.
None of the people present understood the technical jargon Jiang Ji used. After he finished speaking, General Li asked directly, "Have you developed a spatial storage device?"
"Ah, not yet!" Jiang Ji's smile froze, and he shook his head, saying, "How can it be so fast! I came here this time to tell you that the research has made a breakthrough, and maybe in three to five years, we will have results."
The disappointment on General Li's face was impossible to hide. He glanced at Jiang Ji with disdain, as if to say, "How can you be so useless!"
Jiang Ji felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest. He thought to himself, "I've already researched this to the very last step, how could I still be disliked? Shouldn't they be treating me like royalty?"
Li Zongmengguan had no idea what he was thinking. If he had known, he would have said, "I'm afraid that if I give you a friendly look, you'll become arrogant!"
"Alright, I understand. Get back to the lab and try to produce results within a year," Li Zongmengguan said nonchalantly.
"A year?" Jiang Ji looked at General Li in disbelief: "Are you kidding me? Let alone a year, even if it takes two or three years to research it, it will be recorded in history and go down in history! You actually want me to develop it in a year? That's too much of a bully! Li Cheng, I'm warning you, don't be greedy, greed will bring you lightning!"
Jiang Ji became bolder because of his scientific research achievements, and even dared to call General Li by his full name.
Li Zongmeng glared at him, gritting his teeth, and said, "Don't you even think about how much manpower and resources the alliance invests in the lab every year? That amount of resources is more than enough to support a base. But your team only has a dozen or so people. Let me give you a piece of advice: don't be greedy, or you'll be struck by lightning!"
Jiang Ji was taken aback, awkwardly touched his nose, and laughed.
"Well, that's how scientific research is. It requires a lot of resources, but it also wastes a lot. If we researchers don't eat and drink well, our bodies won't be able to keep up, and who will be able to conduct research day and night? Don't you think so?"
"General Manager Li, there is no output without investment. Our team's research results are absolutely worthy of your efforts!" Jiang Ji smiled smugly and winked at General Manager Li.
The years of seclusion in the research lab had long since turned the handsome engineer into a balding middle-aged man. That greasy wink sent a chill down Li Zongmeng's spine. He shuddered and said, "Like I said, produce results as soon as possible."
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