The test results are very worrying. The catalyst content in most ores has dropped to a minimum, and in many cases, no catalyst components can be detected.
Apart from the crackling sound of burning firewood, no one spoke in the cave in the breeding area.
Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom at this moment, and they had no idea what to do next or how to go on living.
Xiao Shan's face trembled slightly as she gently tugged at Lu Yuan's arm.
“It seems that mining is still ongoing in the mining area. If they haven’t stopped operations, we can go and ask them. If their ore has also become unusable, then it means that ore may have become unusable worldwide.”
Han Wen nodded slightly and said softly, "That's right, this is the only thing we can do right now. I'll take some people to see if the ore has really become completely ineffective."
"Let's go take a look together, that way I'll feel more at ease."
The people in the cave looked at each other in bewilderment. They wanted to go too, but the temperature outside was too low, and they didn't have enough warm clothes, so they could only huddle in the cave and wait for news to come back.
After the group changed into heavy clothes, Lu Yuan found some ropes and tied them around everyone's waist, mainly to prevent them from being blown away by the strong winds along the way.
Lu Yuan didn't know exactly what level the wind outside was, but he felt that it was at least level ten. He used to live in Qingshui City, a coastal city, so he had some understanding of wind and rain.
Every autumn and winter, strong winds blow along the coast, and these subtropical monsoon climates often reach level eight or nine, or even more than level ten.
Generally speaking, winds of force 8 or 9 are enough to make people lose their footing. Even some elderly, weak, or petite people will be blown off their feet. Winds exceeding force 10 can blow some heavy objects into the sky.
After everyone put on their windproof masks, they immediately felt much less pressure on their faces. Sand and gravel flew everywhere, hitting the goggles with a "slap slap" sound. Lu Yuan felt a stinging pain in his face. Although he was protected by the goggles, he couldn't help but want to dodge whenever sand and gravel blew into his face.
"Everyone stay close and hold on to the rope. Don't get blown away!" Lu Yuan shouted loudly to the people behind him.
The crowd responded sparsely, but their voices were blown away by the wind before they could travel far.
So the group strode forward with all their might. The further they went, the stronger the wind became. Although it wasn't snowing, the wind was biting cold and howled through the valley. There wasn't a speck of dust on the ground, as if it had been swept by sanitation workers.
The sky was still dark. Although the seven moons in the sky were emitting a faint light to illuminate the earth, their brightness was not enough to make all areas look bright like the sun. Lu Yuan, wearing a headlamp, walked at the front, with Xiao Shan following closely behind.
In this raging winter, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom. They didn't know what the future held, and all they could do was try their best to find new energy sources to ensure their survival.
Along the way, the group fell countless times, and after walking for more than an hour, they had only covered less than two kilometers.
At this moment, they still need to walk about fifty kilometers to reach the mine. At this pace, it would take them one or two days to reach their destination.
Finally, they arrived at a sheltered pile of boulders. Lu Yuan tugged at the iron chain in his hand, and the people behind him knew that this was a sign to stop. So, everyone moved behind the boulders to block the cold wind. The wind was much weaker in front of the boulders, but the howling of the wind could still be heard nearby.
Gently removing his goggles, Lu Yuan felt a throbbing pain around his eyes. He scratched the sand and debris on his scalp and spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm covered in sand and ash.
"Damn, this wind is so strong. If we keep walking like this, I really don't know when we'll get there."
Everyone was exhausted and leaned against the boulder, taking out their thermos flasks to rinse their faces with water.
"Yeah, it would be even more dangerous to drive in this weather. We'd probably be blown away before we even got off the plane. Damn doomsday."
"Where are we now? How far are we from our destination?" Han Wen asked, taking off his hood.
Xiwen took out the locator from behind him, looked at it for a moment, and then a bitter look appeared on his face.
"Okay, if I told you we've only walked less than five kilometers, would you feel pressured?"
"What? I feel like I'm completely exhausted, and I've only walked five kilometers? No way, how much further is it?"
"It's about 50 kilometers away, and we still have to cross a rift valley. I don't know if the bridge that was built over the rift valley is still there. I reckon that broken bridge won't last much longer if the wind keeps blowing like this."
A bitter expression appeared on everyone's faces; they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After resting for about half an hour, Lu Yuan checked the iron chains around everyone's waists again.
"Let's set off as soon as possible; everyone is waiting for our news."
Everyone nodded, put on their gear, and continued on their way.
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