Chapter 164: The World Is Vast, and Everywhere Is Home

Jiang Yan narrowed her eyes and thought for a few seconds, a jolt of alarm running through her heart.

If she was right, they were planning to blow up this building!

Normally, demolishing a high-rise isn’t as simple as just tossing some explosives inside.

Instead, you have to drill blast holes into the walls and steel framework.

Then, based on the size of the building, you calculate the amount of explosives needed, and carefully place them into the prepared blast holes.

Only this way can you ensure the entire building collapses completely.

But all of this was just her own speculation.

“Jiang Yan, what are you thinking about?” Ye Qing noticed her silence and couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s nothing,” Jiang Yan shook her head, pulling herself out of her thoughts.

There was too much complexity behind all this, and she didn’t even know where to begin explaining. She decided it was better not to say anything at all.

*

Ten minutes later, the red speedboat brought Song Qian and Sun Jingtao back.

Seeing that Sun Jingtao still had his submachine gun slung across his back, both Jiang Yan and Ye Qing let out a quiet sigh of relief.

After coming ashore, Sun Jingtao turned to Song Qian and said, “Brother Song, please wait a moment,” before quickly walking over to the two of them.

“Tao-ge, how did it go?” Ye Qing stood up and closed the door on the other side of the room.

Sun Jingtao glanced back at Song Qian and the soldier piloting the speedboat, then sat down on the edge of the big bed in front of their chairs.

“I met the leader of the Yaoben Base. His name is Mo Jingsheng, a strong and capable young man. He invited us to join their base.” Sun Jingtao paused, glanced at Jiang Yan and Ye Qing’s expressions, then continued, “But I turned him down.”

“Mo Jingsheng?” Jiang Yan’s heart skipped a beat.

If she remembered correctly, that white-haired old man who seemed to be a high-ranking official also had the surname Mo.

And that beautiful girl with the fiery red lips and rumored sharpshooting skills was called Mo Shiyao.

Such a coincidence?

“Yeah, he’s not from Anming, he’s from the northern capital. He’s only in his twenties, very promising, and looks upright and decent. Apparently, their group has some kind of cooperative relationship with the authorities, maybe even family ties to high-level officials or the military. As for those soldiers, they seem more like mercenaries to me,” Sun Jingtao said, unaware of Jiang Yan’s real thoughts.

In his opinion, given Mo’s age, no matter how distinguished his military record, it was unlikely so many soldiers would follow his orders.

And those boats were clearly privately owned.

But in times like these, it was hard to say for sure about anything.

Jiang Yan glanced at Song Qian, her doubts deepening.

But now wasn’t the time to dig into someone’s background, so she changed the subject. “So, they know what happened in this building?”

“Yes. They know about the people being held here, that we rescued someone, and that I used to be a special forces soldier,” Sun Jingtao nodded and continued, “That’s why they said their base is short on brave and resourceful people and invited us to join. I turned them down, but I wanted to hear your thoughts too. After all—”

He trailed off.

Jiang Yan and Ye Qing asked in unison, “What is it?”

“One of his people said that Anming is on a seismic belt. If we stay here, when the big earthquake hits later, this city will likely become a disaster zone.”

Ye Qing frowned. “If the water freezes over before an earthquake, it might not be so bad. But if it hasn’t, there could be tsunamis or other secondary disasters.”

“An earthquake?” Jiang Yan’s eyes widened. “They can predict that?”

Sun Jingtao chuckled. “Of course not. Apparently, it’s an internal government report. They say there’s a high chance of a major earthquake in the next few months. I guess some scientists predicted it by other means.”

Jiang Yan took a breath. “So their base isn’t in Anming?”

“No, it’s in Dongshan City to the east. They said the geology there is solid, the elevation is high, and unlike here, most places haven’t been flooded. If we don’t want to join their base and just want to leave Anming for somewhere safer, they’re willing to give us a free ride.”

“Dongshan?” Jiang Yan knew a bit about that city.

It used to be famous for its apples, red wine, and the many gold mines in the surrounding area.

Thinking of the gold mines, she felt a bit tempted.

But only if her spatial ability could be upgraded again after this time; otherwise, she wouldn’t bother looking for gold.

Ye Qing said, “Dongshan? Isn’t that Sister Dai’s hometown?”

Sun Jingtao nodded and continued, “I turned down their offer to join the base, but I am considering taking their boat to Dongshan. Traveling with them would be much safer. So, do you want to come too?”

Jiang Yan looked at him.

No wonder he’d told Song Qian to wait—he was waiting for their answer.

But for a base leader with boats and so many soldiers to throw out such an olive branch to three ordinary people like them, it was a bit odd.

Especially since his surname was Mo.

Jiang Yan couldn’t shake the feeling that something about all this was off, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.

She figured Sun Jingtao probably sensed it too.

Still, between two evils, you choose the lesser.

With more disasters looming, if they could take a big boat out of Anming and find a new shelter, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

As for herself, she didn’t like being under someone else’s thumb.

From Anming to Dongshan, given the current situation, it would take at least ten days to half a month.

And once on the boat, space would be tight, everyone crammed together, and a lot of things would become inconvenient.

If they traveled by car, at least there’d be some private time.

Thinking this through, Jiang Yan made up her mind.

Sun Jingtao frowned. “Even if the earthquake doesn’t come, at this rate, the water will freeze soon. If it snows after that, it’ll be deadly for us.”

Given the current high temperatures and heavy rain, if it snowed, the temperature drop would be far more than just a degree or two.

Ye Qing stayed silent, waiting for Jiang Yan’s answer.

Sun Jingtao glanced at her. “Jiang Yan, what’s your decision?”

“You guys go ahead. I still have things to take care of in Anming, and I might head somewhere else,” Jiang Yan said after a few seconds’ thought.

Sun Jingtao: “...”

Ye Qing: “...”

Neither of them had expected her to answer like that.

Ye Qing looked at Jiang Yan, his expression complicated.

As a grown man, he couldn’t very well say, “Why don’t I go with you?” So what came out instead was:

“Jiang Yan, where do you plan to go?”

Jiang Yan smiled, carefree. “The world is vast—anywhere can be home.”"