No matter how hard it was, the supplies in the mall could at least be lifted by people. But at the dormitories, Lan Jin and the others were truly helpless.
Small items were useless to them. The large capsule storage units were beyond what they could lift.
Fortunately, Brother Zhang never intended for them to move the capsule units. By the third day, they didn't need to go there anymore.
Brother Zhang said, "Capsule units cannot be moved by manpower. I will send people to clear these ice drips first, then we will transport the capsules."
However, as mentioned before, the weather before extreme heat was highly unstable. Yesterday had gone fine, but today it failed again. Ice drip rain fell once more. Though it lasted only a few minutes, the previously cleared passage collapsed under the impact.
Thankfully, the alarms went off again. There were no casualties, but people were trapped in the capsule dormitory building again.
If the ice drip rain ended, it would have been manageable. But soon, the cold wind picked up, snowflakes flew through the air, and within ten minutes, they had no plan to rescue anyone before a blizzard arrived.
Outside the protective shield, snow blew everywhere, making the path ahead invisible.
Rescue from outside was impossible. The only way was to dig a passage from below and let people go through to come back quickly.
But this passage was different from the previous one. The earlier passage had a partially cracked shield supporting it, and some places had barely avoided the ice drip rain. Opening a passage then was easy. This time, with wind and rain combined, plus gravitational pressure, the shield could not hold. It had completely fallen, blocking their route to open the passage.
If they were unprepared, they would all be buried in the passage. The difficulty was obvious. Even the base could not act rashly, and neither could they.
"This was just buried. No rush. Let's think of a safe way first." Yet Lan Jin suddenly realized another problem. "If I remember right, several ability squads are still outside the base. I don't know if the others can escape this disaster."
Lan Jin didn't even need to mention it. Just saying it made a sharp worry rise in everyone's hearts.
Hiding in cars was useless. Only tall buildings offered cover. If unlucky, it could be…
No, thinking about it made her chest ache.
…
At their passage entrance, many ice drips had been pushed into the protective shield due to the collapse. Brother Li immediately ordered people to clear this section. No matter what method, small details could not delay work.
Unexpectedly, right after the order, a woman in a white coat shouted from behind them, "Why aren't you going to help? Your abilities are so strong. If you moved, wouldn't the passage open faster?"
The voice sounded familiar. Lan Jin turned and saw it was a woman from Professor Pei's team. Last time, this woman had said unpleasant things at a crisis, so Lan Jin had a bad impression.
But the woman was not important, so there was no need to remember her or answer. They glanced briefly, then turned away, completely ignoring her.
The woman did not expect this. Her anger flared. She stepped forward and shouted again, "Hey, I'm talking to you…"
Before she could finish, a man in a white coat pulled her back. His tone was unhappy. "Why care if they move or not? They clearly decided it's not suitable to act now. Last time, they opened the passage themselves. You saw it. Why say these things?"
What does she want? Feeling annoyed, trying to guilt others.
Lan Jin did not buy it. In the apocalypse, they had suffered, seen, and done everything. This woman had been overprotected, too well-fed. That was why she had the energy to cause trouble in a crisis.
Brother Li was not kind-hearted and immediately called Professor Pei, reporting the woman's behavior. Still, she did not think she was wrong. "What did I say wrong? They are strong. Why can't they act?"
Ling Jiang snapped, "If we act or not, none of your business. Don't act like our choice delays you. If you can do better, then do it. If not, shut up."
Ling Jiang's temper was naturally fiery. Recently, nothing provoked her, so frustration built up. Retaliating felt satisfying.
The woman pointed at Ling Jiang. "What kind of character are you?"
Lan Jin stepped forward, standing beside Ling Jiang. "You point fingers at others. You have character? Look in a mirror first before criticizing anyone."
Ling Jiang was 175 centimeters, Lan Jin 170, the woman at most 160. Weak, helpless… like a shrew.
Just as the woman was about to scold, Professor Pei walked through the door.
Brother Li quickly explained the incident. Professor Pei immediately looked displeased and took the woman away.
The man who helped just now said, "Sorry. Xin Xin was spoiled, so her temper is bad. Please be understanding."
Lan Jin glanced at him. "I don't want to."
Ling Jiang followed, "I don't want to either."
The man did not expect this. Usually, people would politely say "It's okay." Why should they be forced to forgive bad behavior for no reason?
The man was speechless. The two women and the man stood together awkwardly.
===
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