Chapter 222
Upon drawing closer, they saw a boy of about ten years old, ceaselessly trying to shift the rubble of
a copsed wall. Beneath the wally a woman, her blood long since dried, her body rigid and cold.
The ten-year-old boy, who had already grasped the concept of death, stubbornly continued his futile
attempts to move the debris. But he was just a scrawny little kid,cking the strength necessary for
such a task. Even as his hands became raw and bloody, the wall remained immovable.
Jasper stepped forward, lending a hand to move the heavy rubble. Once the wall was removed, the
boy desperately tried to rouse the lifeless body of his mother. A little girl joined him, her voice
hoarse from crying. Unfortunately, no matter how much they called out to her, the woman would
never open her eyes again.
Rosie''s eyes reddened as she tightly clutched her brother''s hand.
Ste asked the sobbing little girl, "Do you have any other family members at home?"
The little girl shook her head, "My grandparents and dad are all gone."
Ste pulled out a bottle of water from her backpack and handed it over. The thirsty little girl gulped
it down gratefully, thanking Ste.
After drinking half of it, she passed the bottle to her brother. The boy held the bottle tightly but didn''t
drink.
Jasper patted his head, "You''re older than your sister. You understand what''s happening. You need
to ept reality. Take your sister to the city and look for the official rescue teams. They will take
care of you. Don’t linger here. Go immediately."
The ce was too remote, and the two defenseless children were in great danger.
The boy remained silent, continuously wiping his tears.
Ste handed over another bottle of water along with five or six packs of crackers, "Hide these well,
and don''t let anyone find out. Go to the city with your sister."
"Thank you." The boy choked out.
With time running out, Ste continued her journey.
As they walked, Rosie couldn''t help but nce back, "Ste, they''re following us."
Looking back, Ste saw the boy and girl in the distance. The boy was holding his sister''s hand, and
the little girl was asionally ncing back at their destroyed home disappearing in the distance.
As they approached the city, they encountered more survivors, both severely and lightly injured.
Most of them were homeless, while some stubbornly searched through the ruins for their
belongings.
Some of them stopped Ste and her group, begging for food and water, "We''re injured. Do you
have any water? Please, help us."
Regardless of their genuine injuries and desperate pleas, their eyes had a calcting glint. Ste
ignored them and kept moving.
Some persistent survivors tried to follow them, but Ste pulled out her crossbow without a word
and coldly warned, "Stay away." Seeing her weapon, they didn''t dare to approach any further.
This dy gave the little boy and girl a chance to catch up. With a face full of dirt, he pulled his
sister past the survivors who wanted to stop them, and cautiously and fearfully hid behind Jasper.
Ste frowned, but said nothing.
Upon reaching the city, Ste saw that most of the buildings had copsed. Only a fraction
remained standing, their structures dangerouslypromised.
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Despite the devastation, the sight of these surviving structures gave some survivors a glimmer of
hope.
However, most of the survivors were in despair, their faces numb and hopeless. Without food or
water, and now without homes, their situations were dire.
Several months ago, the city had started issuing earthquake warnings. Despite repeated
broadcasts, there were still many casualties. Many had the chance to flee but couldn''t bear to leave
their possessions behind.
The rescue team had just pulled a body from the wreckage, a man in his fifties or sixties. His
movements were slowerpared to young people, and he was still clutching a quilt, unwilling to
let go even in death.
Ste could only sigh facing such tragedy.
She stopped, turned around, and said to the boy, "Go find the uncle in the rescue team and see
how they arrange for you."
The boy hesitated for a moment, but finally went over. He said something, and the man in the
orange rescue suit pointed to the survivors in the distance.
The boy looked confused and hesitant. He came back, took his sister''s hand, and said, "Thank
you."
Ste took a deep breath and handed over a folding knife. "Take good care of your sister. Don''t tell
strangers that your parents are gone."
Without a word, she turned and walked away, not looking back. She didn''t miss the unease and
helplessness in his eyes, but what could she do? In this life or the past, there have been too many
such looks everywhere.
Ste and her group finally reached the Griffith River, but it had been severed by arge fissure.
The roads were either destroyed or blocked by copsed buildings. It took them a while to finally
reach their destination, Eastwood Eden.
The outer wall had copsed, and Mark was organizing a team to rebuild it, "Hurry up, everyone.
We can only be safe once the wall is up."
When Christian saw Ste and her group, he rushed over, "Are you all okay?"
"We''re fine, just suffered minor injuries." Ste asked, "How is everyone?"
Christian was injured, but it didn''t look serious, "I didn''t expect the earthquake to be so severe. We
were on the riverbank when it happened, and many people were injured."
Since Ste and her group were safe, Mark came over and invited them to sit in the security room.
"We need to thank Jasper. If it hadn''t been for his warning, we might not have noticed the
earthquake in time. Most of the people in the neighborhood are safe, but there are still many
casualties elsewhere. The official rescue teams are understaffed, and the city is calling for civilian
rescue organizations.”
Mark suggested forming a rescue team in their neighborhood to help search for survivors nearby, a
n Ste had heard from Jasper before. Therefore, she wasn''t surprised when Mark brought it up
again.
She didn''t rush to speak, instead, she sank into contemtion.