Chapter 80: Extreme Heat 21
The higher one stands, the farther one sees.
They watched as cars drove in, one after another, from around the corner, a continuous stream.
Cars, tricycles, motorcycles.
People were wearily making their way, carrying their luggage and families.
Towards the latter half of the night, cyclists and pedestrians also appeared among the refugees.
Yesterday, they encountered one person; today, looking down from the building, there was a continuous stream of a large group.
Old and young, carrying children and mothers.
They walked forward, backs laden with school bags and luggage, faces etched with exhaustion.
“Big Brother, isn’t there a house up ahead?”
A young man looked at the house ahead, “Let’s go to that house and ask for some water.”
“Where would you find water to drink now?”
The older man looked at him, “Houses in the suburbs, like those in the city, use tap water. The people in these houses we’re passing by have already fled. Hurry and get to the air-raid shelter for refuge. I heard the Government and the army are there; we’ll be safe at the air-raid shelter.”
The city center was completely uninhabitable now.
The Government’s announcement two days ago instructed them to head to the five major air-raid shelters around the city suburbs.
All these fleeing people were heading to that place.
They heard that in the coming days, the days would grow longer, the nights shorter, and the temperature would rise higher and higher.
To reach the air-raid shelter before dawn, they avoided lingering on the road as much as possible; traveling time was extremely precious.
Chu Yian and Lu Qingyuan watched a large wave of people pass by their door.
Under the torment of the high temperature, people were very tired at this time.
Lifeless and silent. Besides an occasional cry from a child, only the sound of footsteps remained.
Game Day 15, 4 AM.
No cars or people passed by their door, and Chu Yian breathed a slight sigh of relief.
To be safe, they still lay on the rooftop until 8 AM, when the sun was directly overhead and the temperature rose to nearly 50 degrees, before going downstairs to hide in the basement.
They rested in the basement during the day and continued to the rooftop at night.
That night, fewer vehicles passed, and more people were on foot.
Their house was targeted.
It was a group of several middle-aged couples, also with children who were neither too young nor too old.
From Chu Yian’s position, she could see these people circling the door, trying to open the large lock.
The door was an old-fashioned, large iron gate.
It was five millimeters thick, painted red.
The bolts on the door were iron, and the lock was as big as Chu Yian’s fist.
It was made of solid materials and extremely sturdy.
Unable to open the gate, they prepared to climb over the wall.
“Old Li, why don’t we just leave? Getting on our way is more important.”
The woman by the wall was trying to persuade her husband.
Along the way, besides fleeing, they had frequently ‘visited’ houses by the roadside.
The houses were mostly empty, which allowed them to make a small fortune amidst the chaos.
They had enough food and water for the journey, and their bags still contained a good amount of cash and gold and silver jewelry.
“Oh, just let me take a look.”
Old Li said, signaling his friend and son to lift him up.
Using a human pyramid, Old Li successfully grabbed the top of the wall, and a scream followed.
He had grabbed the glass on the wall.
The sharp edge of the glass cut his palm, and blood flowed freely.
Old Li fell from the wall, clutching his hand and wailing.
“Old Li!”
The woman who had just advised him not to go up changed her expression dramatically, raising his hands, “I told you not to go, but you insisted, and now you’re injured! Son, quickly check if there’s any medicine in the bag!”
“I don’t think I have any here.”
“What’s up there? How did it make such a big cut on his hand?”
“Glass, don’t go up there.”
The middle-aged man called out to his companion who was about to climb, “Houses in the suburbs are burglar-proof; they have glass on all four sides of the walls.”
“Oh, those cursed people, how could they be so malicious?”
The man’s wife cursed at the door upon hearing this, completely oblivious to the fact that they were the thieves.
The glass wall directly sent away a group of people with ulterior motives.
Chu Yian wiggled her eyebrows at Lu Qingyuan—
Isn’t it super awesome?
Lu Qingyuan shifted his gaze from her playfully dancing eyebrows, “Don’t let your guard down.”
In this world of extreme heat, the only difference between night and day was that one was hot, and the other was even hotter.
The two hid on the rooftop without moving, yet they looked as if they had been pulled out of water, completely soaked.
Chu Yian reached for a new bottle of mineral water, twisted open the cap, and took a sip.
This was already the fifth bottle of mineral water she had drunk.
The water they brought up from the basement was being consumed at a very fast rate.
Even just drinking water felt uncomfortable; sweat containing salt flowed out. They hadn’t brought salt and sugar when they left, and their bodies became increasingly weak due to salt loss, accompanied by dizziness and nausea.
“Control the amount of water you drink.”
Lu Qingyuan said, “Be careful of water poisoning.”
“Mm.”
Chu Yian nodded, holding the water in her mouth, not daring to swallow it all.
Even so, their situation was much better than that of the people fleeing below.
From the height of the third floor, they could see the situation below; those people were leaving their homes, carrying their meager belongings.
Some people collapsed while walking on the road.
Some of those who collapsed were carried away by their family and friends, while others fell and could never get up again.
If they were lucky, they were dragged to the roadside by passersby; if unlucky, they lay where they fell, occasionally being trampled over by people.
In just one night, many people who would never rise again appeared on the road…
Game Day 16, the daytime was scorching!
The outdoor temperature exceeded 60 degrees, and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner almost caught fire.
By 8 PM, the outdoor temperature was still 48 degrees.
When Chu Yian went up to the roof, she accidentally touched a metal object, and her wrist was burned, forming a blister.
Even so, they still climbed onto the rooftop as they had done yesterday.
After yesterday’s lesson, Chu Yian specifically brought edible salt.
The two waited on the rooftop, hoping that the people on the road would bypass them as before.
However, the more they wished something wouldn’t happen, the more it did.
Their main gate was opened.
It was five or six young people, around twenty years old.
“Damn, this gate is really tight.”
“Er Gou is amazing; he can open the door with just a wire.”
Sounds came from below, and Chu Yian stared down.
Those young people were acting brazenly, and their voices were loud.
“Search everywhere in the house for water and food.”
“Don’t bother with paper money; if there’s gold, silver, or similar items, you can take them.”
They rushed into the house to ransack it like devils entering a village.
After a chaotic search, Chu Yian heard the clatter of tables and chairs being moved and items being thrown downstairs.
“Damn, it’s so poor; this family didn’t leave anything behind.”
After searching for a while and finding nothing, several people cursed, then ran into the yard, “Search outside and see.”
