It had been less than three years, and they were considering living in Base K for a year or two before moving on. With twenty-six bases nationwide, staying a few years at each base would pretty much cover their lifetime.
Alice chimed in, "Bases near the seaside have abundant resources. I think it's a good place."
Hurley, upon hearing this, walked over and smiled, "I also agree to go to Base K; I have relatives there."
"Relatives?" Alice raised an eyebrow.
Hurley nodded with a clear voice, "I recently got in touch with my uncle. He is now the Base Commander at Base K."
Even if Alice didn't suggest it, he would recommend going to Base K. At least there were familiar faces there, and they could seek refuge.
Alice agreed, "So be it, let's go to Base K."
With the decision made, they prepared to sleep. In the middle of the night, Alice was awakened by a tremor. She immediately opened her eyes. Outside the shelter, there were sounds of tree branches breaking and falling. Before she could open the tent, someone was already ahead of her.
Members of the Allen family emerged from their tents. This earthquake was more intense than the last, making it uncomfortable even inside the shelter. Blanche's anxiety resurfaced, and the fear overwhelmed her.
Atticus noticed and immediately embraced her, comforting her gently, "It's okay, I'm here."
As Blanche gradually calmed down, she noticed everyone was somewhat quiet. She looked up and met several pairs of eyes staring directly at her.
"..."Blanche blushed slightly and cleared her throat, "I think none of us should sleep tonight, just in case there's an emergency, we can escape quickly."
Alice pretended not to notice her embarrassment and continued, "That's right. For those who can't sleep, you can listen to some music to relieve anxiety."
She didn't need it herself, but Blanche probably did. Upon hearing this, Blanche immediately said, "Give me your phone and headphones."
The phone already had hundreds of downloaded songs, and the battery was full. Even if it ran out, she had a large-capacity power bank and a generator, enough for her needs. Atticus also asked Alice for a phone to listen to some old songs to relax.
Others found things to do on their own. Alexander suddenly wanted to play chess and pulled Arnold along. Alice provided them with a chessboard and hung an energy-saving lamp on their tent.
Hurley took out a pile of scattered model parts, planning to reassemble them during this time. Alice also kept herself busy, taking out her tablet to catch up on a palace intrigue drama. It was said to be very good, and she had wanted to watch it several times, but the high number of episodes made it difficult to follow consistently.
Perhaps because they had confidence in the defense of the shelter, the people inside were not too panicked. They stayed busy, not wanting to be bored while waiting. They were not entirely absorbed in entertainment; they listened to the sounds outside and could react immediately if something seemed wrong.
After losing several games, Alexander couldn't continue playing. He looked at Alice pitifully and said, "Little sister, get me some food, preferably a bottle of happiness water, or I'll get depressed."
Alice chuckled helplessly and pulled out several bottles of drinks from the space, along with their favorite fried chicken burgers and various exquisite snacks.
"Let's not overthink things. Enjoy the moment."
Blanche was about to say that eating late at night wasn't good for the stomach, but upon second thought, Alice's words made sense. In this post-apocalyptic world, they couldn't control natural disasters anyway. But happiness, that they could embrace. Surviving in such harsh conditions, gaining one more day was like winning the lottery.If living happily for one more day means it's worth it!
Thinking this, Blanche grabbed a burger and a cup of orange juice. She also casually grabbed her husband's favorite chicken wing rice package.Eat more when you can," she said.
Atticus: "..."
Alice raised an eyebrow. She preferred bubble milk tea, so she pulled out a cup of brown sugar pearl milk tea from the space and drank it heartily. Comfortable!
Seeing this, Hurley also smiled, "Can I have a cup of milk tea?"
"What flavor do you want?" Alice asked with a smile.
"Anything similar to yours."
As dawn broke, the aftershocks finally passed. When they went outside, they saw a silent scene.
The ground was filled with crisscrossing rifts, nearby mountains and forests had collapsed, several large trees lay across massive cracks, and the roads had all caved in.
Fortunately, they were in the outskirts. In the city, with dense buildings, only ruins would likely remain.
After a moment of silence, Alice rubbed her forehead, "Let's go back; more aftershocks are coming soon."
As soon as Alice finished speaking, everyone felt the ground vibrating, and they immediately retreated.
Before long, the aftershocks indeed arrived, lasting for a long time without stopping.
Everyone experienced an earthquake for the first time. Blanche, who had clung to a sense of luck last night, thought that once the earthquake passed, everything would be fine. However, wave after wave of aftershocks brought panic back to their hearts.
Seeing the devastated landscape, a sense of powerlessness and suffocation overwhelmed them.
Perhaps the calmest among them was Alice. Although she hadn't experienced such a large-scale natural disaster before, her mental resilience was strong enough.
Inside the shelter, there was silence. Hurley couldn't help but look at Alice, breaking the quiet atmosphere, "Let's make breakfast."
Sitting still would only lead to sinking into the abyss of fear. It was better to find something to do.Alice nodded and looked at the few people with exhausted and blank expressions. "Big brother, come over and help me."
Hearing Alice's voice, Blanche forced herself to walk over and smiled reluctantly, "What do you want to eat?"
Atticus also walked over in silence, organizing things without saying a word. Alice stopped her actions when she saw this. "The earthquake has passed. Let's hold on for a while longer."
"Just because the earthquake is over doesn't mean the end of the apocalypse. How long will these days last?" Alexander couldn't help but feel waves of despair whenever he thought of the once beautiful life.
Not worrying about food and clothing doesn't mean they can completely relax. In the post-apocalyptic world, no one's heart is free from oppression.
Alice was about to speak when Hurley stepped forward and said, "If the apocalypse lasts for decades, or even hundreds of years, do you plan to die now? The only way to find relief is through death."
Although it was a harsh statement, it wasn't without reason. Alexander replied, "...That won't happen. I'd rather cling to life."
"Whether you believe it or not, I always believe that victory belongs to humanity. Since life is like a 'game,' let's treat it as a game and see who can survive until the end!" Hurley's gaze fell on him. Alice's lips moved, and after a while, she said, "Exactly, the ones who survive until the end are the winners!"
The members of the Allen family exchanged glances. Arnold smirked, "Only the second one is timid and afraid of death. I'm not afraid of anything."
"Second one, you should learn from your big brother and little sister. She's not afraid even though she's a girl," Blanche comforted him, feeling much better.
"The only one in the family without any backbone is you," Atticus glanced at him.
Alexander muttered, "...Six, I was just casually expressing my feelings." Why was everyone looking down on him?
Breakfast was simple. Alice had ready-made sandwiches, buns, various porridges – no need to cook. After being scorned, Alexander decided to turn his frustration into appetite, eating three meat buns, two bowls of mixed grain porridge, and a bottle of milk.
Alice only had a bowl of lean meat and mustard greens porridge with a cup of soy milk.
After a simple breakfast, they gathered for a meeting.