Chapter 149: Rescue from the Land of the Free
Nobody can imagine how deeply moving it is to hear the voice of Great Xia when disaster strikes and you are plunged into utter despair!
When you find yourself in a foreign land, prepared to quietly perish, knowing that a group of people is waiting for you amidst danger is enough to bring tears to your eyes!
Tears streaming down his face, the man slammed his foot down on the accelerator as the engine roared and screamed.
Inside the car, the audio system continued to repeat the same message!
"Attention all citizens of Great Xia currently stranded in New Golden City, Freedom Land. This is the Supreme Command Center of Great Xia."
"The final evacuation flight will depart from New Golden City Airport in five minutes."
"All compatriots of Great Xia, please head there immediately! We have very little time left and cannot stay long. Please make your way there immediately!"
"Furthermore, compatriots who are no longer able to move freely, please report your coordinates. We will dispatch helicopters to pick you up. Please report your location immediately by sending a text message to... I repeat, please report your location immediately and send a text message to..."
"Please remember, we will never abandon a single compatriot of Great Xia!"
He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his initial panic calming down completely at this very moment. Pressing the accelerator all the way to the floor, he roared and raced through the chaotic streets!
This was the final chance!
This was the salvation of Great Xia!
Even in a foreign land, even when the apocalypse descended, Great Xia would still not abandon any of its compatriots!
The noisy streets were filled with screams, gunshots, the sound of crashing waves, and the din of collapsing buildings.
Yet at this moment, everything seemed to fade into silence, leaving only this endlessly repeating voice echoing in the man's ears.
It felt as though he could see a vibrant splash of red fluttering in the wind!
"Boom!"
As if aided by divine intervention, the man managed to dodge countless sea beasts along the way, swerving around wrecked vehicles and collapsed houses, and drove straight through the ruined roads all the way to the New Golden City Airport.
Because of its higher elevation and distance from the coast, this area was temporarily safe; the ocean waves and sea beasts had not yet arrived.
However.
The airport at this moment seemed even more chaotic than the outside. Countless white and black people fleeing for refuge were surging inward amidst a deafening commotion.
"There are planes here!"
"Hurry inside, we're going to escape by plane!"
"Get out of the way, move!"
To be honest, the citizens of Freedom Land in New Golden City were not stupid; they knew where to flee in the face of such a crisis.
Facing the towering walls of advancing seawater, even if a car could temporarily escape a certain distance, once the fuel ran out, it would still inevitably be submerged by the ocean.
Besides, did they really think cars could outrun this? The collapsing buildings were only temporarily slowing down the rising tide and obstructing the charge of the sea beasts. In a very short while, those roaring waves would directly sweep across the entire New Golden City!
"Step aside, stop shoving!"
"Hurry inside, get on the plane! Those sea beasts are right behind us!"
"Being slow means death! Get in and grab a seat!"
"Damn old hag, get lost!" A white man violently grabbed an old woman blocking his path and shoved her straight down the steps behind her.
These citizens of Freedom Land usually behaved with gentleness and refinement, constantly boasting about being paragons of humanitarianism. Yet now that disaster had struck, their true colors were exposed, fighting each other like beasts for the mere hope of survival.
Several muscular men even brandished assault rifles, continuously shooting down anyone who blocked their way.
Chaos.
Extreme chaos.
Disaster struck, order collapsed, and rules ceased to exist.
All ordinary facades were stripped away under the threat of death. The instinct for survival governed everyone, driving them to violate morality and law, and to behave like beasts.
There were some security personnel at the airport, but at this moment, facing the crowds driven completely mad by the fear of death, they were utterly powerless to stop them!
"Hurry, get inside!"
The man slammed his car to a halt at the airport entrance, carried a child on his back, scooped up another in his arms, grabbed a woman with his free hand, and rushed up the steps and into the airport lobby alongside the chaotic crowd!
The airport lobby was already a scene of utter disorder. Without pausing, the man followed the crowd with his wife and children, descending via an evacuation passageway straight down to the tarmac.
Upon reaching the tarmac, the chaotic crowd erupted into earth-shattering cheers!
"There are planes!"
"They haven't taken off yet, hurry, quick!"
"As long as we get on board, we'll survive!"
Across the spacious tarmac stood more than a dozen large passenger aircraft, their engines idling and cabin doors wide open, ready for takeoff at any moment!
However, these dozen large passenger aircraft were not all the same. One of them bore a red emblem adorned with five dazzling golden stars, while the rest carried the national emblem of Freedom Land.
Underneath each aircraft, soldiers stood guard and directed operations.
"Hurry inside!"
The moment they caught sight of the planes, everyone plunged into a frenzy.
This was the hope of survival!
Black and white alike, countless refugees stampeded across the tarmac, charging directly toward the dozen large passenger aircraft bearing the national emblem of Freedom Land!
"I knew it, Freedom Land hasn't abandoned us!"
"They were waiting for us after all! This is so touching!"
"Stop talking nonsense, run!"
Everyone sprinted with all their might. Whether wearing suits, work uniforms, or undershirts, no one cared about dignity anymore as they ran for their lives.
After all, this was the hope of living!
Some individuals even ruthlessly yanked down the people running directly in front of them because... the cabin capacity was limited!
The wife, dragged along by the man from Great Xia, instinctively moved to follow the crowd rushing toward the aircraft emblazoned with the emblem of Freedom Land, but the man pulled her back firmly: "Don't run over there!"
"Why? Freedom Land came to rescue us too, and these planes are closer to us," the woman asked, her face full of bewilderment.
Before the man could reply, however.
The soldiers guarding the passenger planes of Freedom Land stared at the hopeful, stampeding citizens of Freedom Land and expressionlessly raised their firearms.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Bullets kicked up dirt from the ground right in front of the crowd!
The piercing sound of gunfire instantly brought the frenzied crowd to a halt.
"OMG!" A white man stared in disbelief at the Freedom Land soldiers: "Are you insane? Let us on board!"
"Take one step closer and you will be executed on the spot!" an officer of Freedom Land declared expressionlessly through a megaphone, holding a gun in one hand as he shouted, "These planes are not prepared for you; they are reserved for VIPs!"
"What VIPs?!"
"You're not going to let us get on? At a time like this, you're still not letting us on?!"
"Are you out of your minds? I'm the vice president of iSight Technology, do you dare block me?"
"We've contributed to this country, we pay taxes to support your so-called VIPs!"
Outrage immediately erupted from the crowd.
Yet the next moment, the voices of protest abruptly ceased.
A procession of black military jeeps drove up rapidly. Following this, figures in crisp, tailored suits stepped out from the vehicles and, under the armed escort of soldiers, boarded the aircraft in an orderly fashion.
Among them were presidents of major corporations, members of plutocratic families, various political dignitaries, military commanders, and, of course, their relatives, friends, loved ones, and children.
They looked expressionlessly at the blocked citizens of Freedom Land, turning a blind eye and ignoring them completely. Some didn't even bother to glance over as they walked straight into the aircraft.
Suddenly, the appearance of a single figure caused the previously silent crowd to erupt once again!
The mayor of New Golden City, Williams!
"Mr. Williams, we elected you!"
"You promised us back then that you would repay our trust and never let us down!"
"Mr. Williams, I even donated to your campaign!"
"Mayor Williams, just yesterday you were telling us on television not to believe rumors and that no gods had descended... If I hadn't listened to you, I would have fled long ago! You have to take responsibility!"
"Mr. Williams, we've all contributed to this city, we're human beings too!"
"Mr. Williams, you owe us an explanation!"
"You said yourself that even if gods truly descended, you would live and die with us!"
"Mr. Williams, order the soldiers to let us in together!"
The crowd, held back by the soldiers, instantly erupted into an uproar!
Just yesterday, this very mayor had declared with absolute certainty on television that everyone should ignore the rumors from Great Xia, that no gods had descended, and urged everyone to go about their normal work and not disrupt economic development...
He had even patted his chest solemnly, swearing that if gods truly descended, he would remain in New Golden City alongside all its citizens to direct the defense, and that unless everyone else was rescued, he would never leave, even in death.
Yet today.
The moment the gods descended, he was actually the first to board a plane and flee?
Without the slightest trace of reluctance?
Faced with the chaotic crowd, Mayor Williams paused at the cabin door. He straightened his suit jacket and turned to look at the clamoring mob.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, wearing the same benevolent smile he had worn on television, "I am sorry. Our judgment was erroneous. I am deeply grieved by these events. Furthermore, the seats on these aircraft are already full."
"Please hold on!"
"I am always with you! My heart stands firmly with you!"
"I believe the people of Freedom Land will overcome and conquer any difficulty we face! Stay strong!"
With that, he turned and walked into the airplane, accompanied by his wife and children.