Chapter 244: Mutation, Gradual Weather Anomalies
"Man, this dust storm is intense!"
Meng Ci walked out of the house wearing a mask, looking at the dust covering the yard. He quickly realized the dust was at least three to four centimeters deep.
When the villa was being constructed, Meng Ci had a drainage ditch installed near the wall to handle runoff.
So, although there was a thick layer of dust in the yard now, it didn't affect the drainage.
Meng Ci and Shen Que first swept the dust on the ground into piles, then washed the yard clean with water.
The neighbors, who were aware of the well, watched enviously as Meng Ci and his team used a lot of water to clean the yard.
After the dust storm, many residents started experiencing health problems.
They started coughing frequently and struggled to breathe.
Even light physical exertion left some people gasping for air.
This went on for two days before the weather took a sudden turn.
The once clear sky gradually became overcast, and the wind started to pick up.
Despite the constant daylight, the weather seemed to shift through all four seasons in a single day.
From midnight to 6 AM, the temperature hovered between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, mild and spring-like.
However, from 6 AM to noon, the temperature rapidly climbed to between 35 and 45 degrees Celsius, as hot and unbearable as summer.
Then, from noon to 6 PM, it became as pleasant as autumn.
But from 10 PM to dawn, the temperature plummeted below zero, and it even started snowing.
The abrupt temperature swings caught the residents by surprise. They were only wearing short sleeves while working, and instead of feeling warm, they felt increasingly cold, forcing them to hurriedly put on thick clothes to keep warm.
Or they'd be bundled up in winter gear, only to find themselves overheating and sweating profusely.
This abnormal weather would last for over a month, so the authorities adjusted the working hours, dividing the 24 hours into four shifts, each lasting only six hours, resulting in a decrease in wages.
After seeing the temperature drop, Meng Ci thought of how he had brought Qiao Moyan here and that he might not have cotton clothes or quilts.
So, he retrieved some old cotton clothes, sweaters, thermal wear, and two blankets from storage, then drove the jeep over to Qiao Moyan's place.
This jeep was brought back by Meng Ci and Shen Que after they left the base and seized an opportunity to drive it back.
Qiao Moyan was home and felt uncomfortable accepting the items. He insisted on paying Meng Ci the market value at the points redemption center.
Meng Ci didn't let Qiao Moyan pay, as he had been the one to bring him here and would still need to rely on him. This was just his way of compensating him.
Qiao Moyan was naturally grateful and then mentioned his health issues.
"Little Meng, Little Shen, there seems to be something wrong with my body."
Meng Ci was surprised to hear this. Could a healer still have health problems?
Qiao Moyan stretched out his hands with a confused expression. "I've been working at the base for the past few days, and because I did too much, I've developed calluses on my hands."
"I just disinfected them with the alcohol you gave me before. I didn't expect the calluses to disappear by the time I woke up!"
"It's not just my hands; last time, a stone hit my foot, and it swelled up after I got home. But by the next morning, the injury had already healed."
"Do you guys have any idea what's happening to me?"
Qiao Moyan considered going to the hospital for a check-up, wondering if something was wrong.
Qiao Moyan furrowed his brow, thinking he should go to the hospital for a check-up.
But the cost of the hospital was too high, and the points in his card weren't enough! Plus, he still needed to repay Meng Ci and the others soon! With this thought, he immediately lost his spirit and gave up the idea of getting a check-up.
If it turns out to be something serious, well, I won't live long anyway... All he wanted was to pay back the points he owed to Meng Ci and the others before... you know.
Meng Ci listened to Qiao Moyan's words and sighed inwardly.
It was still before the zombie era, and people were still unfamiliar with superpowers, so any bodily abnormalities were assumed to be terminal illnesses.
"Uncle Qiao, this means your body's recovery ability is increasing."
Meng Ci paused, then decided to drop a hint about the coming zombie era.
"We both have been having issues with our bodies. For example, Shen Que has been extremely hot lately, and no amount of fan blowing or water helps."
As for Meng Ci himself, the finger that had touched the acid rain had been itching non-stop, feeling like something was about to grow out of the fingertip.
Meng Ci also suspected he might have some kind of superpower, but since he had only touched a little acid rain, he wasn't sure if it would trigger any abilities, so he didn't mention it.
"We both went to the hospital for a check-up, and everything came back normal!"
"So, Uncle Qiao, you don't need to worry about your body."
After Meng Ci's reassurance, Qiao Moyan felt a lot better.
Then Meng Ci steered the conversation towards zombies.
"Uncle Qiao, before the apocalypse, did you ever read any zombie novels?"
"I think, given the current changes, maybe we're about to awaken our abilities."
Meng Ci said this in a joking manner, so Qiao Moyan didn't take it seriously.
But after Meng Ci and the others left, Qiao Moyan couldn't help but wonder if zombies were really coming.
If he turned into a zombie, how could he ever repay Meng Ci and the others?
With his quick healing, he figured he could take on more work.
Thus, Qiao Moyan found a backpack, packed his clothes into it, and readjusted his working hours.
He would rest from midnight to 6 AM, and work the rest of the time.
Meng Ci and Shen Que returned home.
Because there was a well in the yard now, the two of them, apart from taking Eggplant and Eagle out for walks every day, lived a reclusive life.
A month later, the abnormal weather ended, but the temperature remained between 35 to 45 degrees Celsius.
Just two days later, the polar day ended at around 2 AM.
The residents still working outside were startled when the sky darkened, but quickly realized the polar day was over and they could finally return to a normal life.
One by one, they began to howl in the construction site, some even grabbing the people next to them and jumping in circles.
But after the excitement, worry set in again.
Fearing that after the polar day, other severe natural disasters would come.
These people weren't wrong to think so, as the end of the polar day meant that in about a month, the zombies would arrive.