Chapter 611: Going Back
Chapter 611: Chapter 611: Going Back
’Black, smelly water?’
"Zoe, can you ask them for me? How far is it from here to the other side of that mountain?" Evelyn Ford asked.
Zoe chirped a few more questions. The two small birds looked to be in very bad shape. Evelyn Ford took out a bottle of special medicine, broke a pill in half, and fed it to them. After swallowing the medicine, the birds took a long time to recover, but some of their energy finally returned.
"Auntie, they said the other side of the mountain is very far from here. It takes them a whole day to fly there."
These two little red birds were about the size of sparrows. A full day’s flight for them would probably cover several dozen to over a hundred kilometers.
Evelyn Ford drew a little of the birds’ blood. She needed to run some tests. If there were toxic substances in their bodies, she would have to warn Rhys Chase so all the residents could take precautions.
Evelyn Ford left the wooden cabin and immediately entered her lab to start the analysis. Ronan Kendrick walked in. He stood at the doorway, just watching her quietly.
Neither of them spoke first. They had been too busy lately, so busy they hadn’t even had time to meet and talk.
"The blood work is clean, but those two birds definitely don’t look normal. What they told Zoe should be true. That black water... could it be oil?"
Prolonged exposure to the smell of oil could indeed cause discomfort, and oil itself has some toxicity, but it shouldn’t be lethal after just one whiff.
"Radioactive materials can’t be detected in a blood test. Ronan Kendrick, considering the previous cases of red-patch ringworm, the unknown viruses, and bacteria, I have a feeling these birds died from radiation poisoning."
Of course, this was just her speculation.
Ronan Kendrick pressed his lips together as he looked at her. "In Yarrow, beyond the border, are there any nuclear power plants near Frelia?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Yes, more than one."
"That must be it, then. We need to tell Rhys Chase about this. Evelyn Ford, go get some sleep in the cabin. You’ve barely rested these past two days."
Evelyn Ford nodded; she really did need to catch up on sleep. After leaving the lab, Evelyn called Wendy to find something to eat in the kitchen, while Ronan Kendrick left the space to find Rhys Chase.
"Evelyn, there are still a lot of injured people outside."
"This morning, Liam Sterling selected thirty young women to come and learn how to brew medicine, bandage wounds, and administer IVs from Dr. Owens. They’re learning quickly, so we can rest for a bit. Wendy, you’ve done a great job these last two days, no mistakes at all."
Hearing Evelyn Ford’s praise, Wendy’s face broke into a wide smile.
"Saving lives is important, of course, but we need to take care of ourselves too. Alright, go back and get some sleep. We’ll head out again after we’re well-rested."
After Wendy went back to her bedroom, Evelyn Ford chatted with Officer Graham and the others for a while, sharing her theory. At the mention of radiation, everyone’s expression turned grim, especially Taylor Vance’s and Zion Lowell’s.
They knew the dangers of radiation better than anyone.
Officer Graham sighed. "If there really is radiation, I’m afraid we’ll have to turn back. It’s just... we only came here from the north a few years ago, and now we have to trek all the way back again. The thought alone is terrifying. By the way, where exactly is the Central Base located?"
"Gryphold," Taylor Vance answered.
"Gryphold, huh? Cold winters, hot summers, and heavy smog. Not exactly a great place."
Everyone fell silent.
After a long while, Evelyn Ford broke the silence. "We have the plane. It’s only about a seven-hour flight from here to Gryphold."
The base’s supplies were still in her space. Since she had promised Rhys Chase she would keep them safe, Evelyn Ford would keep her word and never break her promise. She and Ronan Kendrick could only follow the main group.
Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were getting older; traveling back with the main group would be too grueling for them, and they couldn’t stay inside the space forever.
"Our big family is a single unit. As a unit, we can’t be separated."
Taylor Vance’s words were final. Whether they went back or headed beyond the border, everyone had to stay together.
Evelyn Ford went back to her room and slept for six hours. When she woke up, Ronan Kendrick was lying beside her.
A section of silver had grown out from the roots of his dyed-black hair. He had a high-bridged nose and his lips were slightly red. Evelyn Ford lay on her side, just watching him quietly.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, as Ronan Kendrick soon woke up.
"Rhys Chase is outside. Go back to sleep."
He was truly exhausted; even a man of iron couldn’t endure this. Evelyn Ford reached out and stroked his hair.
"Okay, I’ll sleep a little more."
Evelyn Ford rested her head on his arm, and many images flashed through her mind.
’The base’s cultivation area was preparing to reclaim several hundred acres of sandy land. The first crop would be watermelons. Liam Sterling had said they would let all the residents eat their fill.’
’Flumen was still building factories, trying to provide more job opportunities for its residents.’
’So this is how easy it is to destroy a city, a base. An earthquake lasting just a few short minutes could instantly obliterate the high-rises that were built piece by piece.’
"Ronan Kendrick, if we go back to the Central Base, will the apocalypse finally be over? We used to think that way too. We always thought that once we reached Frelia, we could settle down, the apocalypse would end, and when spring came and everything revived, life would return to how it was before. But after we got to Frelia, all our peaceful days put together probably don’t even add up to a month."
Evelyn Ford was a little lost.
She was afraid that what awaited them at the Central Base was just more natural disasters of all kinds.
"We can’t contact the Central Base anymore," Ronan Kendrick said softly.
Evelyn Ford sat up abruptly. "Can’t contact them?"
"Yeah. Rhys Chase said they’ve lost contact with the Central Base. Aside from the First Base, none of the others can be reached. Either the telegraph machines are malfunctioning, or those bases are already too overwhelmed to respond."
Evelyn Ford’s brow furrowed. Seeing that she hadn’t spoken for a long time, Ronan Kendrick sat up and pulled her into his arms.
"I’ve already told Rhys Chase about the possibility of radiation. He has quite a few elite personnel under him. They’ll probably have some answers soon."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Then let’s just wait for his update. I was just thinking, with so many people at the base, if we really have to turn back, a migration of this scale won’t be an easy task."
"I expect many people will choose to stay behind or go somewhere else," Ronan Kendrick said, raising a hand to stroke Evelyn Ford’s hair.
"Don’t worry about these things. I’m here."
Evelyn Ford lay down and went back to sleep for a little longer. She and Ronan Kendrick didn’t leave the space until eight o’clock the next morning.
Rhys Chase’s side had already detected radiation levels. Just as everyone was discussing what to do, they made contact with the Third Base.
The Third Base hadn’t just suffered a sudden earthquake; fireballs had appeared. Lyra had been engulfed by fireballs, and tens of thousands of people had died in the earthquake and the massive fire.
The base was destroyed in the earthquake, and the refugee camp had rioted again. The refugees had hacked and killed many base administrators and seized the opportunity to loot a large number of weapons and supplies from the trucks.
The Third Base was in total chaos, both inside and out. When Rhys Chase informed them about the radiation, they immediately sent a reply.
"They’re also heading back to the Central Base. Frelia is no longer habitable. The radioactive black water is getting closer and closer. This place is about to become a barren wasteland."