Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Hailing Troubles (2)
The hailstorm raged on showing no signs of stopping.

“Sister Nan, I wonder if the others are alright.” Yu Baoyin asked worriedly on the side.

Nanzhi had been thinking about it as well.

She wished they were not in the field during this weather.

Five minutes passed, suddenly, the doors of the bunker opened and researchers and farmers on their work clothes rushed outside.

Their faces pale and wounded with scratches and bite marks on their arms. It was clearly from an animal.

“Help! Help! Inside….inside!”

“What happened?”

“The animals…the animals…” The people couldn’t articulate their words due to shock probably and only frantically gestured the soldiers to the bunker.

The soldiers quickly hurried inside.

Nanzhi heard what the people stuttered.

Could it be…

She slipped behind the soldiers, quietly like a thieving cat. Inside the sleeves of her thick down jacket was an army thorn.

Sister Nan?

Yu Baoyin was startled by the dagger Nanzhi had slipped in her hand as she followed her.

…

Beneath the bunker like building, is an underground sanctuary with an engineered ecosystem, designated for agriculture research, animal husbandry, and growing food.

The researchers like to call it Jade Pavilion of Renewal.

Same with the hospital, the construction of this facility was still underway.

Professor Zhang Heng moved deftly through the livestock section.

He had just gone back from visiting his friend, Xuan Le this morning.

Because of the sudden hailstorm they were worried about the animals and the plants.

The air within the fields was humid and earthy, carrying the faint aroma of freshly tilled soil and growing plants. Warm light poured down from the overhead LED panels, their soft glow imitating the sun.

Rows upon rows of crops like bok choy, water spinach, cabbages, mustard greens, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, stretched out in meticulous order thriving in the hydroponics bed, a lush sea of green amidst the cold walls of the underground bunker.

Beyond the crops, a section of the fields was dedicated to fruit.

Past the fields was the husbandry section, a carefully regulated space, separated from the crops by a glass barrier.

One could hear the faint clucking of chickens echoed slowly, with the occasional grunt of pigs coming from there.

The sounds of his leathers boots was muffled against the rubberized floor as he approached the group of workers.

“Careful with the pigs near the southern enclosure”, Zhang Heng ordered. “That sow just gave birth. Make sure her piglets stay warm and safe.”

Rows of carefully maintained pens stretched before them.

Pigs with their piglets grunted lazily in their enclosures, their fat, wrinkled bodies lying against beds of fresh straw.

Nearby brown chickens pecked at feed mixed with crushed soybean and leftover sweet potato peels from the vegetable farm next door.

There was even a section dedicated to aquaculture, where grass carp, and giant river prawns swam lazily in the man-made ponds, their water is filtered and enriched by the crops above.

Zhang Heng stopped to inspect a corner where bamboos grew tall and proud.

He picked up one of the fresh, pale shoots and sniffed it, “The soil mix is working well. This will pair nicely with the mushrooms we harvested last week.”

Although the farm and livestock seems thriving, it was a far cry from before.

The yield is obviously not enough to sustain the base.

Zhang Heng sighed sadly.

Suddenly the faint hum of ventilation grew louder.

A low guttural sound, almost like a growl echoed from the far side of the livestock area.

Zhang Heng turned, his brows furrowing.

“What was that?” he asked.

His assistant, Xiao Hei had been in the husbandry since last night and he pointed towards the vents, “It’s the goats near the air ducts, Professor. They’ve been acting strange all day.”

Zhang Heng strode towards the pens near the southernmost wall, where the ventilation system brought in fresh air from the filtration chambers above.

As he approached, his sharp eyes caught the erratic movements of the goats.

They stomped and bucked against the reinforced glass of their enclosure, their usually calm bleats now replaced with shrill, frantic cries.

The largest goat a black-and-white male, turned towards Zhang Heng.

Its eyes normally soft and brown- were now bloodshot, glowing with an eerie crimson under the artificial lights.

….

In the infirmary, the solider patients, 30 of them- lay under the thermal blankets, their faces pale and glistening with sweat.

The doctor stood at the center of the room, it was Pei Zhi, his expression grim as he adjusted his sterile gloves.

Beside him was a nurse, struggled to keep her hands steady while taking notes on a tablet.

The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, mangling with metallic tang of blood from the IV setups.

“Body temperatures are holding at 41 degree Celsius,” Pei Zhi murmured his voice barely a whisper. “No response to antivirals.”

Pei Zhi’s eyes scanned the monitors above the patients.

Their heart rates were erratic, their oxygen levels fluctuating wildly.

He had seen many strange illnesses over the years, but this—this was different.

“Winter fever is normal with the body struggles to keep itself warm, “Pei Zhi finally said, though his voice betrayed doubt. “But this….this isn’t natural,” especially if it collectively infected many patients at the same time.

Before Li Weihao could ask, a low groan rippled through the infirmary.

His head snapped towards the farthest bed, where a young male soldier had been unconscious. It was the soldier from the sentry tower, who spilled soup on Pei Huangyi’s coat.

His eyes fluttered open, bloodshot and unfocused. His lips moved forming incoherent words, before a guttural sound escaped his throat.

“Doctor Pei, he’s waking up!” The nurse said.

Pei Zhi rushed toward the patient’s side.

“Wait.” Lin Weihao said in a voice cutting through the room like a blade. He stepped forward, pulling Pei Zhi by the arm.

The patient’s body jerked violently, his hands clawing at the air as if he were fighting invisible demons. His once delicate features contorted into something feral his teeth grinding audibly.

Suddenly his eyes locked onto Pei Zhi and Lin Weihao, his pupils dilated into pinholes.