Before dawn, buses were already lined up on the road next to the Yanov Railway Station, one next to the other, stretching for 20 kilometers. From a distance, it looked like a long dragon.
However, for some reason, the government did not immediately organize an evacuation after dawn. Instead, they began to broadcast through the town's radio, asking all citizens to stay in their homes and not leave. At the same time, they reminded people to close their doors and windows. A group of health workers were distributing potassium iodide tablets everywhere. Because of the lack of manpower, they also recruited a group of female high school students to help.
Representatives of the town's businesses and organizations were gathered together in the DW building. The Ministry of Internal Affairs explained the details of the evacuation to them.
Many people found it hard to believe. Although many people had already left Pripyat with their families because they felt unwell yesterday, more people chose to stay. In their opinion, Pripyat's sky was as clear and blue as ever, and the river was as clear as ever. Except for the faint metallic smell in the air, everything looked the same as usual. How did things develop to the point where they suddenly had to evacuate? Moreover, the experts were vague about when they could return.
So a lot of arguments broke out at the meeting, but in the end, the business and organization representatives chose to follow the DW's arrangement and assist in the evacuation operation that involved the entire city.
The official evacuation time was set at two o 'clock in the afternoon. Although Beldorf had transferred 1,100 transport vehicles from Kiev and other places in advance, for the remaining residents of Pripyat, these more than 1,000 vehicles were far from enough to transport all their belongings, and the government would not allow them to take away those things that had been contaminated by radiation.
So at noon, the radio broadcast told the residents that this evacuation was only temporary. It would last about two to three days, and they would be back soon. So, they did not need to bring too many things with them. The official recommendation was to bring only a small amount of daily necessities. At the same time, pets such as cats and dogs were not allowed in the vehicles.
Most people did so, casually packing some change and clothes in plastic bags. That was all they had. Although the atmosphere in the town was already very tense, no one thought that this would be their eternal farewell to their beloved home.
Most people chose to believe the official statement and optimistically thought that they would be back in a few days. In their opinion, it was not entirely a bad thing. On the other hand, it was a relief from their busy work. Three days was almost equivalent to a mini holiday.
Some children even jumped in excitement. Despite the repeated persuasion of the militiamen, some people still came downstairs early to talk to their neighbors. Some women even wore thin pajamas and did not even bring their passbooks. Because the radio said that as long as the doors and windows were locked, the militiamen would help them guard their belongings in the house to ensure that no thieves would enter.
When the time was up, the buses drove into Pripyat one by one and stopped in front of different residences. The militiamen kept urging the people to move faster. There were a few small disturbances during this period, but they were quickly calmed down. Then the buses started again and drove off into the unknown distance with a full bus of people.
Behind the buses were many cats and dogs. They seemed to realize that they had been abandoned by their owners, running and barking. Some even tried to get into the buses, but to no avail. Although some owners ignored the dissuasion and opened the windows, they could only look at their pets with tears in their eyes, calling their names and saying goodbye. Because of the government's ban, these pets could not leave with their owners.
In the end, the cats and dogs got tired of running, and they could only stand by the side of the road, watching their owners leave. Their eyes were filled with sadness.
Zhang Heng also heard the barking of dogs coming from the street not far away. He was now in the town's gymnasium with Zhanfu, Kratos, Mouse, and Bersonova. The gymnasium was closed on the afternoon of the 26th, but the lock on the door could not stop the wire in Zhanfu's hand. There was no one else here, and there was a closed room. It was the perfect place for them to stay.
The doctor and the repairman left when it was almost dawn. Although Zhang Heng's last suggestion made them a little worried, they decided to follow the original plan after discussing it. The two of them could not imagine what kind of danger they would face if they left this place. Besides, part of their language barrier had been resolved.
Since the Pripyat Hotel occasionally received some foreign guests, there were people who could speak English. Although they were limited to a relatively basic level, probably equivalent to a primary school student in the modern world, it still solved the urgent need of the doctor and the repairman to a certain extent. Before they left, they kidnapped the English-speaking waiter to act as a translator for them. This way, the waiter and the repairman could understand what they were saying.
The group also distributed the loot according to the number of people they had looted. Besides food and protective equipment, the doctor also left some tranquilizers and antipyretics for Zhang Heng and the others. Although the two parties had some unpleasant arguments about the next step, they eventually parted ways rather amicably. After distributing the loot, the doctor and the repairman drove the newly stolen car into the traffic, heading out of Pripyat.
Although the seven players had only known each other for less than two days, they had built up some bonds after going through this crisis together. This was especially true after they lost the coconuts. After that, the repairman and the doctor chose to leave as well. Now, there were only four players left in the team, and there was still no progress on the mission.
But they still had to do what they had to do.
After a simple lunch, Kratos suggested that they investigate the pilot responsible for transporting the sand to the reactor. After all, whether it was the miner or the engineer who went down to open the drainage valve, none of them had been found because the authorities had yet to take action. Shelbina, the first person on the leaderboard, was still around, but his identity was rather special.
It was not impossible to sneak into his room and interrogate him like they did with Kong Weitz, but it would not be easy to deal with the aftermath. Therefore, the players preferred to delay the investigation on him a little. This way, the pilot would be a better target to investigate. They risked being exposed to radiation, flying above the reactor again and again to drop sand to extinguish the fire. Obviously, they played a big role in this disaster relief.
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