The trip continued. All the scientists were injured to some degree so Naia didn’t force them to ’see the outside world’. For now, only the couple and a few team members hung out outside.
The roads had cracks everywhere; two out of ten tall or old buildings had given way, and cars were either crushed by debris or turned upside down.
Most buildings seemed to still be standing, though, fortunately, because they were far from the epicenter of the earthquakes. Even so, those that fell definitely killed a few thousand, if not more, and many hit other buildings or blocked the roads.
Kael was driving this time, with Naia next to him in the shotgun seat, adjusting the frequency of the radio.
After some moments, the radio’s static diminished as it connected to other signals.
The cars were outfitted with the most advanced radios. They used an HF radio that could send groundwave signals up to 300 kilometers away, and more after hopping. They knew all the signals and satellites would go down, so of course they were prepared for it.
While the radio static became clearer and words started to form, the rest of the family looked at the chaos happening outside.
People were crying everywhere, and if they only had a few wounds, they were considered lucky. A lot of people were stuck underneath heavy weights between cars, under rubble, or inside the buildings. It was unknown whether they were alive or dead.
They were desperately calling for help, for family, friends, or for anyone, but it was unknown whether they would ever be answered.
The radio finally connected; rather than feeling hope, those in the car felt a horrible sense of dread instead.
They did not know what channel Kael connected to, but it felt official.
They mentioned which cities and towns had fallen. Which one had been decimated by a space rock, which one had been in an epicenter, and so on. In those areas, no matter how well-built the buildings were, they were simply not built to handle the magnitude of the disaster they went through.
[At least four meteorites have been confirmed to have impacted the Republic of Danian, consisting of one large meteorite and three smaller pieces. The largest impact landed on the sea, a hundred kilometers off the coast, generating multiple tsunami events across the globe.]
[All residents and authorities in coastal areas are strongly advised to immediately evacuate to higher ground and move further inland until the land and seas stabilize. Further updates will be issued as soon as additional information becomes available.]
The channel also mentioned the height of the tsunamis, which were even taller than many mid-rise buildings, and the continuous warnings not to head to the sea within the next couple of days.
The message on the radio was played on loop. If there was an update or new news, they would simply add it to the loop. From what they gathered, this news came all the way from the capital, so they could rest assured that, after a few hops, these announcements could reach the entire country and beyond, provided they had decent radio equipment.
The looped information also mentioned the ejecta, which were created as secondary superheated projectiles, had also destroyed more towns and villages, causing several forest fires around the country.
The radio continued to tell the news, mention information, and send instructions. There was a new entry after a while. They knew this because they had listened to the entire loop beforehand.
For one, 99% of airborne flights had not landed safely, with a hundred percent casualty rate among those that had fallen. The lucky survivors happened to have not gone far, or were already near the airports, so they managed to land intact.
And then it was announced that, less than an hour since the Fall, the national death toll was already in the millions. And counting.
There were also plenty of warnings and to-dos during the disasters. For example, there were tips about finding the right places to hide during earthquakes, where to go during a tsunami, and so on.
They also made some warnings about extreme cold and extreme heat, asking people to prepare for the most extreme temperatures coming both ways.
The tips and tricks section included a lot of knowledge from the novel, which should indeed save a lot of lives.
Naia smiled. "At least some of them listened."
It was estimated that the location of the bases would also be announced within the next few weeks, or a month at most. Everyone had been taken off guard by the Fall happening earlier, and not every part of the process believed in the apocalypse actually happening, hindering its progress.
They would definitely expedite things now, though hopefully those who would get a chance to enter the capital would not be limited to the rich.
Kael nodded. "We’ve already done our part."
Hearing them discuss this, Hans and Linlin couldn’t help but look at each other, eyes reddish. The more the novel became true, the more dread they felt.
It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Naia when she said it. While they were a bit cynical at first, the sight of the space and the succeeding preparations were enough to clear the doubts. Besides, even if they doubted, they’d have followed Naia anyway.
She was family, after all, not to mention she saved their lives several times already, so even if it was all false and they had dug out their lives to follow after Naia’s whims, they would not have minded.
However, knowing what would happen was one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes was quite another.
Hans looked much calmer, but his eyes were glistening, and his fists were clenched against his thigh.
To be honest, when he found out an apocalypse was coming and saw magic space, he was the most excited.
Peers would feel the same, as would many webnovel readers who must’ve fantasized leading some sort of apocalyptic adventure.
But now that it was actually happening, he couldn’t help but want to smack his old self in the face.
The life they had taken for granted...it was over now, and they might never get it back.
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