Lin Yi glanced around. Seeing that everyone was busy, he finally relaxed.
In his previous life, he had risen to the upper echelons of Blue Star through his combat strength. Most of his time had been spent cultivating and fighting the Abyss Beasts, but he had still gained some management experience.
He hadn't suggested giving everyone these tasks because he truly expected them to use the results to fight the Abyss Wolves. He just wanted to keep them occupied so they wouldn't break down or cause an accident while he "studied" the Source Energy Guidance Technique.
In a situation like this, it was better to have busywork than idle people. Keeping everyone occupied would leave them less time to let their minds wander.
Lin Yi picked up the Spirit Radiance Crystal containing the cultivation technique and headed to a corner of the banquet hall where he wouldn't disturb anyone. As he went, he surveyed the room from the corner of his eye.
His mother and aunt were comforting the frightened Zhou Mengmeng. His father and uncle were dismantling the decorative frames beside the stage. Chen Yu leaned against the window, tying a shield together while monitoring the street through a gap in the curtains.
But he had only taken a few steps when—
Bzz—! Bzz—! Bzz—!
Ding—! Ding—! Ding—!
Almost everyone's phone chimed with a text message at the same time.
"Ah!"
"What's going on?!"
"A message?"
Everyone jumped, then scrambled to check their phones.
Lin Yi's heart stirred.
Here it comes. As expected, the authorities must have sent out a mass emergency alert while the cell towers were still partially operational!
Though he knew roughly what it would say, Lin Yi quickly went over to his parents and retrieved the phone he had left with them while wearing his armor.
When he turned it on, he saw three unread messages.
Lin Yi opened them without hesitation.
[National Emergency Alert][Highest Crisis Level] All citizens, take note! A nationwide biological security disaster has occurred (Code Name: Abyss Tide)! The following emergency instructions are now in effect across the country: Hold your position and await rescue! Reinforce doors and windows. Do not go outside unnecessarily. Wait for rescue where you are! Store drinking water and food! Collect and store drinking water and food immediately! Ignore rumors! Trust only this official alert channel! Further instructions will be broadcast on the designated radio frequency (FM **.*** MHz)! Prioritize protecting radio receivers and portable power equipment! Important: The Abyss Tide Survival Guide has been posted on the official website (www.*****.***.cn). Since communications may be interrupted, all citizens are advised to download and save it as soon as possible. Crisis Response Center July 24, 2027
All three messages were identical.
"Radio frequency. Official guide..." class monitor Zhou Yuxuan murmured, already tapping the link on instinct.
His movement was like pressing a start button. Everyone began checking the link, eager to see what this so-called survival guide had to say.
The site was a little slow, probably due to heavy traffic. It took a while to load.
"It's open, it's open!"
Chen Yu exclaimed softly.
A plain blue-and-white Crisis Response Center website appeared on his phone. Everything else had been removed, leaving only a single message: the Abyss Tide Emergency Survival Guide.
Everyone hurriedly tapped the download button.
The document looked extensive. Ye Qingyu was the first to finish downloading it.
"'When conditions permit, print or copy the key contents of this guide onto paper,'" Ye Qingyu read softly. "That's the very first instruction?"
"Smart!"
Zhou Jianjun slapped his thigh. "You won't be able to read it when your phone runs out of battery. Having it on paper could save your life!"
Lin Ruiheng stood and began searching the service desk drawers. "Find paper and pens! Hurry!"
By then, the Abyss Tide Emergency Survival Guide had finished downloading to Lin Yi's phone as well. He opened the document, and a long table of contents filled the screen:
Chapter One: Emergency Safety Precautions Chapter Two: Food and Drinking Water Storage Chapter Three: Making Simple Weapons (Bows/Short Hammers/Short Spears/Molotov Cocktails, etc.) Chapter Five: A Quick Guide to Indoor Soilless Cultivation Chapter Seven: Emergency Wound Treatment and Folk Antiseptics (Wild Herbs/Honey/Alcohol, etc.) Chapter Nine: Making a Homemade Rainwater Filter Chapter Eleven: Making a Radio with Basic Materials Chapter Sixteen: Simple Protection Against Radioactive Fallout (Plastic Sheet and Tape Method) Appendix Three: Illustrated Guide to Preparing Edible Parts of Rats
"It even teaches you how to eat rats. This thing's incredibly thorough." Li Jie grimaced as he scrolled down, then suddenly stopped. "Wait! Look at this date at the end. Is it a mistake?"
Everyone hurriedly scrolled to the bottom of the document. In small print, the final line read: "Revision date: November 7, 1967."
"Could it be that it isn't a mistake?" Chen Yu grimaced. "Now I get why it includes protection against nuclear radiation. Maybe they just changed the title of a manual that was prepared for a nuclear war back then."
"The timing does line up," Zhou Yuxuan said, shaking his head helplessly. "No wonder it came out so fast. They already had it ready."
"Don't overthink it. As long as it's useful, that's what matters!" Lin Ruiheng had already found the hotel's paper and pens for recording guest feedback. Zhou Jianjun had somehow found a stack of menus and slapped them onto the table.
"Get moving. The men, keep working on the weapons and shields. That guide just reminded me—we can also try making some short hammers! The women can start copying the key chapters marked in red. Wait. Xiaoyi, you go learn the technique in that crystal first. We can manage without you."
Lin Yi nodded. Even if Zhou Jianjun hadn't said anything, he would have volunteered. The Abyss Wolves would return before long, so learning to use Source Energy was his first priority.
Still, it was better to have someone else bring it up.
As paper and pens made their way through the crowd, everyone in the banquet hall got back to work.
Zhao Xiaowen unwrapped a new lipstick and used it to draw a water purification system on the back of a menu. His aunt put on her glasses and carefully copied the instructions for stitching wounds. Even Zhou Mengmeng asked for a short pencil and lay on the floor, sketching a diagram to help identify mushrooms.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jianjun showed a few young men how to wrap tablecloth around the seat of a chair to make a simple shield.
The crack of chair legs breaking, the scratch of pen tips on paper, and their hushed discussions echoed through the banquet hall. The noise kept the fear at bay, for the time being.
But Lin Yi knew it was only an illusion. The fear hadn't disappeared; it had merely been displaced by the relief of receiving official news and the will to survive.
He didn't dwell on it. Once he mastered Source Energy, everyone here would be completely safe.
So Lin Yi found a corner by the wall and sat down cross-legged.
From there, he could observe the entire room without being entirely out of sight.
The moment Lin Yi raised the crystal, the whole banquet hall seemed to fall silent. Almost everyone turned to look at him.
He deliberately took a deep breath and pinched both ends of the crystal between his thumb and forefinger.
"Xiaoyi." His mother, Zhou Jinghua, called out, then stopped abruptly.
Crack.
The crystal broke between his fingers with a faint sound, but in the quiet banquet hall, it rang out clearly.
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