"Mom, why are we here? What happened outside?"
The woman held the child, gently ruffled his hair, and spoke softly:
"It's nothing, just some...sudden natural disasters outside."
She silently swallowed the saliva that had formed from nervousness, smiled, and spoke to her child with feigned ease:
"Do you remember what Mom told you about natural disasters? This is a natural disaster."
Yes, this is a natural disaster.
"Mom! Are natural disasters really that bad?"
"...It's very powerful and can harm people, which is why we need to hide here together."
The child in the woman's arms suddenly became alert. Children of this age do not have a real concept of danger and disaster.
Now, being crammed into a crowded underground shelter with my mother is no different from squeezing into a crowd to watch fireworks during New Year's Eve.
To him, the current "refuge" sounds much like the game of "hide-and-seek" that children play together.
He felt no fear, only a sense of novelty towards new things.
Thinking about this, the child became excited and curiously asked:
"At school, our teacher told us that natural disasters include earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions... Mom! Has a volcano erupted here?"
In his early life, this word was very far removed from his world; he only saw it in picture books.
"Is a volcanic eruption very powerful?"
Children speak without restraint, but listeners take it to heart.
Hearing the child's unintentional question, the woman paused for a moment, then gently patted the child's head again.
"Mom doesn't know what's happening outside, but Mom knows one thing: it's not a good thing."
"Firefighters, police officers, doctors... so many people are in danger, and this is not something to be happy about."
Although a child doesn't need to know too much, he does need to understand that someone is making sacrifices for him.
Blinking, the child's excitement gradually subsided. He instinctively felt uneasy, secretly glancing up at his mother's expression, and tentatively asked:
"Oh... Will they be alright? I saw on TV that they'll all come back healthy and well."
After a moment's hesitation, the woman smiled and nodded, saying:
"Yes, it will, it definitely will."
"They will definitely return safely."
By holding the child tightly, the woman warmed the child's body and also drew strength from that tiny frame to persevere.
"Mom, will I still be able to go to school and play with other kids after this?"
"Oh? Do you want to go to school?"
"...I don't really like it that much, but I want to play with my friends."
"Hehe, yes, it will, it definitely will."
...
...
This is an emergency shelter.
Similar conversations between this mother and son continue to unfold in various places.
Some forced a smile and endured it, while others broke down and cried, but the latter were significantly fewer in number.
Perhaps because it just happened, some people are still in a state of panic and haven't yet realized the fear.
Or perhaps it's because the environment in the shelter was unexpectedly good.
Contrary to most people's imagination of a dark bunker, the shelters prepared by the Watchers are more than most people can imagine.
Entering the emergency shelter felt like entering a completely new world. It didn't feel like going underground at all; rather, it felt like passing through a special door to another world.
A massive underground city!
There was a huge lighting fixture overhead that provided ample light, and the air in the city was fresh, without a trace of dampness or gloom.
And most importantly, the space is large enough that even if the whole city walked in, it would not cause crowding.
If they had the time or inclination to think about it, they might wonder why there's such a large space underneath, but most people don't have that kind of time or inclination.
Without any warning or preparation, everyone received an emergency notification, long sirens blared on the city streets, and then they were forcibly brought here.
No matter what you are doing, whether you like it or not, you will all be forcibly taken away.
The total time taken was six hours and thirty-seven minutes.
By this point, over 95% of the residents had been taken to shelters.
At first, many people were worried that this was some new kind of conspiracy, and that their personal freedom would be restricted. Some even wanted to resist, but in the end, they all obediently chose to comply.
only……
"This is definitely not a long-term solution."
After seeing the last elderly person with mobility issues being led into the shelter, the Watcher guarding the entrance suddenly spoke to his companion:
"They can tolerate it for now, but problems will definitely arise in the long run."
Like that old man from earlier, he couldn't understand what was happening outside and stubbornly wanted to stay in his little vegetable garden, but he was forcibly brought in.
When he wakes up, he will definitely still complain, and may even do something extreme.
His companion responded as follows:
There's nothing we can do about it.
"You've seen the notice, so you understand the current situation."
The young watchman pursed his lips and nodded silently.
If it weren't for that document, he would have found it hard to believe that the situation had become so dire.
It's not just that ordinary people can't accept it; even he would find it difficult to calm his emotions.
"Since you know this, you should understand that this is currently the best solution that can be achieved."
"The supernatural beings have begun a full-scale invasion. If ordinary people are not protected in a concentrated manner, the casualties among ordinary people during this invasion will be an astronomical number that no one can accept."
The older Watchers have shed their youthful naiveté, are no longer impulsive in their actions, and do not view issues as extreme as they once did.
"This is not imprisonment, but protection."
"As for some dark conspiracy theorists, they will definitely always exist, and there's no way to prevent them."
He spoke calmly, offering words of advice to the young people who were destined to shoulder the responsibilities he would bear in the future:
"You need to remember one thing."
"Everything we do is not to protect those who don't know what's good for them, but for the majority of innocent people who are willing to believe in us."
"In addition, although the current conditions are not good and they may have some negative emotions, at least their lives are safe and secure, and that... is enough."
"Let's be patient during this special period."
A faint unease lingered in the depths of the older watcher's eyes, yet his words remained resolute.
He said:
"After all, living is the most important thing."
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