Phi-Fic Chapter 1212
Chapter 1212
Lin Wei bit her lip, not saying a word.
She knew everyone was right.
But how could she just stand by and watch those hot spring fish, which she had painstakingly cultivated, be destroyed in this torrential rain?
Just when she was about to break down, a hand gently patted her shoulder.
She turned around and saw Professor Zhang, the senior researcher.
Professor Zhang is one of the veterans at the base, having survived countless apocalyptic disasters, and has always been known for his calm and composed nature.
"Xiao Lin, don't be impulsive." Professor Zhang's voice was calm. "I know you're worried about the fish. But think about it, when we built the breeding base, didn't we consider the impact of heat storms?"
Lin Wei was taken aback, then nodded.
"Yes," Professor Zhang sighed, "The generator and heating plate are made of the highest-grade boiling-point alloys. They can withstand even a heat storm, let alone this little bit of hot rain."
"All we can do now is wait. We'll go check again after the rain stops. Even if there are losses, we have backup fish fry in the breeding area inside the base. We can start over."
His words were like a reassuring pill, gradually calming Lin Wei's restless heart.
She looked into Professor Zhang's calm eyes and slowly nodded.
"Okay. I'll wait."
The hot rain continued for more than two hours.
For more than two hours, the entire fortress was like a small boat tossed about in a stormy sea.
The wind howled and lashed against the alloy exterior, creating a deafening sound.
The mid-air fortress even began to sway slightly.
People could clearly feel the floor shaking beneath their feet.
The people inside were all clutching their belongings tightly, their faces pale.
No one spoke.
No one dared to speak.
All I could do was silently pray that this terrible downpour would stop soon.
The wind was too loud, and the rain was too loud.
So big that when two people are talking face to face, they can't hear each other clearly.
Zhou Shuwan and her family of three sat by the window, watching the rain outside, without saying a word.
After some time, the sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided.
The howling wind gradually subsided.
Another ten minutes or so passed, and the rain stopped completely.
The dark clouds gradually receded, like the tide.
The blinding white light pierced through the clouds again, falling on the outer walls of the fortress.
The heat in the air was still scorching.
But the suffocating sense of oppression has dissipated considerably.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The alarm finally stopped.
In the command room, Qi Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
"Pass the word down," he said in a hoarse voice. "The patrol teams will split into six groups and go out to patrol immediately. Check the damage to the base's outer walls and the operational status of all equipment."
"Yes!"
Within minutes, patrol members wearing air-conditioning suits walked out of the security gate and dispersed to various corners of the fortress.
Qi Mingyu also stood up, picked up his helmet, and put it on.
“I’ll go out and take a look too,” he said to Captain Chen.
Captain Chen nodded: "Be careful."
Qi Mingyu hummed in agreement, then turned and walked out of the command room.
The sun was still scorching.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of corrosive metal.
Qi Ming frowned and walked forward along the corridor.
Just as he reached the end of the corridor, the patrol team member in front of him suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" He walked over quickly.
Only when he got closer could he see clearly.
Two people were lying on the floor of the corridor.
A man and a woman, both elderly with gray hair.
Their air-conditioned clothes had been torn apart by the storm.
The mask fell to the side, revealing two faces that were corroded beyond recognition.
His skin was charred black and covered with blisters.
Clearly, he had stopped breathing.
Qi Mingyu's face instantly turned ashen.
He knelt down and examined the old man's body.
The body was already somewhat cold.
He must have been dead for a while.
"Commander," the patrolman beside him said, somewhat puzzled, "our men patrolled up and down three times when the alarm went off, and called back everyone who was outside! How could anyone still be lingering outside!"
Moreover, judging from the distance between the corridor and the room, it doesn't seem like an accident that happened and the room was blown here by the storm!
Qi Mingyu remained silent.
His gaze fell on the old man's hands.
The old man was still clutching a tattered fishing net tightly in his hand.
The fishing net was empty.
Just then, a heart-wrenching cry came from afar.
"Dad! Mom!"
A thin man, pulling a child of about eight or nine years old, stumbled and ran over.
He ran to the old man's body, knelt down with a thud, and burst into tears.
The child started crying too, his small body trembling in the man's arms.
The surrounding patrol members all fell silent.
Qi Mingyu stood up and looked at the man: "When the alarm went off, the base broadcast a message for a full ten minutes, instructing everyone outside to return indoors immediately. Why are they here?"
The man's crying stopped abruptly.
He looked up, his face streaked with tears.
"I...I don't know," he choked out. "My parents said they came out to find work, they probably didn't hear the siren...How could they just leave like that..."
As he spoke, he started crying again.
The cries were so heart-wrenching that they made those around feel a pang of sadness.
Qi Mingyu's brows furrowed even more deeply.
Looking for a job?
This time?
With temperatures reaching 70 degrees Celsius outside, who would send two elderly people out to look for work at this time?
His gaze fell on the child behind the man.
Although the child was wailing, there was no sadness in his eyes.
There was only a coldness that didn't match his age.
Just then, Commander Liu Zhiming arrived with his men.
He saw the two corpses on the ground, then looked at the man wailing and lamenting, and his expression changed instantly.
He whirled around, glaring at Qi Mingyu, his voice booming: "Qi Mingyu! What kind of work have you done?! The alarm went off, why didn't you make sure everyone was evacuated indoors?! These two people are dead because of you!"
His words were like a bomb, exploding in the crowd.
In most cases, the base's patrols are allowed to rescue people only if they can ensure their own safety.
In situations like previous heat waves and major earthquakes, everyone is preoccupied with their own survival. The fleet certainly cannot force its soldiers to rescue others while buildings and islands are collapsing, when they themselves cannot even guarantee their own safety.
In that situation, they were simply too busy to even take care of themselves.
However, this hot salt rain is a different story.
They spotted it early enough, and the alarm blared long enough that the patrol had 20 minutes to evacuate the crowd, from the sighting of the dark clouds on the horizon to the eventual downpour.
Therefore, it would be unreasonable for casualties to occur under such circumstances.