Chinese Superman

Chapter 159 A mere ten minutes

From the outbreak of the second phase of the spiritual energy revival to Xia Xinghan's suppression of the great earthquake, the raising of the Great Wall that encircles the vast land of China, blocking the extreme cold wave to the north, the mysterious fog to the south, the force of gravity to the west, and the cataclysmic tsunami to the east, only ten minutes had passed.

Just ten minutes.

But it was ten minutes of survival for 1.4 billion people in the Xia Kingdom during the apocalypse.

Ten minutes that determined the life and death of 8.2 billion people and trillions of lives worldwide.

Later books recorded this period of history as a great catastrophe!

Seven minutes ago.

It was 7:50 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

Bincheng.

A typical high-rise residential building, 18 stories, Zhang Jianguo's home.

The room was brightly lit and warm.

The festive prelude to the Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV, and the table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, meat, dumplings, and rice cakes, filling the air with their aroma.

Just as Zhang Jianguo poured his father a full glass of wine, his wife Wang Zhen was smiling as she picked up the biggest shrimp for their daughter Yao Yao.

Outside the window, a few fireworks rose ahead of schedule, exploding into clusters of brief bursts of light.

"Come on, Dad, Mom, let's have another toast to wish you a Happy New Year!" Zhang Jianguo raised his glass with a broad smile.

Before he could finish speaking...

"Houichi!!!"

It wasn't thunder, nor an explosion, but rather a muffled sound that seemed to come from the depths of the earth beneath our feet.

Immediately afterwards, the entire building, no, the entire world, shook violently to the side!

That wasn't just a normal shaking; it was like a giant grabbing the Earth, this cake, and giving it a violent jerk!

"what!"

Yao Yao screamed, the chopsticks in her hand flew out, and she fell backward.

"Be careful!"

Zhang Jianguo instinctively rushed towards his daughter and the elderly man beside him.

The bowls and plates on the table bounced and tipped over with a "clatter," splashing soup everywhere.

The chandelier swayed wildly, casting a chaotic dance of light and shadow.

The walls groaned as they collapsed under the strain, and the windowpanes cracked and splintered instantly, revealing a spiderweb of fissures.

A loud crash, as if something had collapsed, and faint cries of alarm came from afar.

This violent, seemingly all-consuming shaking lasted for about—less than a second.

But in that less than a second, Zhang Jianguo's heart almost stopped, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He desperately protected his family, his mind blank, only two words echoing in his mind: It's over.

Big earthquake?

Or has it been a spiritual disaster?

However, the anticipated collapse and subsequent disintegration did not occur immediately.

After the violent shaking, there was a continuous and noticeable aftershock. The ground and buildings trembled frequently and slightly, and things were still sliding down, but there was no longer that destructive lateral pulling force.

"Earthquake! It's a major earthquake! Quick! Under the table! Or in the bathroom!"

Wang Zhen's face turned deathly pale. A mother's strength made her recover even before her husband, and she cried out in a hoarse voice.

Almost simultaneously with her shout, a loud "Zzzzz—Attention citizens! Attention citizens!" rang out.

The public emergency broadcast system, installed in stairwells, community squares, and even on smart devices in every household, forcibly cut into all channels at an unprecedentedly high volume, covering the sound of television programs and drowning out the chaotic noise from outside the windows.

"A massive global spiritual upheaval has erupted, triggering severe geological and secondary disasters! All citizens, please remain calm! Repeat, remain calm!"

"This is not a drill! Immediately implement the following steps according to the 'Overall Plan for Responding to Spiritual Disasters':"

"First, all citizens, immediately cease your current activities and find the nearest sturdy shelter or small room, such as a restroom or a corner of a load-bearing wall, for temporary emergency shelter. Avoid windows, glass, and tall furniture!"

"Second, if no secondary violent earthquake occurs within thirty seconds, please proceed quickly and orderly to the nearest [underground emergency shelter] as per usual drills! Shelter status will be updated simultaneously via the designated national app and SMS messages!"

"Third, do not use the elevator! Do not go back to retrieve valuables! Assist the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, pregnant women, and children to evacuate first!"

"Fourth, those wielding weapons and practitioners, please immediately report to the community emergency response point for unified command!"

This is one of the achievements of the country over the past three years.

The rehearsal of the apocalypse serves to maintain order and provide relief to the greatest extent possible at the beginning of the apocalypse.

When the apocalypse truly arrives, ordinary people will not be completely thrown into chaos, and those in charge will know what to do.

This massive and powerful state machine is operating at an unprecedented speed and unleashing unprecedented power.

"Dad, Mom, Yao Yao, quick! Listen to the radio! Go to the corner of the bathroom first!"

Zhang Jianguo snapped out of his daze, and with a combination of pulling and dragging, helped his elderly father, who had difficulty walking, and his terrified daughter to their feet, and staggered into the cramped master bathroom.

Water! Food!

Everything else is unimportant now.

Wang Zhen casually grabbed a few bottles of water and a bag of biscuits from the coffee table and stuffed them inside.

Thirty seconds passed, amidst the continued tremors and the faint sounds of further collapses and cries from afar.

Every second feels like an eternity!

"Buzz buzz buzz—" the broadcast sounded again: "The first strong earthquake has passed, but minor aftershocks will continue. Now, please begin an orderly evacuation! Repeat, begin an orderly evacuation!"

"Walk!"

Zhang Jianguo took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door, and carefully left the house with his family.

Looking at the shocking cracks in the wall, Zhang Jianguo took a deep breath.

The spiritual disaster drills have been conducted more than once.

but.

This time it's for real!

Calm down, calm down—just like in a drill.

Zhang Jianguo pulled Wang Zhen, Yao Yao, and the others to the stairwell.

There were already figures moving around in the hallway; it was noisy but not completely out of control.

"10th floor! This way! Take the emergency staircase! Hurry!"

A middle-aged man wearing loungewear but with a red armband on his arm shouted at the stairwell, holding a powerful flashlight in his hand, with scratches on his face and a determined look in his eyes.

He is Old Wang, the building manager of this building.

He usually greets us with a smile, but now he seems like a different person, his voice hoarse yet full of power.

According to the emergency response measures for spiritual disasters, at least one building manager will be elected for each building.

One person is placed in a six-story residential building, and two or more are placed in higher floors. Their purpose is simply to provide relief during the outbreak of spiritual disasters.

In the stairwell, the crowd surged down.

Some people were only wearing pajamas and slippers, some were holding crying children, and some were supporting trembling elderly people.

"Crunch, crunch—"

The lights flickered on and off, dust kept falling from the walls, and each slightly noticeable aftershock elicited a low gasp and quickened footsteps.

The air was thick with dust and the smell of panic.

"Watch out for the steps! Don't push! Let those carrying children and those helping the elderly go first!"

Several young neighbors spontaneously shouted and formed a simple barrier with their arms to maintain basic order.

To save time, Zhang Jianguo carried his elderly father on his back.

Wang Zhen held Yao Yao tightly as they followed the flow of people downstream.

They observed that the fire escape doors on each floor had been opened in advance, and most of the emergency indicator lights were still working.

Some metal cabinets that are usually closed and marked "Emergency Supplies Reserve Point" were pried open, and people were taking out makeshift stretchers and first aid kits from them.

When we reached about the 6th floor, a piercing, inhuman scream suddenly came from outside, followed by even more chaotic crashing and explosions!

Although the stairwell window was blurry, a strange, dark green halo could be seen on the distant street—[Portal]

As expected, the other world took advantage of the situation.

Because Mother Earth is currently overwhelmed and unable to cope with everything, the [portal] that was opened this time didn't even have a countdown.

As soon as the portal opened, all sorts of otherworldly monsters rushed out.

There are short, ugly green figures wielding crude weapons—goblins!

There were also even taller trolls with skin like rock.

They are wreaking havoc on vehicles and shops along the roadside!

"Monster! A monster has appeared!" The crowd stirred, and their fear escalated instantly.

"Don't stop! Don't look outside! Keep going! The shelter is safe!"

Old Wang and several volunteers were shouting themselves hoarse trying to maintain order, but their own faces were deathly pale.

Just then, a clear chime and shouts came from downstairs!

"There's a gap in the left-hand unit door! Three goblins have gotten in! Weapon wielders, follow me!"

"Don't panic, everyone. I've been through a dungeon once. Goblins are just low-level monsters and are very weak."

A voice that sounded very young, even a little hoarse from puberty, roared.

Several figures rushed forward against the flow of people!

The leader was a tall, thin boy in a high school uniform, holding a rusty bronze dagger that looked like it had been picked up from a flea market.

At this moment, the rusted blade of the sword was shimmering with a faint red light.

Relics!

Behind him was a middle-aged man carrying a fire axe, with tattoos on his arms, and a faint spiritual energy fluctuation emanating from his body.

Cultivator!

Because of the implementation and advancement of the nationwide cultivation plan, although the spiritual matter was scarce in the first stage of the spiritual energy revival, [Qi Sensation]

Despite the difficult stage, many people have still successfully entered the hall of cultivation and become cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm, thanks to the large number of participants.

The number of cultivators even far exceeds that of weapon wielders.

For example, in the residential community where Li Jianguo lives, there is a folk practitioner of weapons among the thousands of residents, as well as five or six practitioners.

"kill!"

The boy in the school uniform had red eyes and a trembling voice, but he was the first to run into a goblin that pounced on him.

The rusted sword clashed with the rough bone blade, entering and exiting Mars.

He wasn't very strong and was knocked back by the impact, but two more goblins immediately surrounded him.

"Get out of the way, you little brat!"

The tattooed man suddenly chopped one of them away with an axe.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the boy in the school uniform activated Ren Tian's meager spiritual power, unleashing the mystical power of the bronze short sword, and stabbed it towards the head of a goblin with a "whoosh."

Green blood splattered.

One successfully killed!

They fought clumsily, even in close calls.

The goblin's knife left a pool of blood on Uncle Fire's arm, and the boys in school uniforms also suffered many injuries.

Fear was clearly written on everyone's face; it was the instinctive tremor in the face of death.

However, not a single person backed down.

"Those on the second-floor platform, come help block the door!"

"Does anyone have any weapons? Even a stick will do!"

More voices rose up.

Several hot-tempered men grabbed fire extinguishers and broken chair legs from the stairwell and joined the fray, yelling as they went.

"Come on over here if you dare!"

"Old—Old Lady is definitely the Chicken-Killing Beauty; she'll come over here and gut you, you little green thing!"

An old woman, her teeth chattering, pulled a pair of scissors from her bosom, facing the goblin's fierce yet cowardly screams.

Courage takes flight at this moment.

That is a hymn that illuminates the darkness when humanity faces desperate situations.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Thanks to the desperate efforts of several cultivators and weapon wielders, the dozen or so intruding goblins were temporarily stopped, buying more time for the people upstairs to evacuate.

Startled, Zhang Jianguo didn't dare to hesitate any longer and desperately rushed downwards.

Finally, they rushed out of the first-floor unit door and arrived at the community square.

In the square, several jagged cracks appeared in the ground, swallowing a car and half a flower bed. Some unfortunate people fell in, and rescuers are desperately trying to save them, but their hopes are slim.

Cries, shouts, and commands mingled together.

But even more people are flocking to a giant, X-shaped alloy gate that looks like an underground parking garage.

The gate was opened, revealing a wide downward passage, brightly lit inside.

[Level 3 Underground Shelter]

After the government issued its disaster response policy, all medium-sized residential communities were required to build underground shelters, and the acceptance process was extremely strict, with no possibility of any shoddy workmanship or substandard construction.

"Building 3! This way! Quickly!"

"Take the wounded to the temporary medical station! The people in white coats are there!"

"Don't push! Scan the QR code to enter!"

The fruits of the nation's three years of preparation began to show their power in the short few minutes following the outbreak of the disaster.

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