Chapter 322: Chapter 322
This lightning flash wasn’t as bright as the previous one, but the crucial difference was its proximity—it was incredibly close, as if striking right before their eyes.
Without a second thought, Jing Shu shouted, "Dad, reverse! Step on the gas and back up, hurry! As fast as you can!"
Mr. Jing didn’t question his daughter. He had just been thinking about accelerating forward, but instead, he unhesitatingly shifted gears, floored the accelerator, and reversed straight back at over 40 miles per hour!
The rumbling that followed was right by their ears, confirming Jing Shu’s guess.
The situation was urgent. The RV was too large and the road too narrow to turn around easily—a maneuver that would have wasted at least half a minute—so Jing Shu had immediately yelled for her dad to reverse. Fortunately, the road they were on hadn’t been damaged by the quake and had no bends. For origınal chapters go to 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩
When the rumbling stopped, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.
"Dad, stop the car! Pull the handbrake!" Jing Shu breathed a sigh of relief. They were lucky to have escaped the epicenter; otherwise, the entire vehicle might have sunk. The magnitude of the quake there would certainly have flipped the RV over.
In her previous life, they had been at the back of the line, and when the rear mountain could no longer accommodate more people, they were allocated to the nearby Xuanwu Lake Park. It was a place that stank like a sewer and a garbage dump, with extremely poor living conditions. I never want to go back to that vile place; the memory alone makes me want to vomit, Jing Shu thought. Back then, she had even envied those assigned to the rear mountain, as it was closer to home.
Just then, the entire RV began to shake violently. Jing Shu swiftly activated the memory metal supports she had bought from Qian Duoduo, deploying them via the central control panel.
Multiple supports, each with several sets of wheels, instantaneously shot out from the sides of the massive RV, hovering at a 45-degree angle in mid-air. It was a stunning spectacle, though sadly, no one was around to witness it.
During the severe earthquake, the RV swayed from side to side, shaking more and more violently, as if it might tip over at any moment. When it tilted, the wheels of the suspended supports would touch the ground, emitting a metallic scraping sound. The memory metal’s properties would then help push the vehicle back, counteracting the tilt.
Of course, these supports couldn’t bear the full weight of the RV, which was over ten tons. Instead, they served as stabilizing points, helping to distribute the load and acting as a safety measure. The RV had its own anti-tilt system, but it couldn’t withstand such fierce, repetitive shaking. The experience was as jarring as being on a pirate ship ride, with occupants thrown from side to side.
The inspiration for these supports came from children’s bicycles, specifically the training wheels often attached to either side of the rear wheel. These allow the bicycle to stand upright stably without needing to be balanced.
Mrs. Jing’s terrified screams filled the RV, along with loud CRASHES and BANGS, and the thud of luggage falling from overhead compartments. However, because Jing Shu had made preparations, the losses weren’t too severe.
"Grandma, lie down on the bed and hold onto the door handles! Mom, stop worrying about the food; we can pick it up later. Just lie down quickly so you don’t get hurt!" Jing Shu instructed.
"Alright, alright, I’m lying down! It’s such a shame about the sesame soybean meat paste your grandma just made," Mrs. Jing lamented.
Jing Shu scanned the RV, continuing to assess the damage.
Thankfully, the German MAN RV’s kitchen system was originally fitted with a shatter-proof, sterilizing cupboard for the kitchenware. This protected their limited supply of dishes once again. These bowls and plates are irreplaceable. I hope I’ll still have bowls to eat from in ten years, Jing Shu thought.
As for the electronics, Jing Shu had embedded them in fixed slots. The RV’s original tables and chairs were also securely fastened. Consequently, despite the severe shaking, few items were damaged beyond repair; most things that fell to the floor were still usable. Jing Shu had made all possible preparations in advance.
Her main worry was the fish tank on the RV’s second floor. Chu Zhuohua had converted it from the original German MAN washbasin. Can it withstand an earthquake of this magnitude? Water might spill everywhere, or if the tank breaks, it’ll be hard to keep fish, she fretted.
Then there were the chickens and ducks. Will they be thrown onto my bed by the jolting? And then, out of sheer fright, defecate everywhere? Ugh, just thinking about it is distressing, Jing Shu worried. She skillfully grabbed a handle, steadying Mr. Jing with her other hand, appearing remarkably composed amidst the earthquake.
The earthquake lasted a full minute before a series of aftershocks began. The family, hearts still pounding, felt as though they had once again brushed against death. The fear of the unknown is always the most terrifying, because you never know if the next tremor will be lethal.
Anyone in such a situation would feel tormented, like ants on a hot griddle. Of course, Jing Shu was the exception. Having endured numerous earthquakes in her previous life, she had become exceptionally seasoned. This familiarity is heart-wrenching, she thought grimly.
"Jing Shu, I didn’t even have time to react just now! Luckily, you told me to reverse. Otherwise, in my panic, I would have floored the accelerator. The rear mountain, where the community is gathering, isn’t far ahead. I’m afraid I would have hit and killed many people, and we would have easily flipped over!" Mr. Jing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had been genuinely terrified this time. Seeing the lightning so close, his first instinct had been to charge forward. Thankfully, his daughter’s timely warning had saved them.
"Dad, next time you see lightning this close, don’t hesitate—get as far away as possible, as fast as you can," Jing Shu advised.
"Are earthquakes related to lightning?" Mr. Jing asked.
Jing Shu touched her nose. "I’ve heard there’s a connection."
The rear mountain also experienced an earthquake. Although it was only a little over magnitude 5, it plunged the recently gathered crowd into renewed dread. Frightened people tend to scatter chaotically. Announcements blared from megaphones until they seemed hoarse, but no one listened. Worse still, a large fissure had opened up in the rear mountain, and many people fell into it.
As the trembling continued, the great fissure snapped shut again, transforming the rear mountain into an even more terrifying, man-eating abyss.
This mountain can swallow people whole! It’s horrifying!
"My mother fell in! BOO HOO! Mommy!" a child cried.
"Move along, kid, it’s hopeless. Stick with the main group, or you won’t survive. The government will at least provide one meal a day for the children," a woman urged.
"From now on, you’ll live with Aunt Li." Aunt Li forcibly dragged the child away.
"The kid has to stay with me! I’m his family’s neighbor!" someone else interjected.
"Why should he stay with you? It depends on whom the child likes."
Now, there was a policy from the higher-ups: any household that took in a child would not only be provided with a daily meal for the child but would also receive a monthly subsidy. Most importantly, orphans had the right to choose their guardians at any time.
After receiving approval from the higher-ups, Li Yuetian swiftly began relocating people to the pre-apocalypse Xuanwu Lake Park. The vast crowd pressed together, a teeming mass of humanity. If not for the military trucks ahead, from which the aroma of millet porridge wafted, tempting everyone’s appetite and guiding their path, many would likely have gotten lost.
"Attention, everyone! Find your administrator and proceed in an orderly manner according to your administrator’s number. Once you reach the shelter, you can have a bowl of fragrant millet porridge for free. Otherwise, you won’t get any food today!"
This masterstroke, broadcast through the loudspeakers, finally brought the agitated crowd under control. By the time the first wave of people reached Xuanwu Lake Park, those at the very end of the procession were only just beginning to move.