Chapter 300: Chapter 300 The End of the Polar Night
The person coming to see them off this ti wasn’t Captain Wang; it must’ve been a shift change. This captain’s surna was Jiang. In any case, those who escorted them in and out were always at the captain level. Gu Pan guessed that only those at the captain level had the entrance codes.
Before parting, Zhang Peng emphasized again, “Mr. and Mrs., next ti you co, just look for directly.” Since business cards were not allowed here, he had to ntion it a few tis to make a lasting impression.
Lu Ruisheng had a rather good impression of this Zhang Peng, so he said, “Okay, see you next ti.”
After saying their goodbyes, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng followed Captain Jiang out, while Zhang Peng saw them off until they passed through the iron gate, and then he left to do other things.
Once Gu Pan and the others were outside, they hopped on their motorcycle and headed back to the base.
When they got ho, they certainly didn’t dare to tell Lu Jianguo about it. Now, they needed to mingle more in that place to gain a better understanding and figure out the auction. Otherwise, it would be difficult to exchange for gold now. They couldn’t rely entirely on dealings with second-hand dealers, even though they were acquaintances. One of the benefits of the Underground Entertainnt City was that they protected custor information and had strong backing. They surely could gamble on a grander scale.
In the days that followed, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng visited the Underground Entertainnt City almost every other day, becoming quite familiar with it.
Zhang Peng began to introduce them to more expensive entertainnt, like Black Boxing, because they were generous with their money.
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng didn’t refuse; they wanted to see everything. Gu Pan often said to Zhang Peng, in these apocalyptic tis, one never knows how long they’ll survive, so it’s essential to enjoy the mont.
Zhang Peng agreed with this reasoning, so he didn’t harbor any suspicions about them. After all, to put it plainly, he was a salesperson, a service worker—he wasn’t privy to more than that. He could only introduce them to these entertainnts. Anything more exclusive, like the higher-level auctions, would require soone of a higher status to accompany them.
That noon, the sky suddenly brightened, although there was no sun. It was like the pre-dawn light when the sky turns a pale white. After so long in darkness, having light brought real joy to people.
Though they didn’t dare go out recklessly, every window and doorway was crowded with people looking outside, and cheers could be heard from ti to ti.
Everyone was praying for the polar night to end soon because if it continued, people would truly go mad.
The period of light lasted for just over half an hour, but according to past patterns of disasters, this was basically a sign that the polar night was ending.
Sure enough, the next day, the light lasted an hour longer. Although the sun didn’t appear, people could see clearly without lights, and this clarity indeed brought joy.
Two days later, daylight extended to four or five hours, and when the sun rose and bathed everything in its warm glow, it seed as if everyone found hope for life again.
Lu Jianguo and his group had been eting more frequently lately because there were many more disasters to face in the future. The main base sent a telegram indicating that the next disaster could be a sandstorm, thick fog, heavy rain, or hail. Therefore, the base had begun to prepare contingency plans.
Previously, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng had seen a list of disasters sketched in a circle in Lun Wanli’s office. They couldn’t be sure of the next disaster and couldn’t ask Lun Wanli, but now that upper command had issued directions, why was it still imprecise? Was the information provider suffering from a confused mory, or were they unwilling to tell the truth? It was tough to guess.
Gu Pan felt it might be because the person didn’t dare to be too certain, fearing they would rember wrongly and be blad.
It could also be that the base’s higher leadership had obtained sothing like a moir that predicted the future, but with a tiline too chaotic. After all, surviving seven years in the apocalypse, if one hadn’t stayed within the base the whole ti, their ntal state might have been affected, so what they wrote was very disordered.
Gu Pan guessed that the person who foresaw the future or recorded this knowledge probably wasn’t sobody important in their past life and didn’t have ample preparation or good conditions, so many things remained uncertain.
Moreover, the general base had received this news only after the polar night because they had no plan to deal with the previous disasters.
In any case, anything was possible. But, of course, having a prediction was good for the public, because if Gu Pan would to issue a warning herself, it wouldn’t be as convincing as an official ssage from higher-ups. And she wouldn’t know what happens after. Now, by following the base’s lead and offering personal suggestions, it seed even better.
Sandstorms, dense fog, torrential rain, and hail weren’t just ordinary weather phenona. When acid rain fell, carrying corrosive properties for such a long duration, then these events were clearly not as simple as those witnessed in the past.
Gu Pan sat in front of the window, looking at the sunlight outside: “Ruisheng, do you think the sandstorm could be a sky full of sand that lasts a very long ti?”
Lu Ruisheng nodded: “It’s possible. With that kind of weather, we may not be able to venture out.”
He continued: “The sa goes for hail. If hailstones the size of fists were to fall, they could knock soone unconscious. We also need to think of counterasures.”
He spoke as if it was slightly humorous, but this was a fact—a fact that could cost them their lives at any mont.
Now, because they had regained so daylight, not everyone would co to disturb them at night.
During the night, Lu Jianguo visited and found his son and daughter-in-law in the kitchen. Squeezing in, he began helping them while discussing the base’s current plans: “The base plans to build so shelters along the roads, so people can take cover as soon as there’s a threat. In the last few days, the base has also reinforced the drainage ditches, so our hill-shaped terrain won’t get flooded in case of torrential rain.”
Gu Pan asked: “Dad, if hailstones the size of fists were to fall directly on people’s heads, I guess they wouldn’t be able to run into the shelters in ti.”
Lu Jianguo said: “Once the weather returns to normal, the base will issue notices for everyone going out to carry safety helts or the like.” Because umbrellas simply couldn’t withstand such force.
Lu Ruisheng asked: “But what if there aren’t enough resources to go around?” This was common knowledge; the base had received many new people recently, and it was impossible for the army-issue supplies to accommodate everyone.
Lu Jianguo said: “The idea is to place helts in public areas. People can wear them when they go out and leave them in a common area when they enter a building. Not everyone will be out and about, so whoever is outside uses it, and those who are at ho or indoors don’t need one. We’ll stagger work hours to try and ensure that the number of people outside is halved, and we’ll have patrol soldiers spread out the helts that are gathered in one place.”
Listening, Gu Pan felt this made sense: “That could work. But how can we protect ourselves against sandstorms or torrential rains?”
Lu Jianguo said: “In addition, we’ll provide raincoats. In the future, everyone going out should wear a raincoat, along with windproof goggles and a helt. At the first sign of danger, they should get to the nearest roadside shelter as fast as possible, where ergency supplies and food will be available. That could reduce the number of casualties.”
Although imagining that scene felt a bit odd, it indeed was a lifesaving asure.
Speaking of which, Gu Pan really admired Lu Jianguo’s leadership abilities. She addressed Lu Jianguo: “With this, we can also feel at ease. Dad, if there’s anything we can do to help, just let us know.”
Lu Jianguo laughed: “Good, good, I know you two are sensible.”
After dinner, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng discussed things and decided to visit Chen Shaonan’s house. While the base’s defenses were adequate, upgrading their own equipnt could make them even safer.
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