Chapter 120: Mist
One minute after the evacuation warning was issued.
After confirming that the people around had all received the message, most people realized that this was not some prank caused by a virus, but a real disaster.
Doubts and curses subsided, and panic emotions spread rapidly through the crowd.
The first to be affected was the traffic on the streets.
People who wanted to leave wished they could step the accelerator into the ground, and they would overtake without hesitation anyone driving even slightly slower, even squeezing into a gap between two vehicles.
If most people thought this way, perhaps a relatively stable driving environment could still be maintained.
But there are so many weirdos in this world.
Not only did some people stop their cars to take selfies, but there were even fearless ones who turned around, wanting to go against the traffic flow to the seaside to witness the so-called tsunami with their own eyes.
Scrapes, rear-end collisions… all kinds of situations emerged endlessly, and the roads quickly became congested.
Even though the official action was quick, and grassroots workers immediately coordinated with the police to maintain order, they were somewhat powerless in the face of such chaos for the time being.
In this noisy world.
A wisp of grayish mist suddenly seeped out from a dark corner.
The mist was very faint and thin, negligible compared to the entire Dadong City, and it didn’t attract anyone’s attention.
But it was like flipping a switch, as more and more mist eagerly poured out, and in just a moment, it enveloped most of the urban area.
“Hiss~ So cold.”
The strong man who was passionately arguing with the driver opposite suddenly shivered and involuntarily rubbed his icy cold arms.
An uneven texture came from his touch, and looking down, he saw that his hands were already covered with large and small goosebumps.
“Damn, it’s not even winter yet, what the hell is this weather.”
Although it wasn’t summer now, the strong man, as a northerner, always got by in short sleeves, and this was the first time he felt cold in Dadong City.
The woman in the passenger seat rubbed her palms and was stunned after exhaling a breath of cold mist.
Has the temperature dropped this fast now?
“Old Chen, stop arguing with him. I just feel uneasy, let’s leave first.”
“He’s driving against traffic, letting him go like this would be too easy on him.” Old Chen said reluctantly.
This wasn’t about money; the crucial point was that the young man’s attitude opposite was too arrogant, acting superior just because he drove a sports car.
“Coward, get lost. Your dad won’t bother with you!”
“Damn…”
Old Chen shook his arms and wanted to take action, but the other side patted the sports car’s engine cover even more fearlessly.
“My dashcam is on. If you dare punch me, I guarantee I’ll sue you until you’re bankrupt.”
“Old Chen.”
The woman in the passenger seat called again.
“Sigh…”
Old Chen sighed and somewhat reluctantly touched the shattered headlight.
But with his wife speaking, what else could he do.
“Grandson, don’t let your grandfather catch you. Next time you won’t get off so easy…”
Before the harsh words were finished, the young man opposite had already gotten back in the car and fled the scene, leaving only the word idiot echoing in the air.
“I… cough cough cough—”
Old Chen had just opened his mouth to retort but inhaled a big mouthful of smoke.
This mist was even icier cold than ice cubes, and caught off guard, it made him cough.
“Cold wind and mist… could there really be a tsunami?”
Muttering to himself, Old Chen still started the engine and hit the road under his wife’s urging.
But just over ten seconds later, the mist that had been barely visible suddenly became thick, so dense that even the orange fog lights couldn’t penetrate it.
Unable to see the road conditions, Old Chen could only creep forward cautiously, afraid of accidentally falling into a pit or crashing into a wall.
Strangely, the cars behind had almost blown their horns earlier when he stopped briefly, but now no one was urging him despite his slow progress.
The entire street was eerily quiet at this moment, as if they had entered another world, with all the people around disappeared, only the roar of the engine and the incessant vibration of the mobile phone.
The originally congested streets were now unobstructed as if empty, and he drove for several minutes without encountering other vehicles.
Not only that, but the side paths and bends on the road seemed to have vanished, and now the only thing visible was the bit of black road surface constantly emerging from the mist.
Even Old Chen, who was thick-skinned, sensed something was off, occasionally glancing around with his peripheral vision, hoping to spot other people or vehicles.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get his wish.
“Haha, this damn weather is really outrageous. Speaking of which, this is the first time we’ve encountered such heavy fog since coming to Dadong.”
After an awkward laugh, Old Chen stopped paying attention to the eerie surroundings and started talking to his wife, trying to distract his increasingly tense mind.
The woman didn’t care much and responded casually, “The announcement said there’s a tsunami. I think this matter is not that simple.”
“At least this weather is very abnormal. I haven’t heard of tsunamis being related to temperature drops or heavy fog.”
Although they had already closed the windows, the temperature inside the car didn’t rise because of it; instead, it kept dropping as time passed.
“What’s abnormal about it? Maybe we just happened to take a path.”
Old Chen pretended to be calm, not sure if he was comforting his wife or himself.
The temperature kept dropping, even their breaths forming cold air.
Old Chen was already stiff from the cold, but being the stubborn type, he didn’t want to turn on the warmth himself.
After all, rumors said that people who fear the cold have kidney deficiency. Old Chen didn’t really believe such baseless rumors; he just felt that as a man, he couldn’t be too delicate.
Exhaling another breath of cold air, Old Chen glanced at his wife. She wasn’t dressed warmly either, and she would definitely turn on the air conditioner in the end.
“Cough cough, Xiao Li, are you cold? We still have plenty of fuel. Should we turn on the air conditioner?”
After a moment, Old Chen finally gave in.
Women really couldn’t be judged by common sense; she was so afraid of the cold in winter, but now she seemed to feel nothing.
“Sure, this temperature is indeed uncomfortable.”
Xiao Li smiled lightly and turned on the air conditioner.
“Damn…”
Bursts of cool wind hit his legs, making Old Chen tense up down there, his whole body rigid.
“Stop joking, I’m really going to freeze to death.”
“Haha, I accidentally turned it the wrong way.”
Xiao Li smiled playfully, and her lively demeanor improved Old Chen’s mood quite a bit.
Bursts of warm air blew from the vents, finally adding a touch of warmth to the icy cold car interior.
Old Chen exhaled in satisfaction and inadvertently glanced at the rearview mirror.
In just one look, the warmth that had just arisen suddenly dissipated.
That foul-mouthed young man was actually sitting in the back seat at this moment.
