Seizing the opportunity, Einar accelerated and forcefully rammed into the rear of the leading car. The car surged forward, and due to the high speed, Alice could barely control it. After a wild ride, the car gradually came to a stop. Alice's face turned cold as she said, "Enough of running; let's face them head-on."
With plenty of weapons stored in her space, Alice was confident they could handle Einar and his group.
Alexander took the gun Alice tossed to him, his eyes gleaming. "Nice! Escaping was too cowardly; we should have dealt with them earlier."
As they were about to exit the car, it suddenly jolted, the movements becoming increasingly violent.
"What... what's happening?" Alexander asked in bewilderment.
Alice's expression changed drastically, and she shouted, "It's an earthquake! Quickly get out of the car and find a place to hide!"
Everyone immediately disembarked as the ground shook violently, making it difficult to stand.
Hurley got off his car, still holding a map. Anxiously, he said, "There's an air-raid shelter ahead. Let's go there for a while."With no other options, they followed Hurley.
Einar and his team were completely unprepared for the earthquake. After getting out of the car, they found that the Allen family had already run into the distance. Einar immediately ordered, "Find a place to hide individually, pay attention to protection."
Hurley, running and consulting the map, had marked the shelter after exploring the area. Following the map seemed foolproof.
After running for ten minutes, they reached the air-raid shelter. The shaking inside was not as intense, and its defense capabilities were excellent. Taking refuge here was the safest option.
"Why did the earthquake happen suddenly?" It was the first time Alexander had encountered such an event in his over twenty years of life. He sat on the ground, still in shock.
Hurley comforted him, "In this world, natural disasters can happen anytime without warning. All we can do is be prepared."
Blanche leaned weakly against her husband, her face pale. "Thank goodness there's a shelter here; otherwise, there'd be nowhere to hide."
Alice's heart was also on edge; the timing of the natural disaster was disrupted, making it unpredictable. In the shelter, there were two rows of chairs, and they sat down to rest while keeping an eye on their surroundings.If the air-raid shelter couldn't withstand the earthquake, they were ready to flee at any moment. An hour passed in the shelter, and although the tremors were faint, it indicated that the seismic waves had not subsided. After another twenty minutes, the shaking completely ceased, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Hurley suggested, "I'll go outside and take a look." Alice followed him. They exchanged a glance, and a slight smile appeared on Hurley's face without uttering a word.
Outside the air-raid shelter, they saw deep fissures on the once-flat ground. Peering down, it was pitch black, resembling a terrifying vortex that could devour everything. The accumulated snow and frozen layers on the ground had been swallowed by the rifts, revealing long-unseen yellowish soil.
"The earthquake has temporarily passed, but there might be aftershocks. It's better not to leave yet," Hurley advised.
Alice agreed, knowing that this wave of earthquakes wouldn't end so quickly. According to the original text, including aftershocks, it would take a whole month for the devastation to subside. The land would be in ruins, with collapsed peaks and devastated forests, making the survival environment even more challenging.
Returning to the air-raid shelter, Atticus quickly asked, "How is it outside?"
"The aftershocks have temporarily passed."Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As the evening approached, Alice took out a tent from her space. "Let's stay here for a few days and discuss which base to go to."
No one objected. Leaving now was risky, as they didn't know when another earthquake might occur. If they were on the road without an air-raid shelter nearby, it could be disastrous.
Hurley had his own space with supplies, and now that their secrets were shared, they could interact more openly.
"Hurley, what would you like for dinner tonight? Auntie will cook for you." Blanche was about to prepare dinner and saw Hurley's tent alone not far away, feeling a surge of sympathy.Hurley's handsome face lit up with a grateful smile, and his magnetic voice replied, "Auntie, I'm not picky. Whatever you cook, I'll eat. I can assist you; my cooking skills are decent."
Seeing this, Alexander clicked his tongue a couple of times and approached his elder brother, saying, "Look at that guy being so attentive. He's just one step away from calling her 'Mom.'"
Arnold also felt a bit uncomfortable, but he couldn't drive away someone who had made a good impression on his little sister and treated him like a good friend. Well, just a good friend, he could accept that.
Alice took out a portable stove, pots, bowls, and utensils. She also brought out three large bottles and filled a big bucket with water—enough for washing vegetables and dishes.
Hurley didn't intend to freeload. He took a pork elbow, a duck, and some fruits from his space.
Blanche, seeing him bringing out more ingredients, hurriedly said, "That's enough, that's enough. I heard from Alice that your space is not that big, and resources are scarce. Keep some for yourself. In these times, having enough to eat and ."
Alexander, sipping on soda, added casually, "Men shouldn't live off women, even in the apocalypse. They should be independent, don't you think?"
Hurley pretended not to catch the hidden meaning in Alexander's words and turned to Blanche, saying, "Auntie, rest assured. I have enough supplies in my space to last for more than a decade. And I store and consume simultaneously, so there's no problem with eating until old age."
"Do as you please. How about making beer duck and stewed pork elbow tonight?" Blanche asked with a smile.
"Sure."
Blanche then looked at Alexander and said, "Since you're good at cooking, you can also help."
Alexander: "..."
In the end, dinner was a joint effort between Alexander and Arnold. After eating and drinking their fill, Alice entered the tent, took out Hurley's map, and started studying it.
The Allen family gathered around; they needed to decide on a destination. They couldn't wander aimlessly everywhere.
"I want to go to Base K." Alice looked at the map, her finger landing on the location of Base K.
The other members of the Allen family looked over. Arnold thought for a moment and said, "That area is close to the seaside. What if there's a tsunami or something..."
Blanche interrupted him before he could finish his sentence, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Don't be a harbinger of bad luck."
Arnold suddenly looked speechless. He based his judgment on potential natural disasters, so how did that become a harbinger of bad luck? Shouldn't it be seen as being prepared for the worst?
Alice didn't think Arnold's statement was wrong. Bases near the seaside did indeed suffer from tsunami damage, but that happened in the sixth year of the apocalypse.