Apocalyptic Disaster: I Hoard Billions in Supplies and Kill the Saint

197: Chapter 197 Preliminary ProposalShen Qingyan stood opposite, sweat beading on her forehead, as she pulled up the aerosol reaction curves and quickly processed the analysis report:

”The pH level is approaching 2.8.”

”Although the air humidity has increased, the acidic particles it carries are penetrating the air circulation system.”

”If it gets into the internal system... even breathing will become a dangerous act.”

Zhao Wei leaned in the corner, his voice as hoarse as scraping iron: ”Three days... the water hasn’t stopped, the temperature hasn’t dropped, the poison hasn’t dissipated.”

”This isn’t rain at all.”

Zhang Tianjin buried his head in his knees and suddenly cursed:

”This is a damn ’humanity delete and reboot’ patch from the heavens.”

Chu Yunting stood by the window, watching the twisted, rolling clouds, his eyes like blades, speaking coldly:

”It is not a natural disaster.”

”It is a Great Purge.”

”It is filtering for ’those worthy of survival’.”

The rainwater seeped into the shallowest steel plate structures, already beginning to cause mild electromagnetic interference.

The medical zone had been operating at full capacity for three consecutive days, and the simple buffer solutions were completely exhausted.

Lin Sui’s voice was almost a roar:

”Put clean towels over the patients’ noses and mouths! Don’t let them breathe in that gas anymore!”

”Don’t skimp on the sodium carbonate spray; even if it’s diluted, you have to brush it on the walls!”

Inside the power compartment, the backup lines were temporarily switched to the ’Deep Well Power Circuit.’ A young technician, his hands covered in blisters from acid corrosion, gritted his teeth and turned the main switch.

In the main corridor, the crying of children came one after another, and most people had already begun to experience sore throats, skin redness, and irritability and insomnia.

The underground broadcast sounded:

”The acid rain has not stopped; please, all residents, continue to stay in the sealed zones.”

”Non-essential personnel are strictly forbidden from approaching the surface.”

”Today’s water supply is allocated from the Zone 3 well; water is scarce, and priority is given to medication preparation.”

At this moment, Lanyan Shelter was like a sealed iron can, holding on to the last breath of human civilization without letting a single drop escape.

Western Plateau, Fifth Comprehensive Shelter Point (Contact Lost)

The surveillance footage froze on the morning of the previous day.

The last frame showed the figures of a large number of residents fleeing underground after the surface protection tower was pierced by the strong acid rain.

Beyond that—all black.

The government control zone attempted to connect thirty-seven times, all of which failed.

The blue dot on the map marked ’Plateau - Shelter No. 5’ finally turned gray.

Contact lost.

Vanished.

As if its record had been erased from the human world forever.

She stood at the intersection of the space’s Fire Domain and Cold Domain, watching that transparent ’observation window.’

Flame Born’s spirit core was still sleeping, but the spirit flames outside his body flickered slightly, as if resonating and sensing the external temperature and pressure.

Since the third day after the rain began, Ye Nanxing had basically not left the space core room.

She sat between the Fire Domain and the Cold Domain, Flame Born’s sleeping spirit core floating in her palm, the surroundings as quiet as a silent universe.

[System Notification]

[Flame Born status stable · Spirit fire recovery progress: 76%]

[Entered deep synchronization phase · Extracting world observation data]

[Passive perception available · Extreme weather causal fragments]

She opened her eyes, her gaze deep as a well.

”It is not natural rainfall.”

”It is—a man-made trigger point.”

[System synchronization · Acid rain causal clues partially pieced together]

High ratio of nitrogen-oxygen mixed gas fluctuations in the atmosphere

Large-scale biochemical reactions occurring in the extreme heat center area

Traces of artificial catalysis

Abnormal combustion of residual carbonized layers from extreme cold

”A man-made natural disaster?”

”It seems like someone wants to take advantage of the fact that the natural disaster isn’t over yet to—start the next phase of the purge.”

The sky remained gray and yellow, rolling; the acid rain finally weakened to fine droplets by the 86th hour. Raindrops fell on the special glass dome of Tianlang Mountain, making a ’thump-thump’ sound like a ticking clock—not peace, but the rain’s panting.

Shen Qingyan was the first to speak:

”The acid concentration has risen to 4.8, and the fog pressure layer is beginning to shrink.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes were red:

”The rain has stopped.”

Zhang Tianjin exhaled deeply, his throat tight:

”It’s finally over... damn it, we really survived.”

But just as this breath hadn’t settled, a high-priority contact request appeared in the center of the big screen.

Communication code—LZ-Zone A · Lanyan Shelter · Contact Tower A

The screen connected, and a familiar figure appeared—

Duan Heng.

The command hall behind him was no longer the previously cold and orderly office area, but an entire wall of emergency battle maps:

The projected map was marked with multiple red dots in the center, representing areas where signals were interrupted;

In the lower-left corner, three collapsed areas were flashing brightly, clearly in the midst of emergency rescue;

Four communications officers were bowing their heads, coordinating, their voices noisy and their tones urgent.

Duan Heng’s expression remained steady, but there was a layer of fatigue more than usual. He spoke:

”The rain has stopped.”

”But the cost is too high.”

”Three small shelter points in the southwest wind gap area were continuously hit by acid rain, and the soil layers collapsed.”

”Communication has been interrupted for thirty-six hours; we sent out three rounds of search and rescue, but there is no news.”

He paused for half a second, his eyes darkening:

”This round of natural disaster... is not purging people.”

”It is purging the system.”

As Duan Heng waved his hand, the screen instantly showed a nine-grid live view, connecting to other surviving shelter points:

Beiling Joint Point

The image showed a sealed mine shaft entrance, the steel plates rusted red, with a newly built windbreak piled at the entrance.

The sound was noisy; workers were using pneumatic drills to bore holes for ventilation, conducting underground gas neutralization.

Drones were performing fixed-point detection of acid-base balance at the top, and an engineer with a weary voice was reporting:

”Currently, sulfur dioxide residue has not been discharged, and the oxygen dilution concentration is insufficient.”

”But the personnel settlement area has not collapsed, and there is still hope for life.”

Hanlin Underground Depot

The basement lighting was extremely weak; the main ventilation shaft had long been sealed, and plastic wrapping and nano-membrane cloth sealed the entire corridor like a large intestine.

Three researchers were manually recording air velocity at the central control console.

Monitoring showed: although rainwater had not poured in, humidity and mold data were skyrocketing.

Pingyuan District 7

The camera swept over a charred surface; the originally neat prefab houses had all collapsed, leaving only smoking frames.

A small team was carrying the wounded into a temporary underground ventilation shaft, huddling together in a 4-meter-deep explosion-proof trench.

”We simply gave up on the surface.”

”Those who can live, try to bring them down.”

When these images switched to the seventh one, no one in the Tianlang Mountain main control room was speaking anymore.

Zhao Wei finally spoke in a hoarse voice:

”We hold up an umbrella.”

”They... are directly using their backs to block the rain.”

Zhang Tianjin added in a low voice:

”It’s not that they can’t make it through.”

”They are relying on their lives, gambling on whether they can make it.”

Shen Qingyan gritted her teeth, her eyes red:

”They are not weak in their systems... it’s that they don’t have our central axis.”

The screen cut back to Duan Heng himself; his back was straight, and he spoke:

”We held on for three days and three nights.”

”But we know this is not the last rain.”

”So I came—not to ask for help.”

He looked at the screen and said slowly:

”It is to propose.”