BXBX NOVEL Chapter 131 - 96 Corrosive Acid Rain_l
Wang Tao had planned to go out with Han Rui today, but because a torrential downpour had started last night, he decided to cancel the trip.
Although the rain could interfere with the zombies’ perception, heavy rain could also affect people’s movements and senses. It could even pose a life-threatening risk, as excessive rain might lead to flooding disasters.
So for the sake of safety, Wang Tao decided to postpone for a day.
After Han Rui received the message from Wang Tao, she also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She was really not comfortable being alone with Wang Tao, although she knew he would likely invite her again later. But for now, delaying it by a day was one less day to worry about…
As a committee member, Wang Tao didn’t have specific duties, and he wasn’t inclined to worry about the development of the base, so he had quite a bit of free time when he was there.
His plans for today consisted of eating, exercising, sleeping, and playing games with his sister-in-law.
He wouldn’t even need to leave the house, living the life of a post-apocalyptic homebody.
However, as Wang Tao was exercising, Ding Yuqin’s exclamation suddenly came from upstairs.
“Wang Tao, come quick and look!”
Wang Tao went to the second floor.
Ding Yuqin was behind the sliding door to the balcony, pointing at something on the balcony.
Following her gaze, Wang Tao’s eyes narrowed instantly.
“Is that… Green Vine?”
On the balcony, several pots of Green Vine were placed, as the plant enjoyed the rain, so Ding Yuqin hadn’t brought them inside.
But now, the vines had grown significantly, their leaves as big as lotus leaves!
“It is Green Vine… but how did it get so big…”
Ding Yuqin said incredulously.
The plants had grown larger before but at a slower pace, nothing as noticeable as this. These Green Vines had grown so much overnight!
And it wasn’t just the vines, looking outside, Wang Tao noticed the chives in the yard had also grown larger, about two or three times their previous size!
Wang Tao’s eyebrows knitted tightly together. In these apocalyptic times, such occurrences weren’t necessarily good news…
He slid open the glass door and stretched his hand into the rain.
After a moment of keen sensation, Wang Tao quickly withdrew his hand, his expression somewhat grim.
“This rain is strange! It feels very uncomfortable!”
It wasn’t just a psychological discomfort, most importantly, Wang Tao noticed that he was losing HP!
About one drop per minute!
“What’s wrong with you, Wang Tao?”
Ding Yuqin, seeing Wang Tao’s troubled expression, immediately asked with concern.
“This rain, it’s toxic!”
Wang Tao could not explain in detail, mainly because he was unsure of the cause himself, so he offered a simple explanation.
“Toxic?” Ding Yuqin was startled, and quickly tugged at Wang Tao’s arm, pulling him back into the room, “Then don’t touch the rain!”
Feeling Ding Yuqin’s concern, Wang Tao shook his head:
“You don’t have to worry too much, sister-in-law. The toxicity isn’t severe, we just need to avoid prolonged contact.”
Wang Tao looked at his hand again, but saw no signs of wounds or other problems.
“Don’t go out until the rain stops, sister-in-law.”
“Okay!”
Wang Tao and Ding Yuqin closed all doors and windows in the house, and then he contacted the other committee members to inform them that the rain was toxic.
Wang Tao had no idea what the situation with the rain causing HP loss was all about, whether it was a fixed rate of one drop per minute, whether the HP loss would start slowly and increase over time, or if the HP loss only occurred upon initial contact but then stopped. All these possibilities existed, so without further testing, Wang Tao couldn’t say how toxic the rain was.
After communicating with the other committee members, he discovered that the rain wasn’t just toxic!
“This rain seems to be corrosive; after my car was left out over night, the exterior has rusted!”
“The flowers and plants I planted in front of my door, some have grown larger, but others have withered as if they were sprayed with pesticide…
“A soldier reported to me that the zombies outside seem to be rotting even more…”
After exchanging information for a while, everyone couldn’t decide whether the rain was a blessing or a curse. They could only wait and see after it stopped.
Then Ren Jie began broadcasting throughout the base—some fixed areas within the base were equipped with loudspeakers used to receive information from the committee. The volume of the loudspeakers wasn’t loud, but with people nearby who could relay the messages to others, a base-wide broadcast could be achieved.
Ren Jie notified all survivors to stay indoors and not to go out, to try not to get rained on, as the rain seemed problematic.
As for the specifics, such as it being toxic or corrosive, Ren Jie didn’t mention these guesses.
Wang Tao thought Ren Jie had forgotten to mention the details, but soon realized he had underestimated the situation- the rain was getting heavier, and water was beginning to accumulate in the base. To drain this water, they needed to organize a workforce. Ren Jie then began instructing survivors to put on raincoats and start draining the water!
“We can’t tell them the rain is toxic for the moment. If they refuse to drain the water out of fear, our base might be at risk of flooding…
Ren Jie explained.
Everyone, including Wang Tao, fell silent.
Though it might sound unethical, as the saying goes, “a kind man cannot be a good official,” Ren Jie made this decision considering the overall welfare of the base, so there was nothing wrong with it.
When organizing hands for draining the water, someone needed to supervise, and Wang Tao himself, clad in a raincoat, took charge.
Considering the rain’s corrosive nature, Wang Tao didn’t drive his own car. He owned two vehicles, an electric SUV and a diesel pickup, but both were parked in an indoor garage and had not been exposed to the rain..