novelsite Chapter 240 Startling News of Snowstorm
Chapter 240 Startling News of Snowstorm
These doors are all very uniform in style, simple single metal doors painted a dull gray-green. There are no windows or peepholes on the doors, only a small, rectangular metal number plate at eye level with numbers engraved on it.
The spacing between the doors is irregular; some are very close together, while others are separated by blank walls several meters apart.
All the doors were tightly closed, and the mixed "smell of life" in the air became slightly more concrete here. You could vaguely smell a very faint soapy scent wafting from behind one door, or the smell of food seeping from the crack of another door.
This sight gave her a slight boost, at least she saw signs of "habitation," but at the same time she became more vigilant.
Just then, about ten meters ahead, a small gray-green door creaked open from the inside, breaking the silence of the passage.
A young couple walked out hand in hand.
The man was tall, wearing faded work pants and a tight black leather jacket, with somewhat messy hair.
The woman was petite, wearing a brightly colored but worn-out red plaid down jacket, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders.
Both of them had a look of... relaxation on their faces?
They walked out the door, seemingly unaware of Xu Xiaoyan slowing down her pace not far away, or perhaps they noticed her but didn't care.
The man pulled the woman into his arms, and she naturally wrapped her arms around his waist. Right there in front of the door that had just closed, in the middle of the empty corridor, the two of them kissed passionately and without restraint, making soft sounds, as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them.
Xu Xiaoyan paused, immediately looked away, lowered her head, and pretended to be just passing by. At the same time, she quickened the pace of pushing the cart, wanting to pass by them quickly to avoid any unnecessary eye contact or embarrassment.
She could feel her cheeks getting slightly warm, not because the scene was so amazing, but because in this unfamiliar and oppressive environment, such a direct expression of emotion seemed abrupt and even made her feel a little uncomfortable.
She almost jogged past the couple, who were engrossed in their own world.
After walking about twenty meters and turning a very gentle bend, leaving them behind, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down.
However, just when she thought the little incident was over—"Hey! You over there! Little girl pushing the cart!"
A clear female voice suddenly came from behind. Xu Xiaoyan immediately stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn around right away, but all the muscles in her body tensed up instantly. Was she being called? What was it?
"Don't go any further!" the woman's voice continued, raising its volume so that it echoed in the empty corridor. "Did you hear me? Turn around! Hurry up! This isn't a place for you!"
"This is not a place for you!" These seven words immediately alerted her. The other person did not chase after her, but shouted from a distance. Although the tone was urgent, it did not seem malicious. It was more like a timely intervention to stop a stranger who had wandered into a dangerous place.
Whatever the reason, whatever lies ahead, since someone has explicitly warned us, we must listen!
In such an unfamiliar environment, ignoring clear warning signs from the environment would be extremely foolish and dangerous. Her survival instinct and the caution she had accumulated along the way made her act without hesitation.
She decisively turned around and went back the way she came. When she saw the couple again, they were still standing in the same spot. The man had let go of the woman's arms, and the two stood side by side, both turning to look at her.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest, her face expressionless, but she stared intently at her with a complex look in her eyes, carrying a hint of... the indifference that came after giving the reminder?
The man tilted his head, leaning against the wall with his body slightly relaxed, his gaze undisguisedly scrutinizing Xu Xiaoyan as she returned, his eyes filled with undisguised curiosity.
As Xu Xiaoyan passed by the girl, she slightly turned her head and nodded to her, conveying with this simple gesture, "I heard you, I understand, thank you."
She remained silent, unsure if it was safe to speak at this moment, and fearing that any unnecessary words might lead to unnecessary communication or complications.
The girl in the red plaid down jacket nodded, then she looked away, gently tugged at the arm of the man beside her, and whispered something.
The man shrugged, glanced at Xu Xiaoyan's back one last time, then turned around and followed the girl. The two walked side by side toward the other end of the passage, their figures quickly disappearing into the dim depths of the passage.
Xu Xiaoyan practically ran back the way she came.
Soon, with rapid breathing, she returned to the crossroads. Her previous experience had directly eliminated the huge risks of the "quiet" option.
She took a deep breath and resolutely turned into the right-hand passage where the noise was becoming increasingly clear.
Upon entering, one is greeted by a cacophony of heavy footsteps, the rumble of carts and trailers rolling across the ground, the faint sounds of arguments, children's shrill cries, and adults' impatient shouts... all these sounds blend together.
It was more crowded and busier than expected. The ground was slippery and muddy, clearly trampled by countless pairs of shoes covered in mud and snow. The movement of people here presented a disorderly vortex.
Some people dragged heavy suitcases or carried bulging backpacks, looking around blankly, trying to find instructions on the walls.
Some people seemed to have a specific goal in mind, shoving roughly as they passed through the crowd.
Some families were with crying children and scattered luggage.
There were also small groups of people gathered in a slightly more spacious corner, arguing heatedly about something, their faces filled with anxiety, exhaustion, and impatience.
Just as Xu Xiaoyan was trying to find an open space in the crowd, a more noisy and chaotic sound suddenly came from a place that was obviously a transportation hub ahead.
Several elevator doors, which appeared to be larger than those in Section B, opened simultaneously, and people poured out of the elevators, looking extremely disheveled, almost all of them soaking wet!
Their hair clung to their scalps or cheeks, dripping water constantly.
Their clothes, whether thick down jackets, cotton coats, or relatively thin outerwear, were all soaked with water, clinging to their bodies and appearing heavy and cumbersome. Water droplets dripped down the hems of their clothes and trouser legs, quickly forming small puddles at their feet.
Many people were so cold that their faces turned blue, their lips turned purple, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably. The sound of their teeth chattering could even be faintly heard amidst the noise. Their luggage was also soaked through.
This group of soaking wet "drowned rats" had clearly just experienced an extremely harsh outdoor ordeal. Now, entering the relatively warm underground passage, the temperature difference and the relief of escaping death left them in a state of near exhaustion and a bit of frenzy.
Once they came out, they scattered and moved about almost without pausing or observing their surroundings, driven by instinct and urgent needs.
Some people, perhaps those who still had the energy or were more particular, scanned the area eagerly and quickly spotted the "Public Restroom" sign on the wall on one side of the passageway.
I immediately dragged my wet luggage and body in that direction, hoping to take off my wet and cold clothes as soon as possible, or even just wipe my body with a dry cloth.
The other group of people, however, clearly didn't care about such things. They took advantage of the relatively wider passageway and, ignoring the constant flow of people and the various gazes directed at them, began to frantically deal with themselves.
Someone plopped down on the ground, shivering as they tried to untie their frozen shoelaces.
Some people started tearing off their water-soaked cotton clothes. The wet clothes clung to their skin and made a "rip" sound when they were taken off, revealing their equally soaked thermal underwear underneath.
Some people even started changing their pants without any regard for the consequences, standing in the chilly passageway in only their soaked underwear, rummaging through their belongings for clothes that might still be dry.
The entire area instantly became even more chaotic, with wet clothes carelessly thrown on the ground, melted snow and mud flowing everywhere, and people changing clothes blocking part of the passageway.
The sounds of complaining, coughing, sneezing, chattering teeth, and rummaging for dry clothes mingled together.
Xu Xiaoyan subconsciously leaned closer to the wall, her eyes beneath the brim of her hat staring in shock at the scene. Judging from the severity and their condition... it seemed like they had encountered extremely bad rain and snow, or even...
Before she could think it through, the group of shaken newcomers had already started talking all at once. Their voices trembled and quivered from the cold and excitement, and were even a little distorted, but they still clearly conveyed a chilling message in the noisy environment.
An elderly woman with gray hair, while vigorously wringing out her soaked scarf, said to a middle-aged man next to her, whose face was also disheveled, with a sob in her voice:
"Oh my god... God... I almost died out there! Luckily, my son kept urging me, and we were among the last to squeeze into the transfer station elevator..."
That blizzard... In all my decades of life, I've never seen such a blizzard! It was like white flour was being poured down from the sky, no, even more violent!
You couldn't see anyone a few steps away, and all you could hear was the howling wind!
The middle-aged man next to him, his face ashen and lips trembling, replied:
"Auntie, don't even mention it. My hometown is in the coldest part of Northeast China. I've seen snow disasters in winter before, but this is the first time I've ever seen anything this weird!"
That wasn't snowing at all, it was... it was snow flying horizontally! It hit people's faces and felt like being cut by tiny knives!
The temperature dropped incredibly fast. We could barely hold on while we were queuing, but afterwards it felt like we had fallen into an ice cave!
This darn weather! It changes so suddenly, without any warning! Is it even meant to be lived in?!
A young man, who looked relatively young but was also soaked to the bone, kept stamping his feet to try and regain feeling in his frozen feet, his voice trembling with lingering fear:
"Who can argue with that! The official channel was suddenly opened ahead of schedule. I was complaining about how troublesome it was, but now it seems like a lifesaver!"
If it had been another half hour, no, maybe ten minutes, our whole group would probably have frozen solid outside!
With such a huge blizzard now, I wonder if those who couldn't get in, or those still on their way here... will... still make it here alive?
As he finished speaking, his voice lowered, carrying a sense of reluctance and bewilderment.
A mother next to him, who was struggling to change the clothes of a four- or five-year-old girl, looked up abruptly upon hearing this. Her eyes instantly reddened, and she tightly hugged her daughter, whose little face was also purple from the cold and who was sobbing incessantly. Her voice choked with emotion.
"Please stop... I can't even bear to think about it... When I went to pick up my daughter from the central heating station, there were still so many children who hadn't been evacuated yet."
Her fear and sorrow were so real that they infected those around her, and the chatter subsided briefly, replaced by a heavy silence.
A rare and extreme blizzard... The surface conditions have deteriorated to this extent! No wonder the base suddenly opened the B-sector passage ahead of schedule. This is not an internal coordination issue at all, but an imminent extreme weather disaster!
Those soaking wet people were undoubtedly a new batch of migrants from Area C who had just arrived at the entrance after a near-death experience from surface shelters or transfer stations.
She originally thought that the grading and relocation of underground cities were based on relatively long-term planning and social selection, but now it seems more like an emergency evacuation in a race against a rapidly deteriorating natural environment.
Zone B was perhaps activated first because of its "value" or "priority," while Zones C, D, and so on followed closely behind, undergoing rescue transfers under increasingly dire conditions. She dared not think too deeply about those who were unable to enter in time.
At the same time, this also made her worry about her plan to "temporarily avoid Area C". The outside environment has deteriorated to such an extent that everyone is living in the underground city. If the living conditions in Area B are so poor, then the living conditions in Area C will only be worse!
While Xu Xiaoyan was still preoccupied with her worries about her situation, a deliberately raised shout suddenly came from another passageway:
Come on over! Take a look! Fresh, hot ginger tea to warm you up! Brewed to order! Only 1 point per cup!
Honest and fair dealing, you won't lose out! When you're sick, you have to grit your teeth and spend points to buy medicine! Why not spend a little money on a cup of ginger tea to prevent illness early and save a lot of money!