More than half an hour later.
The number of accident vehicles outside increased to over twenty, and more than a dozen injured drivers and passengers were lying or sitting in the Service Area Hall.
Fortunately, most of the drivers and passengers involved in the accident were not seriously injured and only required simple treatment.
The most severely injured was the bus driver, who had already lost consciousness.
He was hit by a car and rolled down a cliff for more than ten meters, suffering fractured ribs and a broken left leg, a branch about two fingers thick piercing his abdomen, and multiple scrapes and cuts on his body, requiring immediate transfer to a hospital for treatment.
"Why hasn't the ambulance arrived yet?!"
"There's a overturned truck ahead, and dozens of cars are blocking the road behind us. In this situation, let alone an ambulance, even a tow truck would shake its head."
"So what do we do? We can't just watch him die, can we?"
"Should we find a few men to take turns carrying him to a place where he can get a ride?"
"No, the temperature outside is probably already below zero, and it's raining now. If he goes out in his current state, he might quickly suffer from hypothermia and die even faster."
"This won't work, that won't work. What do you suggest we do?"
"......"
The truck lay across the road.
This prevented vehicles from coming from the front and going from the back.
And Mile Mountain Service Area is more than thirty kilometers from the nearest city, which would take several hours for a normal person to walk.
It would take even longer to carry the bus driver to the city by human power.
Moreover, the weather outside was also a big problem.
"How about we try to flag down a car on the opposite side?"
A university student said.
His idea was simple.
Since this side of the road was impassable, wouldn't it work to go to the opposite side?
There was no car accident on the opposite side.
"Don't be foolish."
"Do you think you can flag down a car in this weather?"
"Exactly, what if we don't flag down a car and end up with more injured people coming back?"
"Can't we just put out a few more warning signs, a bit further away?"
"Sigh, why don't you understand?"
"A warning sign that can be seen is a warning sign. A warning sign that cannot be seen is itself a malfunction."
"......"
In extreme foggy weather with visibility less than ten meters, drivers either parked on the emergency lane or relied on experience and instinct to drive.
Any slight misoperation could lead to a new round of tragic accidents.
This situation was no longer a question of how to place or how many warning signs to place.
"Watch closely."
"This Woman is named Xiaomei..."
An untimely voice sounded.
Everyone quieted down, looking slightly displeased towards the edge of the Hall.
There, a few young people who were self-media creators were sitting with their legs crossed, smoking, and watching videos as if no one else was around.
The sound was external and very loud, completely disregarding the feelings of those around them.
"You're right."
A male student named Xiao Hao slapped his thigh.
He stood up and said excitedly, "We can ask for help online! The speed at which short video platforms spread information is even faster than news. If we scroll through nearby short videos, maybe we can find someone who stopped on the emergency lane ahead?"
"If that doesn't work, we can also ask doctors online to guide us in saving people."
These words provided a new line of thought for everyone.
Previously, they were limited to official rescue efforts, overlooking some drivers and passengers who, facing thick fog, could not continue forward.
They gathered in the Service Area, wasn't it because they felt the fog was too thick and wanted to rest?
Similarly, there were also people who encountered thick fog right after leaving the Service Area and had to stop.
Even if there were no vehicles stopped ahead, they could still ask for help from doctors online...
"Then let's give it a try."
This method was a bit unreliable, but it was a last resort.
Everyone took out their phones to edit videos or browse nearby videos.
"I found an official alert."
Not long after, a Woman, looking somewhat flustered, held up her phone, her voice trembling slightly, "The official just issued a red fog alert, saying that the highway will be temporarily closed."
Fearing that others wouldn't believe her, she turned her phone screen towards everyone and replayed the latest news announcement.
The phone screen showed a disheveled anchor, as if she had been woken up temporarily, reading from a script with her head down.
"Below is an announcement."
"Currently, extreme foggy weather has appeared in multiple areas, and local meteorological bureaus have issued red fog alerts."
"According to the International Meteorological Bureau, the fog that has appeared does not belong to existing classifications."
"Drivers need to take fog prevention measures according to fog driving regulations, adopt reasonable driving methods according to environmental conditions, and quickly find a safe parking area to stop. Airports will suspend aircraft takeoffs and landings, highways will be temporarily closed, and ferries will be temporarily suspended..."
"......"
More than ten minutes of news.
Everyone didn't finish listening, with one sentence constantly echoing in their ears — the highway is closed.
The entrance was blocked, and the exit of the Service Area was blocked by an overturned truck...
This meant that they had no way to leave the Service Area until the thick fog dissipated.
And there was another piece of information.
The news reported alerts in multiple areas, not just warnings.
This indicated that the fog covered not only the highway sections but also other places.
"Holy crap!"
The bad news of the road closure had not yet been digested.
Another university student cursed, her face full of disbelief.
She pointed at her phone and said loudly,
"This is the international version of a short video APP, where you can browse short videos posted by people from different countries."
"Look, this video is from Kimchi Country. The poster filmed downstairs in his Community. He said he lives on the fifth floor, but the video is full of fog, and he can't see downstairs at all."
"And this one, this blogger is a high school student from Sakura Country. She uploaded a video of her all-girls school..."
"This is Free Country..."
"......"
Due to time differences between different countries, some videos were during the day, some at night, or during dusk, dawn, and other time periods. However, all the videos were a vast expanse of white, plus an enthusiastic voice-over that couldn't be understood.
Global thick fog?
Everyone became even quieter.
Initially, they thought it was just heavy night fog in the mountains and didn't think much of it.
But now, things seemed to be getting unusual.
"I don't understand."
Xu Wanli never made things difficult for himself.
His education was limited, and he couldn't figure out overly profound problems.
He pushed through some people surrounding the bus driver, reaching out to feel the driver's clothes for keys. They weren't in his left pants pocket, nor his right. So, he unzipped the driver's jacket and searched the inner pocket.
"Buddy, this... isn't very good, is it?"
Someone couldn't stand it and hesitated to speak.
Xu Wanli looked up in confusion, only then realizing that everyone's eyes were a bit strange. Even a muscular guy's eyes were shining brightly, as if he had found a kindred spirit, and his expression became bashful.
Xu Wanli felt a chill and pointed to his dripping wet clothes.
"I need to go back and change into a clean set of clothes."
After speaking, he also found the keys in the inner pocket.
Ignoring everyone else, he took the keys and walked towards where the bus was parked.
Xu Wanli had tried taking cold showers in winter.
But only today did he realize that getting clothes wet in the rain and taking a cold shower were completely different concepts.
He was shivering from the cold.
"Everyone, let's first figure out how to save people. The highway closure is for regular vehicles; ambulances are not affected."
A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses comforted the crowd.
"Fog forms when the external temperature drops to the dew point, condensing water vapor in the air. When the temperature rises tomorrow, the fog will dissipate, and rescue personnel will arrive as quickly as possible, so don't panic..."
His words were very effective.
The people present calmed down considerably.
They could afford to wait one night.
Only a Woman at the edge, whose face was as pale as paper, remained oblivious.
The Woman sat at the dining table, ignoring the delicious food in front of her.
She stared intently at the carotid artery of the man next to her, blood vessels gradually appearing in her eyes, and her throat moved up and down several times...