Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space

From afar, the gate of New Moon City was visible. Fortunately, the quality was decent; even after being submerged in water for over a year, it still stood resiliently, with the main gate holding firm as well.

What was in sight was far from the restored order after the flood, leaving Hua Jin somewhat disappointed.

It didn't seem like things were going well. The city gate stood wide open, yet there wasn't a single Government Official in sight; the place was completely empty.

Only a few people rushed into the city hurriedly, while almost everyone coming out bore expressions of pain, disappointment, bewilderment, and dead silence.

The absence of a single Government Official at the gate hinted at a situation far worse than expected! Hua Jin thought to themselves.

This is a complete collapse—either the government had given up or its personnel were also affected, unable to exert any strength.

Although the distance was great, the desolate and bleak aura within the city permeated through, prompting Hua Jin to silently avert their gaze.

Why, heavens? Why must this world be punished so?

Sweeping away the feelings of reluctance, Hua Jin steered towards several known brickworks outside the city.

With the epidemic this severe, Hua Jin couldn't be bothered about whether the massive vehicle would impact others; they only wanted to ensure their own safety.

If one doesn't care for oneself, the heavens and earth will doom them. One can be kind-hearted, but only after ensuring their own safety.

Thus, Hua Jin appeared at the first brickwork. Things were less than ideal; evidently, it had been visited already. The vast workshop was mostly stripped of bricks and stones, save for some scattered on the ground.

A bit disappointed, they nonetheless gathered everything on the ground into their space, not leaving even the collapsed kiln brickworks untouched.

Then, moving on to the next site.

Before dark, Hua Jin visited every known brickwork, encountering both disappointment and gain. Overall, the trip wasn't fruitless as a considerable amount of bricks and stones were collected into their space.

They didn't spare even the collapsed brick houses they encountered; they simply stamped them down and collected the materials. Unfortunately, there were very few purely brick-and-stone houses outside the city; to collect more, venturing into the city was necessary.

Hua Jin indeed considered making a trip into the city, but not now. They would wait until after dark.

Finding a secluded spot, Hua Jin entered their space to eat and rested for a while. While waiting for night to fall, they didn't remain idle and used their spiritual power to organize the bricks and stones within their space, especially dismantling entire wall sections they had stored.

Working with spiritual power was indeed as effective as an army of thousands.

As Hua Jin toiled inside their space, news of monsters appearing in New Moon City quickly spread. Despite the epidemic, making people too afraid to leave their homes, the news propagated swiftly.

In a short time, countless terrifying versions had emerged.

The creatures were described as having ghastly green faces with tusks, enormous bodies that could swallow a person whole, leaving no trace, and the ability to crush a human with one stomp. They particularly favored young and healthy people and children, making the already jittery county even more of a breeding ground for fear.

Those hiding in their homes wouldn't dare come out, and those waiting to die in the streets didn't wish to die without an intact body, using all their strength to hide in corners.

In no time, the already scant county became even emptier, leaving only leaves rustling in the wind, as if narrating some unspeakable stories.

When Hua Jin, fully armored, appeared in the county, they saw nothing but silence, desolation, and wasteland.

The once bustling scenes seemed like a fleeting dream; what remained were ruins and debris, leaving Hua Jin chilled to their core, especially with untreated corpses scattered everywhere. Hua Jin dared not stop and vanished like lightning down the mud-covered streets, headed towards the collapsed, abandoned houses.

Suddenly, amidst their swift movement, Hua Jin came to an abrupt halt, their gaze directed towards a certain direction. A complicated expression flashed in their eyes, their halted steps pivoted towards the left.

Moments later, Hua Jin stopped in a place resembling a slum built from planks and oilcloth.

Crude tents were haphazardly erected, the squalor evident, with garbage and human waste mingling with a body-like stench, creating a difficult-to-describe smell.

Groaning, cries of pain, coughing, and weeping incessantly filled the night, causing those trapped within to unconsciously feel repression and terror.

If not for the full protection, blocked sense of smell, and the spiritual power forming a protective film on their body, Hua Jin truly wouldn't dare enter, let alone stand firm.

Virtually everyone here exuded a deathly aura, with no desire for life.

Thanks to the external spiritual power, even at a distance, nothing here escaped their eyes.

They were drawn by the cries of children.

Indeed, it was a group. Outside the tattered tent where they stood was a group of children, none older than fifteen or sixteen.

Some children inside the tent had already fallen, lying on straw mats reeking of vomit, and the rest were evidently infected by the plague. All appeared weak and listless, with only a few standing, their mouths and noses covered, crying sorrowfully in front of the largest child within the tent.

"Big Liu... Brother... don't die... sob..."

The children's sobbing voices drifted intermittently from the tent.

"Grassroot, Wan'er, Gouzi, Hua'er, don't cry... Stay away from Big Liu... Go find herbs, try... to survive... Big Liu... Brother... might not make it... you have to be strong... cough, cough..."

Before finished speaking, a violent bout of coughing ensued, followed by the children's even more terrified cries.

One of the younger children instinctively tried to approach but was restrained by one of the older ones, held back firmly, even though they couldn't stop their tears.

"Sob... Brother Gouzi... let me go, Big Liu... Brother is suffering... sob... Big Liu Brother..." The little girl cried, struggling to move forward.

"Hua'er... don't cry, Brother isn't... suffering... Brother is just tired, wants to find Mom and Dad, you all... listen to Big Liu Brother... and find herbs... as long as... you get through... you'll... survive..."

Unfortunately, his body was too weak to endure much longer. Big Liu unwillingly looked at his siblings and sisters inside the tent, each of whom he had picked up one by one, surviving daily on wild vegetables. Sadly, he could no longer protect them...

His words left all the children in the tent gazing at him with sorrow; without Big Liu Brother, could they survive?

Finding herbs, even if they existed, was unlikely for these unprotected children.

"Big Liu Brother, stop talking. Have some wild vegetable soup." Gouzi wiped away their tears, pouring wild vegetable soup from the earthen pot on the fire into a cracked bowl, tremblingly bringing it before Big Liu, suppressing the grief in their chest. Regardless, Big Liu Brother must leave with a full stomach, not die a hungry ghost.