Chapter 429: Hoarding Thousands upon Thousands for Natural Disasters, Raising a Child, I Let It Go 17_2
"If I say, the natural disaster hasn't ended yet, whether you believe it or not, I only speak once—the disaster is far from over, this is just the beginning," her gaze firmly met the bewildered crowd, eventually resting on the teacher, "The worst is yet to come!"
Wen Qingyu had been standing behind her all along, his eyes fixated on Su Zhiruan the whole time.
She was mysterious.
He had known it from the beginning.
People might lose their memory, but not their intelligence.
She stockpiled goods, knowing much about the future.
If it were someone else, perhaps he would harbor doubts, but for some reason, whenever it was her, his heart felt incredibly at ease.
—As if they had deep entanglements and bonds a long, long time ago.
At that moment, inside the gymnasium.
Most of the workers and the middle-aged teacher with glasses thought she was joking; after all, these two looked quite young, especially Su Zhiruan, who appeared disheveled and ragged, yet the hand holding the pistol was smooth and tender, not looking like it had suffered from cold or fatigue.
Moreover, she had a gun—
They looked into Su Zhiruan's eyes, which held too much, even these seasoned middle-aged people couldn't clearly discern what she was thinking. Her gaze was calm, not swayed by the current scoffs and rebuttals.
She was young, but she was definitely no ordinary person!
This was the thought in many people's minds.
"If what you're saying is true, then where did you get this information from? The fog is rising outside now, it's evident the snow is melting, and we will soon be able to return to our normal study and life. Although the disaster lasted for half a year, after six months we still welcomed the light. A greenhorn like you shouldn't be spouting nonsense here!" an elder retorted.
Yet Su Zhiruan was not intimidated.
"Last year the snowstorm came suddenly, and the temperature dropped drastically, witnessed by all! Near the New Year, the temperature even dropped further, but now, the temperature has risen, the ice and snow are melting, even heavy fog is forming. Can we just by this one phenomenon, discern that the snowstorm period is over—that humanity can return to normal life?" Su Zhiruan held the microphone, her words resounding, "This is impossible, I tell you, the gradual increase in temperature means that the next stage of natural disasters is about to arrive!"
Su Zhiruan's words were very calm, she calmly explained various potential situations, she knew much, and relayed it all with the materials she carried with her.
Her language was filled with professional jargon, and the middle-aged teacher with glasses was the first to fall silent.
More people below exchanged perplexed looks; they hadn't believed much initially, but Su Zhiruan's assertions were so certain. Plus, they saw their key figure—the middle-aged teacher with glasses, also engulfed in silence, clearly thinking hard. Everyone looked at each other, seeking cues from the others' eyes, eventually all eyes landed on the teacher, waiting for him to speak.
Originally, everyone thought Su Zhiruan's words were utter nonsense, completely unbelievable. But when they saw the middle-aged teacher also fall silent, the crowd felt that it wasn't as simple as they had imagined; they had thought once this disaster ended, they would go home, have a good meal, sleep, and wake up to continue working.
But if this was just the beginning, and more disasters were to follow, it would mean the destruction of human society.
In an instant, they felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on them, losing the hope and motivation they previously had.
"Is what you're saying true? Are there more disasters to come, like high temperatures?" someone looked at Su Zhiruan, their eyes full of uncertainty; they were obviously mostly convinced.
"The upcoming disaster is a strike against all of human civilization. I want to ask you all to jointly build this shelter. As a trade, just contribute your labor and you'll receive corresponding food and water each day," Su Zhiruan laid out the stakes for them in detail, then she moved aside, "After the shelter is constructed, it will serve you, providing you a place of refuge, a safe haven. During the initial construction phase, I will supply the food and water."
By this time, most people had realized that Su Zhiruan's actions were truly selfless.