As early as the smog began to clear, Jiang Ning took three sets of protective suits from the space and put them in the villa, hoping that they wouldn’t go outside. If they had to, she insisted they wear the suits. 

The protective suits she stocked up on were heavy and bulky. They provided the best protection, even against sulfuric acid, so there was no need to worry. The only drawback was their extreme weight. It was almost impossible to carry it. 

She hadn’t slept well all night and didn’t know how many times she woke up during that period, with the sound of drizzling rain in the background. 

When she woke up in the morning, the rain hadn’t stopped. 

She couldn’t guess how long it would last; it felt like it might go on for ten days or more. Even if it paused for a few minutes, it would quickly resume. 

The streets were flooded everywhere, which made it impossible to drive back even if the rain stopped. 

Impatient, Jiang Ning couldn’t wait any longer and chose the most foolish method—walking. 

Official protective clothing was scarce and shared among everyone; Jiang Ning couldn’t use it for herself, and its safety couldn’t be guaranteed. 

She returned to her room and fetched her own suit. 

It was a struggle to put them on; the thirty-plus kilograms almost crushed her, the face mask was inconvenient, and the protective shoes were bulky. 

She opened an oxygen pack and stepped into the acid rain without hesitation. 

She felt secure, even though the outfit was incredibly ugly and looked like a biohazard suit. However, walking was extremely difficult, and she was exhausted after just a few hundred meters. 

The rain didn’t penetrate the suit, but her breath caused the face mask to fog up, which impaired her vision. 

The Research Institute of the Traditional Chinese Medicine was more than 30 kilometers from Fengcheng Villa Area. It usually took about half an hour by car, but if you change into protective suit and walk on the road, you can’t get there from day to night at this snail’s pace. 

It had been a full day and night, and the rain showed no signs of stopping. People sheltered under eaves or in shops on both sides of the road hadn’t returned home. 

They waited anxiously and were growing more desperate from hunger and exhaustion yet lacking the courage to dash into the rain. 

Some impatient ones disregarded the consequences and tried to return as soon as the rain stopped. 

They found wooden planks to protect their shoes and moved slowly toward home, but within a few hundred meters, the rain poured down again. 

Those fortunate enough to run fast could save their lives, but those unable to run had to endure the baptism of acid rain, screaming in despair to no avail. 

Jiang Ning felt someone calling her and turned to see survivors sheltering from the rain at the shop entrance. 

Some envied her, some cursed her, and some were jealous enough to throw things. 

The protective suit provided good isolation, and while she couldn’t hear clearly, she felt the pebbles thrown at her. 

Jiang Ning scanned through her face mask and identified the culprit. 

It was a middle-aged man who, instead of looking ashamed, wore a malicious smirk, as if daring her to come closer. 

This was human nature; it was ugly to the point of repulsiveness. 

If Jiang Ning had gone over, they would have pounced on her to snatch the protective suit, and she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t be bullied. 

In fact, he should be grateful. If it weren’t for the acid rain, Jiang Ning would have torn him apart. 

She didn’t take the bait and continued walking. 

After walking for several hours, she still hadn’t left the territory of Yuecheng. Occasionally, she saw corpses corroded by acid rain on the road. The long period of burning and decay had already made them unrecognizable. 

Fortunately, Jiang Ning was used to such sights, or else she might have vomited overnight. 

Many survivors couldn’t afford protective gear and hastily built shelters with wooden boards or thatched roofs, some even using corrugated iron, which is barely enough for a whole family to live in. 

It might have been fine under normal circumstances, but during acid rain, it can become deadly. 

Thin iron sheets were corroded through, and wooden boards or thatched roofs would be soaked by acid rain… 

She fixed her gaze ahead and deliberately avoided looking at the sides of the road. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two teenagers standing on a dilapidated table in front of a wooden house. They were holding up a door panel they had taken down to shield themselves from the acid rain. 

She doesn’t know how long they have been holding it up. Their limbs look extremely stiff, and their legs are shaking violently. No one knows how much longer they can hold on. 

Looking at their age, they were about the same age as Doudou. 

Jiang Ning took a deep breath and continued walking. 

The thick and bulky clothes made it impossible to sit down and rest. When she got tired, she could only stand and rest, she didn’t even have a chance to eat lunch. 

The road was more difficult than she had imagined. It took eight hours of continuous walking to reach the border of the two cities and she was not even halfway there. By then, it was already evening. 

It got dark quickly on rainy days, and she estimated she would have to find a place to stay overnight. 

Jiang Ning looked around and planned to find a concealed place to enter her space. 

It took about half an hour to walk and look around. She saw a lonely, thatched house not far away. Judging from the broken roof, no one lived there. 

Just as she was about to go over, she vaguely saw someone coming from ahead on the road. 

It was getting dark so she couldn’t see very clearly. 

She deliberately stopped to rest, intending to wait for the other person to walk away before approaching the thatched house. 

Unexpectedly, the other person was getting closer and closer and was also wearing a protective suit. 

Huh, why did it look a bit like her clothes? 

It seemed to be a man, the person is quite tall and big.  

She was on guard and stood aside, but the other person actually walked towards her. 
 

Jiang Ning was surprised and stared at the other person. 

Through their face masks, their eyes met. 

She hadn’t expected Huo Yishen to come out in the acid rain to find her. 

Facing each other through the rain, they couldn’t bear to look away. 

Jiang Ning walked over, and Huo Yishen opened his arms. 

The two embraced tightly in the acid rain. 

Jiang Ning raised her head and asked, “Why did you come here?” 

“I’m worried about you.” 

Walking all the way from Fengcheng, it was clear that Huo Yishen had set off early. 

It was almost dark at that time, and it was inconvenient to talk in the acid rain with dozens of kilograms of protective clothing on. Jiang Ning pointed to the thatched house. 
 

Huo Yishen held her hand, and the two walked together. 

The thatched hut was very old, with only two broken tables with missing legs inside, so dilapidated that it felt like the mud bricks could collapse at any moment. 

After making sure that there was no one around. Jiang Ning brought Huo Yishen into the space. 

She washed the protective suit with clean water, then carefully took it off, breathing freely in the space, she felt alive again. 

Huo Yishen noticed the marks on her face from the mask and gently reached out to touch it. “Does it hurt?” 

Jiang Ning teased, “Just seeing you makes all the pain disappear.” 

Huo Yishen smiled and hugged her. 

Jiang Ning asked with concern, “You weren’t caught in the acid rain, were you?” 

“No.” 

At the time, he happened to be on duty; luckily, it wasn’t acid rain when it started. 

The people in the neighborhood were all fine. They rushed home as soon as it started raining, but the acid rain came sooner than expected. 

Tired and uncomfortable, both of their feet were numb. 

The two of them ate something to fill their stomachs, took a short rest, and Jiang Ning went into the bathroom to take a hot spring bath. Unexpectedly, Huo Yishen followed him in. 

Being busy with work these days, even if Huo Yishen occasionally brought the two over, there was no opportunity for them to communicate alone. 

Huo Yishen massaged her shoulders and waist, “Very tired?” 

“Yeah, but I feel pretty good.” It’s been a long time since she worked so hard, but she also learned a lot of knowledge that books or videos can’t teach. 

Knowledge is the capital for survival. While she can’t compare with medical giants like Professor Li or Ma Guangnian, Jiang Ning learns everything she can in various subjects. With the accumulation of knowledge, both her vision and self-confidence have improved a lot.