Chapter 627: Wildfire
Chapter 627: Chapter 627: Wildfire
Evelyn Ford, of course, noticed, but she wasn’t a psychologist. There were countless depressed people in the convoy, and depression wasn’t like a physical wound that could be cleaned and bandaged to heal. There was nothing Evelyn could do.
After giving the pregnant woman a few instructions, Evelyn Ford left. The convoy set off just as she returned to the truck. From the previous afternoon to that morning, the group had caught several tons of fish. Once processed into dried fish, it would last them a long time.
The sixth team had caught up and would also be stopping here for a day. Evelyn Ford sat in the vehicle, listening to Lily West and Rosemary Sullivan recount the interesting events of the previous afternoon.
"Several people got bitten by snakes. Luckily, the water snakes weren’t venomous. Dr. Rowe bled their wounds, and they were fine after a little rest."
"A few others were bitten by leeches. The water looked so clean, yet it still had them. They drill right into your skin—it’s terrifying! You can’t even shake them off."
As they grew more familiar with Evelyn Ford, the three apprentices became bolder. They would occasionally gossip, and all three were surprised when they learned Evelyn’s age.
"Mr. Ford, I thought you were our age. Are you really thirty?"
Evelyn Ford smiled. "I am."
Evelyn Ford’s personality had changed a great deal as she’d gotten older. Now, as long as no one crossed her boundaries, she could treat anyone with kindness.
Lily West and the others had initially worried that Evelyn Ford would be difficult to get along with, but now they had no such concerns at all.
When she wasn’t needed for medical calls, Evelyn Ford had them read in a corner of the cargo bay or practice bandaging and debridement on pieces of wood. There were too many people in the convoy; the sooner her apprentices could work independently, the easier her own life would become.
So many people had been expelled recently that everyone in the convoy had started behaving. The patients injured in the earthquake had mostly recovered. Evelyn Ford would occasionally check on the few pregnant women and infants, but she spent the rest of her time resting in the truck.
「Half a month later.」
The convoy left Frelia and officially entered Varden. The situation in Varden was dire. After the earthquake, falling fireballs had triggered a wildfire. Several thousand acres of pine forest within the province were now engulfed by a sweeping inferno. The blaze was too intense and covered too much ground. Without a torrential downpour, not only would the thousands of acres of pine forest be burned to ash, but the fire would also spread to The Southward, Frelia, and even Oakhaven and other provinces.
The teams ahead had all stopped. The captain ordered the convoy to make camp on the spot. All able-bodied people between the ages of thirteen and fifty-five, men and women alike, were to grab shovels and machetes and start cutting a firebreak.
The firebreak needed to be forty to sixty meters wide, and all the dead grass and decaying leaves on the ground had to be cleared away completely.
After the truck stopped, Lily West and her group went to get tools. Evelyn Ford entered her space to inform everyone of the situation outside.
’The situation is urgent. Every person counts. This isn’t the time to be selfish. Everyone except for the elderly, children, pregnant women, and the severely injured has to go fight the fire.’
After a discussion, it was decided that Taylor Vance, Zion Lowell, Zoe, and Annie would remain in the space. The others paused their work harvesting cotton and were brought out by Evelyn Ford.
"We have fire hoses in the space, but they won’t be of much use. There aren’t any lakes nearby, either. Our only option is to cut a firebreak to stop the wildfire. Everyone try to stick together. Take these whistles and walkie-talkies, and retreat immediately if you run into danger."
Evelyn Ford distributed machetes, sickles, shovels, wet towels, and Water Cups to everyone. After a few more words of caution, she glanced into the distance.
"Let’s go. Up the mountain."
Everyone feared the massive fire. Even from several kilometers away, the air was scorching. Black ash drifted through the sky. Evelyn Ford took out a mask and put it on. They couldn’t get too close to the blaze, so they stopped about two kilometers away and began to dig the firebreak.
Everyone threw themselves into the work. At a time like this, no one even thought of slacking off or running away.
Wielding a shovel, Evelyn Ford began digging up the dead grass. In just a short time, she was drenched in sweat. Nearby, some people had already collapsed from heatstroke, while others had fainted from the thick smoke.
"Everyone, pick up the pace! We have to get this firebreak dug as quickly as possible. We can’t let the wildfire spread!" the team leader shouted.
The weather was scorching, with no chance of rain. Varden was almost entirely mountainous. If the wildfire spread and incinerated all the trees, the soil would be scorched. The chances of anything growing on scorched earth were slim. The environment would worsen drastically, and Varden would become a wasteland.
The habitable space for humanity was already shrinking. If the wildfire spread, it would reduce their already small living area even further. Thousands of acres of vegetation would be incinerated, and the resulting carbon dioxide and extreme heat would devastate the environment.
Evelyn Ford wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued digging up the dead grass. Up ahead, Ronan Kendrick and Ethan Dawson were chopping down trees, while Quincy, Wyatt Vaughn, and the others worked on either side of her, clearing grass and debris for the firebreak.
"This area is huge. The firebreak will probably take ten to fifteen days to dig."
"We have no choice. We have to fight it. We can’t just let the fire burn down the forests of several provinces."
"It’s so hot. I’m covered in sweat, and my clothes are soaked. The air is full of choking, black ash. Now I finally understand how hard firefighters have it. And we’re just cutting a firebreak from a distance; they have to fight the blaze up close. If only it would start pouring rain right now."
The people nearby grumbled and complained as they worked on the firebreak. Evelyn Ford unstrapped the large water jug from her back, unscrewed the cap, and quickly chugged some water.
After two hours of digging, Evelyn Ford led Wendy and the others to rest in a shady spot. As they looked at the distant mountain peak, now glowing red from the inferno, everyone’s heart sank.
"What a tragedy. It’s heartbreaking to watch. Thousands of acres... all gone, just like that."
Evelyn Ford took out a bottle of water and had them wet their towels to properly wipe the sweat and black ash from their faces.
"We just have to minimize the damage as much as we can. For now, aside from working faster on the firebreak, all we can do is pray for rain."
Seeing no one else was around, Evelyn Ford took out some food and passed it to her group. Just then, Ronan Kendrick and Ethan Dawson came over, both shouldering axes. Aside from his dirty clothes, Ronan Kendrick was fairly tidy. Ethan Dawson, however, must have taken a fall; his knees were covered in yellow dirt, and the sole of his shoe was coming loose.
Evelyn Ford handed them wet towels. Ethan Dawson set down his axe, dropped right onto the ground, and started panting heavily.
"I’m exhausted."
"Well, that’s a rare sight. First time I’ve ever heard you complain you’re tired," Quincy said, handing Ethan Dawson a cup of mung bean soup. He couldn’t resist a little jab. "If you can’t keep up, just take it easy. You’re not getting any younger. Don’t go thinking you’re still in your twenties."
Ethan Dawson was too tired to argue. He took the mung bean soup and chugged it.
Evelyn Ford glanced around and noticed several people’s shoes were ruined. She retrieved a few pairs from her space and tossed them over.
"After you eat, drink some of this herbal heatstroke remedy so you don’t collapse later."
Wendy sat in a corner, looking up at the others with a lost expression. "I just don’t get it," she said. "Azure has already been devastated by all these disasters. Is there really any point in us fighting this fire? What if another fireball falls after we leave? Wouldn’t all this be for nothing?"