Natural Disaster: I Started By Hoarding Tens Of Billions Of Supplies

Chapter 324: The Fog (2)



Unscrewing the lid, Chen Zizhen held the bottle to the woman's cracked lips and said, "Here, drink some water."

The woman shook her head again and pushed the bottle away, trying to suppress her coughing by covering her mouth with her hands, but her effort was useless.

Tears streamed down her cheeks from all the coughing. A second later, she suddenly coughed up blood.

"Cough!"

Chen Zizhen froze as he saw blood seeping between her thin fingers. Before he could react, the woman fainted, and she collapsed heavily to the ground.

Thud!

As her hand fell limply beside her face, Chen Zizhen noticed something strange mixed in the blood. Though scared, he forced himself to move closer. When he finally saw clearly what it was, he was so shocked, leaving him paralyzed with fear.

When he came back to his senses, Chen Zizhen hurriedly grabbed the rope that had fallen to the ground and tugged it hard several times with trembling hands.

Feeling a response from the other end of the rope, Chen Zizhen shouted, "Cover your nose and mouth! The fog can kill people!"

After repeating his warning a few more times, Chen Zizhen let go of the rope and checked on the woman. Unable to detect any breath or pulse, he slumped to the ground, staring at her in disbelief.

Meanwhile, in the meeting room of the Juncheng Military Base's office building, Xu Qipeng and the other senior officers were in the middle of an emergency meeting.

At the front of them stood a man in his late twenties wearing a white coat, typing on a laptop. After a moment, he looked up and said, "Everyone, please look at the projector screen."

Pointing at the data displayed on the white screen hanging on the wall, the man explained, "These brown clouds covering the world are the fog. This black patch in the center of the fog remains unknown to us."

"We have observed and studied the fog and the black patch extensively, but all we know so far is that the fog can cause severe lung disease. As for the black patch, we still don't have any

answers.

As his words sank in, the meeting room fell silent.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

A few seconds later, Xu Qipeng asked, "Professor Tu, can you predict when the fog will dissipate?"

Tu Yuzhi pressed a key, and the screen changed. He turned to Xu Qipeng and replied, "Based on the fog's speed and its spreading area, we estimate that it will last at least half a month."

Hearing this, Du Zhaoyi asked, "Have you identified the effects of the fog on buildings and the environment, aside from causing lung disease in humans?"

Tu Yuzhi turned to him and said, "For that, it's better to let Professor Ye explain."

Ye Junkai stood up, looked at everyone in the room, and said, "The fog contains components similar to acid rain, with a higher corrosive effect. While it has a corrosive effect on humans, it won't cause significant damage to buildings. However, it will severely harm the environment, including the soil and air."

After listening to his explanation, Du Zhaoyi asked, "Professor Ye, has your Institute of Physics and Sciences found any way to solve this issue?"

Ye Junkai shook his head, "We haven't been able to collect a sample of the fog or determine what the black patch in its center is. Without a sample, we can't conduct proper research." "Then, do you have any solutions to deal with this fog?" one of the senior officers asked. Ye Junkai looked at her and replied calmly, "This fog is similar to acid rain but cannot be touched or blocked as easily. All we can do is prevent people from inhaling it and ensure ventilation systems are sealed."

After he spoke, everyone's expressions darkened.

Following a long silence, Xu Qipeng looked at Du Zhaoyi and asked, "Commander Du, can you send a team to search for respirator masks?"

Du Zhaoyi considered this for a moment before replying, "The visibility is too poor right now. Sending people out to find supplies would be like sending them to their deaths."

Pausing briefly, he added, "I'm sorry, Commander Xu. I won't send my men out under these conditions. If you want respirator masks, we will have to wait until the fog thins and the visibility improves."

Hearing this, Xu Qipeng clenched his fist and thought bitterly, 'Wait until the fog thins? Isn't that the same as doing nothing and wait?'

Noticing his frustration, Du Zhaoyi said, "Commander Xu, since you are so eager to find respirator masks, why don't you send your own men instead of asking mine?"

Unlike Du Zhaoyi, whose only job is to be responsible for base security, Xu Qipeng oversaw all aspects of the Juncheng Military Base. With limited personnel, managing the base while ensuring everyone had enough food and water was no easy task.

When the other senior officers heard Du Zhaoyi's response, they secretly cursed him.

Although both commanders held the same rank, unlike Xu Qipeng, Du Zhaoyi spent his days recruiting soldiers and stockpiling supplies for his personal forces. He shamelessly took the supplies collected by the First Army but never contributed to finding the supplies.

Sensing their discontent, Du Zhaoyi feigned ignorance.

Seeing this, Xu Qipeng sighed and said, "Fine. I will find a way to get the respirator masks." Turning to Xue Wenjie, he asked, "Professor Xue, how is your research progressing?"

Xue Wenjie replied calmly, "Thanks to Professor Hua's assistance, we have discovered that abilities can be enhanced through active use. Additionally, younger individuals-particularly children and those in their twenties and thirties-are far more likely to awaken abilities compared to those over forty."

"We have also developed a potion that accelerates energy recovery for ability users. However, the potion can only be used once a day, and its effects last for just half an hour. The potion can be used as a life-saving item, but it's not very helpful in speeding up the level of the ability

user."