The sudden earthquake disrupted everyone's plans. If they could have successfully repelled the earth bees at this moment, reinforcements would have arrived, and Rongcheng would have been safe. But no one expected the earthquake to strike precisely then.
"Oh heavens, are you truly determined to annihilate us? What have we done wrong? Why treat us this way?" someone roared to the sky, standing on the street in despair.
Since Shen Feng killed countless mutated birds last year, China had its first post-apocalyptic autumn harvest. With the grain finally stored, everyone thought the apocalypse was over. As long as they could successfully produce food, life would gradually stabilize, and the end times would finally cease.
But no one anticipated that after the mutated bird crisis was resolved, insects would also begin to mutate. If these mutated insects attacked the city, that would be one thing. However, besides the mutated insects, large numbers of mutated beasts also gathered outside the city to retaliate against humanity. Especially with the sudden appearance of the earthquake at this time, these events were simply too coincidental.
People were now filled with anger. If there truly was a heaven in this world, they would surely rush up and give it a good beating. They had done nothing wrong, yet after the apocalypse, disaster after disaster struck, leaving no room for respite.
It was a pity that the mutated beasts, upon spotting the people roaring at the sky on the streets, immediately charged forward and snapped their necks.
"Buzz buzz..." As the earthquake subsided, the city lay in ruins. Tall buildings had collapsed everywhere, with few intact structures. Yet at this moment, a buzzing sound echoed from the sky. Upon closer inspection, it was a vast swarm of earth bees. The numerous earth bees darkened the sky, blocking out the light.
At this moment, Rongcheng was a living hell. Mutated insects in the sky continuously attacked humans, while fierce beasts on the ground tore them apart. The army was temporarily unable to form an effective fighting force, and the entire city instantly turned into a scene from hell.
"It's over, it's all over. Rongcheng has no hope now." Xie Bateng was filled with despair upon witnessing this scene.
If the city were only attacked by the earth bees from the sky, Rongcheng would still have hope for future development. Because as long as the enemies in the sky could be cleared, Rongcheng could continue to progress. But now, an earthquake had directly destroyed most of Rongcheng's buildings, and mutated beasts had also charged into the city at this time. The infrastructure was ruined, people were in danger, and Rongcheng had no hope at this moment.
"General, what should we do now? Should we continue to hold our ground and wait for reinforcements?" a staff officer immediately inquired.
"Even if we hold on, it's meaningless. The infrastructure is ruined, and we can't hold on in this situation anymore. It's all ruins everywhere, and the army cannot form effective suppression during combat. It's better to escort the people away quickly. If we send the people away now, perhaps we can reduce some casualties," General Xie said helplessly.
Upon hearing this order, everyone immediately set to work.
The army had a new mission: to escort the city's residents out of Rongcheng. Although disaster relief should have been the priority immediately after the earthquake, the situation was special, and people had no time to save those buried under the rubble. The current situation perfectly exemplified the saying, "When disaster strikes, everyone flees for themselves."
However, when the army's high command came to find General Xie, they discovered that the once kind old man had leaned back in his chair, a blood hole in the back of his head, a pistol in his mouth. It turned out that Xie Bateng felt he had failed to live up to expectations, and Rongcheng had been destroyed under his command. In his despair, he chose to commit suicide.
...
Meanwhile, Li Keyi and Chu Chaoyan were indeed leading reinforcements and rapidly advancing towards Rongcheng. After resting for five to six hours at night, they set off again before dawn, intending to reach Rongcheng as quickly as possible to complete their support mission. However, they felt strong tremors on the way.
As soon as the strong tremors began, Xu Xing immediately sensed that something was wrong. Her ability was to control vibrations, and she now confirmed that an earthquake had occurred in the northwest direction, with a magnitude of at least 8. She immediately ordered everyone to stop.
"Everyone stop! There's an earthquake now, we can't turn in haste!" Xu Xing shouted to everyone.
After the earthquake, it was not advisable to move immediately, as aftershocks might occur after the first wave. Moving at this time could be dangerous. The violent tremors were not only felt by Xu Xing but also by the soldiers in the vehicles. They all understood one thing: a major earthquake had occurred somewhere in Sichuan Province.
"Xu Xing, can you estimate where the epicenter of this earthquake is?" Chu Chaoyan asked Xu Xing after they stopped.
"It's hard to say. If my guess is correct, the earthquake occurred in the vicinity of Rongcheng. But even if it didn't happen in Rongcheng, the impact range of the earthquake would be enough to damage Rongcheng's buildings," Xu Xing replied, a look of helplessness on her face. She couldn't possibly prevent the earthquake from happening.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chaoyan and Li Keyi began to discuss. Their current objective was to rush to Rongcheng for rescue, and their speed was not fast to begin with. Now, they had encountered an earthquake. They didn't know what the situation in Rongcheng was like.
"What do we do now? Should we continue on our way?" Chu Chaoyan looked at Li Keyi.
Li Keyi calmly analyzed, "It's very dangerous to travel in large numbers at this time because no one knows the road conditions or if aftershocks will occur. However, rescue is essential. Don't forget that Shen Feng's parents are still in Rongcheng!"
"That being said, what exactly should we do?" Chu Chaoyan asked.
"I'll take a hundred people to clear the way and head to Rongcheng quickly. If it's impossible, we'll have to bring Shen Feng's parents and sister back. But if Rongcheng can still hold, I'll lead these hundred people to help defend it, and you can follow behind!" Li Keyi finally made a decision.
The road conditions were now very complex, and they didn't know if there would be danger ahead. Therefore, Li Keyi decided to travel light so she could reach Rongcheng in the shortest possible time and ascertain the situation there. As for Chu Chaoyan, she would follow behind with her people, approaching slowly. This was the best course of action.
Chu Chaoyan had no other options. At least Li Keyi had provided a solution. She was a seventh-order ability user and could unleash powerful combat strength at critical moments. With her going to provide support, she would definitely be able to gather information and rescue people at critical junctures.
"Then you must be careful when you go to scout the situation. If you encounter danger, you must hide and wait for my support!" Chu Chaoyan quickly reminded Li Keyi. Although her relationship with Li Keyi was not good, at this moment, she could clearly distinguish between major and minor issues.
Li Keyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, no matter what danger it is, I will definitely survive!"
Li Keyi then selected over a hundred people and got out of the car. These hundred people were all evolved individuals with very strong physical fitness. Even when running on the ground, their speed was many times faster than ordinary people. They directly ran towards Rongcheng, carrying simple equipment.
As it turned out, their decision to abandon the car and run was very wise. There were often mountains on both sides of the road. The earthquake caused trees to fall continuously from the mountains, and large rocks rolled down from the mountains onto the ground. If they had been driving, it would have certainly affected their progress. Clearing obstacles while moving forward would have slowed everyone down. However, Li Keyi leading the people on foot took advantage of their flexibility and mobility.
Li Keyi also began to miss Shen Feng at this moment. If Shen Feng were here, he could have directly led the Feather Army from Yuzhou to fly to Rongcheng without being hindered by the terrain. Unfortunately, although Shen Feng was rushing back, he wouldn't reach Rongcheng anytime soon.
Xu Xing also stayed by Li Keyi's side. Her combat strength was undeniable. The former Xu Xing had a record of breaking through a city alone, a feat few people in the world could achieve. With Xu Xing by Li Keyi's side, she could help resist some dangers if they were encountered.
While running, Xu Xing was also observing the surroundings. When she saw many farmlands on both sides of the road, she was instantly awakened. At this moment, she suddenly realized why the earthquake had occurred so suddenly and why its magnitude was so great!
An 8-magnitude earthquake could be felt even across the sea. Once an earthquake of this magnitude occurred, it could instantly destroy a city, no matter how prosperous it had been. The 8-magnitude earthquakes recorded in human history could be counted on one's fingers, and every large-scale earthquake was recorded by people.
"I understand why such a large-scale earthquake occurred suddenly!" Xu Xing quickly said to Li Keyi.
The two were advancing rapidly on the road, conversing as they went.
Li Keyi first asked, "You say you know why the earthquake occurred suddenly. Then tell me, what is the reason for the earthquake?"
Xu Xing explained, "This is because Sichuan Province has been extracting deep groundwater for many years, and in addition to extracting deep groundwater, it has also been continuously excavating underground natural gas resources. After the groundwater is extracted, the ground begins to subside. Coupled with the exploitation of natural gas, the ground is extremely unstable, and after more than ten years, the earthquake has finally occurred."
Li Keyi was enlightened by this statement and quickly looked at the surrounding farmlands. She saw water towers in the distance, which were built for the extraction of deep groundwater. With the arrival of the Little Ice Age, the northern regions often suffered from severe droughts and received no rain. Although Sichuan Province was a southern region, it also experienced several droughts. To irrigate the farmlands, Sichuan Province built water towers everywhere. With groundwater, Sichuan Province's agriculture finally achieved a good harvest.
But was the unlimited extraction of deep groundwater truly without any problems? Reality provided the answer. Nature would not complain about human demands, but when nature truly began to retaliate against humanity, it would be a catastrophe. A sudden earthquake could directly destroy a city.
"If what you say is true, then this earthquake was actually brought about by humans themselves, wasn't it?" Li Keyi said to Xu Xing.
Xu Xing shrugged her shoulders and said helplessly, "Although I am human, I will not speak from a human perspective on this matter. In my opinion, the reason for this earthquake is entirely due to human self-inflicted actions. They were already located in an earthquake zone, and yet they dared to vigorously extract deep groundwater. In such a situation, if it doesn't earthquake, when will it?"
"You say it so simply, but people need to eat. How can they farm without water?" Li Keyi continued to ask.
Xu Xing did not answer. There were always no answers to such matters. Humans needed to extract groundwater to survive, but the extracted groundwater would bring about a catastrophe, making it even harder for humans to survive. It seemed that no matter which choice they made, it was a difficult problem.
After learning the cause of the earthquake, Li Keyi and Xu Xing continued to advance with their people. Despite all the talk, even if the earthquake was caused by human activities, they still had to complete their rescue mission.