Chapter 64: Electromagnetic Power Restored

Early the next morning, the fiery embers in the sky had vanished, replaced by drifting gray ash floating on the wind.

The temperature outside the cliffside was still high. Some lava continued to burn, while other parts had cooled enough to walk on safely.

After a simple breakfast and taking care of personal needs, Jiang Chengwu and Jiang Linhai slung Dahei and Xiaohei over their backs. Everyone gathered their things and prepared to set off.

They hadn’t gone more than 300 meters before they encountered a wide stretch of bubbling lava. Fortunately, Jiang Si’s group was prepared—they laid down large stones and slowly crossed the most dangerous zone, one step at a time.

It took them an hour of grueling effort to finally exit the meteor impact area. The ground, now exposed after the floodwaters had receded, was rugged, uneven, and covered in muddy pools.

Lu Zhifeng, carrying Niuniu on his back, nearly slipped twice. When he spotted what looked like a road ahead, he cheered up.
“Look! A road! Walking on that will definitely be easier.”

“Let’s go!”

The road looked close, but it took over 20 minutes to reach it.

The pavement was covered in mud, broken stones, dead branches… and even corpses.

Still, it was far easier than hiking over mountains or trudging through the wilderness.

Along the way, a few reckless people tried to target them, but once the group collectively pulled out their sharp weapons, they scared the troublemakers off easily.

Overall, the journey was smooth. As dusk fell and the sky turned crimson with sunset glow, a booming noise echoed in the distance. Looking up, they saw another meteor fragment crashing down—not far from them.

The ground shook gently, like their trembling hearts.

Sparks drifted down again from the sky. Thankfully, their location was far enough that the fire particles weren’t dense.

But their plan to randomly camp somewhere for the night was now scrapped.

They needed a place that could shield them from meteor debris.

Jiang Si pulled out her map booklet from her backpack, flipping to the highway page. After examining it carefully, her face lit up with excitement.
“This place is called Chrysanthemum Slope. A few more kilometers ahead, there’s a tunnel. If we sleep inside it tonight, we should be safe.”

“Let’s go!”

They walked toward the tunnel for over an hour. By the time they arrived, night had completely fallen. Suddenly, they spotted faint dots of light ahead.

The tunnel appeared before them.

They could faintly see figures inside—but none of them held torches.

Everyone froze, stunned by the sight of motion sensor lights inside the tunnel. It felt surreal, like a dream from another life.

Niuniu was the first to react, her crisp voice cutting through the silence:
“Daddy, there are lights over there!”

Lights meant electricity.

Jiang Si’s eyes lit up. She quickly took out an electronic watch from her backpack. It ticked steadily and displayed the time: 8:28 PM.

Her eyes widened. Electromagnetism had really been restored!

That meant all the electronic equipment stored in her space would work again!

She even had several generators. Once they settled down, she could supply consistent power, making their lives far more comfortable and efficient.

Grinning, Jiang Si announced to the group:
“The electromagnetic field is back—we have power again!”

Lu Zhifeng, carrying a flashlight in his pack, quickly pulled it out and flipped the switch. A beam of light shot into the tunnel.

Niuniu shouted excitedly,
“It works! The flashlight works again!”

Her mother pulled out a phone she had been using as a mirror, pressing buttons in vain.
“Si Si, why won’t my phone turn on?”

Jiang Si chuckled.
“It’s probably been out of battery for ages. Or maybe it was broken during all the chaos.”

Shen Baoying sighed in disappointment, but Jiang Si was still smiling. She had plenty of phones of all models in her space.

Even without signal, they could be used to take photos, keep records, act as compasses or calculators, play music or simple games—a great improvement in quality of life.

Just as everyone was basking in the joy of electricity being restored—

BOOM!

A meteor streaked across the night sky and another fragment plummeted down nearby, reminding them of the danger still present. They had to move quickly into the tunnel.

As they stepped inside, they saw several figures slouched or lying against the tunnel walls.

They were all men, of various ages. Their clothes were tattered and filthy, but most of them wore blue-and-white striped garments beneath their outer layers. Some even had matching pants.

If it had just been one man in those clothes, it could’ve been a coincidence.

But this many? All in striped uniforms, all with twisted, hostile gazes?

Jiang Si’s heart sank as she recalled the South City Men’s Prison marked on the map.

Her hand instinctively reached for the gun in her pocket.

Jiang Linhai sensed something was wrong too. He tugged on Jiang Si’s sleeve and gave her a questioning look.

To Biaozi, the gang leader among the prisoners, Jiang Linhai’s discreet signal looked like a rabbit trying to flee—a fresh catch delivered right to his door.

Biaozi smirked smugly and gave a wave. At once, his men encircled Jiang Si’s group.

Niuniu clung tightly to Jiang Linhai. Jiang Si’s lips curled into a smirk. She had been hoping they’d make the first move—waiting was far more nerve-wracking.

Biaozi, oblivious to danger, ogled Jiang Si with a disgusting smile.
“Hey there, gorgeous. Come here~”

He’d been locked up for fifteen years. In that hellhole, even a female mosquito was something to drool over. Now a stunning beauty like Jiang Si stood before him—how could he resist?

The others, seeing Biaozi claim Jiang Si, set their sights on Niuniu and Shen Baoying.

They leered openly and made demands:
“Boss, let us have those two to play with, yeah?”

Trying to win favor, Biaozi was about to agree when—

BANG!

Jiang Si shot the most perverse one dead on the spot.

She despised creeps like him the most.

The gunshot echoed through the tunnel. Biaozi froze—he hadn’t expected Jiang Si to have a gun, let alone fire it without hesitation.

He frantically considered escape routes. The tunnel stretched 100 meters behind him—if he turned to run, she’d shoot him in the back. If he charged to grab the gun, this girl wasn’t someone to mess with—cold, vicious, and eyes sharp with deadly intent.

The other men stared at Biaozi in terror. Realizing he was paralyzed by fear, one of them fell to his knees before Jiang Si.

“Please, pretty lady, spare us! It was all his idea! We never planned to do anything! Please, let us go!”

Biaozi roared in fury:
“Bullshit! Every woman I’ve touched, you all touched too!”

These men were all scum. Killing them wouldn’t spark even a flicker of guilt.

Jiang Linhai raised his gun—but suddenly, a faint green glow flickered at the far end of the tunnel.

Jiang Si narrowed her eyes and grabbed Jiang Linhai’s arm. She looked at Biaozi and said coldly,
“Go ahead and run.”

Biaozi sneered inwardly. Stupid woman—getting soft at the last minute!

He spun around and bolted.

But the oncoming green glow surged forward, accompanied by the panting of a fierce beast.

Before Biaozi could even scream—

CRUNCH.

His neck was snapped in one bite.