Chapter 476: Inundation
The sound of chainsaws filled the woods. At one in the afternoon, after Evelyn Ford loaded the last log, everyone left the forest and returned to the RV.
After a busy morning, their clothes were covered in flecks of snow. Joelle Finch and Wendy were shivering from the cold. They each drank a large bowl of ginger soup to ward off the chill, which finally warmed them up a bit.
"What’s the temperature today? It’s so cold."
"Eleven degrees below zero."
Evelyn Ford had already checked the thermometer. Logically, eleven degrees below zero shouldn’t feel this cold. Perhaps it had to do with the geographical environment. Here in the Rocksea Forbidden Zone, the wind was bone-chilling whenever it blew.
"Only eleven below? I thought it was thirty below. This is way too cold."
After warming themselves by the electric heater for a while, their hands and feet began to feel better, and everyone started to eat.
After the meal, Evelyn Ford refueled the vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat. It was her turn to drive this afternoon.
"Evelyn, do you have a spare tire for this thing?"
"I do. These tires are durable, though. Even a nail can’t puncture them. Don’t worry."
The vehicle started moving slowly. A dense flock of crows appeared in the sky above the bare woods. One crow flew over the RV, and the piece of meat it was carrying in its beak suddenly dropped. Evelyn Ford stared at the severed finger on the windshield, her expression unchanged. She rolled down the window and wiped the digit off with a tissue.
A thin layer of snow covered the desert. Driving on the snow-covered ground made the vehicle prone to skidding, so Evelyn Ford didn’t drive fast.
Today’s goal was to cover three hundred kilometers. As long as the road conditions were normal, it shouldn’t be too hard to achieve.
"So many crows."
Quincy was pressed against the window, looking out. The next second, he suddenly screamed.
"Why are these crows carrying chunks of meat? It couldn’t be..." He pointed toward the woods, then rushed to the bathroom and started dry-heaving.
"Looks like we’ll have to wash the vehicle tonight." The crows were still circling overhead, so there were probably quite a few bits of flesh on the roof.
The desert was dotted with many rocky mounds and various strange plants. Evelyn Ford had originally planned to drive three hundred kilometers today, hoping to leave the forbidden zone by tomorrow, but whenever she saw these plants, she had to stop and study them.
’What if they’re medicinal herbs or poisonous strains?’
"Auntie, this one is pretty! Let’s dig this one up."
"Joy Ford, this one is flowering! The flowers smell so good. It must be a medicinal herb."
Evelyn Ford grabbed a hoe, and Ronan Kendrick held a bamboo basket. The two of them, along with Zoe and Wendy, were in the desert digging up what looked like weeds. The others sat in the vehicle, watching them with a sense of helplessness.
"Are all people in the medical field this crazy?"
"It’s an occupational hazard. Just the four of them... who knows how long it’ll take them to finish digging. We should probably go down and help." Quincy pulled his overcoat tighter, hunched his neck against the cold, and got out of the vehicle to help dig for herbs.
The others grabbed tools and came over to help one by one. Evelyn Ford taught everyone the proper way to harvest them.
"You have to dig up the entire rootstalk. These plants might be poisonous, so if they ooze any sap, don’t touch it with your bare hands."
In the end, under Evelyn Ford’s supervision, they "wasted" another two hours and dug up several baskets of herbs before setting off again.
"Ronan, you drive. I need to plant these herbs."
Back in the vehicle, she drew the curtain to block everyone’s view, and then Evelyn Ford took the baskets of herbs and entered her space.
The black soil in her space was entirely planted with medicinal herbs. The Poison Arrow Wood she had planted earlier had already grown large. Evelyn Ford cleared a new medicinal field and planted all the herbs she had dug up today.
After planting the herbs, Evelyn Ford went to check the livestock area. The number of argali and takin had increased by several. The chickens and ducks were running rampant, and the grass and coops were littered with their eggs. Evelyn grabbed two buckets and collected all the chicken and duck eggs.
The rabbit hutch wasn’t much better. The ground was full of holes dug by the rabbits, whose numbers had grown too large to count. There was nowhere to even step. It seemed the hutch needed to be expanded again.
Mina was sleeping in the tall grass. Seeing Evelyn Ford, she leaped up and bounded onto her, seeking affection.
"I’ve been too busy lately and haven’t had time to spend with you all. Once we get to a safe place, I’ll let you out."
The two wolf dogs had apparently become the enforcers of the space. Anyone who caused trouble or started a fight would be chased and nipped by them.
The two White Wolves followed behind the wolf dogs, not looking like vicious wolves at all. When they saw Evelyn Ford, they actually started yapping, "WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
Quincy’s Pallas’s cat was fast asleep in a corner. Evelyn Ford nudged it a couple of times, but it didn’t react.
After making her rounds, the noise from all the animals made Evelyn Ford’s head buzz with a dull ache.
Coming out of the space, Evelyn Ford brushed the rabbit fur off her clothes and let out a weary yawn.
"The chickens, ducks, and rabbits are all running rampant. The chicken and duck eggs are piled up like mountains. Luckily, the livestock area is big enough, but the rabbit hutch needs to be expanded—probably four or five times its current size."
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it."
"And the fish and shrimp in the ponds. The ponds need to be expanded, too. Good thing we have enough cement, sand, and stone. Expanding them by another few acres won’t be a problem."
There was no activity at all from the fourth area. Evelyn Ford was a little curious why this area remained sealed. ’Do I need something specific to open it?’
"Perhaps the time just isn’t right. The areas we have now are enough for our needs. Even if this one never opens, it won’t have a major impact on us. Don’t stress about it."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "I know. I just can’t help being curious."
The road conditions were very good today. After discussing it with Ethan Dawson and his group, they decided to drive through the night and only stop to rest at eleven o’clock.
The Rocksea Forbidden Zone truly seemed unaffected by the outside world. Aside from the cold weather, there hadn’t even been any earthquakes here. If it weren’t for the chaotic magnetic field, it would be a viable place to live. They could probably even turn it into a paradise.
But no one dared to take that gamble. Living here long-term would certainly have a significant impact on the human body. No one wanted to end up disabled, missing an eye or an ear.
After night fell, they turned on the headlights and continued on their way.
There was no wind or snow tonight. The moon was out again, brightly illuminating the desert.
"The moon is so full. It’s not the fifteenth, is it?"
Quincy was in the back, chatting with Wyatt Vaughn. Officer Graham was reading a cookbook Evelyn Ford had given him. He had recently been researching how to make desserts. In his middle age, he had finally found his second calling in life and switched careers to become a chef.
Evelyn Ford pulled the curtain aside and looked back at them. "Quincy, Wyatt, do you guys want some durian?"
Hearing the word "durian," Ronan Kendrick nearly caused the vehicle to skid.
Wyatt Vaughn stood up excitedly. "Evelyn, you have durian? I love durian!"
Quincy had a look of disgust on his face. "Durian stinks so bad, even a dog wouldn’t eat it."
Ronan Kendrick silently nodded in agreement.
"What do you know? Durian is so sweet."
Wendy and Zoe were both curious about what durian was. Surprisingly, Officer Graham also liked to eat durian.
Evelyn Ford took out a durian. As its distinctive smell slowly began to spread, Ronan Kendrick silently took out a face mask and put it on.
"We’ll eat it outside when we stop later. The smell is too strong, it won’t air out easily inside the vehicle."
When Wendy smelled it, she quickly covered her nose. Zoe, on the other hand, had a look of excitement on her face.
Wendy rolled her eyes. "It stinks so bad! I can’t take it, I’m going to faint."
Zoe put her hands on her hips, unconvinced. "It smells really good, actually."