Chapter 598: Nipping It in the Bud

Evelyn Ford took the box. "Can Auntie choose anything she wants?"

"Just leave one for me. Auntie can take all the rest."

Evelyn Ford smiled. She wasn’t that greedy. From the pile of prizes, she took out the item Ronan Kendrick had put inside.

"Is it okay if Auntie takes this one?"

"Uncle put that in, so Auntie can take it."

Evelyn Ford took a gift she had prepared from her pocket and placed it inside. "Zoe, you’re so cute, Auntie has an extra reward for you."

Zoe saw the digital watch Evelyn Ford put in and jumped for joy. "Thank you, Auntie!"

Evelyn Ford had also prepared gifts for Annie and Wendy. Annie’s was another black digital watch, while Wendy’s was a pair of binoculars.

Zoe hugged the box and returned to Wyatt Vaughn’s side, asking her to hold onto her gifts. Wyatt, in turn, had to ask Evelyn Ford for help, letting Evelyn keep them for her. After all, everyone believed that things were only truly safe when stored in her ’space’.

"The sun is out. As long as the ’sun toxin’ dissipates, we’ll be able to farm the land outside normally." Officer Graham was currently most concerned with farming.

"I’m worried that the residents living in the mountains will rush out to clear land and plant crops. If they get burned by the sun toxin, their skin will quickly swell, redden, and then begin to fester and rot. What’s more, the polar night lasted for so long that ninety-five percent of people have experienced vision loss. If the sunlight hits their eyes directly, they could get burned and possibly go temporarily blind."

’There must still be many survivors in the mountains. I wonder how they all made it through the long polar night.’

Quincy suddenly raised his hand to speak. "None of the factories in the base’s industrial zone have stopped production. The sun toxin should dissipate in half a month, so why is Rhys Chase in such a hurry? Shutting down for two weeks wouldn’t be a huge loss. If the workers get burned, they’ll just have to go to the hospital for treatment."

"He’s probably worried that other disasters will follow the sun’s return, so he’s having the workers put in overtime to produce all kinds of supplies."

"That can’t be right. Shouldn’t everything start to recover now that the sun’s out? It’s been eleven years. Isn’t this cataclysm over yet?"

Everyone looked tense, and even Annie and Zoe stared at Evelyn Ford with fearful unease.

"Rhys Chase is just taking precautions. It doesn’t mean another disaster is a sure thing, but preparing supplies in advance is never a bad idea. Fortunately, he’s very responsible. Liam Sterling said there’s serious infighting within the management. Rhys Chase holds all the real power, so the others just form little cliques to try and push him out. But since he controls the weapons and the food, they can’t make any real trouble. They just have to stomach it, no matter how much they disagree."

"There’s no need for everyone to be so tense. Just stay in your dorms for this period. In two weeks, if the sun toxin has dissipated, the base broadcast will definitely let everyone know. Then we can go out for a stroll and relax. We’ve been through this sort of thing countless times, so just try to stay calm and treat it as business as usual."

Regardless, the sun’s return was a good thing. With sunlight, plants would take root and sprout. Compared to the polar night, the sun always brought with it an immense sense of security.

At five in the afternoon, Liam Sterling returned with a large bag. He knocked on Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick’s door before he had even taken off his heat-resistant suit.

"Mr. Kendrick, Evelyn, I came to bring you some heat-resistant suits and sunglasses."

Liam Sterling was wearing a heat-resistant helmet. When he took it off, his forehead was slick with sweat. The base’s suits were much lighter and thinner than the ones Evelyn Ford had in her ’space’. They felt weightless, made of a material like sun-protective clothing, just with an added outer layer of black, heat-insulating textile. The sunglasses were made of a common material, but their quality was excellent.

"We actually have a few heat-resistant suits, but they’re not as good as these. Ours are much heavier, probably about five or six pounds each. This is perfect timing, Liam. Thank you."

Liam Sterling waved his hand dismissively. "Evelyn, there’s no need for thanks. We’re all on the same side, so don’t be so formal with me. I’ve got some good news. Mr. Chase plans to clear about sixteen acres of sandy land in the cultivation zone in two weeks to plant watermelons."

Evelyn Ford was taken aback. "Sixteen acres of watermelons?"

"That’s right. Mr. Chase said that after so many years of disaster, now that the sun is finally out, he wants to grow some fruit to pass out to all the residents. He was in a good mood today, so he made the call."

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look, and both of them couldn’t help but laugh.

"You have no idea how infuriating those idiots in management are. They just occupy their posts without doing any real work. If I were Mr. Chase and had to meet with those morons every day, I think I’d die of sheer frustration."

Liam Sterling pulled a bag of fruit drops from his jacket pocket. "These are for the kids. Evelyn, could you give these to them for me?"

"No problem. But you don’t always have to bring things over. We aren’t short on supplies."

Liam Sterling waved it off. "It’s just a little snack, nothing special. Oh, that reminds me, let me tell you something. Remember that alligator pool I mentioned before? I just found out today that someone in the base is raising alligators and venomous snakes again. Those brain-dead idiots... aren’t they afraid the animals will turn on them and eat them?"

Liam Sterling sat on the sofa, muttering curses. Seeing how worked up he was, Evelyn Ford poured him a glass of chilled herbal tea to help him cool down.

"Didn’t you say the owner of the alligator pool was dead?"

"He died, but some other people picked up where that menace left off. Mr. Chase already knows about it; he’ll take care of them. Raising animals like that in these extreme conditions is just asking for death. If they get infected with some unknown virus, the animals could easily go berserk and cause a widespread outbreak."

Liam Sterling was still fuming. "The most disgusting part is that they used to feed the alligators and snakes with dead bodies. They’re probably doing it again. Those people... they’re really crossing the line."

"If the people raising them end up eating alligators that were fed on corpses, they’re bound to have health problems. This should be dealt with sooner rather than later," Evelyn Ford cautioned.

"Don’t worry, Evelyn. Those people won’t be alive for long."

After finishing the pot of herbal tea, Liam Sterling stood up, grabbed his helmet, and left. He still had to go to the broadcast station to have them announce the dangers of the sun toxin and the necessary precautions twice a day, in the morning and evening.

That afternoon, over thirty people showed up at the hospital with burns from the sun toxin. Fortunately, their conditions weren’t serious.

After Liam Sterling left, Evelyn Ford kept two of the heat-resistant suits and distributed the rest among the others.

As the sun rose and the temperature climbed, The Undercity turned on its air conditioning. Evelyn Ford passed out watermelon and ice cubes to the others.

Each dorm room was equipped with a small refrigerator, which could be used to store fresh fruit and produce.

The ice cubes could be used to make chilled mung bean soup and shaved ice, and the temperature was perfect for enjoying a bowl.

Officer Graham was holding a thick cookbook, once again engrossed in studying new recipes.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick were also reading, since they still had to refine salt ore.

Over the next few days, the broadcast station gave daily updates on the condition of the residents hospitalized for sun toxin burns. It also continued to inform the public about the toxin’s dangers and the necessary preventative measures.

The base’s water treatment plant also started producing ice. Large quantities of it would be delivered to the cafeterias in The Undercity and the other shelters.