Memories from her past life flashed through her mind like jagged streaks of lightning, illuminating the dark corners of her mind with vivid, terrifying clarity. Suddenly, Jing Shu remembered something critical about the geography of this disaster. In the Banana Community villas, aside from the major quake that hit the back mountain on the first day of the great earthquake, there was another specific catastrophe recorded in the annals of survival. That one time, just one, when two or three buildings were swallowed whole by a sudden tornado-quake combination that opened the earth like a hungry maw.
That's it. It had to be this very moment.
Sure enough, after a few seconds of flickering lights that hummed with dying electricity, a deafening rumble shook the air, vibrating through the bones of everyone in the vicinity. The ground trembled violently, the surface pitching like the deck of a ship in a storm. The entire back mountain erupted in screams as people scrambled for safety, but by now everyone was used to the frequent quakes. They knew the pattern of the shifting tectonic plates; they knew this one was going to be a big one that would change the landscape.
"Grandma, hurry, get out to the backyard!"
"Grandpa, stop what you are doing, get in the RV right now!"
Everyone else in the family was already out at work in their various districts, leaving the three of them to face the shaking earth alone.
Xiao Dou, the fat hen, grabbed her two chicks by their scruffs and bolted across the yard. The moment the German MAN's heavy door opened, she dashed right in, her feathers ruffled with panic. Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing followed her lead quickly, climbing aboard the vehicle with practiced speed born from months of living on edge.
Under Jing Shu's mental control, the German MAN RV deployed its memory steel supports, the metal grinding and spreading like sharp claws into the shifting ground. More than ten reinforced beams jutted out at a sharp angle, anchoring the massive RV firmly to the earth to withstand the incoming quake.
Rumble!
The earth shook with terrifying force, the sound of grinding stone filling the air. The sturdy buildings in Banana Community swayed left and right like reeds in the wind. Cracks began spreading across the paved ground like black spiderwebs, but thankfully the houses were all built with grade-8 earthquake resistance. None had collapsed—yet.
It's here. It's here again! The big quake!
From the direction of the back mountain came endless shouts, desperate cries, and the blaring sirens of the Second Squad patrolling the area. The "woo-woo" of the emergency alarms echoed across the hills, adding to the chaotic noise of the disaster.
This earthquake was far worse than any that had come before it. Jing Shu could even hear the loudspeakers in the back mountain crackling to life, instructing everyone to stay calm, crouch down, cover their heads, and hold their position—it was already the safest place around for miles.
It's over. The houses are gone. The Banana Community buildings have collapsed!
The German MAN RV rocked violently, tilting side to side as the earth surged beneath the tires. Every jolt drove its reinforced steel legs deeper into the soil. The whole vehicle leaned nearly forty-five degrees under the pressure, yet those support beams held firm against the torque.
After a few previous disasters that had resulted in broken dishes, shattered thermoses, and cracked bowls, Grandpa Jing had finally learned his lesson about securing the interior. While Jing Shu was away in the States, he had secured everything inside the RV with fishline nets and thick bubble wrap. As long as everything was put back in its spot after use, nothing would break even in a massive quake.
Compared to the first earthquake—when Grandma and Grandpa Jing had been thrown around the cabin and injured, and the RV interior was a total mess—this time, things were far calmer inside the vehicle. Jing Shu couldn't help giving Grandpa Jing a silent thumbs-up as she braced herself against the wall. He had done even better than she expected.
Having elders at home really was like having a treasure. With Grandma and Grandpa around, hot meals were always cooked, the land was tended with care, and chores were done—and if you tried to stop them from working, they would just insist harder on being useful. Life was truly easier with them there. Jing Shu felt a deep sense of happiness in her chest. In an apocalypse, just being able to live safely as a connected family was a blessing.
Xiao Dou had her chicks huddled safely in a corner of the cabin. Her plump body sat steady as a rock no matter how much the quake shook the frame of the RV.
Grandma Jing's brow furrowed as she looked out the reinforced window. "That cow, Da Niu, she is pregnant now, isn't she? What if something happens to her in the barn?"
"Don't worry, I have got her wrapped in a soft net in her stall," Jing Shu reassured her. "She has even got her own reinforced room."
"Old man, you think the buildings across the street will collapse?" Grandma asked, her voice trembling. "This quake is way too strong. If they go down, what about our Da Niu, Er Hua, and San Mao? They are the pillars of the Jing family!"
"Um, excuse me? Since when am I not the pillar of this family?!" Jing Shu joked, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
Da Niu was the cow Jing Shu bought three years ago from the Livestock Breeding Center. Thanks to the Spirit Spring's constant nourishment, she could produce over fifty kilograms of milk a day and had given birth several times already.
Er Hua... Jing Shu thought about the name. Was Grandma talking about that old sow who had had more than twenty piglets in a single year? Yeah, Grandma doted on her too, treating her like royalty.
Oh right, speaking of that, she had helped her Paternal Eldest Aunt's family last year when things were tight. Around the end of the year, Jing Shu slaughtered most of their pigs, kept a few breeders for the future, and this year started selling piglets exclusively. She even sent their piglets and her own extras to Su Mali for auction at the district centers.
Her aunt's sows had only birthed once in half a year—two pigs, seven piglets total, because of poor nutrition in their diet. But Jing Shu's sow had birthed more than twenty piglets in one go. They only kept three for themselves and sold the rest at auction for a profit.
Even so, the piglets fetched sky-high prices on the market, enough for her aunt's family to live comfortably for months. The proceeds from Jing Shu's own piglets all went to Grandma Jing, of course. After all, it was Grandma and Grandpa who had worked so hard raising the pigs and cows in the heat. They deserved to have some virtual currency and savings of their own.
San Mao... Jing Shu honestly had no idea what that was supposed to be in the yard.
The quake lasted about two minutes before gradually subsiding into a low rumble, followed by smaller aftershocks that rattled the windows every few minutes.
It's safe now!
Jing Shu immediately called her parents to confirm they were fine at their posts, then went with Grandma Jing to check on Da Niu. Once they confirmed she was fine too, they went to tidy up the scattered items in the villa. Outside the gates, the place was already in total chaos.
When the three of them went over to Building No. 25 across from the villa, everything inside was dusty and furniture had toppled but it was otherwise fine—until Grandma Jing let out a horrified cry.
"Good heavens, where are the buildings next door and across the street?!"
Grandpa Jing came over, took one look at the horizon, and plopped straight onto the sofa. It was too terrifying. Several buildings around them were simply gone! If their side had been the one swallowed by the earth, they would have never made it out alive.
Jing Shu squinted at the scene through the dust. The government's floodlights had lit everything up in the darkness. Buildings No. 26, No. 27, and the one directly in front had vanished completely, swallowed by a massive hole in the ground that had opened up during the peak of the tremors.
Even the small aftershocks made rubble from the surrounding ruins tumble down into the abyss now and then.
"Oh my god, we can't stay here. Let's go, forget cleaning up. Those people have lost their minds, digging for corpses in there," Grandma Jing said in panic, her eyes wide. The quake had already taken several buildings; what if another hit the villa?
Jing Shu almost laughed at her reaction but held it in to be respectful. She nodded seriously. "You're right. Let's go."
They returned to the safety of the villa, too scared to go anywhere else in the community. From a distance, Jing Shu watched as more and more people gathered around the collapsed area with flashlights. Some had hooks, long ropes, and other scavenged tools, fishing for bodies or any salvageable materials from the depths.
Some merchants had even rigged electric hooks powered by batteries to control the direction and reach of their grabs into the pit. Others tied ropes from far away and climbed down into the darkness themselves.
People wept in front of the massive pit, crying that their homes were gone and wondering where they would live now. Others begged the "corpse retrievers" to find their loved ones buried in the dirt. Some shouted in disbelief, "It was just a nap, why did there have to be a quake?" But most faces were blank and numb, mechanically searching for anything useful.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the landscape. "Next year's mudslide can be diverted through this pit. Looks like I will have to buy this land soon."