Chapter 316: Looking at a National Treasure
Xia Lili suppressed her emotions and immediately turned to the recorder, her voice clear and quick:
"Please record the highly dangerous goods alert!"
"The first location is the east side of the former Lincheng Chemical Plant. Inside, there are a large number of broken gray pipes and blue-marked tanks. There is a half-destroyed red truck at the entrance."
"The second location is the underground warehouse of Baining Supermarket. There is a faded sign at the entrance saying 'Hazardous Chemicals Prohibited', and white barrels can be seen stacked inside."
The recorder quickly entered the description and compared it with the command center's map system.
A few minutes later, a confirmation came from the communicator:
[The eastern area of the chemical plant has been marked and confirmed as a high-risk area for gas pipelines! ]
[Yuanbao Supermarket's underground warehouse has been confirmed to contain discarded chemical preparations, and relevant departments have been notified for urgent handling!]
Another urgent order was issued.
…
As the night deepened, the sky darkened completely.
Xia Lili worked around all day, identifying 15 team members who might encounter accidents in the future, and helped mark more than 20 high-risk locations.
The entire Lincheng has entered an unprecedented state of alert.
Most citizens evacuated to emergency shelters in an orderly manner. The streets were empty, with only emergency vehicles whizzing by and staff and volunteers who continued to patrol.
They held loudspeakers and shouted over and over again, checking from house to house to see if there were any residents who had not been notified.
Time passed by minute by minute, and depression and tension permeated the air like substance.
Until 11:09 pm.
The emergency command center was completely silent.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the countdown on the screen, and every second seemed to be stretched infinitely.
11:10.
The earth suddenly made a low and terrifying roar, as if a sleeping ancient beast was awakening under its feet.
Immediately afterwards, the entire ground began to twist violently up and down, left and right, and Xia Lili could hardly stand.
There was a loud noise of a building breaking in the distance, glass shattered, houses collapsed one after another like building blocks, and the raised dust instantly filled the night sky.
The shrill alarms, people's screams, and the sound of structural collapse intertwined together, forming a most primitive and heart-pounding terror!
The earthquake actually only lasted about half a minute, but in this half minute, Xia Lili felt that it was longer than a century.
She looked around and saw fear written on everyone's face.
Someone was clutching the edge of the table with both hands, his knuckles turning white.
Someone's eyes widened and his lips trembled silently.
Some people unconsciously put their hands on their chests, as if this could calm down the heart that was about to jump out.
When the last tremors of the ground finally stopped, the command center fell into dead silence.
Xia Lili also had an urge to vomit.
The disaster has really come.
When the last tremors on the ground gradually subsided, the command center, after a brief silence, suddenly erupted into a tense and orderly bustle.
The sound of ringing telephones, radio calls, and urgent instructions were intertwined, and everyone immediately devoted themselves to the work of confirming the safety of people in various shelters.
Citizens in all emergency shelters are required to stay where they are and are strictly prohibited from moving around.
A magnitude 7 main earthquake is often followed by thousands of aftershocks. Any rash action at this moment may bring unpredictable dangers.
Especially within 72 hours after the earthquake, the frequency of aftershocks is high and the intensity is uncertain, which poses a huge risk!
Returning to the house without permission may not only lead to direct threats such as secondary collapse and falling objects, but may also leave you isolated and helpless due to damaged roads and broken infrastructure.
Aftershock activity is likely to continue for several weeks or even more than a month, and whether citizens can return to their homes will have to wait for professional structural appraisal agencies to comprehensively assess the safety of the buildings before a decision can be made.
The damage and impact caused by the earthquake, which lasted only a few tens of seconds, were profound and long-lasting.
The large screen in the command center continuously refreshed reports from various shelters: "People at the Anxin Primary School shelter are safe," "The Sports Center is safe," "Lincheng Square is in urgent need of drinking water and medicine"...
It has just begun.
Late at night, the emergency command center is still brightly lit.
The person in charge could hardly contain his excitement as he announced to everyone in an excited tone, "Because we made thorough preparations before the disaster, every emergency shelter is now fully stocked with supplies, fully capable of guaranteeing basic food, clothing, and rest for all residents!"
When Xia Lili heard the news, she finally breathed a sigh of relief!
The nerves that had been tense all day were also comforted at this moment.
Her efforts were not in vain. At least everyone in this city no longer has to suffer from hunger and cold at night!
She was then led by staff to a temporary rest area.
Although simple, it is fully equipped with facilities and even has a smart sleeping cabin that can isolate noise.
After consuming a lot of energy, Xia Lili took a comfortable hot bath to wash away her fatigue and dust, and then lay down in the sleeping cabin.
The next morning, Xia Lili walked out of the rest area with her toiletries and soon noticed that the looks from all around her were a little strange.
Everyone seemed to be looking at some rare national treasure, their eyes filled with surprise, admiration, and even a bit of disbelief.
She walked to the dining area in a daze. Just as she was served a bowl of steaming hot braised beef noodles, Commander Zhang strode over and excitedly shook her hand:
"Miss Xia! As of this morning, all emergency shelters have reported zero deaths!"
“It’s a miracle!”
Before he finished speaking, the entire dining area erupted in applause. The staff and volunteers who were eating stood up and gave her looks of sincere approval.
Xia Lili quickly put down her chopsticks and responded sincerely, "Thank you, everyone, but this isn't just my achievement. It's a miracle created by everyone who gave early warning, worked through the night, and stayed at their posts!"
After Xia Lili finished her breakfast, she was thinking about how she could help further when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps.
A staff member came running over with a tablet:
"Commander Zhang, the drone just sent back footage."
"Six suspicious individuals were spotted wandering around Chenyun Street, all wearing black hoods!"
The person next to Xia Lili couldn't help but say, "Chenyun Street is a very prosperous shopping area in Lincheng. There are jewelry stores, electronics stores, and even their warehouses are here!"
"I wonder if this group of people will take advantage of the fact that there are no one guarding these shops and attack them!"
Xia Lili's heart sank when she heard this.
After every major disaster, there are always people who take advantage of the situation and take risks!
Commander Zhang was anxious and angry, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "These people really value money over their lives! The emergency shelter has repeatedly emphasized that you can't run around after the earthquake because there will be aftershocks! But they're just heading straight for the dangerous places!"
The staff stared intently at the hooded figures on the screen and urgently asked, "Commander Zhang, what should we do now? Should we use drones to shout and drive them away, or send in people to arrest them directly?"
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