Rebellious Game C22.2

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Chp22. part2

Before the plea could finish, the earth shook violently once more, the ground heaving and swaying.

Zhu Lin inexplicably pictured a long table piled high with models of skyscrapers. Someone was desperately shaking the table, and the models tumbled down one after another, their fragments scattering chaotically across the surface.

The feeling was as if the table itself was about to collapse; it seemed impossible that the models wouldn’t fall.

Nearby, a girl clung to her boyfriend’s waist, sobbing loudly. “What do we do? My heart is racing, I’m so scared. It feels like something terrible is about to happen again.”

Her boyfriend tried to comfort her. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. We’re safe here, we won’t be buried.”

At the same time, Yun Xin noticed a countdown timer appear on the girl’s body: “Estimated death in 3 minutes and 21 seconds.”

Her boyfriend’s timer read: “Estimated death in 3 minutes and 23 seconds.”

Her gaze swept across the crowd, and countdown timers appeared on everyone around her, their death times varying by roughly 1 to 5 seconds.

Simultaneously, Yun Xin felt her danger level rise from C to B.

Her face paled, and she shouted, “Run! Don’t stay here! It’s not safe!”

Zhu Lin glanced at the direction Yun Xin was heading and quickly warned, “Dangerous! There are so many buildings there!”

“It’s safer than here!” Yun Xin said, releasing Zhu Lin and giving her a choice. “If you don’t want to die, run now! Don’t stay here!!”

Zhu Lin instantly threw the strategy guide out of her mind and trotted to keep up. “I’ll follow you.”

Zhou Rui remained silent and followed as well.

The girl who had spoken earlier broke down in tears. “I feel so bad, so, so bad! I really can’t stay here any longer.”

With that, she ran off in another direction.

“Hey! Don’t run off blindly now!” Her boyfriend shouted in panic and chased after her.

“Running out now is just reckless!”

“What’s wrong with these young girls? Why won’t any of them listen?”

“Where else could be safer around here? Random running will only get you killed.”

“Sigh, poor guy. He chased after his girlfriend out of worry. I wonder if he’ll make it…”

Before the words had even left her lips, an explosion rocked the area.

The crowd surrounding them was engulfed in the blast. Some were sent flying, others spat blood and collapsed instantly, eyes wide open and bodies frozen in mid-motion.

Screams erupted in a cacophony.

“The natural gas pipeline burst! A gas explosion! Run!” someone shouted.

Hearing the commotion behind her, Zhu Lin couldn’t help but glance back. Flames soared skyward, and explosions continued to erupt. The open space that everyone had considered a safe haven had instantly become a sea of fire.

Startled, Zhu Lin cried, “Why is it on fire again?!”

As she turned, a low-hanging tree beside the road collapsed. Seeing it about to crush her, Zhou Rui stepped forward to block it.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” he urged.

Zhu Lin snapped out of her daze and resumed running.

Once she had put some distance between them, Zhou Rui released the tree, letting it fall.

Meanwhile, the girl’s boyfriend was still shouting, “Don’t run off like that! It’s dangerous!”

Before he could catch up, a searing heatwave washed over him from behind.

The boyfriend froze in shock and turned to look.

If the girl hadn’t run away, they would have been standing right there, blown to smithereens…

Finally, the girl stopped running blindly. Through her tears, she cried, “How many times have I told you?! Standing there felt wrong! You just wouldn’t listen!”

The boyfriend’s scalp tingled. “I was wrong! I’ll do whatever you say from now on! Please, don’t run off like that again, okay? Let’s find a clear spot to hide.”

The girl sobbed in agreement.

“Alright, it should be safe here now.” Yun Xin ran for a while before finally stopping.

Zhu Lin’s legs felt like jelly.

On one hand, she’d run a long way in one breath.

On the other hand, witnessing the earthquake, explosion, and fire repeatedly had drained her. Her face was pale, and she was overwhelmed.

Yun Xin couldn’t bear to see her like this. “Sit down and rest for a bit.”

Hearing she could rest, Zhu Lin’s tension eased, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Yun Xin turned to Zhou Rui. “What happened to your hand?”

Zhou Rui mumbled, “A tree fell on the road and blocked my path. It hit me.”

Zhu Lin realized. “Was it because of me?”

Zhou Rui waved it off. “It’s just a minor injury. A few days of rest will fix it.”

Fear, guilt, and relief surged through her.

Zhu Lin burst into tears. “I’m so useless! I couldn’t help at all! I didn’t want to be a burden to you, I just… got distracted…”

“I know. I didn’t think much of it, I just saved you on reflex,” Zhou Rui said dismissively. “I looked back at more than just you—at me, at others. You just got unlucky; the falling tree happened to be in your blind spot.”

Zhu Lin was still crying.

Zhou Rui deliberately said, “If you really feel bad, cover the medical expenses, provide for your meals during your recovery, and waive a year’s rent. That should be enough.”

He expected to be hit, but instead—

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Zhu Lin agreed.

Yun Xin tried to search for information online, but the screen displayed “No Signal.”

“It seems the communication equipment has been destroyed too,” she said.

In the end, the only way to get the latest news was through word of mouth.

“I heard the casualties weren’t too bad; most people evacuated in time.”

“There was a natural gas pipeline explosion over there earlier. It killed quite a few people and started a fire.”

“Firefighters rushed to the scene, but a nearby water main burst. They can’t put it out anytime soon.”

“Earthquakes and fires in this heat—it’s a death sentence! I saw an elderly man collapse while fleeing; his son carried him to safety.”

“I just saw an ambulance trying to reach someone, but the road is blocked with rubble, downed power poles, and abandoned cars. The ambulance can’t get through!”

People kept fleeing here for safety, sharing what they saw and heard along the way.

The survivors listened with sighs of empathy.

Just then, a stomach rumbled.

One man clutched his belly, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t eat enough for lunch. I’m starving.”

The mention of food made everyone realize they hadn’t had dinner yet.

But as they looked around, they saw only collapsed buildings and rubble piled high with sand and stones—no place to eat in sight.

A wave of confusion washed over them.

“After barely surviving the earthquake and the gas explosion, are we going to starve to death?” someone muttered.

Zhu Lin, who had eaten her fill before fleeing, felt no hunger. Her concern was different: “The city’s in ruins. Where are we going to sleep tonight?”

She wanted to go home, but her car was parked near the barbecue restaurant, a considerable distance away.

Even if the two-minute earthquake hadn’t damaged the car, the current road conditions made driving impossible.

Walking home… her legs would probably give out.

Zhu Lin looked around, utterly lost, not knowing where to turn.

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