165 Since Things Have Come to This, We Can Only Take One Step at a Time
Du Yue looked down from the window of the living room. She could see that the water formed by the accumulated snow outside had gathered into a small stream that was flowing down the drain. The summer resort that the base previously was had taken decades to build. It had been hundreds of years since the construction was completed.
The wisdom of those from the past could not be underestimated. This place was close to the mountains and water, so the drainage was done very well. Even if the temperature suddenly rose and the snow would melt in a few hours, there would be no need to worry about a flood. When Du Yue stood by the window and looked out, many people were leaning against their own windows and looking out. These people were clearly more excited than Du Yue. Their excited yells almost burst Du Yue’s eardrums.
For two whole years, everyone had been struggling to survive in the extremely cold weather, and countless people had died on those cold nights. Now that the temperature had risen again and the snow had melted, it was indeed something worth cheering for everyone.
Du Yue’s heart was in turmoil as she listened to the crowd’s shouts. If they knew that one disaster had just been averted and another disaster was waiting for them the next day, who knew how they would feel?
Thinking too much would not change the current situation. Du Yue recollected her thoughts and walked toward the door. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw the other door being pushed open from the other side as well. He Xing was about to walk out. The two of them looked at each other and smiled at the same time. He Xing closed the door and strode toward Du Yue.
The two of them returned to the living room and discussed how they were going to deal with the earthquake tomorrow. “The temperature has returned today, but there’ll be an earthquake tomorrow morning. This earthquake could be said to be destructive. I don’t know the exact level of the earthquake, but I remember clearly that the houses in the small base I was in collapsed and were razed to the ground almost at the same time the earthquake struck.
“Not only that, but the ground also trembled violently, and a deep chasm appeared. It was pitch-black and looked bottomless. The ice and snow had just melted, and before the water could flow out, an earthquake suddenly occurred. After the houses collapsed, most of the people’s supplies were soaked in the water. From then on, everyone’s lives got worse day by day…”
Toward the end, Du Yue’s tone was a lot lower. Although they had done their best to prepare, Du Yue still felt a little worried when she thought about what they would have to face after the earthquake. He Xing reached out and pulled Du Yue into his arms. He patted her back and comforted her, “Don’t worry. It’s all in the past. This life won’t be the same as before. The resort has been around for hundreds of years. During these hundreds of years, there have been earthquakes of all sizes. However, the place is still intact, which proves that the anti-earthquake measures were done very well. Besides, the buildings in the base are all low-rises, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Du Yue sighed softly. “Now that things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time. By the way, did you ask Captain Zuo what the base has planned for tomorrow?”
“Yes, I did. Captain Zuo said that the base will be holding a celebration in the open space outside the base in conjunction with the warmer temperatures. During the celebration, all the food will be provided for free, and everyone will be informed about it.”
Du Yue finally relaxed a little when she heard that. “If that’s the case, everyone will be going.”
It was very difficult for ordinary people to earn contribution points, so even if they had money in their pockets, they would try to eat only until they were 70% full for each meal and save the rest for a rainy day. Now that the base was going to provide all the food for free, no one would be unhappy about this arrangement. When the time came, everyone would walk out of the base. Outside the base was a large open square, which could accommodate everyone in the base at the same time.
There were no buildings around the square, so there was no need to worry that the buildings would collapse and hurt people during an earthquake.
As for why the base did not tell them the truth about the earthquake, they must have their own reasons. First, it was the hot summer, then the extreme cold. Many people were already on the verge of a mental breakdown. Now that the temperature had finally risen again, it would not be a good idea to tell everyone that there would be a great earthquake that would destroy the world tomorrow. Regardless of whether other people would believe it or not, it was inevitable that some people would have an emotional breakdown and do some irreparable things.
It was better to use another reason to get everyone out of the base. As for the rest, they could wait until the earthquake was over.