Chapter 1: The Tenth Year of Natural Disasters

Chapter 1: The Tenth Year of the Natural Disaster

When did this natural disaster that swept across the entire Blue Star begin? Except for the people of Nihon, everyone on the planet believes it started on the day Nihon ignored the stern protests of neighboring countries and began discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the clear ocean.

Three months after the continuous discharge of nuclear-contaminated water, a massive volcanic eruption occurred in Nihon. Volcanic ash, scorching magma, and the tsunamis and earthquakes triggered by the eruption swallowed the country whole. Less than five percent of the total population managed to escape.

Before humanity could recover from this "disaster" that shocked the entire planet, dozens of massive volcanoes distributed across the five continents of Blue Star erupted one after another. All freshwater on the planet became unfit for drinking due to volcanic ash contamination, and the months of acid rain caused by the eruptions led to the collapse of global agriculture.

Six months after the eruptions, atmospheric visibility on Blue Star finally began to improve. Just as the people of Blue Star stepped out of their homes to celebrate the end of the disaster and prepare to rebuild their lives, an even greater catastrophe struck.

A star eight thousand light-years away from Blue Star underwent a supernova explosion. The resulting super-intense gamma-ray burst changed direction for unknown reasons and slammed into Blue Star, which was not originally in its path.

After only a few seconds of ultraviolet flashing, an electromagnetic pulse covering the entire hemisphere struck Blue Star. The intense radiation caused communications in the two continents directly impacted to collapse completely, and power supplies were cut off. At the same time, all artificial satellites outside Blue Star's atmosphere suffered devastating damage, losing contact with the surface.

Not long after the people in the two continents of the night hemisphere woke up and stepped outside, a massive stream of high-speed meson particles hit them. The cells of all living organisms that came into direct contact with the meson stream were penetrated, their DNA completely destroyed, and the world turned into hell.

The gamma-ray burst not only caused the death of most living things on the two continents but also led to a chaotic magnetic field on Blue Star. Two mysterious elements suddenly appeared in the atmosphere, later named "Qiang" and "Yi" by Huaguo scientists.

Qiang: Cruel slaughter, damaging the body and shortening life.

Yi: Thunder emerging from the mountains, the germination of all things.

Under the influence of these two elements, all living things on Blue Star underwent a rapid evolution, simultaneously launching a great challenge against humans at the top of the food chain. The hellish survival mode for the entire Blue Star had officially begun.

Xia Qing’s mother died in the insect plague of the fourth year of the disaster, and her father died in the beast tide of the fifth year.

In the tenth year of the disaster, Xia Qing was still alive.

"Bang!"

A stone brick weighing over three hundred jin hit the ground. Old Zhong, the recorder, was startled and lifted his face, which was pitted and scarred by acid rain. When he saw the thin woman with dark red skin standing behind the brick and noticed her green ID tag, he had to swallow his anger and mutter, "Rest for a while if you're tired. Breaking the stone slab won't count toward your points."

Xia Qing wiped the sweat and lime off her face with her sleeve and spoke, which was rare for her, "Uncle Zhong, I'm leaving."

Old Zhong didn't expect Xia Qing to take the initiative to talk to him. He stood up, his face full of smiles, "Are you going out hunting with a team? When will you be back? Can you save a jin of good meat for your uncle? I'll trade you at 1.5 times the points."

After the great evolution of all creatures on Blue Star, human bones became tougher and muscles stronger. A very small number of people evolved several to over a dozen times more than others, becoming "Evolvers."

Evolvers held more and better survival resources, and their living conditions were infinitely better than those of ordinary people struggling on the edge of life and death.

Xia Qing was a Level 4 strength-type Evolver, meaning her current strength was four times that of an ordinary person after evolution. Although Level 4 strength was nothing among Evolvers, it was enough to make ordinary people jealous, fearful, and sycophantic.

The Evolver Xia Qing usually kept a straight face and didn't talk, just to avoid dealing with situations like this.

However, she wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.

"I'm not going hunting; I'm leaving the safe zone." Xia Qing smiled. Because she hadn't smiled in many years, her expression was stiff and looked particularly frightening.

Old Zhong’s eye corner, which had a rotten patch, stretched wide, his eyeballs bulging. He trembled and asked, "Is our base about to collapse? Didn't the broadcast just say yesterday that they had driven the evolved beasts back hundreds of miles? Is another evolved beast tide coming?"

The four ordinary people behind him who were carrying stones heard Old Zhong's words and dropped their stones in fright, nearly crushing one of them.

Xia Qing was quick-witted; she grabbed the stone, placed it steadily on the ground, and brushed the dust off herself. "No, I'm going to farm."

Farm? Farm!

The fact that the base was planning to send people out to farm had been blaring on the broadcast for days, but people who had managed to survive to the tenth year of the disaster cherished their lives too much; no one wanted to go out and take risks.

Rumors were already circulating in the safe zone that if no one volunteered to go out and farm, the next step would be to forcibly assign ordinary people to go out and die.

She didn't expect that someone would actually want to go, and it was an Evolver who was already doing well in the safe zone.

Old Zhong, having realized what was happening, hurriedly chased after Xia Qing. "Farming is good! Do you remember my eldest son? Zhong Tao, he works in the motorcade. I'll tell him later. If you need anything, Qing, just look for your Brother Tao and let him handle it for you."

Old Zhong's son, Zhong Tao, had joined the army of the Hui-3 Base and was now serving in the motorcade as a small squad leader. This was the reason the Zhong family could live well in the safe zone, and it was also the reason Xia Qing had taken the initiative to talk to Old Zhong today.

Xia Qing gave a stiff smile. "Okay, I'll definitely trouble Brother Tao to help me transport grain and prey back to trade for supplies in the future."

Old Zhong smiled so hard his pitted face seemed to ripple. "That's what he should be doing; it's no trouble at all. Which plot of land did you claim, Qing?"

"I haven't claimed it yet; I'm going now." Having achieved her goal, Xia Qing no longer forced herself to engage in social activities that were more tiring than carrying stones. She quickly hurried to the safe zone's mission hall, bypassed the crowd watching the excitement under the electronic territory bulletin board, and stood in front of the territory desk with the sign.

"What are you doing? Don't you understand the concept of first come, first served?" Seeing Xia Qing take the first spot, a few people under the bulletin board were unhappy and rolled up their sleeves to rush over.

Xia Qing turned around. When the people rushing over saw she was wearing a green tag, they stopped immediately.

Xia Qing clenched her fist and rotated her wrist, slowly lifting her eyelids. "If you want land, get in line."

Today was the day for land claims, which was why there were so many people watching. Although these few hadn't decided whether to claim land or not, they still stood honestly in line behind Xia Qing.

Seeing that they weren't causing trouble, the two duty soldiers lowered their guns and returned to their original positions.

Most people had a herd mentality. Seeing someone lining up, the people under the bulletin board immediately scrambled over.

Regardless of whether they would claim land or not, they wanted to get in line and secure a spot first.

The commotion here alerted the people in the hall. A woman wearing a green tag with two long scars on her face walked over to greet Xia Qing. "You're going to farm?"

Xia Qing nodded. "Sister Juan, are you here to pick up a mission?"

In the years since her father passed away, Xia Qing had often gone on missions with the Dongyang team, where Xu Juan was, and the two had a pretty good relationship.

Xu Juan looked left and right, and finding no auditory Evolvers nearby, she lowered her voice and asked, "Did you offend someone? I'll tell Dongyang, come join our team. We can be in the same squad."

If it wasn't because she had offended someone and couldn't survive, what Evolver would give up a good life in the safe zone to risk their life digging for food in the dirt?

Xia Qing shook her head. "I didn't offend anyone; I just like this."

You can't just go die because you like it.

Xu Juan was just about to speak when she heard the sound of car brakes and leather shoes hitting the ground outside the hall.

It had been ten years since the disaster; there were only a few people left in the safe zone who still wore thin-heeled leather shoes. Xu Juan turned to look at the hall entrance and saw a woman in a slim-fitting leather jacket, so clean she looked out of place, enter the hall and walk straight toward them.

Tang Lu, the niece of Tang Zhengrong, the second-in-command of the Hui-3 Base, and the daughter of Tang Zhengsu, the leader of the top-ranked Fengsu team in the base. She was the most troublesome woman in the entire safe zone; whoever ran into her was unlucky. Xu Juan had been held a grudge against by her over a small matter, so now she avoided her whenever she could.

Xia Qing’s lips moved, and she said in a barely audible voice, "Sister Juan, go get busy. We'll gather again when we have time."

Xu Juan nodded slightly, turned, and quickly hid behind her teammates.

The crisp *clack-clack-clack* of leather shoes echoed in the hall. Most people in the hall were watching Tang Lu, wanting to know which man she had taken a fancy to today, or which woman she was coming to make miserable.

Tang Lu, wearing an ordinary person's yellow tag, walked to the territory desk with an impatient look. She tilted her chin and looked down, with a haughty attitude, at the green tag on Xia Qing's chest.

Xia Qing, who had been looking down, lifted her eyes to look at her, then calmly took a step back.

Relatively speaking, although Tang Lu was hateful, she was the least dangerous person in the Tang family. She had been throwing her weight around in the safe zone all these years, but she had never killed anyone, so Xia Qing wasn't afraid of her.

Not being afraid didn't mean she had to go head-to-head with Tang Lu. Xia Qing took that step back to get one step closer to her goal for the day.

"Hmph."

Tang Lu snorted triumphantly. After turning to occupy the first position, she took out a perfumed handkerchief and fanned it in front of her nose. "What is that smell? It's suffocating. I don't know why you don't wash yourself."

After nuclear-contaminated water and six months of continuous acid rain mixed into the oceans and lakes, Blue Star's water resources could only be used after filtration and purification. Because the cost of purification was high, using water in the safe zone required trading points. Ordinary people found it a luxury just to drink water, so how could they bear to use life-saving points to take a bath?

The Evolver Xia Qing lived better than ordinary people and could take a bath once a week, but today she had come dirty on purpose. Because she couldn't let the Tang family see her face clearly.

Listening to Tang Lu's complaints, Xia Qing, who was slightly bowed, remained expressionless, but her mood was incredibly good.

She had known the Tang family would send someone, but she hadn't expected it to be the eldest daughter, Tang Lu.

Dear readers, we have started a new book.

It is still a farming story, still about daily life, but this time the background has shifted from ancient times to Blue Star after the natural disaster. If you are interested, come with me to farm in the tenth year of the natural disaster.

(End of chapter)