It wouldn’t even be surprising if an earthquake split the entire planet right in half this time.
The thought alone was too grim to swallow. If the ground tore open beneath their feet, they wouldn’t even have time to run. Living in constant terror like this almost made a quick death seem preferable.
Gauging the gloomy expressions around him, Thomas softened his tone. "This is just my personal guess—it might not be an earthquake. It could be some other disaster for all we know."
"Like what?" Derek pressed.
Thomas pondered for a second before shaking his head. "I can’t say for sure either. Maybe... like Elijah suggested, the previous natural disasters will just cycle through all over again."
His attempt to soften the blow backfired completely; if anything, everyone looked even more miserable.
Are you kidding? They had barely dragged themselves through the first gauntlet of catastrophes, only to be told they might have to do it all over again?
"Bro, please stop," Lucas groaned, his face long. "My heart was already heavy enough, and then you go and lay that on us."
Already battling starvation and severe shortage of supplies under crushing stress, the prospect of enduring another round of natural disasters sent their spirits plunging to rock bottom.
When is this nightmare ever going to end? Lucas genuinely felt that dying might be a mercy compared to pushing through this endless agony.
Thomas fell silent for a moment before adding softly, "I was just floating ideas. Don’t take it too seriously."
...
That dry, indifferent delivery made everyone want to beat him up, but unfortunately, not a single person present could stand a chance in a fight against him.
Right then, a faint rustling noise drifted up from downstairs.
Thomas leaned out to take a look and noticed that a fresh wave of creatures had begun to move out. This clearly wasn’t the same batch of animals as before.
Catching sight of the commotion, Elijah remarked in surprise, "Man, I didn’t expect so many animals to survive after all those rounds of natural disasters!"
"Animals have much stronger survival instincts than humans," Thomas said in a low voice.
Seeing the spectacle a second time brought him no comfort whatsoever; instead, it only weighed heavier on his mind.
If an earthquake truly struck, the safehouse might not be able to hold up... No, it definitely wouldn’t hold up. He had grown accustomed to the place and genuinely loved living there. If even the safehouse was destroyed, where could they possibly go?
The base?
Even the base wouldn’t necessarily withstand a full-blown seismic disaster.
Noticing the heavy vibe around Thomas, Bill clapped his hands together, trying to break the oppressive silence: "Alright, let me stop you right there. Nothing has actually happened yet, so let’s not scare ourselves unnecessarily."
While no one immediately chimed in, the suffocating tension in the room eased slightly.
Derek shifted the topic. "So are you guys still planning on heading to the base?"
The three members of the Edison family exchanged glances, appearing to weigh their options. Finally, Bill spoke up: "We..."
Pausing briefly, Bill continued, "If what Thomas says comes true and the next disaster really is an earthquake... doesn’t that mean we should go all the more?"
"Once an earthquake hits, high-rise buildings become absolute death traps. You guys should start making preparations early too," Elijah agreed.
If a major earthquake hit, the entire building would collapse into dust, leaving zero chance of escape. Looking at it from that angle, heading to an open base seemed like a much safer bet.
"We’re sticking to our decision to head over," Bill confirmed.
Derek offered no further arguments, simply nodding in understanding.
Both Leonard and Thomas took Elijah’s warning to heart.
Leonard spoke up, "Alright, we hear you and we’ll prepare early. In a little bit... we’ll walk you out a stretch of the way."
***
Meanwhile, inside Suzy’s space, Mountain Town
Suzy decided to venture into the town once more in hopes of finding more useful things. Just like last time, she met Yeon, who had been walking around the market street, lazily examining every stall.
As Suzy paused near the talisman shop, Yeon’s senses perked up, and he decided to watch her from a distance first.
"Protective talismans... Spiritual talismans... Elemental talismans..." Suzy murmured, her eyes scanning the display. Having read a few cultivation novels in the past, she had a vague idea of what they were, but the more she looked at them, the more confused she became.
"They all look the same, though... How are they different?"
Suddenly, Yeon chimed in from the side, "There is a difference. Aside from the common ones, there seem to be higher-grade talisman papers as well."
"Like this one?" Suzy pulled out the talisman with the noticeably finer, smoother texture she had just been examining.
At the sight of it, both Yeon and the seller flinched.
Ming, the man behind the counter, narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the talisman in her hand, lost in thought. "It does look a bit different... Wait, where did this come from?"
He had zero recollection of ever drawing a talisman on paper like that. In his mind, all talisman paper was identical—the absolute cheapest kind available.
Yeon, however, was already completely captivated by the talisman in front of him. As a cultivator, he could feel a surge of powerful spiritual energy clinging to its surface, vastly outclassing any of the other talismans. He had an innate sensitivity to spiritual energy, and as he drew closer to the talisman, that sensation grew exponentially stronger.
"Could I take a look at that?" Yeon asked.
Suzy handed it over.
Taking the talisman into his hands, Yeon examined it meticulously. The moment his fingers touched it, that overwhelming surge of spiritual power became even more distinct. He couldn’t help but be taken aback—this was the first time he had ever experienced such a profound sensation.
Did Ming really craft this?
Then again, Ming’s ability as a talisman master was beyond dispute; he was just notoriously unreliable.
"Ming, what kind of talisman did you draw here again?" Yeon asked hastily.
Ming glanced at it and replied offhandedly, "An Exploding Talisman."
An Exploding Talisman, in short, was a charm designed to trigger a detonation.
Hearing this, Yeon’s interest was piqued. "Mind if I give it a test run?"
Ming gave him a surprised look. "You actually want to test it?"
Yeon nodded. The immense spiritual energy packed inside made him eager to verify its power.
Seeing him nod, Ming broke into a grin. "Sure thing! Give me spirit stones! Hand over the spirit stones, and this talisman is yours."
Yeon’s expression instantly darkened. This greedy bastard—still obsessing over spirit stones at a time like this.
"What about the elixirs you took from me earlier? Hand those back first!" Yeon thrust his hand out toward him.
Ming turned his head away. "That’s a completely separate matter, it doesn’t count! Anyway, if you want my talisman, you have to pay up. Otherwise, I won’t lift the restriction, and you won’t be able to activate it."
Every talisman master automatically placed an inhibition seal on their charms upon completion. Without the master releasing it, the talisman remained entirely unusable.
Gritting his teeth, Yeon growled, "Fine! Got it. I’ll give you your spirit stone."
Swallowing his annoyance, he tossed a single low-grade spirit stone toward Ming.
Catching it, Ming curled his lip. "Just one? Come on, throw in a few more."
Yeon frowned. "Don’t push your luck! Is this lousy talisman of yours even worth that much?"
Ming flinched slightly, as if called out on something embarrassing. Knowing full well how many times his unreliable talismans had screwed Yeon over in the past, he didn’t push the matter any further.
"Fine, fine, I won’t haggle with you. One low-grade spirit stone it is. Go ahead and use it."
With that, Ming unsealed the restriction on the talisman.
Feeling the seal lift, Yeon turned on his heel and began walking toward the edge of town, holding the talisman firmly.
The other two fell into step behind him.
"Where are you heading?" Suzy asked.
Yeon made no secret of his plan. "I want to test out the power of this talisman."
He simply wanted to confirm whether his intuition was playing tricks on him—he had a strong hunch that this particular talisman of Ming’s was going to be extraordinary.
"Where are you going to test it?" Suzy inquired.
Yeon glanced toward the distance. "There’s a patch of mountainous terrain over there."