147: Abnormal weather

Da Huang, startled by the loud noise, bolted from the living room into the bedroom and jumped onto Jiang Fei’s chest.

“Two-legged beast, I’m scared!”

Da Huang’s nearly ten-pound weight almost suffocated Jiang Fei on the spot.

“You get down first…”

“I won’t!”

Da Huang clung to Jiang Fei’s neck, refusing to let go.

Jiang Fei had no choice but to pick up Da Huang and go to the corridor to check the situation.

The windows in the rooms were all sealed with iron plates, only those in the corridor were not, allowing a view outside.

Lu Yu and the other two were also woken by the sudden loud noise and came out simultaneously.

Through the window, everyone looked outside.

The sky was dark and oppressive, with brightly colored plastic bags, packaging, and garbage bags floating in it.

It was unclear which building’s unit door had broken, but it was being swept into the air by the strong wind, drifting.

Occasionally, it would crash heavily into residential buildings, emitting deafening sounds.

Clearly, the loud noise came from it.

“It was like this the day the typhoon appeared…”

Xiao Chuxia couldn’t help but hug Jiang Fei’s arm: “Miss, I’m scared.”

The typhoon had left a deep impression on Xiao Chuxia.

If it hadn’t been for that typhoon and heavy rain, the apocalypse wouldn’t have started, and her parents wouldn’t have gone missing.

Jiang Fei gently comforted her: “Xu Qianyao said the houses in the Safety Shelter were reinforced with special materials, making them wind and earthquake resistant, so nothing will happen.”

With another ‘attachment’ on her, Jiang Fei couldn’t free her hands, so she turned to Lu Yu and Su Liuyuan:

“You two should seal the corridor windows tonight; a sandstorm might be coming.”

The welding machine, along with the remaining iron plates and foam strips, were all stored in 203.

Lu Yu took Su Liuyuan downstairs to first get the items to seal the windows in the second-floor corridor, not worrying about the electric drill disturbing others.

Too many people had died from the extreme heat; now, only seven or eight households remained in Building 2.

The five rooms on the second floor were completely empty.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fei, with Xiao Chuxia on one arm and Da Huang on the other, returned to 302.

“Da Huang will keep you company; I’ll go make some supper.”

Man is iron, food is steel; one meal missed and hunger is felt.

Since everyone was awake, it was better to eat some supper to fill their stomachs.

Da Huang moved to Xiao Chuxia, becoming her ‘attachment’.

One person and one cat stayed on the sofa, warming each other.

Jiang Fei went into the kitchen, closed the door, took out frozen fried chicken, sausages, and fries, and put them into the air fryer to bake.

Then, she turned on the electric pot and cooked four packs of tomato meat sauce pasta.

After preparing the supper and placing it on the table, Lu Yu and Su Liuyuan also returned after finishing their work, washed their hands, and ate.

The crispy fried chicken, coated in sweet and sour ketchup, was rich and delicious, gradually helping Xiao Chuxia relax.

“Miss, will the sandstorm be more severe than previous typhoons?”

“I’m not sure.”

Jiang Fei dared not answer truthfully, fearing she would scare Xiao Hua Lao.

The sandstorm in her previous life not only polluted the air and water sources but also damaged the environment.

Months of continuous dusty days exacerbated desertification and soil erosion, leading to barren land.

Humanity faced a more severe problem of water and food shortages than the high temperatures and extreme cold.

It wasn’t until a continuous rainfall temporarily resolved humanity’s predicament.

However, in this life, the order and duration of natural disasters had changed.

She was unsure how much impact the sandstorm would bring.

Su Liuyuan had a good attitude: “No matter what happens, as long as we’re together and safe, that’s enough.”

“Captain, I want another bowl of pasta!”

Jiang Fei & Xiao Chuxia: “…”

You’re probably a glutton.

Lu Yu kicked Su Liuyuan: “Go cook it yourself.”

Su Liuyuan wasn’t angry; he went to the kitchen with a knowing, sly smile.

Oh, oh, oh, he feels bad for the Captain!

It’s a pity Zhao Rui isn’t here; he has no one to share the joy of shipping with.

Alas, another day of missing his brother.

—

As the sandstorm approached, the few of them had no intention of sleeping. After eating and washing the dishes, they sat around the table chatting.

Unbeknownst to them, the clock on the wall showed 3:40.

Xiao Chuxia: “Why does it feel like it’s quiet outside?”

“I’ll go downstairs to check.”

Lu Yu got up and left.

A few minutes later, he returned to 302, his brows slightly furrowed as he said,

“The wind has stopped; the sandstorm didn’t come.”

“The weather is abnormal; with such strong wind last night, it couldn’t have just stopped after a few hours.”

Su Liuyuan: “I remember a similar situation not long ago, where the wind suddenly picked up at night and stopped in the middle of the night.”

Jiang Fei felt an inexplicable unease.

She wasn’t afraid of the sandstorm coming; she was afraid of not knowing which wind was it.

If a sandstorm came and a person was outside without finding shelter in time, they would likely be carried into the sky and then fall to their death.

If they were lucky, they would only be hit by flying debris, resulting in minor injuries, or in severe cases, missing limbs and being half-dead.

But staying home and doing nothing, just waiting for the sandstorm, was unrealistic.

Once the Safety Shelter stopped operating, what would happen to the millions of people?

At that time, riots would surely be triggered again.

“Chu Xia, you should start living in the dormitory today; don’t keep going back and forth.”

“Everyone, please be careful when going out these days, and try not to go out at night. Tomorrow, I’ll ask Xu Qianyao about the sandstorm; maybe the experts have already predicted the exact date of its arrival.”

Xiao Chuxia and the others agreed and went home to catch up on sleep.

Da Huang also went to sleep on the bed in the bedroom.

Jiang Fei glanced at the time.

There were still more than two hours until the six o’clock meeting, not enough time to catch up on sleep.

As she filled a bottle with water from the fountain pool on the fourth floor of the Supermarket, Jiang Fei planned to use it to stay awake, when she suddenly heard a faint “ga ga” sound.

Following the source of the sound, Jiang Fei turned to look.

On the balcony.

Three chicks had cornered the gosling and were pecking at it.

A trace of blood oozed from the gosling’s wing.

My goose!

Jiang Fei quickly opened the door and went in to check the gosling’s injuries.

A few feathers had fallen out, and its skin had been pecked by the chicks.

Taking out the first-aid kit from the Supermarket warehouse, Jiang Fei carefully bandaged the gosling’s wound.

The gosling obediently stayed still, gently rubbing its head against Jiang Fei’s wrist, as if recounting its grievances.

Its intelligent demeanor was completely unlike an ordinary goose.

Could it be… they had also mutated?

Jiang Fei tentatively said, “Don’t be afraid; I won’t let Eldest, Second, and Third bully you anymore.”

“Ga.” The gosling chirped happily, as if saying “Okay.”

After tying the gauze, Jiang Fei looked at the three chicks hiding in another corner, and slapped a knife on the ground to scare them:

“Whoever bullies Fourth again, I’ll braise them.”

“You are a family; you must live in harmony. Nod if you understand.”

Seeing the three chicks actually nod obediently, Jiang Fei was stunned.

They really could understand!

Chickens and geese peck hard.

Then wouldn’t she have 4 extra helpers? In the future, if she disliked someone, she could just set the chickens and geese on them to peck?

However, considering the consequences, Jiang Fei still gave up.

She was afraid that Eldest, Second, Third, and Fourth would go and never return, being caught and eaten.

At 5:55, Jiang Fei finished washing up and went downstairs to gather at the community entrance.

Most of the Rescue Team members had arrived.

Xu Qianyao raised his handheld megaphone: “The Safety Shelter still has two communities that haven’t implemented sand prevention measures. Everyone, please work hard these next few days. Once we’re done, we can take a vacation.”

After speaking, Xu Qianyao told the team members to get in the car, ready to depart.

Jiang Fei was still in the same car as Xu Qianyao and asked, “Has there been any notification from above about when the sandstorm will arrive?”