Lao Gao did not take it seriously. He teased, "This time I don't think so. With all my years of reading novels, I can tell you this: extreme cold never ends so easily. We've only gone through a few months. Without several years, it's impossible for it to pass."
Lao Gao's tone was so firm that even Lan Jin, Ling Jiang, and Nana began to feel confident that the extreme cold would last several more months. Yet when Huang Jinghe finished his phone call and returned with a grave face, the three of them could hardly process what they were hearing.
Lao Gao blurted, "What, extreme heat? Your parents said extreme heat is coming? When? But, the extreme cold hasn't lasted that long. Could it be a mistake?"
Huang Jinghe replied, "It's not wrong. My parents said the higher-ups already know. Everyone has been preparing for extreme heat for some time now. They cannot predict the exact timing, but it should not be long. My parents mean that if possible, we should hurry to the Capital city base. If not, we should temporarily stay at the H City base. Because the H City base is inland, extreme heat should not affect it much. However...
If we cannot reach the Capital city base before the extreme cold ends, then it may be impossible to reach it for quite some time."
And this delay was not simply because of flooding.
Of course, flooding would be part of the problem. With more than twenty floors of floodwater melting under the heat, no one could know what chain reactions would occur. Once the ice melted, the entire city would again be submerged. Such deep waters could not be drained as they had been before. Who could say how long it would take for such massive floodwaters to recede?
Moreover, because of the earlier earthquakes and tsunamis, many roads had been damaged. During the insect disaster, repairs were made, but the destruction was too widespread. After soaking and freezing, who could guarantee the roads would remain standing once the waters fell away?
It was not a matter of lacking confidence in their engineers. It was simply that the number of damaged sections was too overwhelming. To ensure at least some passage, the authorities had prioritized only a single route, rebuilt with the utmost care.
Back then, all vehicles had been submerged. With no cars to travel, long-distance journeys were impossible. Whether the roads were usable hardly mattered. That one repaired road existed only to allow supplies to be delivered to residents.
And afterward, officials had been busy preparing for the next disaster.
So in truth, no one even knew if that one carefully repaired route could still be traveled.
As for the present, yes, one could cross freely over the ice. Detours existed too, though they carried risks no one could predict.
As for leaving by boat upon the floodwaters, that was out of the question. The small rafts or kayaks that Lan Jin kept in her space could never carry them all the way to the Capital city base. And who knew what lurked in the waters?
Lan Jin herself had dumped plenty of "trash" into those waters. Others surely had dumped far more. With decay added to the mix...
The extreme cold had frozen both water and waste together. Once extreme heat arrived, all of that rot would trigger chain reactions. Who could guess what disasters might be unleashed? And if land creatures had mutated into such terrifying beings, could anyone believe aquatic creatures had not mutated as well?
On land, at least, they could fight back. But in the water? Lan Jin dared to say it plainly: no one would survive.
So, the situation was clear. Either leave now while the extreme cold had not ended, or wait until the floods receded.
Huang Jinghe's parents would never force their son. Knowing he was safe was enough to bring them comfort. Since learning Huang Jinghe had awakened an ability, their worry had eased further. They understood he had suffered much in unseen times, but safety alone was already a blessing. For the rest, they would let their son decide based on his circumstances.
But in truth, leaving the decision to Huang Jinghe meant leaving it to all four of them. And that was no easy choice.
Yet for Lan Jin, it was not difficult at all. She knew they could not possibly leave the H City base now. Even if Brother Li's attitude toward them was not bad, their entire team had been confined to the "top floor." Nothing had been resolved. How could they leave now?
Besides, Brother Li's words yesterday had been clear. They were not permitted to leave for the time being. If they attempted to, the base could accuse them of desertion. Then not only the Capital city base but no base anywhere would accept them. And Huang Jinghe had already revealed his parents were in the Capital city base. No one could bear that kind of burden.
So, giving them the choice was meaningless. They had no choice.
If only they knew the exact time the extreme heat would arrive, perhaps they could fight for another chance.
But Huang Jinghe said with disappointment, "No. My father said this message came out a month ago. No one knows when the extreme heat will truly arrive. It could even be tomorrow."
This matter concerned the lives of everyone. The decision could not be made lightly.
The four of them found an open space, sat down, and began to discuss.
Lan Jin said, "Let me speak first. If we drive from H City to the Capital city base without resting, without getting lost, without relying on other bases, do you think we can arrive within one week?"
After all, in terms of terrain, the ice gave them fewer obstacles than the crowded roads had before. Even before the apocalypse, traveling from H City to the Capital city took about one week.
But Lao Gao disagreed. He said, "Sister Lan, it's not that simple. Sure, there are no cars blocking the ice, but ice is still ice. Driving on it will never be fast. One slip, or meeting something dangerous, and our time is lost. If you fix the deadline at one week, I say there's no way we make it."
Ling Jiang asked, "Suppose, just suppose, we stay at the H City base. How long until we can try for the Capital city base then? I'm not in a hurry myself, but if it takes too long, we can't keep Grandma Ling and Qiao Qiao in the space forever. The space is comfortable, but not forever. Qiao Qiao still needs to see the world outside."
Ling Jiang felt her grandmother could endure being cut off. But a child? No child could grow up never meeting anyone. And those floodwaters would not be gone in just a few days.