Chapter 585: Cold Wind

The broadcast ended, and everyone in the dorm room exchanged glances.

"Are they one hundred percent sure the sun is coming out? The moment I heard the word ’experts,’ I suddenly felt like this whole thing isn’t very reliable."

"I don’t think it’s reliable either. If the sun doesn’t come out in two months, these base ’experts’ can go shovel shit. They just spout nonsense all day."

Zoe and Annie couldn’t help but laugh.

"This is just great, sending everyone into a panic. The sun isn’t even out yet, and they’re already causing chaos. What was the base thinking this time? Why would they tell the residents directly about the solar poison?"

Evelyn told everyone to calm down. "Giving us a heads-up isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The shelter can block the solar poison’s toxins. As long as the residents follow instructions, there won’t be any trouble. The patrol teams, the military, and the police are all stationed in the shelter. Anyone who tries to cause a disturbance will be dealt with immediately. The residents aren’t stupid; the base must have its reasons for doing this. We should just stay here in The Undercity, mind our own business, and not go looking for trouble. Let’s just carry on as usual. The sun will eventually rise, and even if there is solar poison, it will dissipate one day."

"Evelyn’s right. We all experienced the solar poison back at the farm. As long as you don’t go out in the sun, you’ll be fine. Speaking of which, this makes me admire Rhys Chase even more. He’s truly a visionary, quite a remarkable figure. The base is managed very well too."

Taylor Vance’s eyes were filled with admiration and respect for Rhys Chase.

Over the next few days, Evelyn remained busy pickling all sorts of vegetables. In her free time, she would also stop by the laboratory for a look around.

At every stairwell in The Undercity, numerous posters about protective measures against solar poison were put up. The broadcast station played daily segments on basic survival knowledge. They even covered topics like how to treat external injuries, filter contaminated water, grow crops, survive in extreme hot or cold temperatures, identify poisonous plants and animals in primeval forests, how pregnant women should give birth, how to start a fire by drilling wood in the wild, and how to hunt...

"Why has the base been broadcasting these survival guides so often lately?" Quincy asked, two cotton balls stuffed in his ears.

Wyatt Vaughn shrugged and reached out to remove the cotton balls for him. "Isn’t this a good thing? This is all vital knowledge for survival. The more you learn, the better your chances of making it."

"It is good, but it gives me this feeling like it’s the calm before the storm. It’s making me anxious. Weren’t we told The Undercity is safe? As long as we don’t go outside, we won’t be in any danger."

"Only The Undercity is safe."

Quincy was left speechless.

—

Outside The Undercity, the temperature had already risen to fifteen degrees Celsius. The wheat in the planting area swayed from side to side. A female worker held out her hand. When a cool breeze brushed past her palm, she froze for a few seconds before shouting to the person next to her.

"There’s wind! The wind is cold! It’s blowing the wheat over!"

The others quickly stretched out their hands to feel the cold wind. They spread their fingers, trying to catch it in their grasp. As gusts of the cool breeze brushed against their cheeks, everyone began to cheer.

"There really is wind! Such a cool wind!"

The cold wind blew from the Northwest, carrying the chill and air of the snow-capped mountains. News of the wind’s appearance spread rapidly throughout the base. Adults and children alike wanted to feel the long-absent breeze. Just then, the base’s broadcast crackled to life.

[Emergency announcement. All residents and workers currently outside the shelter are to return to the shelter’s main square in an orderly fashion within half an hour.]

The announcement repeated ten times. It seemed the matter was truly urgent.

"What’s going on? Is the sun out?"

Evelyn rested her chin on her hand and looked at everyone. "I don’t think so. If the sun were out, the broadcast would have said so directly. It’s possible the base detected air pollution, or maybe a dangerous animal has appeared. It could also be a heavy rainstorm."

At three in the afternoon, the base’s broadcast sounded again. The gentle female voice could do little to soothe the crowd’s panicked and uneasy emotions.

"Emergency announcement. A cold wind from the outside has reached the base. This sudden cold front may lead to cases of the flu or typhoid fever. If anyone experiences symptoms such as nosebleeds, a sore throat, or dizziness, please report to the shelter immediately. Starting this afternoon, all residents are to report to the cafeteria to receive a batch-brewed preventative medicine. Those with drug allergies must report their condition. All residents, please be aware: no one is permitted to start or spread rumors within the shelter. Any violators will be severely punished."

The base only said the cold wind could cause the flu or typhoid fever, but Evelyn keenly sensed they weren’t telling the residents the whole truth.

’Perhaps the cold wind didn’t bring the flu or typhoid fever, but some unknown virus?’

The next day, Liam Sterling returned to The Undercity and knocked on Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick’s door.

He seemed to be in good spirits lately, his sleep schedule likely having adjusted. Liam Sterling had fair skin and two small dimples when he smiled, giving him a particularly likable appearance.

"Mr. Kendrick, Evelyn, I have something important to tell you."

Evelyn let him in. Liam Sterling brought a chill with him. As he walked past, Evelyn could feel the cold air wafting off him.

"Is this about yesterday’s broadcast?"

Liam gave a thumbs-up. "You’re as sharp as ever, Evelyn. Right on the money. Yesterday, a cold wind started blowing at the base, coming from the Northwest. As everyone knows, there are snow-capped mountains in the Northwest, and beneath them, there could be large quantities of unknown germs and viruses. After testing by the research team, they discovered that the wind is indeed carrying a large amount of viruses. What’s more, the wind is severely contaminated. Some of the young children who were exposed to it were the first to show symptoms. Large red spots and rashes began to appear on their exposed skin."

"Does the base have a definitive treatment plan?"

Liam shook his head. "The specific medications don’t seem to have any effect on the red spots and rashes. The medical team prepared the batch-brewed medicine, but that didn’t have any effect either."

"It’s that serious?"

Liam sighed. "An unknown virus, an unknown source of contamination... the research and medical teams are completely clueless. Some are speculating that it’s a contaminant from a nuclear leak or a nuclear weapon detonation in a region outside."

Evelyn pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "Are there any fatal signs?"

"No. So far, it doesn’t appear to be contagious. All the patients have stable vital signs. They just have a slight fever, but it’s not serious. Their temperatures are all around 38 to 38.5 degrees Celsius. Everything else is normal."

"Liam, the members of the research and medical teams are all top experts. To be honest, I’m just an amateur. A lot of what I know, I learned by just messing around and stumbling into things by accident. If you’re here to ask me for a treatment plan, I can’t provide one. I’m just as clueless about what you just described as they are."

Liam nodded. "I understand. Please don’t feel pressured, Evelyn. The management team discussed it and came up with two options. First, if the virus isn’t fatal, isn’t contagious, and can’t be cured, then we’ll just have to let it coexist with everyone. Second, we could go to the outside world to search for a cure. But many people have already rejected that idea. There are too many unknown dangers outside. The leadership doesn’t want to take that risk."

"If it were me, I’d agree with the first option. If this really is from a nuclear leak or a nuclear weapon, the consequences of going out would be unthinkable."