Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! novel Chapter 142

In one of the households of a destroyed village, a mile away from the Military Base, twelve people crowded beneath the cellar, gathering around a flickering bonfire. These people hailed from the village uphill.

Due to their farmlands, they had refused the military’s aid and remained behind. Now, they regretted that decision.

The last of their reserves, the potatoes and sweet potatoes, had been consumed since last week, all their crops destroyed in the flood.

To make matters worse, their original village had been overrun by snakes and rats, driving them to flee to this place.

They had been forty people at first, but the rest had perished while fleeing or succumbed to fever and frostbite.

The cold was unbearable. At this rate, the survivors wouldn’t last much longer.

Two women began preparing dinner.

They fetched baskets from the corner and spilled their contents onto the floor.

If Nanzhi had been here, she would have been shocked by what lay before them.

The light green bioluminescent mushrooms, though smaller than usual and with less glowing spores, were scattered across the ground.

The women swiftly cleaned the mushrooms. Their movements were practiced, as though they had done this countless times before, skewering the mushrooms onto bamboo sticks.

The spores were collected separately, to be used for lamps. They provided the only light in the cellar.

Once the mushrooms were cleaned, they were roasted over the fire.

"It’s been an hour. Why isn’t Lao Tzu back yet?" the woman holding a baby murmured, her voice thick with worry. It had hailed this morning, and after the hailstorm passed, her husband had ventured out, foraging for food in case the winter worsened.

The women sighed in unison.

Once the mushrooms were grilled, they distributed the meal among the others in the cellar. Most of those remaining were children and elderly women. _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

The only man left was the husband of the woman holding the baby, who had taken it upon himself to provide food for them all.

"Cough... Cough..." A weak sound of coughing echoed through the cellar.

All eyes turned to the old woman lying on the mat. Her face was pale, drenched in sweat. Two children hovered by her side, wiping her sweat and calling softly, "Grandma."

"Mother-in-law, please drink some warm water first."

"Elder, we’ve finished grilling the mushrooms. You haven’t eaten since morning. Please have some."

The old woman tried to speak, but only a fit of coughing came from her lips. She had been feverish since the afternoon but they no herbs or medicine to give her and only these mushrooms.

The two women quickly mashed the mushrooms into a paste, feeding it to the old woman.

She struggled to open her mouth, but the children helped her, feeding her the mushroom paste bit by bit. They followed it with a small amount of warm water.

As the paste slid down her throat, a warmth spread throughout her body, bringing her some relief.

The others continued to feed her. They weren’t sure if it was their imagination, but the old woman’s complexion appeared slightly improved.

After eating, the old woman closed her eyes. The others paused, frightened, but upon confirming that she was merely sleeping, they let out sighs of relief.

On the road, two military trucks rumbled past. It was the last rescue convoy for the winter.

The soldier in the passenger seat stretched his numb legs, glad to be heading back. This would be their last rescue operation before they retreated to the base to wait out the harsh season.

As the soldier relaxed, he suddenly noticed a faint glow on the side of the road.

"Wait, I think I saw something," he said, rubbing his eyes. The light didn’t vanish.

He quickly alerted the driver, who stopped the truck. They both saw the glow.

Three soldiers jumped off the trucks and decided to investigate.