Chapter 232


    Facing his younger sister''s confusion, Jasper exined, "The sun is hidden behind the clouds."


    In this post-apocalyptic world, lightning was an uncanny phenomenon. For safety''s sake, Ste


    decided not to use the srmp and instead lit up an old kerosenentern she''d kept from


    Arcadia.


    The light was dim and yellow, but it was a beacon in the darkness.


    Rosie was curious, "Ste, what''s this?"


    This was an antique from a bygone era. Ste started to tell her about the hardship of the old days.


    Rosie nestled in Ste''s arms, while Cooper, frightened by the thunderstorm, sought refuge in the


    arms of his trainer, whimpering.


    Rosie had imed his owner!


    The thunderstormsted half an hour, eventually subsiding along with the heavy dark clouds. Bright


    light returned quickly, but the heavy rain continued relentlessly. The temperature of the rainwater


    began to drop. It was no longer scalding hot, but rather carried a refreshing chill.


    Rainwater collecting continued. The siblings were responsible for gathering water, while the dog


    joyfully ran in the rain, making Ste almost want to abandon him.


    In the refugee camp, not many people had belongings left. Driven by thirst, they rushed into the


    rain, drinking water from the sky and washing their bodies, "It''s raining. Finally it''s raining."


    There were those whoughed, those who cried, and those who spun in the rain, seeming almost


    mad.


    Rosie crouched in front of the nt pots, her face full of worry, "Ste, will the sweet potatoes


    survive?"


    "They should. We''ll know by tomorrow."


    The initial rain was indeed scorching hot, but they were shielded by a tent. The nts likely wouldn''t


    be scorched to death.


    What was disturbing was that once the rain stopped, the heat from the ground started to rise again,


    turning the environment into a sauna. The sticky humidity was incredibly ufortable.


    Back in their room, they turned on the air conditioning. Just as they were about to rest after turning


    off the lights, Jasper moved closer, "Did you get burned?"


    Ste touched her face, "No, it''s just a bit red."


    Ste stayed indoors, Jasper took his sister to teach ss, and Cooper took himself for a walk. He


    ran around Eastwood Eden twenty-odd times beforeing back, even climbing a tree to help


    catch a runaway mouse, nearly getting bitten in the process.


    At noon, the siblings returned with Cooper.


    Jasper washed his hands before the meal, "Ste, it doesn''t seem as hot today."


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    "Really?" Ste was in her temperature-controlled clothes enjoying the air conditioning and hadn''t


    noticed.


    At first, Jasper hadn''t noticed either, but Cooper''s reaction was more obvious. His tongue wasn''t


    hanging out as much.


    Ste decided to measure the temperature on the balcony. It was 58 degrees. It had indeed


    dropped, even if only by 2 degrees.


    After a heavy rain, it was normal for the temperature to drop a bit.


    In the evening, after being cooped up inside all day, Ste came down with a bucket.


    The underground water level had risen significantly after the deluge. Water was now bubbling up


    from the ground, avable in unlimited supply. So, Ste made several trips.


    For those in the refugee camp who needed things to store water, Mark gathered a collection of pots


    and pans that had been found during the earthquake relief and sent them over.


    Several metal buckets had been crushed, but they could still be used after being beaten back into


    shape.


    The temperature continued to drop, about one or two degrees each day. When it dropped to 55


    degrees, the survivors who had been enduring temperatures around 60 degrees for a long time


    were much morefortable.


    Human life truly was resilient. They miraculously survived, and with several consecutive days of


    ample water, their health significantly improved.


    Some even formed teams to go out and collect resources from nearby copsed buildings or


    viges, bringing back clothing or bowls.


    The high temperature persisted, but the water level wasn''t dropping as noticeably as before.


    Government officials started to organize manpower to dig wells again. Therge-scale water


    retrieval project from Lincoln was temporarily halted.


    After the earthquake relief efforts ended, city nners began to n anew and announced to all


    citizens - the city would be rebuilt. After surveying and exploring, it was determined that Hope Bay


    was the least affected by the earthquake and would be the new town for Griffith.


    Hope Bay was near Swan Hill, about forty kilometers from the old city area. It was a semi-


    developed remote area.


    Ste was curious, "Is Hope Bay the new town?"


    In her previous life, she''d heard about the reconstruction ns, but she was brutally murdered


    before the project had even started.


    Jasper nodded, "It is, but it''s only about one-fifth the size of the old city area. However, it''s close to


    Swan Hill''s new town, so they can support each other."


    One-fifth? That was actually not bad.


    After enduring three years of the disasters, less than 30% of the poption had survived, and many


    of them had gone to the base. But even so, not everyone was eligible to settle in the new town.


    The announcement of the reconstruction was just the first step. The government encouraged


    survivors to collect building materials in exchange for points. These points could be exchanged for


    food, and if they umted enough, they could exchange them for a housing slot. However, the


    needed materials and corresponding points had not been announced yet.


    At the same time, the Agricultural Science Institute was hiring again, with priority given to homeless


    refugees.


    Don''t underestimate the Agricultural Science Institute. Their frantic indoor and outdoor farming


    efforts had umted a lot of food, especially dried vegetables. The food balls that refugees ate


    every day were thanks to their efforts.


    Giving the refugees priority in hiring not only solved the employment issue but also remedied


    potential security risks. If they weren''t given something to do, they would inevitably cause trouble.


    For other survivors, the Agricultural Science Institute also made a plea. With the global environment


    in continuous chaos and a long recovery period expected, humans needed to prepare for a long


    battle.


    Typhoons, floods, extreme cold, extreme heat, earthquakes, and potentially acid rain or


    alkalinization in the future, all required humans to store as much food as possible under limited


    conditions to withstand unpredictable natural disasters.


    In simple terms, they needed to farm and store food.


    The Agricultural Science Institute made a promise to distribute seeds to the survivors as soon as


    possible. Ste guessed that there weren''t enough seeds.


    After the earthquake, there would be several months of calm, normal seasonal weather.


    She asked Jasper, "What''s after that?"


    "Two years of pr day, three years of pr night, then smog, acid rain..."


    Ste couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, "Pr day isn''t too bad. The light can elerate


    crop growth, giving the survivors two years to breathe."


    But Jasper''s expression was off.


    "What''s wrong?" Was there a catch with the pr day?


    "The temperature difference is significant during the pr day, reaching up to forty degrees Celsius


    during the heat and dropping to minus ten degrees Celsius or more in the cold."


    Ste felt that was bearable. After all, they had endured extreme cold and extreme heat, and human


    bodies had be more adaptable.


    "It all happens within a day."


    Ste, who wasn''t fully aware of the situation, was stunned. Alright, she was too naive due to her


    lack of experience. So, she needed to cherish the peaceful months ahead.


    Jasper reminded her, "The smog carries bacteria and weak acids that corrode and cause severe


    damage to the liver and lungs. Many people got sick from it and ended up even coughing out pieces


    of their lungs."


    Thinking about coughing up pieces of her lungs, Ste felt a chill down her spine, "Is there any


    medicine for that?"


    "It took a while for the scientists to figure it out, and the effects weren''t immediate."


    "Do you know what kind of remedy it was?"


    Jasper wasn''t a scientist, he wasn''t sure about the specifics of the recipe, but they''d once gone


    deep into the woods to forage for ingredients, he could remember a couple of them.


    "Do you still recall?"