Chapter 5

After Cheng Yang finished talking with Yu Kai, he walked towards the truck at the front, as he saw Boss Li from the lumber mill jump down from it. It seemed that he really valued this transaction, so he came in person.

When he saw Cheng Yang approaching, he finally felt at ease, but after looking around, he said, "Xiao Cheng, why did you buy so much wood and bring it here? Are you planning to build a house here? The foundation hasn't even been leveled yet!"

Cheng Yang smiled and said, "It will be leveled soon."

Boss Li was taken aback, his mouth wide open enough to fit a duck egg. Is this a joke? Although Luofeng Slope isn't a cliff, leveling it to the point where a house can be built would take more than just a day or two. Large machinery would also be required.

Cheng Yang said, "Boss Li, you don't need to worry about it. Just unload the wood by the roadside. After that, I'll transfer the payment with you."

Boss Li looked at Cheng Yang, sighed, and said, "Alright, you're the buyer, so I'll follow your instructions."

Then, Boss Li directed the twelve strong workers who came with the truck to start unloading. Each piece of wood had a diameter of over two feet and a length of over five meters, making them incredibly heavy. This was the size Cheng Yang requested, as anything smaller would be useless to him.

Cheng Yang retreated to Yu Kai and the others. At this moment, Yu Kai also realized what was happening and said with a bitter smile, "Yangzi, don't tell me you spent all the money you borrowed on these logs."

Cheng Yang nodded and said, "That's right. Otherwise, where would I get the money to buy so much wood?"

Yu Kai said with a bitter smile, "Yangzi, can I call you the boss? Even if the end of the world is really coming, shouldn't you be buying food? Can you eat these logs? And you brought us to this desolate mountain. What's the point?"

Cheng Yang said calmly, "Don't worry, you'll understand soon."

Although he said this, as time passed, he also felt a bit uneasy.

If his prediction was wrong and the disaster didn't come, what would he do? Where would he get the remaining 100,000 yuan to pay Boss Li? Or if Boss Li had to return all the wood, the 80,000 yuan deposit would probably not be refunded. This would leave him with a debt of over 80,000 yuan, which made Cheng Yang feel heavy-hearted.

But if the disaster really came, and he hadn't prepared in advance, it would be a disaster for him, a matter of life and death. Thinking about this, Cheng Yang felt a bit better.

Cheng Yang saw the time was 4:45, but Niu Bing still hadn't arrived, which made him anxious.

He called Niu Bing again and learned that he had just gotten into the car and hadn't left the city yet. This made Cheng Yang want to scold him, as it was like playing with his life.

Cheng Yang immediately urged Niu Bing to have the driver speed up and arrive at Luofeng Slope before 5:00.

After the call, Cheng Yang felt a bit heavy-hearted. In his view, Niu Bing hadn't even left the city, and it was almost impossible to reach Luofeng Slope in 15 minutes. After some consideration, he made a decision.

Cheng Yang looked around again and said to Yu Kai and the others, "No matter what happens, don't panic. Stay where you are as much as possible. I'll go tell Boss Li and the others."

Without caring about Yu Kai's thoughts, Cheng Yang walked to the truck and said, "Boss Li, let these brothers take a break and have a cigarette. This is hard work, and they might get hurt if they're too tired."

Cheng Yang took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to Boss Li.

"Alright!" Boss Li looked at the sky and smiled, "It's still early, so everyone can take a few minutes to rest."

Seeing everyone jump down from the truck, Cheng Yang smiled. As long as they weren't on the truck, their lives should be safe. Maybe they would even become his subordinates, and he would feel heartache if any of them got hurt.

4:57...

4:58...

4:59...

Time ticked by, but Niu Bing still hadn't arrived.

Cheng Yang's palms started to sweat, and Yu Kai and the others were also very nervous. However, Boss Li and his group seemed relaxed. They occasionally turned to look at Cheng Yang and the others, finding their stiff expressions quite strange.

Suddenly, a strong wind came from the sky, instantly sweeping across the land, making the surrounding trees rustle.

This wind was too strange. Normally, wind doesn't come from above, unless it's at high altitude. So Boss Li and the others all looked up in surprise, seeing that the originally clear sky had turned gray, as if covered by a white veil.

"This..." Boss Li was about to ask but then closed his mouth, as he noticed the ground was trembling, and it was getting more intense.

"Earthquake!" Someone shouted, and panic spread among the crowd.

Cheng Yang, however, remained calm and muttered, "It's finally here!"

But the bitterness in his eyes went unnoticed.

"Yangzi, is... is this the disaster you talked about?" Liu Hao's voice trembled, a natural fear of the unknown.

Cheng Yang said calmly, "This is just the beginning!"

The ground shook more violently, and the vegetation on Luofeng Slope was still intact, with no rocks rolling down. However, some trees were completely flattened by the strong wind.

"Don't run! Nowhere is safe, stay where you are." Cheng Yang saw that Boss Li's group was about to lose it and had to shout loudly. Although the wind was strong, his voice still reached everyone.

Cheng Yang was right; the slope was relatively gentle and safer compared to running out of this area.

Five minutes later, the ground was shaking like a sieve. Cheng Yang and the others were all knocked to the ground. Boss Li and his group, who were unaware of the situation, turned pale. Such a strong earthquake must be a huge disaster. How many buildings in Yuncheng City would collapse? How many people would die?

In the sky, a passenger plane suddenly plummeted, and a large fireball erupted on the ground...

Cheng Yang knew that Yuncheng City was now in chaos. The panic caused by the earthquake was unimaginable. In the face of natural disasters, humans had no power to resist.

People poured out of high-rise buildings, and no one dared to use the elevators. Large crowds rushed into the emergency exits, heading down to the ground.

The high-rise buildings didn't collapse in the shaking, or at least not immediately, giving most people a chance to escape.

Tragically, the stampede during the escape caused massive casualties, a number that no one would count. In the days to come, humans would have no energy to deal with such matters.

Ten minutes later, the high-rise buildings collapsed, and the city was destroyed, leaving only ruins and people standing unsteadily among the debris...

They were densely packed in open squares or streets, all trying to use their phones to contact the outside world. But they soon gave up, as their phones wouldn't turn on.

What was going on? Everyone was filled with fear. An earthquake shouldn't affect the ability to turn on phones, right? If one or two phones couldn't turn on, it could be due to low battery, but all phones not turning on was strange.

The ground continued to shake, and a mysterious wind howled past everyone's ears.

Everyone, regardless of status, felt helpless at this moment. They hoped to get information quickly and understand the full extent of the disaster. At this moment, they still thought it was just an earthquake.

The Xiangcheng City government also took action, not wanting to be criticized for poor disaster response. However, with the earthquake still ongoing, their options were limited.

...

Cheng Yang and the others were all lying on the ground, not because they didn't want to stand, but because the shaking made it impossible. Unlike in the city, they were on a gentle slope, making it hard to maintain balance. They didn't dare to stand on the road, fearing they might be thrown into the river.

"Look! ... What... what's happening?" Boss Li's eyes showed shock as he pointed to the top of Luofeng Slope.

Cheng Yang and the others looked up and saw that the top of Luofeng Slope was slowly sinking, like quicksand in a desert.

Everyone except Cheng Yang panicked. Yu Kai, with a pale face, said, "Will we be buried underground? Yangzi, I think we should leave quickly..."

Cheng Yang firmly shook his head and said, "This is our opportunity, we can't leave! And I guarantee we won't be buried underground."

Yu Kai and the others believed Cheng Yang, but the hired workers and drivers didn't know who he was. Two of them quickly stood up and ran towards the road.

"Come back!" Boss Li, still rational, shouted at the two running away, but they ignored him. In the strong wind, his voice couldn't reach them.

When the two reached the road, a truck, unable to withstand the shaking, tipped over, and the wood that hadn't been unloaded rolled off. Under the terrified gaze of the two, the logs crushed them, and they didn't move again.

The sudden deaths increased everyone's panic. Although the earlier chaos was intense, everyone was still alive. Now, two people were crushed to death, which was a completely different situation.

Ten minutes later, the hill, originally over 100 meters high, had been flattened, leaving Cheng Yang and the others feeling as if they were in a dream. He had guessed it would become flat, but he didn't expect it to happen in such a shocking way.

The ground finally stopped shaking. Just as everyone thought the disaster was over, a voice that echoed throughout the world reached everyone's mind, even the deaf could hear it.

"Lowly ants! Your laziness has angered the gods. The creatures of the universe must evolve through brutal slaughter. Now, begin your feast of slaughter!"

PS: New book, please recommend and collect...