Chapter 174
After Guan Yang and Zhang Jinhe left, the snow-covered Ning Mountain quickly returned to its quiet routine.
Anyway, no matter what the other bases were like, at least Ning Mountain was peaceful. Song Xun’s daily routine had thus become taking care of the little cub, taking care of Ji Tang, and then using her spare time to cultivate.
Fortunately, Song Xun’s attention was no longer on her older daughters. Otherwise, the two sisters, Ji Jinning and Ji Jinyu, would have cried their eyes out.
After all…
Although Song Ye and He Qing’s training was also difficult, at least it was manageable. It was completely unlike the heartless Song Xun from before, who was a true tormentor.
Now, the two girls were eagerly looking forward to going down the mountain and having some fun on their own.
And so, they looked forward to it day after day. With the snow disaster still maintaining its three-day frequency, the days passed slowly.
Soon, a year and a half had passed.
The unchanging life, for the not-so-old Ji Jinning and Ji Jinyu sisters, was very boring. But for the other ability users on Ning Mountain, what they liked was precisely this boredom.
Because it meant survival.
It meant they were still alive and well.
And for Song Xun and Ji Tang, this boredom also meant that Song Jin’an was growing up day by day, from an age where she only knew how to cry to learning to speak.
Perhaps it was because she had been fed spiritual water since she was young, but Song Jin’an’s brain and body had developed extremely smoothly. She was extremely smart at a young age. Unlike her older sister, Ji Jinning, who had a stable personality, and also unlike her second sister, Ji Jinyu, who was lively, the third child was a little angel who loved to laugh.
Hmm, at least for Song Xun, a doting mother, her daughter was a little angel who loved to laugh.
But for others…
Well, that was a matter of opinion.
Although she hadn’t developed an ability yet, with her talent and family inheritance, there was no hurry. It was just a matter of time.
After all, she was still young. Song Xun also didn’t want her good daughter to be exposed to abilities so early, to be exposed to the cruelty of the apocalypse so early.
Even though they, as mothers, had already turned Ning Mountain into a pure land, this didn’t mean that the apocalypse was safe.
Nor did it mean that this place was absolutely safe.
But, she didn’t know when this snow disaster, which had already lasted for almost two and a half years, would end.
Song Xun had no idea, but she always had this premonition. It was coming soon, soon…
And her premonition was soon confirmed.
On the morning of the second day after she had felt uneasy, not even a full day had passed when the three-day heavy snow unexpectedly did not fall.
In the room, Ji Tang was holding the little cub and reading a book, not having turned a page in a long time. Song Xun was absentmindedly folding the quilts that needed to be washed, but she also hadn’t folded one in a long time. Everyone knew, a change was coming!
It wasn’t until Chang Wan came in quickly—the door was unlocked, so she just pushed it open—that she announced with her brow furrowed, “Big Sis, the temperature outside is starting to rise.”
The rise in temperature also meant that this snow disaster was really, truly, about to pass.
Hearing this, Song Xun and Ji Tang, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of ease. Since it was unavoidable, then having a result was better than constantly guessing.
The occurrence of the apocalyptic disaster was too sudden and unpredictable, so for this snow disaster, monitoring the temperature had become the only effective means.
But they had been prepared for this. Even if the temperature rose, Song Xun and the others were not very flustered.
“According to the previous drill, immediately arrange for all survivors to gather in the safe zone…”
“Roger.”
The so-called safe zone, as the name suggests, was just that. It was the highest peak of the entire Ning Mountain, where they had cleared a piece of land, enough to accommodate all the survivors of Ning Mountain.
After all, once the temperature rose, the snow would inevitably melt. And the melting snow would collapse, turning back into water, flowing from high to low, and finally forming a new flood.
As for whether this flood after the snow melted would disappear like it did when the extreme cold ended and the extreme heat began, that was an unpredictable matter.
And now, to deal with the series of problems after the snow melted, Song Xun and the others had already cleared a lot of snow inside the Ning Mountain Base with great effort. Mainly, they had slowly moved it to the space. If they had to transport it out by human labor, that would be completely impossible.
This was also to prevent the melting snow from completely flooding the buildings of the Ning Mountain Base. They didn’t have the resources to build so many houses and buildings again.
But due to the excessive snow and the long duration of the snow disaster, even if Song Xun used her space to transport it out trip after trip, she could only ensure that the thickness of the snow would not flood the buildings. But the mutated forest had already been flooded by more than half, and there was nothing she could do.
But even though they were prepared, for safety, they had still established a safe zone at the highest point of Ning Mountain, just in case.
As for the houses and buildings, and even the low-temperature-resistant crops that they didn’t have time to deal with, whether they would be affected, that was not something they could consider now.
All they could do was to minimize this impact.
After several drills, the survivors of Ning Mountain were not only used to it, but they were also very orderly. As soon as the snow stopped and the temperature rose, hearing the sound of the base broadcast, they all immediately picked up their prepared luggage and carried their important belongings to the safe zone on the mountaintop.
When the one-hour assembly time was up, and after the assigned group leaders had checked the numbers to ensure they were correct, this emergency evacuation officially began.
At this time, the outside temperature had already risen to about ten degrees Celsius. Although it was not very high, and the temperature rise was not very fast—at least it couldn’t compare to the temperature change at the end of the extreme cold and the beginning of the extreme heat.
But at this time, the snow had already started to slowly soften.
Perhaps the melting degree and speed of the snow outside the mountain were not very obvious for now, but inside the Ning Mountain Base, where the snow had been mostly cleared, the slowly melting and softening snow was exceptionally clear in the binoculars.
And as time passed, second by second, before noon, the outside temperature had already risen to about seventeen or eighteen degrees. Almost everyone was sweating under their warm clothes.
The weaker ones, like the elderly and children, were afraid of catching a cold and didn’t take off their warm clothes much. But many of the ability users, like Song Xun and Song Ye, had already couldn’t help but take off their outer warm clothes.
They were sweating profusely.
And after a few more hours, when it was noon, the outside temperature had already risen to about twenty-something degrees.
Paired with the scorching sun, it was even hotter on the body. This time, the survivors really couldn’t wear their warm clothes anymore. Even the elderly and children had unbuttoned their warm clothes.
If they didn’t take them off in this temperature, they would probably pass out from the heat.
In the apocalypse, food and water were the top priorities. Even if they didn’t bring anything else, the survivors’ backpacks would definitely have food and water. But at this time, other than a few carefree ones who had eaten something, most of the survivors were not in the mood to eat.
But they had all eaten more or less. Because to be honest, who knew what would happen after the snow melted?
Not being in the mood was one thing, but being alive was more important, wasn’t it?
By 1 PM, the outside temperature had been maintained at around thirty degrees Celsius, with no intention of going up for the time being.
This temperature was by no means comparable to the extreme heat, but it could already rival the sultry temperature of a hot summer.
It wasn’t until around 2:30 PM that the outside temperature didn’t have any major, obvious fluctuations.
“It seems the temperature has stabilized.”
Chang Fei’s eyes, staring at the thermometer, relaxed. He turned his slightly stiff neck and let out a breath he had been holding in his chest.
As long as it’s not the chilling extreme heat…
But then again, compared to the extreme heat, an unknown natural disaster was even more terrifying.
It was difficult no matter what.
As the temperature rose, the speed of the snow melting would also accelerate. Not to mention that the snow inside the Ning Mountain Base had already mostly melted. Looking down with the binoculars, you could still faintly see that the snow, which was so high it had almost submerged more than half of the mutated forest, had clearly melted and softened a lot under this temperature.
But due to the excessive thickness of the snow outside, and the temperature being different from the extreme heat, to completely melt the snow into a flood, at this speed, it would probably still take some time.
From the current situation, clearing the snow, letting it melt, and letting the water in the base flow down would probably not cause too much damage to the base.
Song Xun and the others could finally relax a little.
The group had been in the safe zone, observing the situation. It wasn’t until past 4 PM, when the sky had clearly darkened, that the situation still hadn’t changed much.
Did this mean that the matter was settled?
But for safety’s sake, after some discussion, they still decided to observe for a while longer before deciding whether to lift the alarm.
After all, this safe zone was only so big, and there were many people. If the situation was clear and there was no danger, that would be the best.
“…Let’s end it when it gets dark.”
Song Ye put down her binoculars and rubbed her sore eyes, which had been open all this time. For now, the situation was still stable. No matter what the next disaster was, at least one thing was certain: it wasn’t the extreme heat.
If the temperature didn’t rise, the speed of the snow melting would be extremely limited.
But she just didn’t know when the next disaster would come.
In what form would it appear?
What kind of impact and influence would it have on Ning Mountain?
No one knew this, so they had to be on their guard.
Song Xun pondered for a moment and made the final decision. “Then let’s end it when it gets dark. We’ll observe for a while more. If the situation is still the same and there are no changes, then we’ll go back to the base to rest and prepare for the impact of the next unknown disaster.”
As she spoke, she looked at Shi Tou, Ji Chao, and the others next to her. “For safety, you guys should also send more people to patrol. Pay attention to the defense. As soon as you find anything wrong, you must immediately sound the alarm.”
“Understood!”
Time passed second by second, and the sky gradually darkened.
At 7 PM, the sky was slightly dark.
The situation still hadn’t changed much. Everything was still within their expectations. Although they didn’t know when the next disaster would come, thinking about it, the snow hadn’t completely melted yet, so there was probably still some transition time.
Although no one knew how long this time would last, at least it could give them a chance to breathe.
Song Xun put down her binoculars, shook her sore hand, and called out to the people around her. “Everyone, go back first. Eat what you should eat, drink what you should drink, and get more rest. And everyone, keep an eye out and be alert for the alarm at all times.”
She thought for a moment and then added, “Everyone, it’s best not to live alone when you go back. For safety, stay together as much as possible. Don’t be alone, and don’t split up.”
“If the alarm goes off, go to the safe zone immediately according to the previous arrangement.”
“Yes, Base Leader!”
The survivors all answered, and then the people who knew each other left in groups one after another.
