The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 123

"So that means we're not in danger for the time being?" Chairman Wu asked to confirm.

"Don't make any noise, turn off the light, and observe the situation," Han Ning replied.

"Have everyone stop what they're doing and gather together," Chairman Wu said to a companion beside him.

The crowd that was about to rush into the stairwell stopped abruptly upon hearing the news and gathered together.

In the darkness, all the fearful and uneasy faces were turned toward the direction where Han Ning and Chairman Wu were.

"Don't panic, everyone. The snakes aren't coming for us, at least not right now," Chairman Wu reassured them, pressing his hands together as if to make a soft, shimmering light emanating from his palms.

One after another, translucent soap bubbles appeared out of thin air, enveloping every survivor, whether awakened or ordinary.

The bubble walls shimmered with light, creating a blurred barrier separating the inner and outer worlds.

"Don't make a sound, don't emit any light, and if you're tired, you can close your eyes and rest."

The office building fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of rain pouring down outside the window and the increasingly close rustling of scales.

Many awakened individuals heard faint rustling sounds.

There aren't many black snakes under the office building.

Occasionally, a few lone black serpents, straying from their path, would wander into the waters near the office building.

But these black snakes only stayed downstairs for a short while before turning around and swimming north again.

The night was long and unbearable.

Time passes little by little.

Finally, on the distant horizon, a faint ray of light pierced through the thick clouds.

The rain seemed to have lessened a bit, but the sky remained terribly gloomy.

Inside the office building, people looked out through the hazy glass and saw that the water level below had risen considerably without them noticing.

The swarm of black snakes had vanished without a trace.

The tension that had gripped everyone all night finally eased at this moment.

"Is it... over?" Someone in the crowd murmured in a dry, hoarse voice.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief.

The bubbles released by Chairman Wu had long since disappeared due to insufficient energy.

Xu Ming put his sleeping daughter back in her room and walked over to Han Ning.

He noticed that Han Ning's serious expression hadn't relaxed despite the disappearance of the snakes. His heart tightened, and he quickly asked:

"Boss, what's going on?"

Chapter 137 Gale and Hail

"Look at the sky." Han Ning pointed to the gloomy sky.

Before I knew it, the clouds in the sky began to move at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The sky darkened, as if shrouded in a gray-black curtain.

"Hiss... Why is it suddenly so cold?" Vice President Zhao rubbed his arms and exhaled a puff of white breath.

The temperature is dropping rapidly, and a biting chill is sweeping in.

The people gathered in the office building couldn't help but wrap themselves tighter in their thin clothes, their bodies trembling slightly.

At that moment, a cold, solid object slammed into the glass of the office building's exterior window with a "thud."

Then came the second, the third... countless tiny particles falling from the swirling fog in the sky.

"Hail! It's hailing!"

The hailstones were initially only the size of rice grains, scattered sparsely.

But soon, the ice pellets became dense, clattering against the windowpane, metal billboards, and puddles, echoing with a sound like popping beans.

"Boom~"

The sky was completely covered by thick, leaden-gray clouds, and thunder rumbled.

"Woo~"

A fierce wind howled across the city ruins, whipping up waves.

The light was completely blocked by leaden clouds, making it as dark as night, even during the day.

"The weather's changed... Everyone, be careful to keep warm and put on more clothes." Chairman Wu immediately realized the situation had changed and gave loud instructions.

Temperatures continued to plummet, and the breath exhaled by people in the office building condensed into white frost.

People, especially ordinary people, hurriedly searched for clothes and blankets to keep warm and wrapped themselves in them.

With limited resources, many people can only huddle together for warmth.

Some awakened beings who could radiate heat managed to dispel the chill in a small area, but it was clearly a drop in the ocean.

"With such drastic temperature changes, I wonder if those crops can hold on..." Professor Ye looked out the window at the vast expanse of white, filled with worry.

Outside the window, the sounds of hailstones pounding, the howling of the cold wind, and the crackling noises of distant buildings hitting the wind all mingled together, as if trying to completely engulf this broken world.

Hearing the noise outside, the people whose expressions had relaxed slightly began to become serious again.

“Mr. Han, something’s not right.” Chairman Wu’s expression was grim. “The wind is getting stronger, the hailstones are getting bigger, and… the water level seems to be rising even faster.”

What was originally just calf-deep water, propelled by the strong wind, churned into turbid waves that relentlessly battered the walls of the office building.

The water level rose significantly, and some low-lying ruins that were originally above the water were gradually submerged.

Even more alarming, by the light of the emergency lights, one could see that a thin layer of white frost had begun to condense on the exposed metal railings, window frames, and even the surface of debris floating on the water.

"The hail and the cold air brought by the wind are very strong. With such a strong wind, can the windows hold up?" Vice President Zhao looked at the glass that was being pounded by the hail with some concern.

Ice has begun to form in some gaps in the window frames.

“Let’s take another look, Xu Ming, and Chairman Wu. The water level is rising continuously, so we need to consider bringing the boat over.”

Han Ning didn't have any good solutions for this drastic climate change.

"Yes, I understand." Chairman Wu nodded and immediately gave the order.

"All personnel, check doors and windows, reinforce the entrances to the lower floors! Stack the flood control sandbags another layer higher."

"Old Zhao, take some men and move the important supplies to the fifth floor and above, especially the food."

"Ah Long, take your crew and find an opportunity to bring the ship over."

The awakened ones received instructions and acted swiftly.

The powerful Awakened Ones led a group of strong men, working together to move heavy desks and filing cabinets, blocking the entrance to the ground floor behind a window that might be blown apart by the wind.

The others quickly gathered the supplies together.

Professor Ye and his agricultural team moved the rice paddies located in the lower layers.

Fortunately, this was only a temporary encampment, and the experimental field was not large.

No one considered this place a long-term residence, so all their belongings were stored in one place.

...

The gale lasted for a day and a night, showing no signs of abating; on the contrary, it intensified.

The hailstones, which started as small as grains of rice, grew to the size of fingernails or even larger, hitting the building with a dull thud and causing fine cracks to appear in the windows.

The situation worsened the next day.

The area outside the office building was now a vast expanse of water.

The water level rose continuously, pushed up by the waves whipped up by the strong winds, and gradually submerged the first floor of the office building.

The filthy floodwaters, carrying garbage, tree branches, and scattered furniture debris, kept crashing against the windows on the second floor and above.

The wind, like countless giant hands, was tearing the buildings apart.

The hailstones shrank a little, but the temperature dropped below freezing.

Everything outside the window was covered with a thin layer of ice.

The walls that had been submerged by the flood, the exposed steel bars, and the floating car wreckage were all frozen.

Only the flowing floodwaters did not freeze.

"No, the second floor is about to collapse too!" The Awakened one in charge of observation shouted from the stairwell entrance, "Water is seeping in, the glass is about to shatter!"

"Abandon the second floor, everyone evacuate to the third floor or above." This was something that had been anticipated, as everyone had already stored the supplies in higher places.

...

While Chairman Wu and Professor Ye were directing everyone to actively organize the supplies.

Han Ning, Xu Ming, and the Awakeners Association of Biyun, led by A Long, whose members are skilled in navigation, have arrived at the ship docking area a few kilometers away.

Previously, due to the water level, they were unable to sail their boats near the office buildings. Now, with the water level rising across the board and large areas submerged, boats are able to sail to the vicinity of the office buildings.

Han Ning stood at the bow of the Wind Chaser sailboat. The strong wind, carrying icy hail, blew to within ten centimeters of him before being shattered by an invisible force.

The surrounding water was whipped up by the howling wind, creating layers of waves that violently pounded against the hull, with a constant "bang" sound.

The entire sailboat rocked violently like a drunkard.

"Boss, the wind is too strong, the engine isn't powerful enough, and the boat is moving too slowly!"

Xu Ming gripped the steering wheel tightly, his voice distorted by the wind.

He tried to steady the boat, but the bow was constantly being blown off course by the wind, and the boat moved forward at a snail's pace.

Han Ning glanced around and saw waves surging in one after another, the highest of which even exceeded two meters.

The tall buildings in the distance were faintly visible in the wind and rain. The journey was neither far nor near, but it became exceptionally difficult due to the wind.

Han Ning made a decisive move, leaping off the deck, his spiritual energy surging within him.

When he jumped into the water, his body had already transformed into the fully formed Xuanjia Turtle.

He gently supported the hull with his claws.