Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 219 First Arrival in the Mountain City of Pinglu
June 6th. North Star Kingdom, Pinglu City.

This high-altitude mountain town in the west did not suffer serious damage because it was far away from the epicenters of the earthquakes.

But this place cannot escape the global climate change.

In the drizzling rain, a large number of people were moving about and busy outdoors.

Transferring the official functions of the capital Yong'an to this location requires a lot of work. In addition, tasks such as the relocation of the college and the mobilization of some disaster relief supplies are also being carried out here.

After entering the city with an umbrella, Guan Tong saw some volunteers wearing red armbands and protective raincoats nearby. These volunteers all appeared to be locals from Pinglu and were responsible for guiding visitors from other places.

In the past, in an information-driven society, everyone could find their way by checking their phone notifications. But now, with the network not yet restored in the short term, people have to resort to the oldest method of human directions.

Guan Tong also noticed a significant influx of foreigners into the city. She wondered if they had taken advantage of the People's Federation's open policies to come to Beixing before the earthquake.

At this moment, a young woman wearing arm sleeves walked over and greeted Guan Tong.

"Hello, do you need help?"

Perhaps because Guan Tong had been looking around ever since he entered the city, clearly a newcomer from out of town, the woman who was a volunteer came over to ask him questions.

Guan Tong asked, "Hello, I would like to ask where people from out of town should stay when they come here?"

Since he had promised Shi Jingyi that he would be her teaching assistant and teach her classes for a few months, he naturally wouldn't go back on his word.

The college moved to Pinglu City along with other official departments, and he naturally followed suit.

As for his book page refuge, he did place it at sea before, thinking it would be safer that way, since it was airtight enough and there was no need to worry about seawater seeping in.

Shi Jingyi herself contacted the academy after speaking with Guan Tong. They agreed on a location, and the academy sent someone to take her to a specialized medical center to assist with her recovery.

Guan Tong came to cover for her for a while before she was able to return to class after recovering.

Because he and Shi Jingyi had agreed that the latter would recommend him in a few days, he couldn't go directly to the college's campus in Pinglu to report for duty. He could only find another place to stay in the city first.

The reason he didn't wait a few days before coming over was because he wanted to get to know the city beforehand.

The female volunteers weren't surprised to hear this. According to their leader, people would be arriving in Pinglu City from all over the country and even the world in the near future.

"Which city's shelter were you in before?"

"I did not live in a shelter."

"Not staying in a shelter?" The female volunteer was somewhat surprised, not expecting to encounter such a rare wilderness survivor.

This was the first person she had encountered in the few days she had been volunteering. There are already few people in the wilderness, and even fewer who survived this earthquake disaster.

"Do you need to have lived in a shelter before to be able to move into Pinglu?" Guan Tong asked curiously.

“Ah, no.” The female volunteer shook her head, “It’s just that we’re settling people in our accommodations in clusters based on the cities where the shelters are located, so that we’re more likely to run into people from the same hometown.”

"I see."

"So, may I ask where you're originally from?"

"I am a Yunhua person."

"Yunhua, okay." The volunteer took out a map from his backpack, which was marked with many different colors.

"The area marked with the number 2 in blue pen is the residential area of ​​Yunhua Shelter. When you get there, someone will arrange a room for you."

"OK, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Guan Tong took the map, and the female volunteer immediately went to help the next person entering the city.

It's definitely better to settle people from the same place together than to have a chaotic bunch of people mixed together; you might even run into someone you know.

Guan Tong, map in hand, didn't rush to her lodging in Yunhua, but instead wandered around the mountain city. Unlike inland cities, this mountain city was completely three-dimensional, divided into many levels from top to bottom. Often, you might think you were on the first floor, but when you walked to the railing and looked down, you would find that there were more than a dozen similar "first floors" below.

This structure was designed to adapt to the mountain, reinforcing the city while also creating more living space.

In reality, without so many stratifications, it would be impossible to accommodate such a large influx of people. Adding in those from overseas, it's conservatively estimated that Pinglu's population will inevitably exceed 100 million in the future.

He walked along the road, observing everything around him. After passing by two girls, one of them suddenly stopped and looked back at Guan Tong's back in surprise.

The girl's pupils behind her glasses were filled with disbelief.

Guan Tong... it's definitely him...

The girl's companion asked curiously, "Qianqian, what's wrong? Do you know him?"

"Qianqian?"

"what…"

Fang Qian snapped out of her daze and, seeing her friend's puzzled expression, hurriedly looked away and pushed up her glasses: "It's nothing, it's just... my former high school classmate."

"A high school classmate?" Her friend looked surprised. "Why didn't you say hello? That would have been so rare!"

In the post-apocalyptic era, everyone's relatives, friends, and all those connected to them could die at any moment. Many people have even lost everyone they knew, leaving only themselves.

Even if you make new friends through a particular set of rules, they might not be there when the next rule comes along. So in this somewhat indifferent era, it's truly rare for a relationship to last.

Therefore, even relationships like "classmates," which weren't particularly close in the past, have become incredibly precious in this era.

Fang Qian and her friend were classmates who joined the college together and were assigned to the same class, and later became good friends.

"I'll go and call them back for you."

Her friend was about to chase after Guan Tong when Fang Qian grabbed her arm and said, "No!"

"Huh?" her friend asked, puzzled. "What... are you two not getting along?"

Fang Qian's expression was complicated; she was too ashamed to talk about what had happened between her and Guan Tong. In fact, she hadn't been mentally prepared for their sudden reunion today, and her thoughts were in complete disarray.

Seeing that she looked unwell, her friend knew that there might be some unpleasant past, so she didn't press the matter further.

Fang Qian said, "Xiao Qing, should we go back first? I'm not feeling well..."

"Okay, then go back."

As students of the academy, they naturally followed the academy when it moved from Yong'an to Pinglu.

However, the college will not reopen in the short term; the relocation and personnel arrangements will not be completed until at least July.

Back in the temporary dormitory area, Fang Qian stayed in her room, thinking about the boy she had seen on the street earlier, wearing a black jacket over a T-shirt with a soldier pattern. She was certain that it was Guan Tong.

Although she has grown quite a bit taller, Guan Tong's face hasn't changed much, so she wouldn't mistake her for someone else.

Did he come to Pinglu too?
After joining the academy, Fang Qian secretly inquired and found that there was no one named "Guan Tong" in the academy, so she knew that he had not joined the academy.

She was very surprised by this, because according to her judgment, Guan Tong definitely met the admission requirements.

They had no contact for over a year afterward, and she didn't know if Guan Tong was still alive. To her utter surprise, she ran into him on the street today.

Her only consolation was that Guan Tong didn't recognize her.

"Very good……"

She muttered to herself. If Guan Tong had recognized her on the street, she really didn't know how she would have faced him; she might have run away in panic.

(End of this chapter)