The deafening st came in an instant, Philip''s pupils contracting in an instant. The following sound was unbearably loud.


    Phil stood in the doorway, buffeted by a force that sent him stumbling backward, mming the door shut in its wake.


    The world inside the base began to spin out of control, a cacophony that sounded like the heavens themselves were copsing.


    Pinned against the wall by the invisible hammer of the st, Phil struggled to his feet, oddly numb to the pain. It felt as though


    something was cushioning his fall.


    Turning, he saw Philip syed out behind him, acting as a human shield and already spitting out blood.


    "Philip!" His voice was a whisper against the roar.


    "Sorry, | shouldn''t have gone after that insect. Philip,e on, wake up."


    Meanwhile, the entire base was lifted by some powerful force. In face of nature, human engineering designed to withstand a


    magnitude 8 earthquake, seemed trivial against the dual onught of thendslide and the earth''s violent shaking. Every secure


    door had been breached.


    The base was uplifted from its subterranean stronghold by thendslide and then harshly flung down, carried forward


    unstoppably.


    Even the citizens could hear the earth-shattering noise. Some fell to their knees in prayer, murmuring for salvation.


    Maja was about to dig into her meal when she felt the table quiver. Dropping her fork, she rushed to her apartment door and


    stood in the hallway. But outside, everything looked like normal; beyond the initial rumble, there was only the sound of fervent


    prayers.


    Her neighbor, a woman who had mostly recovered from recent injuries, stepped out looking particrly pale.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Seems like it''s from the southwest. | came from there. The disease was bad enough, but with an earthquake. The authorities


    might just write off that whole area. No help''sing anytime soon."


    Maja''s heart sank; that was wheren was headed.


    “How strong was the quake?"


    The woman went back to check herputer, her face turning ashen, "Preliminary estimates say 8.1."


    An earthquake that strong could shatter skyscrapers, even could crack open the earth and then shut it in a split second.


    Maja felt dizzy with worry and called forn''s contacts immediately.


    "Can we get through to the local officials to check out the situation over there?"


    "Ms. Pennyfeather, the news reported


    it just a minute ago. 8.1 on the


    Richter scale. The higher! eupsareh''!


    cugtiniythd dtea They''re even


    lying, saying they''ve sent help, but


    they''ve just barricaded the ce with


    wire fences. Anyone trying to escape


    gets shot on sight." Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    "Why?"


    "That district''s the epicenter of the


    disease outbreak. With the mM


    earthquake, panieyileaters Wout


    depinital) Want to get out. The


    disease currently has no cure, and if


    it spreads, the country is done for."


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    So, the grim directive was to


    abandon those vigers and take


    them out if oar eprevantithe


    beeen g. Moreover, to


    ace internationally, the media


    would be told that the vigers were


    casualties of the quake - not left for


    dead by their own government.


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    In order to maintain a good reputation around the globe, some countries would choose to create multiple lies. The despair of


    such deceit was new to Maggie.


    If she were one of those vigers, abandoned by her country, what then? Without a nation''s support, hopes for survival were


    meaningless.


    And that was the directionn had gone. She had to check it personally.