boyutpedia Chapter 39 Surviving in a Cataclysmic World (Part 8)
Chapter 39 Surviving in a Cataclysmic World (Part 8)
The people were worried but there was nothing they could do. They could only follow the government's arrangements and try to store as much water as possible, even if they had stored it at home. Strangely enough, all the water in nature disappeared inexplicably during those six hours, but all the water in the buildings remained the same. Perhaps this is the only chance for survival that the end times have left for humanity.
Now the whole nation is mobilized. The Chinese people have always been a hardworking nation. As long as they are given hope and guidance, they will work hard and persevere.
As the days go by, everyone now deeply understands the importance of water to humanity. Just as those who have never been hungry don't know how to cherish food, those who have never been thirsty won't cherish the readily available water resources, even though we've known since childhood that "protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility" and "cherishing water resources starts from childhood." Look at us now, even three-year-olds know that they shouldn't leave any food uneaten, and that they should pick up and eat any rice grains that fall on the table. As for water, adults are basically always thirsty, and children will only drink a few sips when they can't hold it in anymore. Forget about rinsing rice or washing vegetables; we now eat dried vegetables from the national reserves, and the water used to soak the dried vegetables is used directly for cooking rice. Residents have spontaneously built dry toilets downstairs, since not everyone has cat litter.
They just endured it like this, and it became even harder after everyone's water reserves were used up. Now they are completely relying on the national water reserves to survive. The whole country is facing extreme hardship. The government has sent people and equipment to the Pacific Ocean to process seawater to ensure that the national reserves are sufficient, for fear that the original national reserves will not be enough to survive the drought.
Facing both the current drought and the looming threat of earthquakes, the government has begun constructing earthquake shelters in open areas, and hospital equipment has been moved there. Every evening from 7 to 8 pm, broadcasts are made on the radio explaining how to take shelter and ensure one's safety during an earthquake; even young children can recite these instructions by heart. Drills are also conducted regularly to ensure these lessons become ingrained in people's minds.
Towards the end of the drought, the government increased the distribution of water resources. After all, when an earthquake strikes, it is essential to ensure that the people are in the best possible condition to prepare for it, otherwise there would likely be many more casualties. Until the government has the capacity to do so, it will do everything possible to ensure the safety of the people.
Finally, the day before the drought was supposed to end arrived. A month ago, the government began arranging for people to move to earthquake shelters. The locations of these shelters were determined based on Liu Yuxi's descriptions and expert research. Although it couldn't guarantee complete avoidance of the large cracks, it was the best that could be done at the moment. The people understood, but they were filled with anxiety. They were all silently praying that cracks wouldn't appear in their area.
At midnight on December 1, 2013, the earthquake arrived precisely on schedule, amidst widespread anxiety. It felt as if the entire Earth had bounced several times, as if trying to shake off the shackles imposed upon it by humanity. And it succeeded. The violent tremors caused many tall buildings to collapse instantly, leaving the world in ruins. Humanity is great, but also insignificant in the face of nature. At that moment, all living people were shaken. Of course, the first priority was to protect themselves and their families. In reality, everyone was doing well just to take care of themselves. Everyone was thrown to the ground, overwhelmed with their own survival. Fortunately, the strongest tremors lasted only a minute or two. Once the tremors subsided, everyone quickly sat down to check on the safety of their families. Those whose families were safe were relieved. Those who had suffered injuries could only bury their grief in their hearts and rush to treat their loved ones' wounds. After all, the earthquake wasn't over yet; they still had a battle to fight.
Fortunately, there were only three major earthquakes; the others were relatively small. By the end, the people had become numb to it, accustomed to the continuous small tremors, and could walk normally during these minor tremors. By the third day, the damage was tallied: all buildings taller than three stories had collapsed, and many places had developed large cracks. But miraculously, almost all the mountains remained undamaged, and the lakes had been refilled.
Then came several days of torrential rain, as if to give the ravaged Earth a deep clean, allowing everything to start anew. This was the most devastating natural disaster China had ever experienced, with nearly 6 million people dead or missing. Cell towers were almost entirely destroyed, and people could only huddle together for warmth. There was little time for grief, as even more severe extreme cold and heat awaited. Since this kind of weather was expected from now on, post-disaster reconstruction had to begin with insulation and heat preservation. As soon as the sky cleared, everyone sprang into action: some cleared the rubble, recyclable building materials were collected, and all non-recyclable construction waste was transported to fill the large cracks. Others built new houses, all no more than six stories high, using materials incorporating newly developed national insulation materials, achieving a seismic resistance level of 10.
While people were busy, they also had to deal with the occasional small earthquakes. After all, the earthquake period lasted for six months. Although there weren't any of the massive, devastating earthquakes of the beginning, the small tremors continued. Sometimes, a building was almost finished when an earthquake struck, and everything had to start all over again. The earthquakes came without warning, so there were always casualties. By the time the earthquake period was over, China's population was less than 800 million, especially with many deaths among the elderly and young children, as one was disabled and the other hadn't yet learned how to protect themselves.
The construction of new houses was basically a nationwide effort, after all, the Chinese people's desire for "home" is the greatest in the world. Although it was a lot of hard work and a lot of resources and materials were wasted, everyone still managed to build the houses before the hot weather arrived, and arranged for all the middle-aged and young residents to move in. They also installed the latest solar panels on the roofs of the houses, so that the power generation would mainly rely on solar energy until the new power station was built.
Because of the extremely hot weather, the government directly moved the elderly and children to buildings in the mountains and arranged for parents of each family to visit them in batches. For the safety of the elderly and children in the family, no one raised any objections. Air conditioning was installed in the new houses, but the outdoor units of the air conditioners were also placed in the rooms. After all, it is not yet possible to guarantee that the outdoor units of the air conditioners will continue to work in extremely high and low temperature environments.
Water is no longer a concern; it's as if a mysterious being returned Earth's water the instant the earthquake struck. However, the food problem is worsening. If it weren't for Liu Yuxi's spatial ability, the country might be in dire straits. The most urgent task after building the houses is to cultivate crops. The seeds have been developed, but the taste cannot yet be improved; for now, they can only ensure the people are fed.