Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies
Chapter 238: Hailstorm

Chapter 238: Hailstorm

The hailstorm began with tiny pellets of ice, but it quickly intensified, unleashing large chunks that pounded down from the sky with relentless fury.

These icy projectiles struck the building’s windows with fierce force, and those that couldn’t withstand the impact shattered instantly, scattering glass shards across the floor.

As the freezing air poured in, the temperature plummeted even further, creating a bone-deep chill that crept into every corner of the building.

Thankfully, with the military stationed inside, the panicked residents found some comfort.

They quickly banded together, gathering firewood in an attempt to push back the bitter cold.

However, not everyone was so lucky.

Some who were unaware of the sudden hailstorm were caught outside—frozen in place, eyes wide open in terror as they turned to ice and died on the spot.

Meanwhile, Elena remained focused on caring for her husband inside the space, unaware of the chaos erupting outside.

She modified Ethan’s mark to allow him to stay in the space for 24 hours, not minding the extra use of jades and antiques to replenish the Reserved Energy Tab.

She was worried that even the slightest exposure to the harsh outside world might worsen his condition—or interrupt the core formation process.

Now, she was curled up beside him, her gaze soft and full of love as she watched over him.

It wasn’t until much later, when the danger had already spread, that someone finally alerted her to the crisis outside.

Alarmed, Elena quickly sat up and gave her husband one last glance before exiting the space to assess the situation.

Appearing inside the unit, she then greeted everyone and listened to their reports.

"What exactly happened?" she asked sharply.

Lydia stepped forward and began to explain. "A sudden hailstorm hit us, dropping heavy chunks of ice on the building."

Elena’s brows furrowed.

In her past life, hailstorms weren’t unusual, especially during the ice age. They often came without warning but were typically manageable.

But the real question now was: how did this one compare to her past life? For, the hailstorms she remembered had never been intense during early stages.

"Is it strong?" she asked, her tone calm but sharp.

"Enough to shatter windows and glass walls," Lydia replied, worry etched on her face. "I’m afraid it might damage parts of our unit, too."

Elena then quickly checked the balcony window and saw the hailstorm hammering the building with frantic intensity.

At one point, a large chunk slammed into the sturdy wall, producing a loud, heavy thud that echoed through the unit.

’What the heck? Why is it so severe? This is just the beginning of the disaster, yet it feels like the end of the world,’ she thought, feeling helpless against nature’s wrath.

All she could do was hope the building would hold strong.

"Prepare yourselves; I have a bad feeling about this disaster," she warned, glancing at the kids huddled together.

Everyone nodded in agreement, discussing plans in case the hailstorm dragged on.

Elena then brought out more portable heating devices, placing them around the unit as the temperature continued to drop sharply.

"How are the kids at Paradise Homes?" she asked, knowing that since they had taken them in, it was their responsibility to care for them until the end.

"I’ve already given them plenty of firewood and supplies. I also provided them with walkie-talkies in case they need anything," Xander replied.

"Sigh... this disaster is just too much—" Jessa began, but before she could finish, a sudden loud crash echoed outside of Grandpa Caldwell’s unit.

"That’s probably my unit that’s been damaged," Elena said, then used her [Blink] skill to check.

What she saw made her heart sink: a massive chunk of ice was embedded in the wall, and the once-warm home was rapidly turning into a frozen shell.

She immediately used the [Blink] skill again to return to Grandpa Caldwell’s unit and relay the situation.

Everyone grew tense, uncertain of what might happen next.

"If the worst comes and the ceiling collapses, we’ll move downstairs and stay in another unit. I just hope it doesn’t come to that," Grandpa Caldwell said, trying to stay calm.

Everyone agreed and stayed on high alert as the hailstorm continued hammering their unit with chunks of ice.

After a few hours, the storm began to weaken. Though some ice still fell, it was no longer as fierce.

"I think it has lessened significantly now. How about we have our lunch first?" Grandma Ford suggested, noting that it was nearly 1 PM—and Elena might be getting hungry.

She remembered the instruction Ethan had given them to take care of his wife during his absence.

Soon after, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and gathered for lunch.

And after another thirty minutes, the hailstorm stopped completely, and everyone sighed in relief.

Oslo and Xander then volunteered to inspect the damage outside.

As soon as they opened the door, a grim sight greeted them—several units had been damaged, and cracks lined many of the walls, showing how severe the impact had been.

They began assessing whether it was still safe to stay on this floor.

If an earthquake were to strike now, the risk of the building collapsing would be dangerously high.

They carefully examined the walls and ceiling for any signs of instability.

Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too serious—only a few walls had been broken, leaving their floor exposed to the extreme cold.

Acting fast, they brought in some sturdy doors to temporarily cover the openings and block the icy wind.

After that, they returned to Grandpa Caldwell’s unit to discuss their next steps.

Since the wall across from their current unit was already compromised, they agreed to relocate to Unit 2602 downstairs.

"Everyone, just wait here—we’ll prepare Unit 2602 first," Oslo said.

He and Lydia then headed downstairs to ready their new place.

The others stayed behind for now, with the elderly and children resting along with Elena, who summoned Poochi and Mimi to comfort the little ones still shaken by the earlier storm.

"Aw~aw~aw," Poochi whimpered, giving Elena a pitiful look.

’Mistress, I finally get to see you again. Master wouldn’t let me come close to you and the babies.’

Elena chuckled, puzzled by Poochi’s unusually quiet demeanor.

"Poochi, why are you staring at me like that? Play with the kids, alright? They were scared a while ago."

"Aw~aw~aw," he barked softly, gently nudging her leg before trotting over to the kids.

’I will visit the babies later, Mistress.’

Elena’s gaze softened as she watched the kids begin to smile again while playing with Poochi and Mimi.

When the disaster hit, Elena had deliberately kept the children out of the space.

She wanted them to adapt quickly to the real world, using the current disaster as a lesson.

As Ethan had said, they had been pampered for too long. She sighed and continued watching them.

Meanwhile, the residents of the building were quietly devastated in the aftermath of the hailstorm.

Many of their homes had been severely damaged, letting the freezing air seep in.

In response, the military proposed relocating them to the military evacuation centre for safety.

For they needed to protect the remaining citizens.

"The units here are heavily damaged. Staying any longer will definitely put you at risk of freezing," an officer explained.

The residents were tempted but unsure.

"Officers, what about the Paradise shop?" one of them asked.

"We’re not sure yet. We’ll try to negotiate with them. If food is what you’re worried about, don’t be—we’ll distribute food to everyone as long as you cooperate," the officer reassured.

The residents fell silent.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust the military, but they were deeply attached to the Paradise shop.

Some expressed a willingness to evacuate, believing the military was sincere.

Others hesitated, hoping to convince the Paradise shop to relocate with them before making a decision.

When Elena learned about the situation, she gathered her team to share her thoughts.

"I think it would be a good idea to open a branch on their side," she said.

"Placing one of our people there would give us another evacuation option if things get worse in our building. We already have Jetro in Building A as a backup, but having someone stationed at another location would give us added security."

She paused, thinking about the strategic benefits.

"That way, we’ll have multiple safe points in case we need to relocate quickly. Who’s willing to volunteer for this?"

Everyone agreed that it was a smart idea. Just as the others were about to speak up, Ramon beat them.

"My wife and I will go," he said, glancing at Jessa, who nodded in agreement.

Elena approved, seeing the confidence in both of them.

"Alright. Later, when you head downstairs, ask them to call General Kaiser," she instructed.

She wanted to negotiate directly with the military about opening a branch at their evacuation center, and General Kaiser—an old ally—was the best person to talk to.

Ramon agreed, and soon after, everyone moved to their new place.

They then busied themselves with their tasks inside the space, as the morning disaster had disrupted many of their plans.

Elena also entered the space to check on her husband.

After confirming that he was stable, she lay down beside him, her mind still filled with thoughts of the earlier disaster.

The storm’s severity had deeply unsettled her, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that the ice age was coming to an end—only to be followed by a wave of extreme heat.

’I should warn General Kaiser later.’