As for when this natural disaster, which swept across the entire Blue Star, began, all Blue Star people, with the exception of Neon Country, believed it was the day Neon Country, disregarding the solemn protests of neighboring countries, began discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the clear ocean.
After three months of continuous discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, a massive volcanic eruption occurred in Neon Country. Volcanic ash, hot magma, and tsunamis and earthquakes caused by the eruption swallowed Neon Country whole, with only less than five percent of its total population miraculously escaping.
Before humanity could recover from this "catastrophe" that shocked the entire planet, dozens of large volcanoes distributed across the five continents of Blue Star erupted one after another. All freshwater on Blue Star became unsuitable for drinking due to volcanic ash contamination, and months of acid rain caused by the volcanic eruptions led to the collapse of agriculture across the planet.
Half a year after the volcanic eruptions, the atmospheric visibility on Blue Star finally began to improve. Just as the people of Blue Star walked out of their homes to celebrate the end of the disaster and prepare to rebuild their homes, an even greater catastrophe suddenly descended.
A supernova explosion occurred on a star eight thousand light-years from Blue Star, causing a super gamma-ray burst that, for unknown reasons, changed direction and headed towards Blue Star, which was not originally within its affected range.
After only a few seconds of ultraviolet flash, an electromagnetic pulse covering the entire hemisphere attacked Blue Star. The intense radiation caused the communication systems of the two directly impacted continents to completely collapse, and the electricity supply was also cut off. At the same time, all artificial satellites outside Blue Star's atmosphere suffered devastating damage, losing contact with the surface.
Not long after the people of the two continents in the night hemisphere were awakened and walked out of their homes, a massive stream of high-speed meson particles swept over them. The cells within all organisms that directly came into contact with the meson stream were penetrated, their DNA completely destroyed, turning the world into a living hell.
The gamma-ray burst not only caused the death of most organisms in the two continents but also led to chaos in Blue Star's magnetic field. Two mysterious elements suddenly appeared in Blue Star's atmosphere, later named "Qiang" and "Yi" by Huaguo scientists.
Qiang, meaning brutal killing, harming the body and shortening life.
Yi, meaning thunder emerging from the mountains, all things sprouting.
Under the influence of these two elements, all organisms on Blue Star underwent a great evolution in a short period, simultaneously posing a great challenge to humanity, which was at the top of the food chain. The hellish survival mode across Blue Star officially began.
Xia Qing's mother died in the fourth year of the natural disaster during an insect plague, and her father died in the fifth year of the natural disaster during a beast tide.
In the tenth year of the natural disaster, Xia Qing was still alive.
"Bang!"
A stone brick weighing over three hundred catties landed, startling the record keeper, Old Zhong. He lifted his face, which was pitted and scarred by acid rain, and upon seeing the thin, dark-red-skinned woman wearing a green identification tag standing in front of the stone brick, he forcibly suppressed his anger, muttering, "If you're tired, take a break. Breaking the stone slab won't count for points."
Xia Qing wiped the sweat and lime from her face with her sleeve and, uncharacteristically, spoke, "Uncle Zhong, I'm leaving."
Old Zhong didn't expect Xia Qing to speak to him. He stood up, his face full of smiles, "Are you going out hunting with a War Team? When will you be back? Can you save me a catty of good meat? I'll exchange it with you at 1.5 times the points."
After the great evolution of all organisms on Blue Star, human skeletons became tougher and muscles stronger. A very small number of people underwent an evolution of several, even dozens, of times, becoming Evolutionists.
Evolutionists controlled more survival resources, and their living conditions were much better than those of ordinary people struggling on the brink of death.
Xia Qing was a Level 4 Strength Evolutionist, meaning her current strength was four times that of an ordinary person after the evolution. Although Level 4 strength was not much among Evolutionists, it was enough to make ordinary people envious, fearful, and eager to please.
Evolutionist Xia Qing often kept a straight face and didn't speak, precisely because she didn't want to deal with situations like the one before her.
However, she wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.
"I'm not going hunting, I'm leaving the Safe Zone." Xia Qing smiled, but because she hadn't smiled in many years, her expression was stiff, appearing particularly frightening to Old Zhong.
The corner of his eye, which had a rotten patch, widened, and his eyeballs bulged. He stammered, "Is another large group of evolved beasts coming? Our base can't hold out? Didn't the broadcast just say yesterday that they had driven the evolved ferocious beasts hundreds of miles away? Is another evolved beast tide coming?"
The four ordinary people carrying stone blocks behind him heard Old Zhong's words and were so frightened that the stone blocks slipped from their hands, about to smash onto one of them.
Xia Qing, quick as a flash, grabbed the stone block, placed it steadily on the ground, then brushed the dirt off her body and explained, "No, I'm going to farm."
Farm? Farm!
The matter of people going out to farm had been announced on the broadcast for several days, but people who had managed to survive to the tenth year of the apocalypse cherished their lives dearly, and no one wanted to go out and risk their lives. Rumors had already begun to spread in the Safe Zone, saying that if no one volunteered to go out and farm, the next step would be to forcibly assign ordinary people to their deaths.
Unexpectedly, someone actually wanted to go, and an Evolutionist at that.
Old Zhong, realizing what was happening, eagerly chased after Xia Qing, "Farming is good! Do you still remember my eldest son? Zhong Tao, he works in the convoy. I'll tell him later, from now on, if you need anything, just find your Tao Ge, and he'll take care of it for you."
Old Zhong's son, Zhong Tao, had joined the army of Hui Three Base and was now serving in the convoy, even as a squad leader. This was why the Zhong family was doing well in the Safe Zone, and it was also why Xia Qing took the initiative to speak to Old Zhong today.
Xia Qing smiled stiffly, "Okay, I'll definitely trouble Tao Ge to transport food and game back for me to exchange for supplies in the future."
Old Zhong laughed, his face full of jumping pits and scars, "That's what he's supposed to do, no trouble at all, not at all. Which plot of land are you claiming, Qing?"
"Not yet claimed, I'm going now." After achieving her goal, Xia Qing no longer forced herself into social interactions that were more tiring than carrying stones. She quickly arrived at the Safe Zone Task Hall, bypassed the crowd watching the electronic announcement board for land claims, and stood at the front of the land office desk.
"What are you doing? Don't you understand the rule of first come, first served?" Seeing Xia Qing take the first spot, several people under the announcement board became agitated and rolled up their sleeves, rushing over.
Xia Qing turned around, and the people rushing over immediately stopped when they saw she was wearing a green tag.
Xia Qing clenched her fist and rotated her wrist, slowly raising her eyelids, "If you want to claim land, queue up."
Today was the day for claiming land, which was why there were so many onlookers. Although these people hadn't decided whether to claim land or not, they still honestly stood behind Xia Qing, queuing up.
Seeing that they didn't cause trouble, the two on-duty soldiers holstered their guns and returned to their original positions.
Most people have a herd mentality; seeing someone queuing, the people under the announcement board immediately rushed over, scrambling for a spot.
Whether they claimed it or not, they would queue up first.
The commotion here alarmed the people inside the hall. A woman with a green tag and two long scars on her face walked over to greet Xia Qing, "Are you going to farm?"
Xia Qing nodded, "Sister Xu, are you here to claim a mission?"
In the few years since her father passed away, Xia Qing had often gone on missions with Xu Juan's Dongyang Squad. Xu Juan was warm-hearted and already considered Xia Qing one of her own.
Xu Juan looked around, and finding no Hearing Evolutionists nearby, she lowered her voice and asked, "Did you offend someone? I'll tell Dongyang, why don't you join our War Team?"
It wasn't that she had offended someone and couldn't get by; which Evolutionist would give up the good life in the Safe Zone and risk their life to dig for food from the soil?
Xia Qing shook her head, "I didn't offend anyone. I just like this."
Even if you like it, you can't go to your death for it.
Xu Juan was about to speak when she heard the sound of car brakes and leather shoes landing outside the hall.
It had been ten years since the natural disaster, and there were only a few people in the Safe Zone who still wore high-heeled leather shoes. Xu Juan turned to look at the hall entrance and saw a charming woman wearing a fitted leather jacket, impeccably clean and out of place among the crowd, enter and walk directly towards them.
Tang Lu, the niece of Tang Zhengrong, the second-in-command of Hui Three Base, and the daughter of Tang Zhengsu, the captain of Su Feng Squad, the top-ranked War Team in the base. She was the most troublesome woman in the entire Safe Zone; whoever encountered her would be unlucky. Xu Juan had been resented by her over a small matter, and now she avoided her whenever possible.
Xia Qing's lips moved, and in an almost inaudible voice, she said, "Sister Xu, go get busy. We'll get together when you're free."
Xu Juan nodded slightly, turned, and quickly returned to her War Team companions.
The crisp click-clack of leather shoes echoed in the hall. Most of the people in the hall looked at Tang Lu, wondering which man she had set her sights on today, or which woman she had come to make miserable.
Tang Lu, wearing an ordinary person's yellow tag, walked impatiently to the land office desk on the west side of the hall. She lifted her chin and lowered her eyes, looking at the green tag Xia Qing wore on her chest.
Xia Qing looked up at her, then calmly took a step back.
"Hmph." Tang Lu then snorted proudly, twisted her waist to take the first position, and pulled out a perfumed handkerchief to fan herself in front of her nose, "What's that smell? It's suffocating, don't you ever wash?"
After nuclear-contaminated water and six months of acid rain mixed into oceans and lakes, Blue Star's water resources could only be used after purification. Due to the high cost of purification, water in the Safe Zone had to be exchanged for points. For ordinary people, even eating their fill and drinking a sip of water became a luxury, so they wouldn't dare to use life-sustaining points for bathing.
Evolutionist Xia Qing lived a bit better than ordinary people and could take a quick shower once a week, but today she had deliberately come dirty. Because even though her thin but still beautiful face was painted dark red, it was best not to let the jealous Tang Lu remember it, and even less to let Tang Zhengrong and Tang Zhengsu see it clearly.
Dear readers, we've started a new story.
It's still a farming story, still about daily life, but this time the setting has shifted from ancient times to Blue Star after a natural disaster. If you're interested, come farm with me in the tenth year of the natural disaster.