"Mr. Lowell is around the same age. As long as he takes good care of himself and exercises regularly, adding another twenty or thirty years to his life shouldn’t be a problem."
Hearing Evelyn’s words, both Quincy and Ethan Dawson breathed a sigh of relief.
"Evelyn, since the base has a pharmaceutical factory, it must have medicinal fields, too. We’ll have plenty of time this trip, so we can check out what herbs they’re growing." Quincy’s eyes lit up with excitement. He’d always wanted to do a little "zero-dollar shopping" at the base, and he never imagined the opportunity would come so soon.
Evelyn nodded. "I actually forgot to check the medicinal fields last time. I have most of the herbs I need, but if we find anything especially rare, we can take a few to transplant. We don’t need to grab too much."
"Is the base very large?"
"It’s about the size of a small city. Flumen is divided into three sections: one for the original residents, one for the other survivors who have found a place to live, and the last part is the refugee camp. The camp is like something you’d see in certain parts of Africa. You’ll understand when we get there."
Before setting out, the four of them changed into tattered, padded cotton jackets. Evelyn was tall, and with a bit of disguise, her gender became completely indiscernible.
The last time they were at the base, Ronan Kendrick had swiped a few ID cards off some patrol officers. The cards didn’t have photos—just a code and a name—so they were perfect for getting in and out of the base and Flumen.
"Evelyn, the higher we go, the harder it is for me to breathe. Am I running out of oxygen, or am I just carsick?"
Quincy, who rarely exercised, was now scrunched up in the passenger seat with a frown.
Ethan Dawson, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. Evelyn took out a bottle, shook out two pills, and had Quincy and Ethan Dawson take them.
"These are Energy Replenishing Pills. They have Ginseng in them, so you should feel much better after taking one."
"If this polar night doesn’t end, we’re really going to suffocate to death. It feels like someone is pinching my nose and choking me—it’s terrifying." After taking the Energy Replenishing Pill, the color returned to Quincy’s face.
"If this keeps up, people with weaker constitutions will start dying off in less than a month."
Survival of the fittest is the law of nature.
Quincy rubbed his chin. "If we cleared all the trees around the base and Flumen, there would be fewer plants competing for oxygen. That should increase our chances of survival."
"Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen when there’s light, but in the dark, it’s the reverse. Plus, humans exhale carbon dioxide too. If there’s nothing to absorb all that CO2, we’ll run out of oxygen even faster."
’There are many ways to produce oxygen, and air separation is the simplest. I could extract oxygen-rich air from the cultivation and livestock areas in my space. But I can only guarantee the survival of my own people. I don’t have enough oxygen storage for more than that. Besides, possessing a treasure you can’t protect is a crime in itself.’
’I can trust my own people not to betray me, but I can’t take that gamble on anyone else.’
"The base must have oxygen generators," Ethan Dawson said, trying to reassure them. "It’s a military-run territory, after all; they’re bound to have plenty of resources. We don’t need to worry so much. They’re sure to have all sorts of experts, and they must have sent people out to investigate the moment the polar night began. Whatever we can think of, they’ve probably thought of it too. If it lasts too long, they’ll definitely choose to relocate."
"Our current position is in the Northern Hemisphere, somewhere between 74 and 96 degrees east longitude and 34 and 49 degrees north latitude. The polar night doesn’t cover all of Azure. While the Northern Hemisphere is dark, the Southern Hemisphere should be experiencing perpetual daylight. Countries there include Corova, Sylvana, Solara, New Zealand..."
The moment Ethan Dawson finished, he realized the other three were staring at him with exasperated looks.
"What?"
Evelyn sighed. "Do you think a migration like that is really feasible? Even by plane, it would take tens of hours, and how many people could even get on one? If we walked, it would take half a lifetime to get there. We’d be better off just dying here."
"I’ve made up my mind." Evelyn pulled her tattered padded jacket tighter. "When we get back, I’m going to make incense. Burning some offerings and praying to the gods for protection might actually work better."
"Evelyn, that doesn’t sound like you. You’re getting superstitious?"
Evelyn shrugged. "My beliefs are subject to change at any time."
"You know," Quincy said, "if we could get a plane and leave anytime, there are supposedly unexplored realms on Azure that humans have never reached. I’ve read news reports about them. They say those places might be gateways to space, or to another world, or even the fourth dimension."
Evelyn looked at Quincy. "Are you saying that in one of these unexplored realms, we could develop a second Azure?"
"But have you considered that those places might be full of lethal minerals or magnetic fields? Like the surface of the Moon, where humans can’t survive."
Quincy scratched his thinning hair. "Then what are we supposed to do? If only I were a bird, I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this."
"If a lightning bolt came down, you’d be the first to go." Remembering the shocking sensation of being struck herself, a corner of Evelyn’s mouth twitched. ’I was lucky to survive. Anyone who lives through a lightning strike must be one of heaven’s chosen.’
"Alright," Evelyn said, "I have a feeling this polar night won’t last forever. But until it’s over, the real crisis is the one unfolding in the refugee camp."
’I can’t stop people from killing each other, but when it’s your own compatriots slaughtering one another, no one can remain indifferent.’
’If a war breaks out in another country, people don’t really feel it. They might sigh about the cruelty of war and wish for world peace,’
’but if a minor earthquake strikes their own nation, everyone feels uneasy, even pained and worried. That’s just how people are; you only truly empathize with suffering when it lands on your own doorstep.’
"Are we almost at Flumen?"
"Not even close. We’re about to reach the Source River Dam—the place where those rich kids used to street race. Its reservoir generates all the power for Flumen and the base."
When they reached the Source River Dam service station, Ronan Kendrick handed the ID cards over for inspection. They were waved through in less than two minutes. Having the IDs saved Ronan the trouble of having to hypnotize the guards.
"This place is just like a service station from before the apocalypse. They’ve kept it up really well—it’s so brightly lit! Even nicer than the service station at the junction outside Immeasurable Mountain." Quincy took out his phone and started snapping pictures, wanting to show them to Zoe when he got back.
"People are even playing cards and mahjong! Whoa, look—there’s a motorcycle over there. I haven’t seen one of those in ages."
’I have a motorcycle in my space, too,’ Evelyn thought. ’I’ve never even ridden it. I picked it up on a supply run. It’s an expensive model, probably worth hundreds of thousands.’
"You didn’t see any motorcycles when you and Ronan Kendrick went to Tarr Base?"
Quincy shook his head. "It was too cold then; no one was out riding motorcycles. Hey, Evelyn, is The Second Base richer than Tarr Base?"