Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Yan Bubu wasn't sleeping deeply; he often woke up suddenly, reaching out to touch the person beside him. After failing to find anyone for a while, he would groggily open his eyes and remember that Feng Chen was still at the medical station.

He felt parched and got out of bed slowly to drink water, only to find the food container empty.

When Feng Chen was around, there would always be cool boiled water in both of their food containers. Fortunately, there was still some water left in Feng Chen's container, so he drank it all.

"So what if I wet the bed? My brother isn't here, it doesn't matter."

Yan Bubu returned to bed, wrapped himself in a fleece blanket, and yawned deeply.

"It will be tomorrow soon. After getting up, I'll go to the medical station to pick up my brother..."

Boom!

A massive explosion jolted Yan Bubu awake, instantly dispelling his drowsiness.

His first thought was that there was another earthquake. He hurriedly rolled off the bed and crawled under it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The booming sounds were incessant, causing Yan Bubu to curl up, clutching his head, feeling the building and bed tremble with the vibrations.

"Stop, please stop, stop." The memory of the earthquake he had experienced was vivid, stirring up all the buried fears, making him tremble and scream with his eyes shut and ears covered.

After seven or eight more explosions, the booming finally ceased, but then a piercing alarm bell started to ring.

Yan Bubu released his hands from his ears, crawling out from under the bed tentatively, and reached to open the door.

Many people were already standing in the corridor outside, peering down from the railings. Yan Bubu, not as tall as the railings, could only see a vast expanse of darkness through the gaps, unsure of what they were looking at but could hear their conversations.

"It's not an earthquake, don't panic, it's not an earthquake."

"What exploded? There's a glow of fire below."

"Did the Li Stone power plant explode? Can't be, we still have power."

"Then it shouldn't be serious, right? Hey, they mine Li Stone below all the time, could they have hit some marsh gas or something, causing the explosion?"

"Hmm, your theory seems quite plausible."

The shrill alarm bell, instead of stopping after the explosions, continued relentlessly, echoing throughout the underground space. Those who had relaxed thinking it wasn't an earthquake were now tense again.

"Why hasn't the alarm been lifted? Could something have happened?"

"Not sure, let's wait and see."

Finally, the ringing stopped, only to be replaced by a stern voice echoing from loudspeakers in all directions.

"The shelter is under attack. Everyone return to your rooms and stay there until further orders. Do not leave without permission."

It was Major General Lin's voice.

Under attack? What kind of attack?

While everyone was looking at each other in confusion, a panicked shout came from the direction of the water room: "It's bad, the air exchanger is ejecting water, it's bad!"

At that moment, in the water room on the lowest level of Hive B, the blades of the air exchanger had been removed, and amidst the surging water flow, a group of people emerged one after another.

Chushi pulled out a gun from behind, and the others, also armed, followed him out of the water room.

Outside Hive B, several soldiers were prone on the ground, clearing the debris from the destroyed drainage pipes, with constant updates coming through a walkie-talkie.

"The drainage pipes on the west side of the square have been blasted apart. The collapse has buried the break, paralyzing part of the C-section of the drainage system."

"The drainage system outside Hive C has also been damaged, with the entire pipeline shattered and beyond repair."

"Water is gushing out of the air exchangers in Hive B! So far, we know it's happening from the first to the tenth floor. We haven't checked the other floors yet, but water is flowing down from above."

……

One soldier who had just risen from the ground saw a group of people coming out of the water room. Spotting their guns, he reached for his sidearm, yelling in shock and anger, "Freeze! Who are you?"

A barrage of gunfire erupted, and the group of soldiers instantly fell.

After firing, Chushi took a cigar from the sealed pocket on his chest and put it in his mouth, waiting for one of his men to light it.

Behind him was the Hive building, with water streaming down from each floor's exterior, creating water curtains in front of every passageway.

The searchlight beams hitting the water curtains refracted dazzling lights, making the Hive look like a building made of crystal.

"Where does that Feng kid live?" He blew a ring of smoke, asking the person beside him.

The man in the black tracksuit, who had earlier been planting bombs in the drainage pipes, was changing into a diving suit handed to him by someone else and replied, "There are too many people in here. I've been searching for days and only found out yesterday. He's living with another kid in sector C of Hive A, on the 65th floor."

"Let's go find him," Chushi said, slinging his gun over his shoulder and striding towards Hive A, with the others quickly following.

Although Major General Lin had ordered everyone to stay in their rooms and wait for further instructions, under the current circumstances, no one was heeding that advice. People were frantically running through the corridors, asking each other for information.

"Are you sure? Is water being sprayed out of the air exchangers on every floor?"

"Don't panic. The underground shelter's drainage system is robust. No matter how much water, it can be drained, as long as the air exchangers are fixed."

"Someone from the lower floors just came up and said the drainage system has been bombed."

"What? Bombed?"

Yan Bubu stood at the door, listening to the conversation, half-understanding, until a middle-aged man suddenly shouted, "We can't even leave now. If the main door of the shelter is opened, the entire underground shelter will be flooded. With the drainage system damaged and all air exchangers spewing water – thousands of them, some even on the mountain walls and domes – it’s impossible to repair in time. I just went down; the square is already starting to flood. The bottom levels of the Hive, military headquarters, and medical center buildings will soon be submerged."

As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, the crowd erupted into chaos. Some suggested finding Major General Lin, others started crying, covering their faces, screaming that everyone would drown.

The more rational ones hurried back to their rooms. After all, the Western Alliance Army was still there, and they wouldn’t let things escalate to that extent. In case of an evacuation, they needed to take whatever they could carry.

Yan Bubu didn't fully understand everything, but he grasped the gist of it, especially one particular sentence.

The medical center building was about to be flooded.

But his brother was still inside.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker blared: "Attention everyone, evacuate downstairs immediately, evacuate downstairs immediately, and wait for further instructions."

The crowd instantly dispersed, hurrying back to their rooms to gather their belongings. Yan Bubu dashed towards the elevator, then remembering something, quickly turned back and ran to C68.

He dove under the bed, and after the sound of ripping tape, he emerged holding the password box.

He tried to stuff the password box into the pocket of his overalls, but it bulged noticeably. So, he took his cloth bag, placed the password box and Binunu inside, and slung it over his shoulder.

He didn't forget Feng Chen's backpack either, grabbing two fleece blankets from the bed and stuffing them in the bag along with two food containers.

Exiting the room, Yan Bubu saw chaos in the corridor. People were running in panic, water continuously spilling out from the water room, flowing through the corridor's railings to the outside of the building.

Yan Bubu, dodging the frantic crowd, hurried towards the elevator.

"Jingjing, Jingjing," Yan Bubu turned back to see Wu You, standing at a distance, sweating profusely and waving at him with an armful of belongings, "Jingjing, don't run around, stay with Uncle Wu."

Yan Bubu waved back, "No need, Uncle Wu, I'm going to get my brother."

Pushed by the crowd and unable to move forward, Wu You couldn't hear what Yan Bubu was saying. He could only shout out while helplessly watching Yan Bubu head towards the elevator.

Reaching the end of the corridor, Yan Bubu saw several elevators ascending from below. Anxious and unable to wait even a few minutes, he opted for the nearby emergency staircase, heading downstairs floor by floor.

Unbeknownst to him, just as he descended a couple of floors, an elevator stopped at the 65th floor, and Chushi with his group emerged.

Yan Bubu ran down over a dozen floors in one go, gasping for breath. Peeking out, he saw an empty elevator on this floor, hurried in, and pressed the button for the bottom floor.

As the elevator descended, passing each floor, he heard the rumbling of water and the chaotic, panicked shouts.

When the elevator stopped on the thirtieth floor, several people entered. The loudspeakers in the underground space once again broadcast Major General Lin's voice.

"...Immediately proceed in an orderly manner downstairs to the northeast corner of the square, where the emergency passage to the surface will be opened. Do not crowd or push; everyone will be able to get out."

The people in the elevator let out a long sigh of relief.

"I told you, the military would have a plan. And such a huge underground shelter, how could it not have an emergency exit?"

"Yes, yes, now I feel relieved."

……

The elevator continued its descent to the ground floor.

The ground floor was already flooded. When the elevator stopped, water rushed in through the iron bars, quickly reaching Yan Bubu's knees.

In this situation, no one paid attention to the child in the elevator. As soon as the gates opened, everyone rushed out, heading for the emergency exit at the northeast corner of the square.

Yan Bubu followed behind, wading through water across the hall to the plaza outside the Hive.

The entire plaza was submerged, but fortunately, the water wasn't deep. Soldiers shouted loudly as they ran back and forth, and some were opening the valves of foldable inflatable boats, which soon floated on the water.

Tightening his backpack, Yan Bubu skirted the bustling crowd, making his way alone toward the medical station at the northwest corner.

Crossing the square diagonally to reach the medical station was tricky, especially with scattered rocks on the otherwise even ground. Now, with water everywhere, the terrain was obscured, causing Yan Bubu to stumble over stones and fall into the water several times.

"Cough, cough!" He clambered up awkwardly, coughing and wiping the water off his face, continuing his way toward the medical station.

The loudspeakers in the underground space were always broadcasting voices, but now it was not Major Lin speaking; instead, another person had taken over.

"Attention to the residents of Sector 65, Zone C of Nest A, there is a small group of armed rioters on that floor. Everyone, return to your rooms and do not come out. The military is on its way. Attention to the residents of Sector 65, Zone C of Nest A..."

Yan Bubu wasn't paying attention to what was being said; his only concern was for Feng Chen in the medical station. However, the words 'Sector 65, Zone C of Nest A' still reached his ears.

Sector 65, Zone C of Nest A, wasn't that the floor he lived on?

Yan Bubu looked back but couldn't make out which floor was his, only vaguely hearing what seemed like gunshots from high above.

He wasn't interested in what was happening up there and turned back around, heading towards the medical station.

The water level kept rising. When he exited the elevator, it was only up to his knees, but now, having crossed only half the plaza, it had reached his thighs. Yan Bubu dared not pause, striding forward, stirring the water around his legs.

Fortunately, having picked Lishi stones in the Lishi mine for some time, he was familiar with the plaza. Even though he couldn't see the ground, he followed his memory to find the smoothest path, quickly crossing most of the plaza.

As he drew closer to the medical station, he could clearly see the scene there. Several doctors and nurses in white coats were busy sending patients, lined up in queues, onto hovercrafts.

The thought that Feng Chen might be among those patients energized Yan Bubu, and he started taking larger strides through the water.

When he was a few dozen meters away from the medical station, the flood had risen to his chest. It was hard to move effectively in the water; every step felt unsteady, and he risked falling at any moment.

He had to be even more cautious to maintain his balance.

"I am Binunu... a bit chubby... Binunu..."

Surrounded by water, Yan Bubu felt panic inside and began singing softly to embolden himself, muttering after a few lines, "Which foot is this? The left one? No, it's the right. Which side is right, anyway? Let's assume it's the right foot... Be careful, stretch it out slowly. Is it stable? Ah, it's stable..."

When Yan Bubu reached the front gate of the medical station in this manner, the water had risen to his chin. He had to tilt his head back to keep his mouth above water and hold onto the nearby wall to prevent himself from floating away.

It was a nurse, busy escorting patients onto the hovercraft, who first noticed him and exclaimed in shock, "Ah! Look over there, there's a head floating in the water!"

Hearing the commotion, Yan Bubu lowered his chin to look in that direction, prompting another cry from the nurse, "It's alive, that's a living person!"

"It's a child."

A doctor jumped into the water, swiftly approaching Yan Bubu, and hoisted him out of the water, carrying him to the entrance of the medical station's hall on the steps.

The water had already flooded over the steps and into the hall. After setting Yan Bubu down, the doctor asked, "Kid, what are you doing here? It's so dangerous to be alone. Where are your parents?"

Yan Bubu was soaked through, backpack and all, clearly not someone who had just left the medical station. He must have come from the hive across the plaza.

"I came to find my brother," Yan Bubu trembled uncontrollably, drenched to the bone.

"Your brother? What's his name?"

"His name is Qin Shen."

The medical station was in utter chaos. Some patients, using crutches or leaning on walls, were descending from the upper floors, while others supported each other in their slow progress. Those who couldn't move from their beds were wheeled into the hall by doctors and nurses. The spacious hall and corridors were crammed with dozens of beds, filled to capacity.

The elevator continued to transport beds with patients lying on them, but there was no more space to place them outside.

Some beds had to remain in the elevator, moving up and down, opening and closing doors as people on the upper floors pressed the elevator buttons.

The doctor, unfamiliar with the name Qin Shen and assuming he was a patient here, hastily responded as someone called for him nearby, "Just wait here, and leave together once you find your brother," before rushing off.

Yan Bubu weaved through the gaps, checking over every bed, but he didn't find Feng Chen. He then stood by the stairs, eyes fixed on the people coming down.

"Hurry, hurry, the water is rising fast, and there are still so many people left to evacuate."

The water in the hall rose higher, submerging half the legs of the beds. Some of the better-off patients also helped to lift those on the beds onto the hovercrafts.

Everyone was bustling and shouting anxiously. Not willing to wait any longer, Yan Bubu decided to head upstairs.

The second-floor corridor was bustling with activity. Patients carrying their IV drips were making their way downstairs. Yan Bubu, moving in the opposite direction, peeked into each ward he passed.

No one paid him any mind as he searched the entire second floor for Feng Chen, finding no trace of him, and then proceeded to the third floor.