Chapter 168: Earthquake: High-Altitude Escape

Right now, food was naturally the most precious thing.

With a thought, Jiang Yan took out the slightly shriveled onions and sweet potatoes she’d left in the living room earlier, pulling them from her space and tossing them in.

She also packed some dehydrated vegetables, dried fruit, instant noodles, fried rice, and some essentials that wouldn’t easily give away their stash but would be needed later—like salt, chili powder, and the like, all sent over by Sun Jingtao and the others.

Next were some bulky but lightweight items, like clothes, to help disguise the fact that she was hiding supplies in her space.

In just a dozen seconds, she’d already filled two large bags.

It was freezing cold outside.

Once the assault boat picked up speed, the biting wind felt like it could tear your face apart.

Even though her body had been strengthened by her space and she was quite resistant to the cold, she still pulled on a thick down jacket.

She’d bought the jacket back in Maple Leaf Country—it was not only warm and insulated, but waterproof too, making it ideal for escaping at sea.

In less than a minute, Jiang Yan was ready.

As usual, she slung the oversized backpack—her ultimate hiding spot—over her shoulders and opened the door.

Ye Qing happened to be walking past 3202’s door, not too far ahead or behind.

His sleeves were rolled up, his face flushed, and he was panting heavily.

It must not have been easy hauling that rubber dinghy down from the 32nd floor.

“Jiang Yan, that’s everything, right?” He glanced at the bags by her side.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Perfect. Tao-ge and Dai-jie have gathered a lot of supplies too, so you don’t need to worry. Here, take this and hold it to your chest.” As he spoke, Ye Qing handed her a square pillow, then bent down to pick up the two large bags.

“There might be aftershocks soon, so let’s move as quickly as we can.” With that, he hurried off toward 3204, bags in hand.

Jiang Yan responded with an “Mm” and quickly followed.

She couldn’t tell if the building was just shoddily built or if the earthquake had been too strong.

There were several thumb-wide cracks running from the baseboards all the way up to the ceiling in the hallway—an alarming sight.

Some recessed lights were dangling from the ceiling.

A thick layer of white dust covered the floor.

The air was harsh and choking, so Jiang Yan quickly put on her mask.

The two of them entered the apartment one after the other.

Su Dai’s windows were all regular glass, not earthquake-resistant like Jiang Yan’s, so they’d all shattered.

Shards of glass were scattered all over the floor.

Two high-altitude escape ropes had been secured—one to the window frame, the other to the clay stove.

Even the stove was riddled with cracks.

To be extra safe, they’d dragged over the heavy stone table from the house to serve as a final anchor point.

Sun Jingtao and Su Dai, both wearing cotton-linen gloves, were busy by the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

Their sleeves were rolled up, faces flushed.

Beads of sweat dotted Sun Jingtao’s forehead, and the veins stood out on his arms.

Not far from him, a shotgun and a submachine gun rested on the table.

Jiang Yan only glanced at them, instantly understanding.

She knew Song Qian had once worked for the authorities—rumor had it he was Anming’s top sharpshooter.

He certainly looked the part.

But that didn’t mean much.

As for Sun Jingtao and Song Qian, they were basically strangers, only having met on the first day.

Sun Jingtao had also been in the special forces, so there was a natural camaraderie between him, Song Qian, and the young guy piloting the boat.

But now, in these apocalyptic times, everyone served their own camp. It was impossible not to be on guard.

Especially since they were moving all their worldly possessions downstairs.

Keeping the guns nearby meant they’d have a chance to fight back if anything happened.

“Jiang Yan.” Su Dai turned and, spotting her, a flash of relief and joy appeared in her eyes. “We’ve finished moving our supplies. We’ll take yours down next.”

There were still plenty of things left in their apartment.

But the boat could only carry so much, and with aftershocks possible at any moment, they’d prioritized the most urgent items.

Jiang Yan nodded and stepped forward to help.

She actually had flight suits in her space.

Those would be much safer and more convenient than what Sun Jingtao and the others were using.

But she didn’t have a good excuse to take them out.

After just a few words, Sun Jingtao had already carried her two bags downstairs.

Next up were the people themselves.

“I’ll go first and show you how it’s done. You two go in the middle, Tao-ge last,” Ye Qing said, exchanging a look with Sun Jingtao.

There was a deeper reason for this arrangement, but there was no need to explain.

As he spoke, Ye Qing put on the special gloves and fastened the safety rope around himself.

From the 32nd to the 24th floor—eight floors, less than thirty meters.

Not too far, but not exactly close either.

Su Dai had been a fitness coach, so her core strength was solid.

As for Jiang Yan, her “closed-door training” in her space these days hadn’t been for nothing.

Still, both women were a bit nervous.

After all, the ropes weren’t anchored in the most secure way, and the boat below was rocking.

Ye Qing picked up the safety rope and quickly explained:

“When you go down, keep your knees slightly bent. Push off the wall with your feet, arms straight, hands relaxed, eyes on where you’re going, and slide down the escape rope. As you approach the boat, tighten the rope, bend your knees, and land on your toes first.”

He repeated, “Remember—bend your knees, and land on your toes.”

Jiang Yan and Su Dai both nodded in unison, then helped Sun Jingtao hold the other end of the rope.

With a swift “whoosh,” Ye Qing slid down.

The safety harness was quickly sent back up.

Amid shouts of “Ah! Ah!” Jiang Yan and Su Dai soon made it down as well.

With Ye Qing waiting below to catch them, their landings were much safer.

“Honey, be careful!” Su Dai called up as Sun Jingtao prepared to descend last.

There was no one above to secure his rope, so all he could do was pray that the clay stove and window frame would hold.

Nearby, Song Qian frowned at the increasingly choppy water. “Not good, another aftershock is coming!”

He looked up and shouted, “Brother Sun, hurry down!”

Sun Jingtao pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He slung the gun over his back, clipped on the safety rope, grabbed the escape line with both hands, and launched himself into a freefall.

His movements were smooth and confident, just like the professional rappelling you’d see special forces do on TV.

Remembering how he’d hit his target with a single shot from a speargun last time, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but be impressed:

Sun Jingtao really did have some serious skills.

“Honey, be careful!” Su Dai called up, her heart in her throat.

As Sun Jingtao landed, Ye Qing and Song Qian caught him on either side.

He was about to pull the escape rope back up when he felt the assault boat start to rock violently.

A red flash streaked across the sky.

“Rumble—!”

A deafening roar erupted from all directions.

Fragments of glass and dust began to rain down inside the building.

The once-choppy water instantly turned into a raging torrent."