(This chapter focuses more on human characters; you may choose to read it if you wish.)
The daytime high temperature has already exceeded 70°C!
Let alone ordinary animals, even these spiritual beasts felt the unbearable heat of the scorching sun. If they hadn't been able to use their spiritual power to dispel the heat, they might have suffered from heatstroke.
As Lin Qian had feared, the daytime situation was indeed getting worse under the high temperatures.
Spirit beasts like Lin Qian are alright; aside from the heat, they won't face any life-threatening dangers. However, among the migrating caravans that are already ahead, the heatstroke situation among ordinary animals is becoming increasingly severe.
In the past two days, it has been difficult for carnivores to actively hunt in the herd, because as long as you follow behind the herd, you can easily "pick up the scraps".
More and more animals are collapsing from heatstroke, dehydration, and exhaustion, to the point that predators can obtain enough food to fill their stomachs without having to actively hunt them.
The hot temperatures also make it difficult for animals to maintain their original activities, and the predators' hunting performance is declining, but this does not affect anything, because all animals are in this state.
Everyone kept their heads down and pressed on, putting almost all their energy into getting there. Their dehydrated eyes were filled with hope for the arrival of water.
The migrating caravan that Lin Qian and his group have now grown quite large, with an increasing number of animals, but this has not brought them better living conditions because they are entering an area lacking water.
This area is where the north and south meet, and there should be no shortage of river water. However, since the herd of beasts entered this area, they have not encountered a single water source.
Therefore, the surface topography of this area was completely changed in the earthquake. Several major rivers were buried and cut off, losing their water source. The lakes and streams had long since dried up, and naturally, there was no trace of water on the surface anymore.
Everywhere there were withered plants, and even the trees were scorched.
These plants are not the same ones from the time of the heavy rains. Migratory groups have passed through these places at different times, but they all tacitly head south. Along the way, the once thriving, sun-loving, and heat-resistant vegetation has long since disappeared.
Lin Qian had also considered this possibility, so he made preparations by stockpiling dried meat and water for unforeseen circumstances, since the chances of this happening were very high given the drastic changes to the surface.
But apart from Lin Qian, who had foresight, other animals simply couldn't have such awareness; they could only persevere and keep moving forward until the very last moment of their lives.
If they are lucky, they may see the light before they fall, but the reality is that once they fall, their life is cut short in the blink of an eye, leaving them to be devoured by the swarming herd.
——
Liangcheng, military headquarters.
"Major General, the water supply in the city has dropped another degree. The monitoring department has made a prediction that it's about to run out of water." The officer in charge of the city's water supply management was sweating profusely, looking tense and exhausted.
He has focused all his efforts on water resources since the weather changed, but he still hasn't been able to maintain the situation.
Everyone here knows perfectly well how important water scarcity is for a city that is recovering and facing hot temperatures!
The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became heavy.
"There's still no progress in developing the underground water resources?" the man at the head of the table asked in a deep voice, but his heart sank.
Liangcheng may seem united now, but undercurrents are surging beneath the surface. Now, with the added threat of natural disaster, Wang Shaocheng's worries have become unbearable.
However, as the main person in charge of Liangcheng, he could not show the slightest panic. He could only force himself to maintain control of the overall situation and do his best to stabilize the situation.
"The earthquake has changed too much of the geographical environment. We have surveyed all the areas according to the previous map. Liangcheng is very likely no longer submerged..." the officer replied in a deep voice, his tone tinged with helplessness.
Liangcheng used to have an underground water source, from which most of the city's water came.
The military initially planned to excavate underground water sources for use, but unfortunately, they have not been able to detect any so far. This is not only due to changes in the terrain, but also to a lack of detection equipment.
Although some mechanical equipment has been improved and is now usable, none of these testing devices have been restored.
"What is the current situation of the water source?" Wang Shaocheng's brow twitched, and his heart sank even further.
The other officers tensed up; water was the lifeblood of Liangcheng!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the person in charge was under immense pressure. "The reservoir still has half of its water source, but the three rivers upstream have dried up, and the Liang River outside the city is almost dry as well."
The source of water for a reservoir is its river. Although the earthquake was terrible, the power station reservoir in Liangcheng was fortunate not to collapse. Otherwise, a flood discharge from the reservoir could have caused secondary damage to Liangcheng at that time.
The collapse and destruction of a city is not just a disaster caused by the collapse of skyscrapers; huge facilities such as hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs can also bring terrible crises.
When a major earthquake occurs, many cities face multiple disasters, and many are destroyed by these disasters.
It is incredibly fortunate that Liangcheng survived and was able to rebuild.
Although there were some collapses and cracks above, the military headquarters was able to repair it in time after the disaster and it was still usable, which is why the military headquarters still had a water source available after the disaster.
Lianghe is a river in the suburbs of Liangcheng, and the survivors after the disaster have been using the water from Lianghe.
But now, both water sources are about to dry up!
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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