Chapter 62: Meteorite

Jiang Linhai asked worriedly, “Sisi, should we give them a warning?”

Jiang Si shook her head. “Looting supplies is normal in the apocalypse. As long as we live better than they do, people will envy and covet what we have. A warning is useless—what’s meant to come will come.”

Everyone sighed.
The storm had passed, and in time, things would get better.

Just tossing torches wasn’t enough to set fire to the yacht and steamship. They were too sturdy and damp.

Qiu Lei and his gang brainstormed ideas. As the floodwaters gradually receded, several cars and trucks emerged from the riverbed. They scavenged all the supplies from the vehicles and pried open fuel tanks, collecting several barrels of gasoline.

With this gasoline, they could pour it into the water around the boats and set it ablaze—the fire would spread quickly over the surface.

Everything was ready—except the right opportunity.

After a few days of observation and confirming that Jiang Si’s crew was small in number, Qiu Lei and his men, carrying the gasoline, crept out under the cover of night.

Unfortunately for them, Qin Shen was on night watch.

Even from a distance, he noticed their movement and quickly alerted the others.

Jiang Si came up to the deck and, using an infrared scope, spotted ten people approaching.

She relayed their positions to the others. Once they were within range, they could open fire.

Qiu Lei avoided the traps they had dug themselves. About a hundred meters from the yacht was a small stream. If they poured gasoline into it, it would flow toward the boats, accumulating around the yacht and steamship.

Just as they were about to pour the gasoline—
“Whoosh—”
A massive flock of birds suddenly exploded from the reed marshes, shooting into the night sky. Dark, white, and yellow fog drifted over the water, and a foul stench—worse than gasoline—filled the air.

Qiu Lei thought they had been discovered and panicked.
“Run!” he shouted.

They scattered and ran, but at that very moment, the dark sky lit up with a strange red glow—like a sudden crimson sunrise.

Birds, dragonflies, bats… swarmed the air in chaotic waves. It was a terrifying sight.

Lu Zhifeng watched elk leaping through the reeds, and moorhens that normally couldn’t fly for long refused to land.

Something was wrong.

His brow furrowed. “This isn’t right! Moorhens can’t stay in the air long. But now they’re flying nonstop—like they’re trying to escape something. Could it be an earthquake?”

As soon as he spoke, Niuniu pointed at the water, shouting, “Daddy, look!”

Everyone looked down. The calm water surface was suddenly bubbling furiously, like it was boiling from underneath. Strange-colored fumes drifted above it.

Panic spread. Could there really be an earthquake coming?

Something abnormal was definitely happening.

Jiang Si made a swift decision. “Everyone, grab your emergency packs!”

If it was really an earthquake, they’d have to abandon the boat.

Just as they entered the cabin and strapped on their already-packed emergency gear—
BOOM!

The earth shook violently. Reinforced glass windows shattered from the impact wave.

The yacht swayed wildly, nearly flipping over.

A scorching heatwave followed, making it impossible to stay upright.

Jiang Si shielded Shen Baoying with her body, covering her head. They stayed huddled like that for almost half a minute before the shockwave began to subside.

Jiang Linhai crawled over to her and whispered, “Sisi, what just happened?”

Jiang Si lifted her head and looked outside.

Blazing red ash floated through the sky like glowing feathers. In the northeast, the sky burned blood-red.

Her eyes widened in shock.

The meteorite strike had come much earlier than in her previous life!

She stood up and saw that the river was receding rapidly. The iron chains tethering the yacht to the wooden stakes were pulled taut—threatening to snap as the boat was dragged down.

Jiang Si’s pupils contracted.
“Everyone off the boat! The meteorite caused a land collapse!”

That blast just now—was a meteorite impact.

No wonder it had been so massive.

Everyone scrambled off the yacht.

Jiang Si ran back into the warehouse and swiftly stashed all the supplies into her space storage.

She also uprooted and stored all their cultivated plants. The livestock, unfortunately, had to be released.

She then rushed to the steamship, emptied everything from it, and returned to the yacht—where Qin Shen was already waiting.

Jiang Si felt a pang of guilt.
Did he see the empty warehouse?

But Qin Shen remained expressionless. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Si let out a silent breath of relief.
Guess he didn’t notice.

“I just grabbed a few things. Let’s move!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

The horizon lit up with red light. Brilliant fireballs streaked across the sky like shooting stars.

Jiang Si’s heart skipped.
It was just like in her previous life—one meteorite after another would fall in waves.

Back then, the impacts hadn’t started until after electromagnetic fields were restored.

Once communication systems were partially reestablished, news spread that the north had been spared. Survivors fled north en masse.

Jiang Si jumped off the yacht.

CLANG!
The iron chains snapped. The yacht and steamship were instantly swallowed by the collapsing riverbed.

Her heart ached.

That had been her only luxury yacht…

Along with two steamships she’d gotten for free—now all gone!

But there was no time to mourn. The floating ash had ignited the reed marshes, and a choking, acrid smell filled the air.

They had to move faster, or risk being crushed by falling meteorites.

The burning reeds were dangerous—and so were the traps Qiu Lei’s group had set.

To avoid choking on smoke, everyone donned helmets and soaked masks.

Suddenly, the sky blazed above them.

Jiang Si looked up and cried, “Run! The meteorite is about to fall!”

They ran with all their might.

Mud? They splashed right through.
Fire? They stomped it down.

Molten rock began raining from the sky—a literal firestorm.

This meteorite was huge. Jiang Si was seriously worried they wouldn’t outrun it and would end up as ashes.

Qin Shen suddenly yelled, “Go right!”

He had previously mapped the terrain—everyone immediately followed his lead and veered right.

Soon, they burst out of the reed marshes and spotted a rocky hill ahead. It looked solid—and possibly had caves they could hide in.

Jiang Si’s eyes lit up. “Faster! That hill might save us!”

Every second counted.

Above them, what started as marble-sized embers were now the size of fists—then basketballs.
A deafening roar filled the air.

Time was running out.

Jiang Si didn’t even dare to look up. She just charged forward.

Around them, other survivors were also rushing toward the same hill.

One old man fell behind—his family abandoned him near the cliff wall, too terrified of the meteor to help.

They were just steps away—but no one turned back.

Jiang Si grabbed the frail elder and tried to lift him.

Qin Shen took one look and, calm as ever, scooped the old man up. At the last possible second, they dove beneath the rocky cliff.

BOOM!

Massive fireballs—each the size of a basketball court—slammed into the reed marshes.

The resulting shockwave was like a nuclear blast.
Jiang Si was thrown against the cliff wall by the sheer force of it.