The Lantern Festival passed quickly, and the temperature dropped several degrees every day. Although it hadn't snowed outside, the cold air from the glacier caused the temperature on the entire island to plummet to below minus ten degrees Celsius.
Moreover, it seemed as if a new storm was approaching; the wind every day felt like a bone-scraping knife scraping against one's face, as if it wanted to tear off a layer of flesh.
On the island, there was a peaceful place surrounded by mountains, with rugged terrain and vast wilderness and rift valleys nearby. No one could reach that place.
If someone were to come here, they would discover that there is actually a huge three-story fortress building here.
Several researchers in white coats were comparing various reports.
"Hey, you guys go check on the brown bear, how's it going?"
Several researchers immediately nodded and walked off in the distance with their notebooks.
This place was actually an animal research institute before the apocalypse, mainly serving some pharmaceutical companies.
This place houses thousands of animal species and tens of thousands of insect species. The research institute was established to study these animals and contains a large amount of medicine, equipment, and food, enough to feed them for more than ten years.
However, with the arrival of animals, the consumption of food began to increase. In the year following the apocalypse, a huge change occurred outside, and the research institute was completely abandoned by its investors. The researchers had nowhere to go and could only huddle here, spending their days guarding the animals.
This place encompasses almost everything from endangered large mammals to the most common insects. Although it represents only a small fraction of the entire biological world, the variety of animals and insects in this research institute is among the world's best.
In the narrow corridor of the research institute, several people in charge began their daily routine checks, mainly observing the animals' living conditions and physiological indicators after medication.
However, when they opened one of the cage doors, they found it empty, and the steel plate in the back wall had been removed at some point, with several screws scattered on the ground.
"Oh no, the brown bear has escaped! Quickly notify everyone!"
Several people in charge quickly pressed the emergency alarm.
Red lights flashed in the corridor, and everyone began to get busy. Urgent announcements started coming from the loudspeaker.
"Attention all researchers! The brown bear in enclosure A, number 72, has broken out of its cage and escaped. All researchers are advised to be vigilant. If it is spotted, please report to headquarters immediately. Under no circumstances should you attempt to harm it. Other personnel in charge should also immediately check on the animal's condition at their respective work stations..."
The broadcast continued to play, and everyone became alert. Some locked themselves in their rooms and refused to come out, while others grabbed their weapons and searched for the brown bear.
Suddenly, a violent tremor struck the island, and everyone panicked, scrambling for cover. They assumed it was another earthquake.
The ground trembled continuously, but it didn't feel like an earthquake. It was as if the entire island had been violently slammed into something else.
With a slight tremor, several floor tiles suddenly burst open, revealing grooves that quickly spread across the laboratory floor.
"Oh no! There's an earthquake! Everyone, run for your lives!"
Someone shouted, and suddenly, the entire research room was in chaos. Forgetting about the animals they were studying, driven by the instinct to save their lives, they began to flee out of the camp.
However, they hadn't left the research institute in the constant temperature room for too long. When they left the institute, they suddenly felt a biting cold wind. Before they could even react, their faces were covered in frost.
The cracks in the ground grew larger and larger. The cages holding the animals in the research room broke down one after another because they could not withstand the pressure. The screams of various animals rang out continuously. Many animals had begun to escape in all directions. There were many animal tracks in the corridors, on the stairs, and even in some elevators.
With a deafening crash, the entire ceiling panel collapsed from the roof, shattering the massive control panel. Many researchers who hadn't managed to escape were immediately crushed beneath the massive ceiling panel and died.
Once the animals were freed from their cages, they immediately ran out in all directions. However, the cold outside was so intense that many animals were frozen solid before they could even leave the laboratory.
...
Lu Yuan and his family hid in the room.
Lu Yuan shouted loudly, "Don't panic. This is probably just a small earthquake caused by a glacier hitting the ground. It won't have a big impact."
After hearing Lu Yuan's words, the family members were relieved. Xiao Shan also immediately calmed down, breathed a sigh of relief, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp.
Do you think this glacier might break our combined islands apart again?
Lu Yuan shook his head: "That's hard to say. Who knows how big the glacier is? I only saw a corner of it at the time."
"Sigh, I hope there won't be any more earthquakes. I've had enough of the suffering caused by earthquakes and I never want to wander around again."
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