Chapter 84: Persuading One’s Peers

When the earthquake first began, the residents of Jiang Xi’s building were initially panicked, then instinctively began to run downstairs. Gradually, however, some gritted their teeth and turned back to look for Jiang Xi; about two-thirds of them returned. After all, one person didn’t need so many to protect him, so they conveniently grabbed some supplies on their way down. It was precisely because everyone thought to check on Jiang Xi that, by sheer coincidence, they temporarily lacked nothing in terms of resources.

Now they had everything: tents, blankets, fuel, fire starters, food and drink—even someone had hurriedly brought down a bag of snacks. At this moment, everyone was well-fed, organized into shifts for night watch; compared to those shivering and hungry elsewhere, they were indeed much more comfortable.

Wu Gang’s supplies were stored on the first floor, and he had already distributed most of them. He walked among several campfires, looking after everyone. Seeing that Jiang Xi was still fiddling with his drone, Wu Gang became curious and squatted down, asking if the device was still usable.

“It can,” Jiang Xi replied. “It’ll be flying soon.”

Wu Gang assumed the boy just wanted to play, childlike as he was. But Jiang Xi’s next words surprised him: “Looking for my sister. It’s getting dark, and she doesn’t like the dark.”

Wu Gang paused, realizing he needed to reassess Jiang Xi.

Fifteen minutes later, after confirming everything was in order, Jiang Xi launched the drone, equipped with navigation and night vision. The buzzing drone flew toward the base, and all the images along the way were captured by Jiang Xi. Survivors gradually gathered around him, eager to see what things looked like outside, and hoping to know whether the base could spare help for others.

No one knew how much time had passed. When the drone’s signal weakened and the screen started to freeze, everyone finally saw a campfire on the monitor. It was a group of people who had also lit a fire.

Though it was impossible to distinguish men from women, Jiang Xi made his drone circle and flash its lights. On the screen, someone by the fire seemed to spot the strange starlight and pointed. The others stood up, and one person even ran a few steps, raising an arm and waving.

Jiang Xi breathed a sigh of relief, showing a relaxed expression for the first time since the earthquake began. “Sister, she knows now.”

Knowing I am safe, my sister will surely feel at ease tonight.

Just after retrieving his drone, Jiang Xi tilted his head and went off to sleep. That night, some lives were saved, some disappeared without a trace, and for most, there was only despair.

Yes, despair—for identity registration had only just been completed. The resettlement plan had been in full swing for nearly a month, pilot sites were open, and food had just been distributed. Yet such disaster struck, delivering a heavy blow to everyone’s hope for a new life.

Some laughed hysterically, muttering that it was the end of the world, insisting there would never be a good day again. Others wept in sorrow, terrified of what new dangers might arise in the next moment.

Dawn was barely breaking when Jiang Huan got up around four to keep watch. Xie Congzhou was a man of principle; he had stood guard alone for six or seven hours, instructing everyone not to wander and finally wrapping himself in a spare blanket to sleep.

Even though Jiang Huan had seen her brother’s drone, her heart was restless as a cat. She had begun to notice something unusual about Xie Congzhou, some peculiar methods. That only made Jiang Huan more determined to leave with this group, so she intentionally struck up conversations with Xie Miaomiao and the others.

To her surprise, she learned from them that even without the earthquake, they had planned to move here.

“There was a good leader over there who looked after us, but in these circumstances, occupying prime land with hot springs for farming—even if we supplied more than half elsewhere, even if our high yields came from our farming expertise—still, some coveted our land and never stopped. Things were peaceful enough, but then the leader left for training in the capital. Once he was gone, those who needed his personal intervention started causing trouble: first, sending people to ‘learn,’ then collaborating from inside and out, constantly brainwashing villagers, promising benefits, and issuing threats.

We brought out some quality seeds this time; if we find a suitable place, we’ll settle again. We’ve visited here twice, thought it was decent, but didn’t expect this disaster—and haven’t even managed to bring all the seeds.”

They were lying.

No.

Rather, their details were rough, and they were hiding something in their account. But Jiang Huan could see clearly—she was nothing more than a stranger in their eyes; it was normal not to open up completely.

Everyone was simply banding together for warmth, for now.

She didn’t press for details, instead pulling some frozen bread from her bag. She’d made it earlier with her bread maker, squeezed it and froze it, thinking she might never need it, but now it was useful.

The bread was cooked in water, and at least it was more filling than plain hot water. For two meals, Jiang Huan was a great help, and everyone’s impression of her improved.

When Xie Congzhou awoke, sitting upright, it was already afternoon. He’d slept soundly. If not for the situation, Jiang Huan would have thought he was lying on his own carpet at home.

He drank a bowl of bread porridge saved for him, and after repeated invitations from Jiang Huan, agreed to head to Star City Community first. Jiang Huan felt much less anxious.

The group packed their things; Xie Congzhou returned to the base and, somehow, managed to get a three-wheeled cart. He loaded up the injured and elderly, pedaling alone, while Jiang Huan and Xie Miaomiao supported the sides, lending a hand at slopes and rough spots to ease Xie Congzhou’s burden.

With everyone pitching in, they finally reached the vicinity of Star City Community. Someone spotted Jiang Huan and shouted; Jiang Xi heard and immediately ran over.

As soon as he got close, he wrapped his sister in a hug, his fluffy head nuzzling her shoulder.

Jiang Huan comforted him, patting gently, “I’m fine, don’t be afraid, Xiao Xi. Are you all okay?”

Jiang Xi’s voice was muffled, “We're all fine. No one died, no one was hurt. Everyone came to find me, and we brought things down.”

As they approached the community gate, it was clear that compared to the base, the ground here was sturdier; none of the buildings had collapsed, though some debris and broken glass had fallen.

Taking advantage of daylight, everyone used their limited tools to clear the mess, lest they escape last night’s disaster only to be injured by debris today.

“This is Xie Congzhou, Old Master Xie, Xie Miaomiao, and Uncle Kui,” Jiang Huan introduced the four, thanking Xie Congzhou, who had helped her avoid danger.

“Ah, anyone who helped Miss Jiang is part of the family. Come, sit down and rest!”

“That big brother twisted his ankle, right? We’ve got a doctor and two traditional medicine practitioners here—why not take another look?”

The residents of Building Six spoke kindly; though their chatter was a bit noisy, the lively atmosphere added a touch of vitality to the gloomy backdrop.

Uncle Kui’s ankle received more professional care, and his frown eased.

“It's starting again!” someone shouted, and the surrounding cries, mixed with sudden tremors, swept the recently calm community into another wave of wailing and desperate struggle for survival.