Chapter 64: Chapter 62: Electromagnetic Recovery

By early the next morning, the sparks in the sky were gone, replaced by flecks of ash drifting on the wind.

The temperature outside the stone cliff was still high. Some of the lava was still burning, while other parts had cooled enough for everyone to walk on and set off.

After a simple meal and taking care of their biological needs, Jiang Chengwu and Jiang Linhai lifted up Big Black and Little Black, carrying them on their backs. Once everyone was ready, they set out.

They had traveled less than three hundred meters when they came to a stretch of flowing lava. Fortunately, Jiang Si and her group were prepared. They laid down stepping stones and carefully made their way across the most dangerous area.

After an arduous hour of travel, they finally made it out of the meteorite’s impact zone. The flood-receded ground was rugged and uneven, with pockets of stagnant water and mud everywhere.

Lu Zhifeng, carrying Niu Niu on his back, nearly fell twice. When he saw what looked like a road up ahead, he brightened up instantly. "If we follow the road, it should be a lot easier."

"Okay!"

The road looked close, but it took them over twenty minutes to reach it.

The road was covered in silt, gravel, deadwood... and even corpses.

But all in all, it was much easier than climbing mountains and trekking through the wilderness.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered a few unsavory characters who tried to cause trouble. But when the group brandished their sharp knives in unison, the would-be attackers were quickly scared off.

The journey was relatively smooth. As dusk fell and the sky filled with the evening glow, a tremendous roar once again filled the air. Everyone looked up to see another meteorite fragment falling from the sky. In an instant, it landed not far from them.

The ground trembled slightly, just like their startled hearts.

Fiery sparks began to drift down from the sky again. Luckily, they were a little farther away this time, so the sparks weren’t too numerous.

But this put an end to their plan of simply finding a random spot to camp for the night.

It would be best to find a place that could shield them from meteorite fragments.

Jiang Si pulled a map book from her backpack, found the page for this highway, and studied it carefully. She confirmed that there was a tunnel not far ahead. "This is Chrysanthemum Slope," she announced happily. "There’s a tunnel a few kilometers from here. If we stay in the tunnel tonight, we should be safe."

"Okay."

The group walked toward the tunnel for a full hour. By then, the sky was completely dark. Suddenly, specks of light appeared up ahead.

The tunnel came into view.

They could faintly make out figures inside, but none of them were holding torches.

Everyone froze, staring at the tunnel’s motion-activated lights with a surreal feeling, as if from another lifetime.

Niu Niu was the first to react. Her clear voice reached everyone’s ears, "Daddy, there are lights over there!"

’Lights mean there’s electricity,’ Jiang Si realized. She pulled a digital watch from her backpack. The watch ticked away, displaying the time: 8:28 PM.

Jiang Si’s eyes widened. ’The electromagnetic field has really returned to normal!’

’That means all the electronic devices I have stored in my space can be used now!’

’I even have several generators. Once we find a place to settle down, I can provide enough power to make our lives much more comfortable and convenient.’

A smile spread across Jiang Si’s face. "The electromagnetic field is back!" she said to the group. "We have power!"

Lu Zhifeng had a flashlight in his backpack. He quickly pulled it out to test it. He flicked the switch, and a beam of light shot into the tunnel.

Niu Niu cheered excitedly, "It works! The flashlight works!"

Her mother pulled out the phone she had been using as a mirror. She pressed the power button for a while, but it didn’t turn on. She anxiously asked Jiang Si, "Sisi, why isn’t my phone working?"

Jiang Si smiled. "It hasn’t been charged in so long, it’s probably dead. Or maybe it was broken before."

Shen Baoying looked a little disappointed. Jiang Si, however, smiled happily. ’I have plenty of phones of all different models in my space.’

’Even without a signal, they’re great for taking pictures, using as a notepad or recorder, navigating with the compass, using the calculator, listening to music, or playing simple games.’

Just as everyone was reveling in the joy of the power being restored, "RUMBLE—"

A meteor streaked across the night sky, and another fragment fell. It was a reminder that they needed to get into the tunnel quickly to avoid the danger.

As the group stepped inside, they saw a number of people lounging and sitting crookedly in the tunnel.

They were all men of various ages. Their clothes were tattered, but underneath their outer layers, most of them wore blue-and-white striped garments. Some of them wore matching blue-and-white pants.

If it were just one person in blue-and-white stripes, it might have been a coincidence.

But with so many of them dressed that way, all with vicious and hostile eyes, Jiang Si’s mind immediately went to the South City Men’s Prison she had seen on the map. Her hand instantly moved to the pistol in her pocket.

Jiang Linhai also noticed something was wrong with them. He tugged on Jiang Si’s sleeve, asking with his eyes what they should do.

In the eyes of Biaozi, the leader of this group of convicts, Jiang Linhai’s subtle, questioning glance looked like prey that was already thinking of escape.

Biaozi gave what he considered a cool wave of his hand, and the other men immediately surrounded Jiang Si’s group.

Niu Niu clung to Jiang Linhai. A smirk touched the corner of Jiang Si’s mouth. ’I was worried they *wouldn’t* make a move, leaving us on pins and needles.’

Biaozi, completely oblivious to the danger, fixed his leering gaze on Jiang Si’s pretty face. A lecherous smile appeared as he said to her, "Come here, beautiful~"

He’d been in prison for fifteen years. At this point, he’d find a female mosquito alluring, let alone a great beauty like Jiang Si with such a good figure.

Since Biaozi had laid claim to Jiang Si, the others didn’t dare make a move on her. Instead, their eyes fell on Niu Niu and Shen Baoying.

Ogling them brazenly, one of them asked Biaozi, "Boss, can we have these two to play with?"

Biaozi needed to keep his men loyal. Since he was taking the best for himself, he had to give them the leftovers. Just as he was about to nod, "BANG—"

Jiang Si shot and killed the lecherous man who had spoken.

’I hate perverts like him the most!’

The gunshot echoed through the tunnel. Biaozi never expected Jiang Si to have a pistol, much less that she would kill someone without even batting an eye.

He tried to figure out a way to escape. The tunnel stretched a hundred meters behind him; turning to run would get him spotted immediately. If he lunged for the gun... this young woman was ruthless, and her venomous eyes showed she wasn’t to be trifled with. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The other men looked at Biaozi in terror. Seeing him frozen in fear, they immediately dropped to their knees before Jiang Si with a THUD. "Spare us, beautiful! Please spare us!" Then they scrambled to pin the blame on Biaozi. "He made us do it! We really didn’t want to do anything, I swear! Please, let us go!"

Biaozi was furious. "Bullshit! You guys all had your turn with the women I was done with!"

’These men are all scum. Killing them wouldn’t stir the slightest bit of guilt.’

Just as Jiang Linhai raised his gun, a ghastly green glow suddenly appeared at the other end of the tunnel.

Jiang Si’s eyes narrowed. She grabbed Jiang Linhai’s arm and said to Biaozi, "You can go."

’This little bitch is just a soft-hearted woman after all,’ Biaozi gloated inwardly. He turned and bolted. But the green light shot toward him, accompanied by the panting of a wild beast. Before he could even scream, there was a sharp CRACK as its jaws snapped his neck.