Chapter 606: Chapter 606: Plate Rupture

The first-floor warehouse was already flooding. A deafening thunderclap boomed, shattering glass. A corner of the roof on the building across the way was struck by lightning and broke off. Evelyn Ford stared blankly outside. The scene before her eyes shifted, and for a moment, it was as if she was back on the tenth floor of Building D, Prosperity Gardens.

"The rain’s getting heavier. This isn’t good."

After finishing his boxed meal, Liam Sterling looked outside glumly. He took out his walkie-talkie and told the two soldiers guarding outside to go check the circuit breaker and the flooding on the first floor. Luckily, there was a bathroom on the second floor. Liam let Evelyn Ford know and then hurried to the restroom.

After Evelyn finished eating, she entered her space to check on things. The storage area was filled with the fruits, vegetables, chickens, ducks, and geese that she and Ronan Kendrick had collected. The ground was also littered with droppings, corn stalks, wheat straw, and bundles of weeds.

When Wendy saw her, she hurried over to ask about the situation outside.

"Not good. The Sun Rain has turned into a cold, torrential downpour. It’s still thundering outside, and the first-floor warehouse is flooding. I just came from the livestock area and was about to start collecting the vegetables."

While they spoke, Evelyn Ford changed into a pair of rain boots. "I’m going out to collect the vegetables. The situation outside isn’t good. You all stay in here for now. If Ronan Kendrick comes into the space, tell him I’m in warehouse number three."

Wendy nodded. "I understand, Joy Ford. You two must be careful."

Evelyn Ford nodded and then left the space.

She hurried to gather the mountain of vegetables into her space. By the time Liam Sterling returned, Evelyn had already collected a third of them.

"Ms. Ford, the rain has picked up again."

"We need to speed up. Put the smaller items into the burlap sacks. Don’t waste anything we can take. Pack it all up."

Liam Sterling nodded. "Yes."

Evelyn had just eaten, so a good deal of her energy and stamina had returned. She focused her mind, clearing away all distracting thoughts, and collected all the vegetables in the warehouse at top speed.

Bolt after bolt of lightning struck down. Residents busy in the fields were hit, convulsing twice in the water before they went still.

The people watched this disaster in horror. Seeing more lightning fall, they grew terrified. They dropped the sickles in their hands and ran for the shelters. One person bolted, and a crowd quickly followed.

"Don’t go! We haven’t finished harvesting the wheat! Don’t go!"

No matter how hoarsely those maintaining order shouted, the people fleeing didn’t even slow down. Instead, even more people abandoned the wheat field.

It’s only human to be afraid of death.

A soldier in olive green raised his gun and fired two shots into the sky. He tried to grab the fleeing people to make them stay, but one of them shoved him.

"No one leaves! If you don’t want to starve to death, you have to stay and finish harvesting this field!"

"I’m scared of dying! I don’t want to be struck by lightning! Just let me go! The base isn’t short on this little bit of grain. The base must have reserves. Are our lives less important than grain? I can’t die. My kid is waiting for me in the shelter."

"Have you all forgotten the days when you had nothing to eat? This is enough grain to feed tens of thousands of people for a year!"

The man grew desperate, grabbing the soldier’s hand and biting down hard.

"That’s your duty. What does it have to do with me?"

After saying that, he thrashed through the water and left.

Many people left, but many also stayed. The water in the fields was already waist-deep. The rain grew heavier and heavier, becoming uncontrollable.

The bodies of those struck by lightning floated in the water. The soldier with the gun wiped the rain from his face, walked over, and dragged one of the corpses toward the shore.

The field was a mess of murky water, and the wheat was already submerged. A manager looked at the wheat field through the curtain of rain, then went to a truck on the shore and grabbed a megaphone.

"Abandon the wheat harvest! Abandon the wheat field! Everyone, head to the cornfield and harvest the ears of corn!"

Harvesting the wheat had become meaningless. The water was murky, and any wheat recovered would need to be washed and dried—a waste of manpower and resources. There were still a few acres of corn in the cornfield that might be worth salvaging.

Hearing the order, the residents left the wheat field and all ran toward the cornfield.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the sun disappeared again. Liam Sterling was sighing constantly. He said if he had known there would be a downpour, he wouldn’t have taken down the Solar Lamps.

"Taking them down might have been a good thing. It’s been thundering nonstop, and the streetlights have been shattered by lightning. The Solar Lamps might have been struck, too. Glass is just glass, no matter how tough it is. Besides, they have conductive wires inside."

Hearing Evelyn Ford say this, Liam Sterling thought it made some sense.

At 3:00 p.m., Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick met up at warehouse number four. They exchanged a look and then split up to collect supplies on different floors.

At 4:00 p.m., a clap of thunder sounded, followed by a world-spinning tremor. A string in Evelyn Ford’s mind snapped.

’An earthquake.’

To be precise, tectonic plates were cracking, causing an earthquake. Evelyn Ford grabbed a stunned Liam Sterling and threw him into her space. She shouted Ronan’s name but heard no reply. Evelyn dodged a sack of radishes hurtling toward her and ran straight for the second floor.

"Ronan! Ronan..."

"I’m here."

Ronan Kendrick jumped down from the third-floor stairwell and, in the instant he caught Evelyn Ford, pulled her into the space with him.

Inside the space, the others were gathered around Liam Sterling, all talking at once, asking what had happened outside. Just then, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick suddenly appeared, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wendy and Zoe were crying with anxiety. Evelyn Ford patted their shoulders and told everyone about the situation outside.

"Mr. Kendrick, Ms. Ford, I have to go out. I need to find Mr. Chase and Ryan Rowe."

Ronan Kendrick frowned. "It’s too dangerous outside right now. You’d just be throwing your life away."

Liam Sterling collapsed onto the ground, his hands trembling violently and his face deathly pale.

"The Undercity is safe. We should go back to The Undercity first. Mr. Chase is at the administration building, and Ryan Rowe is at the pharmaceutical factory. Mr. Chase told us that if danger ever struck, we were to return to The Undercity immediately. As soon as the gates to The Undercity are locked, its defense systems will automatically activate."

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look, and both fell silent.

Because Evelyn Ford was the owner of the space, it was bound to her. She had entered the space from the second floor of warehouse number four, so when she left again, her body would reappear on the second floor of warehouse number four.

The tremors outside were still continuing. Evelyn Ford used her consciousness to scan the area. The warehouse had collapsed, and the ground outside had split apart, forming massive, deep chasms.

If Liam Sterling wanted to return to The Undercity, there were two ways. First, he could leave the space and go back on his own. Second, Evelyn Ford could leave the space, travel to The Undercity, and everyone inside the space would arrive there with her.

"The earthquake hasn’t stopped yet. Let’s wait a little longer."

Liam Sterling was anxious. "The Undercity has a crisis alarm. Half an hour after the alarm sounds, the security doors automatically lock from the inside. If we’re late, the doors will be locked, and we won’t be able to get in unless someone opens them for us."

Quincy walked over and put a hand on Liam Sterling’s shoulder. "Liam, don’t panic. I know you’re worried about Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe, but it’s really dangerous outside right now. You need to calm down."

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