Chapter 494: Chapter 370: To Go or To Stay_2
Hearing Ye Liuyun say this, Dong Tianyu also understood the meaning behind the words, but he didn’t say much more, simply smiling and responding, "Sure, we can buy together when the time comes, maybe even get a group discount."
Although Dong Tianyu said this, it was just talk, since the location he had chosen for buying a house was in the secondary core area of Kyoto, where there were no new houses, and the prices were expected to be very high.
However, about these things, Dong Tianyu didn’t say much.
For some reason, any Soldier Bug that wandered to the west side of Pengcheng would involuntarily set foot on the road originally carved by the insect swarm, and then follow that road straight into the shade of the trees within Pengcheng.
With this road, the Saxon County Camp was only hit by a few sporadic Soldier Bugs, and the Martial Artists in the Patrol Team easily dealt with the Soldier Bugs encountered, so the camp didn’t suffer any attacks.
After a period of stability, the previously tense atmosphere in the camp was able to relax.
From the moment Mr. Thompson walked through the door that evening, his face was very grim. Mrs. Thompson asked Mr. Thompson what had happened, and he first gave a bitter smile, then said they would talk after dinner.
Because of Mr. Thompson, the three of them hurriedly finished dinner, and just as Mrs. Thompson was about to get up to clear the table as she usually did, Mr. Thompson stopped her and said, "Leave the things for now, let’s have a family meeting first."
Hearing Mr. Thompson say this, Mrs. Thompson naturally put down what she was holding and joined Dong Tianyu in the living room.
"Today at the military department, I heard that after the insect disaster, seven camps close to where the Soldier Bugs appeared were directly destroyed by the Soldier Bugs, and more than thirty camps were attacked by them.
The camps that were attacked held out for at most three days before assistance from other cities arrived, but even with reinforcements, they couldn’t drive back the Soldier Bugs and had to arrange for the survivors in the camps to be relocated."
Hearing Mr. Thompson say this, Mrs. Thompson, usually quiet in nature, spoke in a very frightened tone, "More than thirty camps, just gone like that?"
Although surprised by Mrs. Thompson’s unusual demeanor today, Mr. Thompson still answered her question, "Yes, they’re gone. Soldier Bugs don’t stop when they attack a city.
Those camps were always under intense conditions of defending the city. Although there were skilled Martial Artists in the camps, facing the endless battle, they too had their limits despite gritting their teeth and holding on.
But thanks to those Martial Artists, they bought enough time for the ’barrel survivors’ in the camps, and in the end, seventy percent of the survivors survived."
Hearing Mr. Thompson say this, Mrs. Thompson let out a long sigh and then said, "That’s good, isn’t it? Why did you look so down when you came home?"
Hearing Mrs. Thompson’s complaint, Mr. Thompson took a moment before starting to explain, "What I just described was the best-case scenario."
Hearing Mr. Thompson’s words, Mrs. Thompson instinctively asked, "What about the worst-case scenario?"
As Mrs. Thompson blurted this out, the atmosphere suddenly became heavy. It was at this moment Mrs. Thompson realized that if the best-case scenario meant that nearly a third of the survivors in the camps lost their lives, then the worst-case scenario was even unthinkable.
After a long silence, Mrs. Thompson spoke again, "Are you telling the truth? Why have we been unaffected here?"
When Mrs. Thompson asked, Dong Tianyu began explaining, "We’re facing a peculiar situation over here. For some reason, the Soldier Bugs that normally appear in the surroundings inexplicably run toward that giant tree and then disappear into the shade of its branches, never to come out again."
Upon hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Mrs. Thompson immediately questioned, "If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean we’re very safe right now? Then why do you still want to move us away?
If you want to go out and make your way in the world, don’t worry about me and your dad. The two of us will be fine staying here; nothing will happen to us."
Originally, Dong Tianyu had used the excuse that the camp was unable to withstand the Soldier Bugs’ attack to convince his parents to move. Although they had reached an agreement on moving during the last family meeting, deep down, both Father Dong and Mother Dong were reluctant to relocate.
Mr. Thompson, in particular, was loath to give up the power he held, having been an ordinary man for most of his life before the disaster struck. To his own surprise, he found himself donning an official uniform and attaining a not-so-lowly status, which made him disinclined to relinquish his newfound authority.
However, Mr. Thompson knew very well what was more important between power and life. The reason he had agreed to move was that there wasn’t much choice; as long as his life safety could be assured, he was quite willing to stay within the camp.
Different from Mr. Thompson’s attachment to power, Mrs. Thompson was more concerned about the situation back with her father and brother. Although she wasn’t obsessively helping her brother, she still couldn’t put her mind to rest about the welfare of her father and brother. Mrs. Thompson wouldn’t harm her own family to help her parents’ family, but she would try to help within her capacity, both materially and spiritually.
Seeing his parents expressing a desire to stay once more, Dong Tianyu felt somewhat helpless. After all, the two people before him were his parents, and he couldn’t just ignore them and walk away.
He reminded himself in his heart, "These are my dear mom and dad, don’t get angry, don’t hurry, and communicate with them properly."
Once he calmed his emotions, Dong Tianyu then said, "Mom, you’re correct that the insect disaster doesn’t really affect us much for the time being, and the specific reason was what I just mentioned, it’s because of the towering giant tree in the city center.
However, my strong recommendation for moving is also due to that giant tree. You might not be aware, but that tree has been continuously growing, and as the tree grows, its shadow covers an increasingly larger area.
What I’m actually worried about is this. Dad, can you find out how large the area initially covered by the tree’s shadow was, and how large it is now?
Although Saxon County is quite far from the area covered by the tree’s shade, no one knows how big that giant tree might grow. If we move now, it’s about being prepared in advance. We have plenty of time to plan things out in detail.
But if we wait until everyone else gets wind of this and starts preparing to move, things will become very complicated by then, and no one can guarantee there won’t be any unexpected incidents."
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson had not anticipated that this was the reason Dong Tianyu wanted to take them away. Considering the camp in Saxon County was already at a substantial distance from Pengcheng, and the distance between them had tripled, if not more, due to the earth’s expansion in the quake period, both thought that Dong Tianyu was being overly anxious.
However, seeing that their son was concerned for their safety made them feel reassured. Even so, deep down they didn’t want to leave this place as they had watched the camp grow from a small site into the budding city it was now. They also had friends here they were familiar with and had grown accustomed to the rhythm of life here.
United as husband and wife, Mr. Thompson just needed one glance from Mrs. Thompson to understand that her thoughts were much like his own. After some contemplation, Mr. Thompson then said, "Son, you’re old enough now. How about you take your wife and settle down in Kyoto first? Your mother and I will stay here.
If there really are problems later on, we old folks will head to Kyoto to seek your help. Surely you wouldn’t refuse to let your mom and me through the door."
Hearing Mr. Thompson say this, Dong Tianyu understood the thoughts in their hearts. No matter how he persuaded them, his parents still clung to their life here.
Just as Dong Tianyu didn’t bring his parents to live in the Cave, his parents had their own social circle. What he thought was for their good might not seem so to them because, after all, they were adults who needed mutual respect.
