Escaping All the Way South (Part Two)
Yue Hua Yang followed the traffic flow and continued to head south. He stopped and walked along the way. It took him more than an hour to walk less than 20 kilometers. Along the way, except for the small towns and flat places along the road, almost all the entrances into the mountain were blocked. Needless to say, it must have been blocked by people from the nearby mountain villages.
However, there were also some differences. When they passed Hengshan County and Nanyue District, there were many cars parked on the higher section of the opposite lane, almost occupying the entire lane. However, most of them were parked irregularly, as if there was a specially marked parking lot. The people on the hillside sometimes looked at them as if they were looking at a group of fools, not understanding why the people on the opposite lane continued to run south.
He seemed to be carried along by the traffic. After an unknown period of time, perhaps less than half an hour, a loud noise came from the front. Thick smoke floated into the air, and the three rows of traffic heading south slowly stopped. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
Ten minutes had passed, and the traffic showed no signs of moving. Some drivers had already gotten off the bus and looked into the distance from the roof of the bus. Unfortunately, the accident happened on the other side of the national road, at least one kilometer away. They could not see anything from here.
Half an hour passed, and the smoke in the distance still continued. The traffic was blocked on the road, and more and more people got out of the car. Yue Hua Yang looked at the navigation map in the car. He had just passed Dianmen Town and was blocked in a place called Xiao Maochong. Seeing that many people got out of the car, he also got out and took some food from the trunk of the car.
Everyone had the habit of gathering together, and Yue Huayang was no exception. However, because he might have just killed someone ten hours ago, he had some vigilance in his heart, so he only listened to the people in the outermost circle talking about everything, and was unwilling to participate.
At this moment, he was sitting alone in this place called Little Maochong. His eyes were listless as he looked at a place called Big Maochong on the other side of the national road. He quietly listened to the five or six people beside him chatting.
A man in his forties with a crew cut and a square face said, Sigh…I wonder how my youngest daughter in Hengyang City is doing. She just got married before the new year, and the house she chose is by the Xiangjiang River. The Dongjiang Reservoir flooded a large area of Hengyang City. She was about to reach the place, but she was stuck here…As she spoke, tears fell uncontrollably.
A fat-faced man in his thirties said, You can relax a little. Hengyang, which is the Dongjiang River, was flooded a little when it was flooded. However, no matter how flooded Hengyang City was, it was not as flooded as Changsha. I watched the CCTV simulation video for a while. My house was in the flooded area in the video. I was so scared that I quickly packed my things and drove south. When I passed Xiangtan City, the people in Xiangtan City were also running towards the high mountains outside. It can be said that all the places along the Xiangjiang River below 60 meters above sea level were not safe. The area around Dongting Lake that was less than 80 meters tall was also not safe. This was a poisonous water that could possibly overflow. The cities in these areas were all along the river, and the altitude of the cities was very low. If the water from Dongting Lake really poured over, the people who were still there would probably be in trouble...
When the person with the crew cut and square face heard that Hengyang had been flooded, she thought of her newly married daughter. Her new home was beside the Xiangjiang River, so it must have been flooded. Moreover, the water was poisonous. Her heart felt even more uncomfortable. Finally, she completely lost control. She choked and began to cry. She looked as if she had aged more than ten years.
The fat-faced man looked at him and shook his head." I don't think Hengyang City ahead is safe anymore. Perhaps the poisonous water from Dongting Lake has already poured in. I wonder how high it will be flooded? No, I can't go any further. I need to find a high place to hide. This place should be fine. At least I can go again when the water receded.
As if to confirm his words, a series of exclamations came from afar. Someone shouted loudly, The Xiangjiang River had risen! The Xiangjiang River was flowing backwards…
There was a commotion among the crowd. Someone suggested that they walk five kilometers east to see how high the water level of the Xiang River was. Four young people really responded and ran. They crossed the road on the other side, then passed through the protective forest and drainage ditch of the national road, and then walked along the village road to the Xiang River.
The road continued to be blocked. Yue Huayang got into the car and looked at the navigation map. When he saw that part of the 107 National Road had to pass through the Xiangjiang River and go along the river, he felt a headache.
Suddenly, a young man in his twenties ran over and whispered, There was a local taxi more than 100 meters away. There was a walkie-talkie installed in the car, and he could hear another person's voice call from 40 to 50 kilometers away. The two people were talking about the flood of the Xiang River. " Who's willing to listen? But they'll charge you a hundred yuan and you can ask three questions. There are dozens of people in their team, and they're all from Nanyue District to Hengyang City. They know the most comprehensive things.
When the 40-year-old man with a crew cut and a square face heard this, he was instantly excited. He quickly stood up and grabbed the man's hand, asking him where he was. Where was that person?
The young man looked at everyone and asked," Who else is willing to go? I'll lead you there. Then, he looked at everyone and realized that other than this 40-year-old man with a crew cut, everyone else lost interest when they heard that he wanted money. They could only lead him to a place more than 100 meters away from the opposite side of the road. At this moment, there were already three layers of people surrounding the place. The young man led him through the crowd and went straight to the taxi. A conversation happened to be transmitted from inside.
A voice came from the microphone." Wang Cheng Road was now flooded. Fortunately, the people of the former Unity Village had run out to take refuge under the government's request. There should be no casualties. However, from an economic point of view, it seemed that the losses in Shigu District this time would not be small.
Old Li, you have to be careful. If the water rises later, you won't be able to run in time. Another person's voice came from the microphone.
Don't worry, the water level is rising very slowly. It's not like it's the first wave. It looks a little imposing, but now it's only rising bit by bit. It's been almost an hour, and it's only risen by less than six meters. It's probably going to reach its peak soon. Old Li replied.
At the same time, the young man led the middle-aged man with a crew cut over. The driver in the driver's seat snapped his fingers twice (the action of asking for money), and the middle-aged man obediently handed over a hundred yuan. The driver took the money and asked,"What do you want to ask?"
The middle-aged man asked," May I ask what's the situation at Dongyangduheng Street? Has it been flooded?"
Driver: " That place is relatively high. It's not flooded yet, and it probably won't be flooded in the future…Why? Don't you believe me?" I'll find someone at the scene to tell you.
As he spoke, he picked up the intercom and found an empty stall to talk. Old Liang, Old Liang, what's the situation on Dongyangduheng Street? Please reply if you receive.
It's fine, nothing happened. If something happened there, half of Hengyang City would be in trouble. someone replied through the intercom.
After the driver heard this, he said to the middle-aged man, See, didn't I tell you? That place is definitely fine. It's so high up. If something happens, Hengyang City will be even more finished.
The middle-aged man asked,"Is what you said true?"
Driver: Why would I lie to you? Now that the Xiangjiang River had only risen by six meters, there would probably be no problem even if it rose another six meters. Don't worry!
At the same time, several people beside him expressed that the place was definitely safe. Only then did the middle-aged man slowly relax. Then, he stayed there for another ten minutes, listening to the radio player say that there was flooding again, and the water had risen by a few centimeters. There were also people drawing on the area map, indicating that there was flooding. The place he wanted to see had always been safe. After asking a few people and confirming that it was safe, he swept away his previous uneasiness and dispiritedness. He completely let go of his worries and regained his spirit. He returned to his car energetically and told everyone what he had heard and seen.
It was past three in the afternoon, and the southbound traffic was still moving. On the other side of the road, a convoy of three cars led by a group of soldiers appeared. The first car was equipped with a loudspeaker, and the loudspeaker was playing information about a refugee settlement in a safe area ahead. It was specially prepared for foreigners who were heading south on the national road. It was to urge the vehicles on the road not to continue heading south unless necessary.
The second car was a van. Both sides of the car were painted with a map of the refugee settlement. The map marked the forest surrounded by National Road 107, Village Road 288, and Jiuguandu Reservoir drainage channel.
The third car was broadcasting the information about the settlement through the same loudspeaker as the first car.
The convoy moved very slowly so that everyone on the road could hear it.
Yue Hua Yang entered the car and looked at the navigation map. He found that it was about five kilometers away. He felt that it was better to continue waiting in the car because it was not only him. Most people did the same and were watching.
The soldiers 'propaganda vehicles went back and forth four or five times, but there were very few responses. It was almost dark. Other than the motorbike drivers who went to the settlement, almost no car drivers went to the settlement. Everyone chose to spend the night in the car.
Just as the sky darkened a little, there was a sudden commotion in front of them. It came very quickly, and there were only a few useful messages. The water level of the Xiangjiang River in front of them had risen by more than eight meters, flooding part of National Road 107. The government had placed roadblocks and prohibited vehicles from driving south without a destination. They said that it was for everyone's safety and had set up several refugee settlements. Of course, there was only one for foreigners.
The sky soon turned dark in early spring. The weather gradually turned cold. Besides the lights of cars, there were not many lights in the surrounding residential areas. The lights were only from the backup small power supply in their homes. Soon after nightfall, the lights went out, causing the surrounding villages and the cities in the distance to fall into darkness.
The night passed peacefully, and the sun soon rose the next morning. The national highway was still blocked, and the people on the highway could only eat the food they had brought with them. On the other side of the highway, the nearby villagers seemed to have found a business opportunity. They provided everything from the most basic boiled water to hot food. However, the price was as high as a five-star hotel. Naturally, the surrounding people were not willing to pay, but they walked along the highway. He had already sold out all the things he had brought.
From morning to noon, other than the military's propaganda vehicles that continued to promote the traffic in the south, the road was lifeless. Everyone was either sleeping in the car or lying on the grass by the side of the road to bask in the sun. They had no intention of going to the refugee settlement.
The middle-aged man with a crew cut and a square face went to the taxi's yard again early in the morning. He stayed there from morning to noon before returning. The information he brought back only increased a little. It was that the water level of the Xiang River had risen by nearly ten meters overnight. Then, it basically stopped rising and not falling. Of course, it flooded many places, but the places he cared about were always safe. He even discussed the water situation of the Xiang River with everyone with an indifferent expression.
In the afternoon, the weather began to turn cloudy. The warm sunlight was gone, and cold air came from all directions. From time to time, it would drizzle. A large number of people on motorcycles began to head to the refugee settlement, and some drove cars.
Yue Hua Yang and the others went to the settlement with the intention of taking a look. On the way, they saw why the traffic was blocked. The reason was that a large truck was stuck with a small car and it had caught fire. The few remaining natural gas tanks in the small car exploded, causing both cars to burn. A burning fire blocked the road.
They followed the crowd all the way to the reservoir. In the end, not long after, they saw the biggest accident that had happened in the past two days.
There was a long queue outside the refugee settlement. There was a team of men and women in the south and a team of men and women in the north. There were special soldiers who registered to enter the refugee settlement, but the speed was very slow.
It began to drizzle. Looking into the distance, it was as if there was a layer of haze. The people in line were a little anxious, and some even began to curse.
Yue Hua Yang looked down on these people in his heart. Yesterday afternoon, the army had already started to inform and publicize. This morning, there was also an advertisement. Not many people took the initiative to register here. Now that it was raining, they all ran here to take shelter from the rain. They even looked impatient, as if the world was the biggest and the earth revolved around them.
Yue Hua Yang followed a few young people in their twenties because they decided to go to Jiuguandu Reservoir to take a look. It could even be said that they were just going to play. After all, Jiuguandu Reservoir was one of the eight scenic spots in Hengyang.
Jiuguandu Reservoir was also known as Jiuguanqiao Reservoir, or Jiuguan Lake. It was built in the 1970s and 1980s. At that time, it was still the era of the production community. The workers (which was also the old farmers) had to bring their own dry rations and tools to build it. They did not have any wages and were almost completely voluntary labor. The construction took 11 years. However, at that time, the situation was the same everywhere in the country. The social environment was different. However, thinking about it now, the social environment at that time was really unbelievable.
Along the way, it was misty and rainy, but the Jiuguan Reservoir in the distance was approaching step by step. As the rain was getting heavier, the few of them hid in a pavilion by the lake to avoid the rain while looking at the hazy lake surface of the Jiuguan Reservoir in the distance. All of a sudden, a loud noise came from afar. They all looked curiously in the direction of the sound. They looked at each other in shock. Because the smoke in the air above the settlement was blown high by the weak northwest wind, the noise came from there.
The few of them were curious and surprised. Why did the place suddenly catch fire? Hence, he rushed over to check on the situation.
As they were on a relatively high position along the way, they could roughly see the situation on the other side through the drizzle. The people in the settlement climbed over the low fences set up around them and fled in all directions. They fled to a place hundreds of meters away from the settlement. Some people even directly returned to their cars.
Yue Hua Yang and the others ran all the way to a flat grassland near the road. At this time, the grassland was already full of people who had escaped. They were discussing the incident and occasionally cursing angrily.
So this was what happened:
This incident happened in the male settlement area. Since the soldiers arranged the check-in according to the order of registration, it was inevitable that a single person would live together with a large number of relatives and friends. In this way, it was easy to cause a single person or a small number of people to become a vulnerable group. If they encountered people with low quality, the vulnerable people would inevitably be bullied.
One of them was very unlucky. He met more than a dozen people who were from the same village and knew each other. He was assigned to such a barracks. In the first hour or two, there was no conflict, but the rain got heavier and heavier. The roof of the canvas tent was wet from the wind, and there was a spot that started to leak. It wasn't his spot, but when he went out to relieve himself, his first reaction was that his spot was occupied by someone else. His things were thrown next to the leaking bunk. He must have been very angry and cursed a few times. In the end, he was annoyed by a few people with bad tempers and beat him up. He was definitely not able to defeat the others alone. He was also narrow-minded. He was used to having a smooth life. He had never been provoked by this. The dark side of his heart became more and more difficult to take, so he began his revenge.
He dragged his aching body and got up from the ground. Then, he picked up his bag and turned around to leave. The group of people behind him mocked and scolded him, which made him even more uneasy. Therefore, he walked out of his tent and went to the side. He took out two large mineral water bottles from his backpack. They were the two large bottles that he was going to use to refuel his motorcycle. He poured the liquid around the tent. As this tent was originally the furthest one in this row, and it was still drizzling, few people were willing to run out, so not many people noticed what he was doing. The tent suddenly burst into flames. The people inside ran towards the door without any regard for their own safety. In the end, there was a large fire at the door. The running feet stepped on the surface of the fire, and the burning liquid splashed onto the surrounding people. Then, everyone who came out of the tent started to burn. Because of fear and pain, they wailed and instantly alarmed the entire settlement. Therefore, someone shouted,"Fire, fire!" Then, everyone began to run out of the settlement.
The fire spread along the wind and the weeds on the ground. Soon, it formed a large area, and thick smoke rose into the air.
The fire was so easily out of control. Other than setting it on fire, there was another reason. The tents were built in a forest that was like a semi-terrace. The trees were connected to each other in rows. There were thick dry weeds and fallen leaves on the ground. Once the fire started, it would start to spread. There was no fire extinguisher in the tents in the entire settlement. When the fire was discovered, it would be impossible to control it.
Yue Hua Yang listened to their discussion. Some said that the person who set the fire was too extreme and completely inhumane. Some of them expressed sympathy for him, but they hated that group of people even more, thinking that they were the more hateful ones.
Fortunately, the people in their tent had almost suffered retribution. Those who were not burned to death were severely injured. Only a man in his twenties was slightly burned. He was the last to run out from another direction. The basic version of the story came from his mouth. Now, he was taken away by the soldiers to ask about the specific situation.
Yue Huayang looked at the settlement that was still filled with smoke and could only shake his head helplessly. When society was in chaos, people's hearts were also in chaos. In this world... they could only rely on themselves.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。