Reborn Cave Queen of the End Times novel Chapter 166

Chapter 166 When the Sky Turns to Ash

Chapter 166 When the Sky Turns to Ash

The two dozen of them nodded hard.

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Once the central shelter’s cruise ships had carried several hundred thousand people away, Beckett immediately pulled in his own crews to start hollowing out caves again and building somewhere to live.

Leonel had Autumn bring a tunnel boring machine out of her storage space.

With a boring machine, digging out a cave was a walk in the park.

In one day, they carved out several hundred of them.

Since it was temporary housing, nothing had to be fine or luxurious.

As long as a person could live in it, it was good enough.

The reason for all the urgency was that the volcanic ash really was coming.

Ever since the earthquake and the tsunami, volcanoes around the world had been erupting one after another, without a single one sitting it out.

The southern hemisphere went first, its volcanoes erupting like something possessed, and then the northern hemisphere followed.

It began across the ocean in the Beautanicas, swept through Oureon, and finally reached Haesia.

By now, the gray clouds of smoke rolling in along the horizon were visible to the naked eye, no instruments required.

The air had begun to fill with the smell of sulfur.

So every hand worked overtime; the schedule pushed at a frantic pace.

Luckily, both Scott and Beckett commanded real respect, and the people under them followed the plan.

As soon as a cave was dug out, doors and windows went in, cement was smoothed on, and the frames sealed.

Run as an assembly line, the work went a great deal faster.

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Chapter 166 When the Sky Turns to Ash

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On the second day, Autumn produced several hundred thousand face masks and handed them out, telling everyone to wear one while they worked.

This volcanic ash was harmful.

Once it entered the lungs, it could cause serious damage.

With doctors and medicine so scarce, prevention mattered more than ever.

After two days of relentless work, every last person moved into the caves just before the ash arrived.

Autumn was living with David again this time, next door to Leonel.

Beckett and Scott were her neighbors as well, of course.

Autumn kept her eyes on the sky, and in the last moment before the great billowing masses of ash reached them, she waved her arm hard. “Inside! Everyone back to your rooms! Doors and windows shut! Move!”

Slam, slam, slam.

Every door and window in the place closed at once.

A second later, an overwhelming wave of volcanic ash came crashing in like the sky itself was falling.

Autumn felt her breath cut off in an instant. She clamped a hand over her nose, and it was a long while before she slowly adjusted to it.

When she looked up again, visibility outside had dropped to almost nothing, everything washed over in the same dull gray.

David, wearing a mask with a towel pressed over it, spoke in a muffled voice. “Why is there so much volcanic ash?”

“There is. Volcanic ash can spread across the entire world,” Autumn answered. “The cold era is coming.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Leonel knocked and came in. “You two all right?”

“We’re fine.” Autumn shook her head. “It just takes a little getting used to. Is everyone else all

right?”

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Chapter 166 When the Sky Turns to Ash

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“No problems. The doctors are standing by, and anyone who feels unwell can be treated anytime,” Leonel answered. “Our doctors and Beckett’s have consolidated into a team. We have fewer people, and he has more doctors. More beds, too.”

“Good.” Autumn nodded. “The ash will keep falling for a few days. For those days, everyone stays in the caves. Food and water will be delivered to their doors. Tell them not to go wandering around.”

“Understood.”

“Once the acid rain starts, the ash will clear. But that’s when we’ll truly be trapped inside, and nobody will be able to set foot outside. Make sure the maintenance crews protect themselves properly,” Autumn added. “Six months. Grit your teeth, and it will be over before you know it.”

“I understand. Scott has already laid out the new growing areas. He’ll rotate people through the planting and the livestock work so nobody sits idle.” (2

“Good.” Autumn nodded, reassured.

Even if the base’s growing area turned out to be too small, it wouldn’t matter. Her storage space held plenty of stock, and it produced more.

If nothing else, there were sweet potatoes, and nearly every part of the plant was edible.

The leaves made excellent greens, and the roots could be ground into flour. There was no way to starve on them.

Still, making the best use of that stockpile would take careful planning.

When the ash first came down, it took some adjusting, but bit by bit people adjusted, and then accepted it.

Life turned into a cramped, indoor sort of life.

Every day the main mess hall put out two meals and handed them to the public free of charge.

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