Read Novel Full Chapter 220: Rock Climbing
Chapter 220: Rock Climbing
“Bang!!!”
“Boom!!”
With a mix of chaos and impact, the escape pod flipped over, and Jiang Ning and the others found themselves upside down.
Fortunately, it wasn’t completely vertical, but slightly inclined.
The loose soil shifted, and the center of gravity slowly moved downward. It took considerable effort to adjust.
In the next two hours, there were several more tremors. The escape pod got stuck on a huge rock, preventing it from falling further. The tremors were not as intense as before.
These were probably aftershocks.
The escape pod was specially designed for earthquakes and tsunamis, with shock absorption and earthquake resistance as its major features, especially the design of the seats, which protected vital parts of the body.
Even so, Jiang Ning could still feel the intense earthquake.
With the escape pod being thrown around, the survivors without protection measures would not only endure the scorching sun but also the ravages of the earthquake, a scene beyond imagination.
The cabin was silent. To alleviate their anxiety, Jiang Ning deliberately played soothing music, allowing their tense nerves to calm down.
It was already noon, but aftershocks could come at any moment. Jiang Ning didn’t rush to go out. “Are you hungry?”
“Woof.”
With the world so vast, dogs were always enthusiastic about food.
Forget about soup and water; otherwise, with another aftershock, it would be all over the escape pod.
Jiang Ning gave it a steamed bun.
Eating was like fighting a battle, with the food disappearing in a gulp.
Doudou ate a bean paste bun. Jiang Ning handed over a water bottle with a straw cap but didn’t let it drink too much, fearing she might need to pee.
After serving the two, only then did Huo Yishen and Jiang Ning eat, quickly and efficiently.
The space inside the escape pod was narrow, but it was well insulated, and with oxygen packs, it didn’t feel stuffy.
Although stuck in the crevice of the ground, with the company of his brother and sister-in-law, and listening to relaxing music, Doudou, who was full and sleepy, fell asleep unknowingly.
The dog left the instructor’s embrace, gently landing on the ground, stretching its stiff muscles and bones.
Jiang Ning also felt sleepy. “When can we go out?”
“Wait a little longer?” In Huo Yishen’s memory, there were aftershocks even until the next day, albeit with reduced intensity.
Stuck in such a thrilling crevice, Jiang Ning was somewhat worried. “Can we get out?”
The space had one only drawback; they had to exit from where they entered.
The view from the glass window was limited, but with Huo Yishen’s abilities, as long as the earthquake stopped, there would always be more solutions than difficulties.
He spoke, “Rest for a while, I’ll keep watch.”
Not knowing when the earthquake would end, they probably couldn’t go home in a short time. One of them had to stay awake at all times.
Jiang Ning squinted but didn’t fall asleep.
By five in the afternoon, there had been no aftershocks for two hours, and darkness would soon fall. It wasn’t feasible to stay stuck like this; they had to find a way out.
Huo Yishen unfastened his seatbelt and went to the glass window to observe. “The door isn’t far from the boulder. I can jump onto the rock and then find a way to climb up the crevice.”
With movement, the load would increase.
Afraid that the rock and soil couldn’t support them, Jiang Ning, pretending to check the cabinets inside the pod, stored the food prepared in advance in the space, significantly reducing the weight.
Then, she took out climbing claws, climbing ropes, crampons, ice axes, and a first aid kit from the cabinets for Huo Yishen.
After gearing up, Huo Yishen comforted his uneasy sister, “Don’t worry, listen to your sister-in-law.”
“Yeah, be careful, big brother.”
Opening the pod door, Huo Yishen surveyed the surroundings.
The escape pod was stuck about ten meters above the ground, with some distance between the door and the boulder, and the soil after the earthquake was loose.
Huo Yishen shot the climbing claws. It was difficult to find a fixed object in the deserted grassland, and it took several attempts before he succeeded.
He tied the rope around his waist and instructed, “Sit tight, wait for me.”
After saying that, he leaped.
Jiang Ning’s heart was in her throat; this was a dangerous situation. If he failed to jump properly, there would be a crevice several dozen meters below.
Luckily, he was agile enough to land safely on the boulder.
As his body landed on the rock, Huo Yishen felt it shift.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he calmly instructed, “Anning, the rock is unstable. Close the pod door.”
“Be careful, don’t overdo it.”
Seeing him stabilize, Jiang Ning returned to her seat and fastened her seatbelt, but her heart was still uneasy.
She hoped nothing would happen to him.
The loose soil made it difficult to exert force while stepping on it, but Huo Yishen had experience with high-altitude climbing and rescue operations. Carefully, he climbed upward using crampons and ice axes.
Halfway up, there was suddenly a loud noise beneath his feet.
Jiang Ning’s gaze followed his movement, but unexpectedly, his body suddenly sank.
The boulder loosened, and the escape pod plummeted once again…
“Brother!” Doudou exclaimed in shock.
The escape pod fell over ten meters before getting stuck again.
Jiang Ning hurriedly comforted, “Doudou, don’t be afraid. Brother will be fine.”
Within the visible range of the glass, only mud and sand were rolling down.
Hearing the sudden noise below, Huo Yishen couldn’t help but look down and saw the escape pod falling. He was worried but didn’t stop climbing.
The escape pod could withstand attacks from boulders or mudslides, so there shouldn’t be any problem in the short term.
His only focus now was to get them out.
There were signs of the climbing rope loosening, indicating that the anchor couldn’t hold.
In the nick of time, Huo Yishen exerted force with his feet, grabbed onto the ground with his hands, and with exceptional strength, pulled himself up.
The edge collapsed, and the soil kept slipping into the deep ditch.
Huo Yishen moved to a safe place, drove the anchor into the ground, tied the rope to it, and threw the rope down the cliff.
Sensing the slight movement, Jiang Ning looked towards the glass door and noticed the rope swinging.
She tied the climbing safety harness onto Doudou, “Don’t be afraid later, don’t look down. Brother will pull you up.”
“What about you, Sister-in-law?”
“You go up first, I’ll follow later.”
Opening the pod door, she hooked the rope onto the safety harness.
Doudou, suspended in mid-air, looked up at its brother continuously pulling it up under the scorching sun, and tears suddenly flowed.
Doudou landed safely, and then it was the dog’s turn. Soon, it was lifted up.
Huo Yishen instructed the two, “You guys go to the back and help pull the rope.”
The two obediently listened, one pulling with their hands and the other biting with their mouth.
In the moment when Jiang Ning’s body was suspended in mid-air, she pulled the escape pod into the space.
With a distance of nearly 30 meters, fearing that the people above couldn’t hold on, she used both hands and feet to climb up the soil. It took her a lot of effort, but she finally made it.
What awaited her was Huo Yishen’s embrace. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you scared?”
Jiang Ning wanted to say she wasn’t scared, but then she thought, “I was scared at first, but with you here, I’m not afraid anymore.”
After reading so many emotional magazines recently, she wanted to improve her emotional intelligence.
As expected, men were easily satisfied. Huo Yishen patted her back, “It’s okay, I’m here.”
Before six o’clock, the sunlight was still scorching. Despite having temperature-regulating clothing, they still felt like they were being roasted on a grill and were sweating profusely.
Jiang Ning surveyed her surroundings. The factory collapsed, the mountainsides slid, and the ground cracked, everywhere was in ruins, a scene of devastation.
This was the destructive power of a major earthquake. It was so devastating that everything was unrecognizable from its original state.
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