She had been busy for half a month. These days, she didn't even bother to sign in at the bank. She used all the sign-in points on the shuttle gate. She did what she could. Next, she would do her best and leave the rest to fate.
The time came to July 28th.
Xu Manman was particularly anxious that day and felt a little uneasy while working.
The sky is clear and cloudless.
People are working hard in the fields, it's a peaceful and harmonious scene.
Little did they know that nine hundred kilometers away, a devastating disaster was brewing.
After work, I returned to the educated youth site, had a tasteless dinner, went back to the space to take a shower, counted the supplies in the space, and went back to the room to sleep.
At 2:30 in the morning, Xu Manman left the space.
Summer nights, usually filled only with the chirping of cicadas and the croaking of frogs, were now filled with a bit more noise: the barking of dogs in the village, adding to Xu Manman's restlessness.
Animals are the most sensitive to disasters. If places hundreds of kilometers away are so lively, I guess Tang City must be even more restless.
——
Tang City
The school playground, which should be empty at night, is now crowded with thousands of people.
The daughter-in-law holding the child tugged at the clothes of a young man next to her and said, "Master, it's already the middle of the night and the child is tired. How about... how about we go back first? You still have to go to work early tomorrow."
The young man was about to reply when a bearded old man behind him said, "You can't reply. The old immortals said that the great disaster will come between the hours of Chou and Yin. We won't be safe until at least after the hour of Yin."
"Maybe it's just a rumor, a prank?" a male voice in the crowd retorted.
"From June until now, the streets have been covered with flyers and posters, but not a single person has been found. Unless someone appears to be divine, who else could have accomplished such a feat overnight?" the bearded old man continued.
"You...you are promoting feudal superstition!"
"Humph! If you have the guts, don't believe me. Why are you still here feeding mosquitoes with us old people in the middle of the night?"
A gentle yet dignified female voice interrupted them. "Alright, stop arguing. This isn't superstition. The government issued an earthquake warning a few days ago. Didn't you notice rats running all over the streets during the day, and dogs barking non-stop?"
Hearing this, the crowd began to talk.
"yes."
"The dog in the yard next door is usually very quiet, but it has been barking non-stop since this morning."
The woman continued, "Everyone, just hold on for a while. Everything will be fine once we get through tonight." She now hoped that this was just a prank.
Similar conversations took place in many places in Tang City.
More than an hour later, when the crowd began to get restless again, the ground shook violently.
Feeling dizzy, Xu Manman opened her eyes and it came!
When everything settled down, she became much calmer.
After returning to the space to confirm that no supplies were left behind, Xu Manman arrived at Tang City Airport through the shuttle gate.
The airport is an open area, and she had checked the information and found that it would be used as a disaster relief command center.
The few buildings around collapsed in the earthquake. In just 23 seconds, the entire city was reduced to ruins. Human power is really insignificant in the face of natural disasters.
After calming down, Xu Manman took out all the food and compressed biscuits that she had stored in the past two years. Based on the calculation of one kilogram per person per day, these were enough to feed 1.7 million people for about 20 days.
She also took tens of thousands of tons of 1-jin water bags, which she tried to make using a machine. The only raw materials used were water and plastic cloth for packaging. She didn't expect that she could actually make it.
After the earthquake, there was heavy rain. In the hot summer, high temperatures easily breed bacteria, and even raw water cannot be drunk. But under the current conditions, it is impossible to make a fire to cook, let alone boil water. These water bags can solve the problem temporarily.
Xu Manman took out the batch of cotton cloth and gauze that she had signed in with. They could not be used to make clothes now, but they could still be used for bandaging and keeping warm at night.
With so many things put out, several small hills instantly appeared on the empty apron.
Xu Manman placed large pieces of paper around the room explaining the purpose of this batch of supplies. After making sure that nothing was left out, Xu Manman returned to the space and went through the shuttle gate to the familiar public security compound.
Because Beijing is closer, the tremors were felt more strongly. People who reacted were afraid to stay in their houses and took refuge in open areas outside.
The yard of the Public Security Bureau was also densely packed with human-shaped icons. Xu Manman called herself stupid. Beijing was so close, of course it would be affected.
The earthquake shelters in the Beijing slums seen in the novel were built during this period. How could she have forgotten about them?
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