Chapter 469: Chapter 469
Jing Shu’s mind raced through her memories of her past life. She suddenly recalled that, aside from a significant earthquake in the Banana District villas the day after the apocalypse began, there was another instance—the only one—where two or three buildings were swallowed by a tornado earthquake!
No doubt, it must be this one!
Sure enough, just a few seconds later, a loud rumbling noise began, and the ground trembled! Sounds of alarm rose from the entire rear hill. Everyone, accustomed to the tremors, knew the pattern—this was definitely a major earthquake.
"Grandma, come quickly to the backyard to take shelter!"
"Grandpa, stop what you are doing, get on the RV first!"
Everyone else in the family had gone to work.
fat chicken quickly picked up her two chicks and ran fast. As soon as the German MAN’s door opened, fat chicken dashed inside first, and Grandma Jing and Mr. Jing swiftly boarded the RV.
Operated by Jing Shu, the German MAN immediately deployed its fearsome memory-steel supports. A dozen steel bars extended diagonally from its flanks, propping against the ground to ensure the impending major earthquake wouldn’t topple the RV.
The ground shook violently. Buildings in the Banana District swayed left and right, and cracks started appearing on the ground. Fortunately, all the buildings, constructed to withstand up to magnitude 8 earthquakes, had not yet collapsed.
Here it comes, the major earthquake is here again! The cries of alarm, shouts, and the continuous alarms from the Second Team echoed unendingly. The "WOO WOO" sounds spread all over the rear hill.
This earthquake was more intense than any before. Jing Shu could hear the loudspeakers on the rear hill still telling everyone not to panic, to duck, cover their heads, and stay on the ground, stating that this place was the safest area around.
It wasn’t just the sound of the earthquake; the thundering crash of giant buildings falling chilled everyone to the core. It’s over. Our homes are gone. The buildings in the Banana District have collapsed!
The German MAN RV was also shaken so violently that it swayed from side to side. Each violent tremor slammed the memory-steel supports on one side harshly against the ground. Massive vibrations caused the RV to tilt at a 45-degree angle, but it didn’t collapse thanks to these flank supports.
During Jing Shu’s absence, after several instances of bowls and dishes shattering and thermoses cracking from bumps, Mr. Jing had secured everything inside the RV. He had fashioned fishnet-like covers and added protective bubble wrap, ensuring that objects returned to their proper places after use would no longer break during earthquakes.
Compared to the first earthquake, during which Grandma Jing and Mr. Jing were injured from being knocked around and items inside the RV clattered everywhere, they were much calmer this time. Jing Shu couldn’t help but commend Mr. Jing; he had been even more thorough than she had anticipated.
An old person in the family is like a treasure. With Grandma Jing and Mr. Jing around, meals were cooked, the land was tilled, and chores were done. They were so proactive you couldn’t stop them even if you wanted to, which made managing household affairs much easier. Jing Shu felt an immense sense of happiness, blessed that her family could live well during the apocalypse.
fat chicken tucked her two chicks into a corner. With her large rear firmly planted, she remained as unshakable as Mount Tai, no matter how much the earthquake shook.
Grandma Jing was a bit worried. "Da Niu was mated and is pregnant with a calf. Won’t there be a problem?"
"Don’t worry. I’ve got her in a soft netting enclosure. I even made Da Niu a private stall."
"Old man, do you think the building opposite might collapse? This quake is too severe. If it falls, what about my Da Niu, Erhua, and Sanmao? They are all pillars of the Jing Family."
Emmm... Am I, Jing Shu, not the mainstay of the family?!
Da Niu was a young cow Jing Shu had bought from a livestock farm three years ago. Nurtured by the Spiritual Spring, she produced 50 kilograms of milk daily and had already given birth to several calves.
Erhua, huh... Jing Shu wondered if Grandma Jing was referring to the old sow that had birthed more than twenty piglets the previous year. Grandma Jing truly treasured that pig.
Speaking of which, this also involved her elder aunt’s family. At the end of the previous year, Jing Shu had slaughtered all their pigs except for the breeding stock. This year, she had decided to focus solely on selling piglets, sending both her aunt’s piglets and the surplus from her own family to Su Malie to be auctioned.
However, her elder aunt’s sows had only farrowed once in six months due to nutritional issues, producing a total of seven piglets from two sows. In contrast, one of Jing Shu’s sows had birthed around twenty. The family kept only three piglets, sending the rest to auction.
Even so, each piglet sold for a sky-high price, enough to keep her elder aunt’s family free from financial worries. Jing Shu gave the Virtual Coin earned from her piglet auctions to Grandma Jing. After all, Grandma Jing and Mr. Jing had been busy raising pigs and cattle for the past few years. Having some Virtual Coin and assets of her own made the old woman happier.
As for Sanmao, I really have no idea what that refers to.
Jing Shu knew they had had a close call this time. The earthquake lasted for two minutes, then gradually subsided, followed by aftershocks occurring every few minutes.
Jing Shu hurriedly called her parents to report her safety and confirm theirs. Then, she followed Grandma Jing to check on Da Niu. After confirming everything was fine with the cow, she went to tidy up the villa. Outside, it was already a hive of activity.
Jing Shu, Grandma Jing, and Mr. Jing went to building number 25, across from their villa, to clean up. Besides fallen dust and overturned furniture, there was no serious damage. But then, Grandma Jing suddenly cried out.
"Damn it! Where are the buildings opposite and next to ours?!" Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵
Only then did Mr. Jing come over. He slumped heavily onto the sofa, terrified. The surrounding buildings were gone! It’s unimaginable what would have happened if our side had been swallowed by the quake. There would have been no escape.
Jing Shu squinted. The Government’s floodlights brightly illuminated the surroundings. Building number 26, the one in front of it, and building number 27 had all disappeared, swallowed into a huge chasm below.
The aftershocks occasionally caused rubble from the surrounding ruins to tumble into the chasm.
"Oh dear, we can’t stay in this building! Let’s leave quickly and not bother tidying up anymore. Those people are reckless, digging through the rubble for bodies!" Grandma Jing was frightened. With several nearby buildings gone, she worried, If there are more tremors, what will we do if this building collapses too?
Jing Shu wanted to laugh at Grandma Jing’s reaction but didn’t dare. She nodded seriously. "Then let’s hurry and go."
The three of them dutifully returned to their villa, not daring to go anywhere else. However, Jing Shu watched from afar as hordes of people swarmed the area devastated by the massive quake. Many, equipped with professional hooks, ropes, and other gear, began to retrieve bodies and salvage any useful items they could find.
Some entrepreneurs had fashioned electric hooks powered by batteries, which could be controlled remotely to grapple onto various items. Others secured ropes to distant anchor points and descended into the chasm with their gear.
Some people cried before the massive chasm, lamenting their lost homes and wondering where they would live now. Others pleaded with the ’body collectors’ to retrieve their relatives’ remains. Some screamed, questioning why an earthquake had to strike while they were merely taking an afternoon nap. But even more wore numb, indifferent expressions, mechanically gathering any usable supplies.
Jing Shu squinted. Next year’s mudflows could be diverted into this. It looks like I need to buy this land as soon as possible.