Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!-Chapter 271: Enemies meet on a Narrow Road (1)

Longmen Base.

For two consecutive days, the temperature had soared to forty-seven degrees Celsius. During the day, the heat was sweltering, suffocating, and merciless. The sun hung like a blazing furnace over the base.

Yet the survivors of Longmen Base had no choice but to venture outside. Alien beasts still roamed the surrounding areas, and only by defeating them could they earn spars to buy the most basic necessities—water and food—from the trade market.

But the heat had a cruel effect on the alien beasts. Fewer and fewer alien beasts appeared under the scorching sun, forcing survivors to compete fiercely for every spar. Some disputes remained verbal, but others escalated into full-blown fights, leaving grievous injuries in their wake.

Prices for food and water surged under Lan Fuyou’s management. Even a day of hard labor often only earned a team of ability users a small bottle of water and two meager packets of biscuits—barely enough to be considered a meal, and then it had to be shared among the team. Hunger gnawed relentlessly at their stomachs.

The stronger ability users team fared better. Those fortunate enough to be among the first batch of customers from the Jade merchant had supplies they rationed carefully, stashing away the remainder. But the rest, those with minimal strength and no spar to buy struggled to survive under this heat.

It was on this day that the first case of heat-related illness was officially recorded in Longmen Base.

Without water, the weakest survivors were seen collapsing on streets, inside tents, and along the base’s alleys, struck down by heatstroke, dehydration, and heat exhaustion. The base had no clinic to speak of. Among the awakened, only a few possessed healing-type abilities like Dai Yun, and even then, their powers were too weak to save anyone. Across the entire base, only three such healers existed, including Dai Yun.

Families of the afflicted frantically searched for former doctors and nurses. Others were less fortunate—some succumbed to the heat, leaving their loved ones in despair. News of these fatalities spread quickly, igniting fear among the other survivors. Almost no one dared venture outside anymore. Even those searching for the Iron Gale Squad abandoned their efforts, unwilling to risk heatstroke or collapse the moment they stepped into the sun.

Yet, without venturing out, how could they obtain water?

Faced with desperation, survivors began eyeing those who still possessed supplies. Hunger and thirst quickly eroded their moral boundaries. As night fell, the lawless and unscrupulous made their moves, using darkness as a cover to rob others.

Throughout Longmen Base, cries and curses pierced the night:

"This is robbery! Hand over your supplies!"

"Give it back! That’s my last bottle of water!"

"Brother, have mercy! Just leave me half a bottle! I need it for tomorrow!"

Lan Fuyou received reports of the chaos. He felt no shock or panic—only cold calculation. To him, this was an opportunity: a chance to filter out the weak, leaving only the strongest residents in his base. Only the capable should remain.

He was soon forced to swallow his smugness.

"Boss! There’s fire!"

"What?! What happened?!"

It turned out that during one robbery, a fight had broken out. One of the ability users, entirely by accident, unleashed his fire power, igniting a wooden house in the Merchant Row.

The situation worsened because the daytime heat had caused the air to hold almost no humidity. Warm air continuously rose from the baked ground, making the flames burn hotter and spread faster. Most buildings in Longmen Base were wooden, vulnerable to fire, and within ten minutes, one courtyard house was completely engulfed. The fire quickly spread in both directions.

Lan Fuyou’s eyes widened. Anxiety seeped into his normally composed expression. If the fire was left unchecked, his residence would burn too—along with his supplies, water storage, and armory.

"No! I can’t let it happen!" he shouted in a voice tinged with panic.

"Then what are you waiting for? Put it out!"

The survivors, however, were powerless. Deprived of water to drink, they certainly had none to spare to extinguish the fire. Everyone fled the flames, clutching what meager belongings they could carry.

Only Lan Fuyou’s underlings remained. They didn’t dare to use the water in Lan Fuyou’s storage and targeted the only nearby water source: the pond near Lu Chenyu’s residence. Yet the rumors of a lurking crocodile kept them hesitant.

"Don’t believe it! That’s just Lu Chenyu’s nonsense! I’ve been there before and never saw a crocodile!" Lan Fuyou said.

The only ones doing Lu Chenyu’s dirty deeds like feeding was the Thorn Team therefore no one here knows the truth.

But despite Lan Fuyou’s insistence, no one dared approach the pond.

Frustration boiled in Lan Fuyou. He massaged his temples and barked, "Anyone who helps put out this fire will be rewarded with five kilograms of food and water!" The storage still held moldy supplies and diluted water—a perfect excuse to clear them out while motivating his underlings.

Tempted by the generous offer, his men finally went to fetch water containers and run towards the pond in Lu Chenyu’s residence. But as soon as they lowered the containers to the pond, the surface rippled violently, and dark, fast-moving shapes shot out.

The sharp buzzing sounds filled the night.

Lu Chenyu’s residence was only three minutes away on foot, yet fifteen minutes passed without a single underling returning.

"Why are they so slow?" Lan Fuyou demanded impatiently, rushing toward the pond.

He had barely reached the entrance when screams pierced the night.

"Ah!"

Blood trickled from small wounds across his underlings’ faces and necks. They ran past him, some even shoving him aside, sending him stumbling to the ground.

"Bastards!"

Lan Fuyou froze. Ahead, thousands of mosquitoes swarmed out of Lu Chenyu’s residence, forming a dark, writhing cloud. Chaos erupted across the base.

"What is that?" someone shouted.

The fleeing survivors pointed to the mass of dark clouds hovering ominously above the settlement. The fire engulfing the merchant row illuminated the swarm, making it conspicuous in the dark sky.

As the cloud drew closer, its true form became horrifyingly clear.

"Bzzz!"

Screams filled the night. Everyone ran.

With no survivors left to fight the flames, the fire continued to grow, sending thick pillars of smoke into the air. The blaze was visible even to the Iron Gale Squad, Zhao Lin and her brother, Luo Gang, and Elder Meng, who were still hiding away.

"What’s happening there?"

At the flea market, Nanzhi, taking a brief nap inside her vehicle, opened her eyes. Her senses extended through her mental exploration range, immediately detecting multiple people moving.