Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 273 Cold Wave
For the next few days, the gunfire over Salaidon never stopped.

Most of the time, it's just a few isolated American soldiers trying to exploit loopholes in the city's defenses. After being discovered by the guards and engaging in brief firefights, the American soldiers usually end up being killed or driven back. Only in very rare cases will a large group of Americans gather to launch an attack.

The gunfire at night was far louder than during the day.

Countless American soldiers perished in the fierce fighting; looking out from the walls of Saladon, one could see countless corpses lying everywhere.

Some of them had already begun to rot, and the foul stench wafted into the city, even the protective masks couldn't block it.

The female mayor gives a speech on television almost every day.

At first, Ou Yang found it quite novel, but after a few days he got tired of it and felt compelled to change the channel whenever he saw the female mayor on the screen.

Unfortunately, the trio was also affected by the continuous gunfire, and they could hardly sleep at night. They could only get some rest during the day when the gunfire was less intense.

Apart from that, everything else went smoothly. I spent my days eating and sleeping, without having to worry about anything.

"He looks just like a pig!" Zhu Yiming sharply retorted, drawing angry glares from Ou Yang and Jiang Yuwei.

You're the pig! Your whole family are pigs!
Being young is great; my body recovers incredibly quickly. In just a few days, all the fatigue that had been building up for so long vanished, and I felt more energetic than ever before, with every cell feeling full and vibrant.

Ouyang felt as if all the muscles in his body were growing and his strength was increasing every day. Others tried it and found that his strength had indeed increased, but without professional equipment, they didn't know exactly how much it had increased.

Leisurely time flies by like fireworks, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them officially ended their quarantine.

On the morning of the eighth day, Duan Shuxun knocked on the door early in the morning: "Congratulations, your quarantine is officially over!"

The so-called isolation did not mean locking people up in isolation. As long as they did not leave the office, there would be no problem. The trio did not feel isolated at all.

Ouyang politely replied, "Thank you. What are the plans next?"

Duan Shuxun laughed and said, "A helicopter delivering equipment is coming over this afternoon. They've arranged for you to fly directly to Xiushidun."

All three of them had their eyes light up at the same time, and Zhu Yiming couldn't help but exclaim, "This is good, this is good!"

Ouyang asked curiously, "What kind of equipment needs to be delivered by helicopter?"

"It's a batch of purification equipment," Duan Shuxun said. "We used to transport it by land, but now that the epidemic has spread, the land routes are blocked, so we have to use helicopters to bring it in."

“Oh, I see!” Ouyang nodded.

In American cities, especially those near epidemic areas, air purification equipment has become an indispensable necessity. It is understandable that air transport can reach places where land transportation is not possible.

The money comes from the sheep anyway, since the Americans are footing the bill.

After Duan Shuxun left, Zhu Yiming raised his arms in cheers, his heart filled with anticipation.

Although we can't go back to China yet, we have our own ships there, full of our own people. From now on, we don't have to worry about the epidemic or infected people anymore; we can just wait for the epidemic to end.

Ou Yang and Jiang Yuwei were also very happy and quickly packed their luggage.

Actually, it wasn't much; besides weapons, there were some emergency rations and a small amount of beef jerky.

That's right, it's food, and they brought it out from the epidemic area.

Although the office had everything it needed, having grown accustomed to hardship in the epidemic area, they couldn't bear to throw away even the food they had plenty of.

Weapons and such would probably be impossible to carry with them once they were on the ship, but the three of them had no intention of giving up.

At the very least, we'll have to wait until we're on the ship to discuss it.

What followed was an agonizing wait. I felt that the seven days of quarantine combined didn't feel as long as this morning.

But after lunch, the weather suddenly changed. The sky, which had been cloudless in the morning, suddenly became overcast, with leaden clouds hanging so low they almost pressed down on her head. The howling wind made Jiang Yuwei think she had returned to her hometown in the dead of winter.

The few pedestrians on the street disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Even the continuous gunfire was drowned out by the howling wind.

The room was dimly lit, so Ouyang turned on the light.

Outside the window, a fierce wind whipped up trash, sending it flying everywhere. Zhu Yiming leaned against the window, stroking a non-existent beard with a serious expression: "May I ask, which fellow Daoist is undergoing tribulation here!"

Jiang Yuwei pretended not to hear. This guy, how old is he, still so immature?

Ou Yang sighed and chimed in, "Whose unlucky kid is this? Take him home right now!"

Zhu Yiming pouted: "You two are no fun."

Ou Yang chuckled lightly: "We're both getting old, we're not as childlike as you."

Zhu Yiming rolled his eyes: "If you want to say I'm childish, just say so. There's no need to beat around the bush."

"Oh, I was just worried about upsetting your young and fragile heart."

As they were talking, there was a knock on the door, and Duan Shuxun walked in with a sullen face: "I just received news that the weather is too bad and the plane has to turn back midway. They're not coming."

Ou Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Hey, I thought something was wrong. It's just a few days later, it's fine."

As soon as the words were spoken, a fine drizzle began to fall outside the window, enveloping everything in the world in a misty rain.

At first glance, it seemed to have captured the essence of the misty rain of Jiangnan, but the gale did not stop; instead, it intensified and became even more ferocious, making the windows howl and giving the feeling that the glass was about to shatter.

The room fell silent instantly. Only after the howling subsided did Zhu Yiming ask worriedly, "No way, is it that exaggerated?"

Ou Yang was also a little startled and turned to look at Duan Shuxun: "Is the wind here really this wild?"

Duan Shuxun shook his head: "This is the first time I've ever encountered this kind of weather..."

"Look!" Jiang Yuwei suddenly pointed out the window.

Everyone else looked outside simultaneously, and Zhu Yiming asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Ouyang noticed something amiss: "It's freezing rain!"

Zhu Yiming finally noticed the anomaly: the fine raindrops would freeze instantly wherever they fell. In just a few moments, everything—grass, trees, walls, and cars parked on the roadside—was covered with a thin layer of ice.

Moreover, the longer the time, the thicker the ice layer becomes.

Ou Yang opened the window a crack, and a blast of cold air immediately rushed in, making Zhu Yiming hug his arms tightly: "Close it, close it, close it quickly!"

Ou Yang closed the window tightly: "Isn't this a bit too much?"

"What's so special about this?" Jiang Yuwei pouted, acting as if she were a seasoned and experienced woman who could easily handle such a minor setback.

Ou Yang continued looking at Duan Shuxun: "Didn't you give any warning before the weather suddenly changed?"

"The forecast only said it would get colder and rainy, but it didn't say it would rain this heavily." Duan Shuxun's expression was grave. "I have some things to take care of, I'll be going now!"

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Zhu Yiming asked curiously, "What needs to be done in this situation?" "This is freezing rain. It wouldn't be a problem in the north, but Kizilsu is considered the south, right?" Ouyang said.

He vaguely remembered that one year a cold wave hit the south, freezing the roads and power lines, causing considerable damage, and apparently some people even died.

Zhu Yiming twisted his neck: "Hey, I'm not the only one who feels colder and colder, am I?"

"It's a bit cold." Jiang Yuwei climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

Ouyang suddenly put his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture: "Listen!"

Zhu and Jiang held their breath and pricked up their ears like rabbits.

After a moment, Zhu Yiming asked softly, "What are you listening to?"

Gunshots!

Just as the howling wind subsided, Jiang Yuwei vaguely heard the sound of gunfire: "Yes, there was gunfire!"

"Hey, what are you two doing? Doesn't this place get shot every day?"

"Before, it was to get into the city; now it's to survive. Can they be the same?" Ou Yang stared out the window. The wind carried raindrops that kept falling, and a layer of smooth, translucent icicles visibly condensed on the treetops.

Just as he had predicted, the sudden cold wave caught the old Americans gathered outside the city off guard.

At least half of the elderly have nowhere to stay, while the rest can only rely on tents or dilapidated vehicles for shelter.

Some people also live in makeshift, self-built dwellings.

When the wind and rain came, Lao Mi, who was not protected, was immediately soaked to the bone. Under the double blow of cold wind and freezing rain, his body heat was quickly taken away.

At this point, the role of tents and vehicles was very limited. Without the protection of houses, the old Mi stranded outside the city could not hold out for long, and everyone was shrouded in the shadow of death.

In a life-or-death situation, some Americans rushed in groups to the nearest tents or vehicles; the more rational ones simply asked to share them to get through the crisis.

However, only a very small minority are rational; most people do not hesitate to drive away the original owners.

No one was willing to leave at this time, and a fierce conflict immediately broke out between the two sides. For a time, dense gunfire could be heard from all directions outside the city.

The old soldiers, who should have been in the same trench, turned into a brawl due to a sudden change in the weather, and countless people died tragically under gunfire, their blood staining the tents.

The victors occupied the tents and vehicles, leaving the bodies of the defeated outside.

But there are only so many tents and vehicles. Many old Americans have just secured a spot when they are targeted by newer Americans. After a flurry of gunfire, they become the new owners of the tents or vehicles.

Before long, the tents and vehicles that had been repeatedly fought over by the many Americans were riddled with bullet holes.

The vehicles were in a better condition; although there were many bullet holes, the impact was minor. By finding something to block them up, they could at least keep out some of the wind and rain.

The tent was different; it was full of holes, making it sway precariously in the wind, and freezing rain poured straight into it.

If no one fights over it, once the tent is set up and secured for a while, the raindrops falling on it will freeze into a layer of ice, protecting the people inside.

The problem is that the demand for tents is endless, and the damaged tents can't even be secured before they're torn into pieces and rendered completely useless.

The focus of the dispute shifted to the vehicles, and the infighting intensified.

On the city wall, the guards thought that the outsiders, the Americans, had launched another attack. They immediately sounded the battle alarm, and a large group of guards braved the wind and rain and rushed up the city wall as quickly as possible. But after waiting for a long time, no enemy came up.

Fortunately, the city wall was originally built on the basis of the buildings. Faced with the severe weather, the guards quickly retreated indoors and monitored the enemy's movements through the windows.

To be honest, the indoor environment isn't much better, but having a sheltered place is much better than being directly exposed to the strong winds.

Upon receiving the news, the female mayor quickly organized people to send warm clothing to the city wall.

However, due to a lack of prior preparation, the vehicle kept slipping on the icy road and was unable to drive normally.

Ouyang watched as a pickup truck loaded with cargo slid off the road and crashed into a roadside utility pole.

The severed wires crackled and sparked.

The power was immediately cut off in the office, and the room instantly became dark again, as if it were getting dark.

"Oh no!" Ou Yang slapped his thigh and immediately went out to find Duan Shuxun.

In the US, heating is all done by electricity, and the temperature is getting lower and lower. Of all times, the power goes out at this time. Isn't that just bad luck?
Zhu and Jiang exchanged a glance and immediately followed.

In such chaotic times, accidents are more likely to happen, and the three of them must stick together.

When they found Duan Shuxun, he was contacting the city hall to inquire when the power would be restored, but after a short while, he hung up the phone angrily.

Ou Yang had a bad feeling and quickly asked, "What did the city hall say?"

In a fit of anger, Duan Shuxun blurted out, "What else can you say? You just keep making excuses, saying you don't know or you can't explain it clearly."

Ouyang looked out the window at the raging wind: "Can we fix it ourselves?"

"No way." Duan Shuxun shook his head. "The weather is so bad, we don't have any protective gear, and there's no professional electrician. It's too dangerous... Hey, you there, pass the word down, everyone take precautions against the cold... Organize things, be prepared for both possibilities, gather everything that can keep us warm, and gather everyone together..."

Ou Yang didn't want to speak at first, but when he suddenly saw the purification equipment in the corner, he involuntarily grabbed Duan Shuxun.

The latter sighed: "Ouyang, can't you see I'm busy? We can talk about it later!"

He was already very restrained; if it were an office worker, they probably would have started cursing by now.

Ou Yang pointed to the corner: "Will the power outage affect the purification equipment?"

"Of course!" Duan Shuxun said without hesitation. "How can it work without electricity?"

"What about the spores that have already been collected? Will they spread?"

Duan Shuxun shook his head: "No, it won't happen without external interference."

Ou Yang nodded, released Duan Shuxun, and immediately called his companions back to the depot, taking out his sidearm and carrying it with him.

It's better to be cautious than to be caught off guard.

Shortly afterward, the three received a notification that, except for some guards, everyone else was to immediately retreat into the basement!

Without any objection, the three immediately headed to the basement.

Before we even arrived at the location, we saw a group of staff members carrying various supplies in large and small bags into the basement.

Cotton clothes, quilts, drinking water, food, tables, chairs, benches... everything usable was moved to the basement.

It wasn't until they entered the basement that the three discovered there was electricity, but it was only for lighting, and the brightness wasn't very high, though it was barely enough.

Upon closer inspection, this isn't a basement at all; it's clearly an air-raid shelter!

(End of this chapter)