The volcanoes on Earth erupted continuously for three months. Although they erupted continuously, many volcanoes actually erupted intermittently when spewing magma and gases. The reason it lasted for three months was that after three months, the volcanic activity had slowed down and finally stopped erupting. Even if some volcanoes were still active, the frequency of eruptions had already decreased.
At this time, the Northern Hemisphere had entered spring. Unfortunately, even though it was spring, the atmosphere everywhere was still one of desolation. The ground temperature not only did not rise but was decreasing. The sky was covered with a layer of gray-black mist, making it impossible to see far away. Everyone wore masks, and some found one mask insufficient, wearing three or four layers.
The reason for this situation was not an uncontrollable virus or bacteria spreading among the population, but rather people needing to constantly guard against the possibility of volcanic ash. Volcanic ash was settling in most areas of Asia. Once inhaled into the lungs, volcanic ash could cause irreversible damage. Therefore, everyone wore masks as a precaution to avoid inhaling this dust and making their future more miserable.
Although it was now autumn, in the Chinese regions, both south and north, the landscape was entirely one of ice, snow, and desolation. Everywhere was covered in frost and accumulated snow. At this time of year, the ice and snow on the ground would have long since melted. However, by now, this ice and snow showed no signs of melting.
This was because after the global volcanic eruption, a large amount of sulfur dioxide and acidic gases had been released. These acidic gases, once emitted, caused the atmospheric temperature to drop sharply. Moreover, the pervasive volcanic ash could block sunlight, preventing it from directly reaching the ground. A significant amount of the Earth's surface energy came directly from sunlight. It could be said that without sunlight, humans and other animals would die, as plants could not photosynthesize without light.
No one had a smile on their face because many people had been without food for a long time. They wanted to find food, but there was not a single bit of stored grain left. Therefore, they could only wander the streets. If they saw any food appear before them, they would snatch it regardless of what it was.
In the Chinese regions, there had also been several instances of acid rain. When this acid rain fell on the ground, it would burn people's skin. After all, these were acidic liquids that would corrode human skin upon contact. However, humans could at least take shelter indoors. As long as they could avoid the acid rain, their skin would only become slightly red and swollen, causing no significant damage. What truly caused the greatest damage was the impact of this acid rain on crops.
The growth conditions for crops were very demanding. If the soil's pH balance changed, the crops would quickly die. After countless acid rains fell from the sky, people realized that the acid rain's true impact was on crop growth. Large swathes of crops had already died and could not survive until summer. In the more northern regions, the entire ground was covered in ice with no signs of melting. Under these circumstances, the crops had long since frozen to death.
"What kind of world is this? Why do good people not live long? Is heaven really going to destroy us humans? How can we survive now without food?" someone said mournfully.
"Don't be too pessimistic. I believe there will be a solution from above. We can grow crops in greenhouses and use electric lights as a light source. This way, we will have both temperature and light, and we don't need to worry about the acid rain outside. We will definitely be able to grow crops." Although they knew the current situation was already very dangerous, some people were still trying their best to comfort those around them.
Many cities had no stored grain, relying on harvesting winter wheat after winter passed. Unfortunately, a violent volcanic eruption had dashed their hopes, as they discovered they could no longer even harvest wheat. The wheat had frozen to death before reaching the grain-filling stage. In such a situation, obtaining food was impossible. As for the cities that did have grain, they dared not relax their control over it, because once they lost their grain, they would lose their ability to maintain social stability.
Even Yuzhou, which had been stockpiling grain all along, was now struggling to make ends meet, barely able to provide even ordinary corn porridge. Many people had to go into the wilderness to dig for wild vegetables or peel bark to fill their stomachs.
Upon returning to Yuzhou, Shen Feng immediately ordered people to act quickly and build enough greenhouses to grow crops. Unfortunately, in their haste, it was not easy to build sufficient greenhouses. Even with plastic sheeting and land, construction was not straightforward. The limitations of resources meant that construction could not be completed immediately.
Through Lin Yue's intelligence, Shen Feng learned that there was a great deal of resentment among the populace, with many blaming their current hunger and seemingly on the verge of protesting.
"If we cannot supply enough food, the people below will surely cause trouble, and then it will be truly disastrous," Lin Yue replied.
"This is easier said than done. To solve the food crisis, we need places to grow food. The yield from the few existing greenhouses is also very limited. Under these circumstances, it is impossible to establish a food production system!" Shen Feng said, his mood agitated.
Shen Feng was well aware of the importance of food, which was why he had been stockpiling it. Unfortunately, a previous war had consumed a large amount of resources, especially grain. War was a bottomless pit, and an unknown amount of grain had been poured into it. As a result, a large amount of stored grain had been depleted. With the current need to supply a large population, the grain he had on hand was proving insufficient.
"City Lord, I once heard a piece of news that a researcher from the Academy of Sciences could synthesize starch from carbon dioxide. If we could obtain this technology, wouldn't we never have to suffer from famine again, especially since the carbon dioxide content in the air is still very high!" Lin Yue suddenly recalled this matter.
"This is easier said than done. The technology to synthesize starch from carbon dioxide has indeed been researched. But do you know how much energy it consumes? How much electricity is needed to produce just one gram of starch? Instead of consuming energy to synthesize starch from carbon dioxide, it would be better to use that energy for lighting, which would also help the crops in the greenhouses grow better!" Shen Feng immediately dismissed this suggestion upon hearing it, clearly unwilling to believe in this technology.
Shen Feng had also heard before that scientists could synthesize starch from carbon dioxide. This technology was a representative of a new era. Humans could fix carbon dioxide in the air without relying on crops. In the future, even when traveling in space, this technology could be used. However, this technology was not yet mature, and the energy required to synthesize one gram of starch was enormous.
Shen Feng was very troubled. He wanted to request aid and purchase grain from elsewhere, but this idea was simply unrealistic. This was because his two largest buyers had been severely hit. Firstly, in the northeast direction, the Changbai Mountain volcano had erupted, burying large areas around it with volcanic ash, causing countless crops to die. In the Southeast Asian region, it was even more of a disaster zone, with almost no humans escaping. Growing crops there was even more impossible.
As for other cities, even if they had some stored grain, they were now unwilling to sell it. Everyone knew that grain was the foundation. Whether they could survive this great ice age depended on whether they had sufficient grain.
Not to mention the dire situation in China, people in other regions were even more miserable. These other places had fewer people, and many areas had lost their basic production capabilities. Volcanic ash was everywhere, and the global air temperature instantly dropped. People in other countries had long since collapsed, unable to form effective organizations. In some places, cannibalism had even begun, not as isolated incidents but as a widespread situation.
The most tragic among them was the Lighthouse Country. The supervolcano Yellowstone here also erupted, and the subsequent Level 7 eruption instantly created a situation where vast amounts of volcanic ash blotted out the sun, completely destroying the western regions. The eastern regions were also severely hit, with countless people flocking to the east. Furthermore, numerous food production bases around the Great Lakes region had suffered devastating blows, leading to famine. Wealthy individuals were increasingly taking boats south to Central America, as the climate there was warmer, making it marginally possible to grow crops and avoid starvation.
Following closely behind were Europe and the island nation.
Europe was already characterized by small populations and scattered settlements. These countries could unite when facing danger, but when faced with a true natural disaster, they could only fight individually. In the end, they hoarded their grain, leaving their people to starve, unwilling to provide relief for fear that any relief would be immediately plundered.
As for the island nation, it was a country formed by volcanoes, with mountains everywhere. The areas suitable for growing grain were only around the islands.
As a result, two or three volcanoes here erupted simultaneously, with the eruption of Mount Fuji being the most devastating, causing the entire Tokyo region to be unable to see the sun. The falling volcanic ash killed 90% of the population, and the remaining people dared not stay, all fleeing. This prosperous and international metropolis was ultimately destroyed by the volcano.
It was unknown how many countries were wiped out by the volcanic eruptions this time. The entire world was on the verge of collapse, especially humanity. Human organizational capabilities had been severely impacted, as without food, people could not be organized.
However, despite humanity facing a catastrophic disaster, there was also good news. Due to the volcanic eruptions, the sky was filled with volcanic ash. During the most intense volcanic eruptions, looking up, one could not see the sun, only endless red clouds, and black snow continued to fall. In this situation, sunlight suddenly decreased, severely impacting plants on Earth. Especially the mutated blue-green algae in the sea, a large number of them were instantly wiped out.
The impact of the mutated insects on Earth had already been unbearable. But now, with the disappearance of a large amount of blue-green algae on Earth, the ability to produce oxygen greatly decreased. As a result, the Earth's oxygen concentration gradually began to decline. The decrease in oxygen concentration directly prevented the insects from continuing to increase in size.
The body structure of insects had a fatal flaw: they lacked lungs. Their respiration relied on a tracheal system, and their tracheal system's respiratory capacity was relatively weak. Soaking in water for a while would kill many insects. Thus, many insects, like locusts, were very averse to water. Their ability to increase in size depended on the oxygen concentration in the air. As the Earth's oxygen concentration decreased, the oxygen available to these insects further reduced. This meant that the currently mutating insects had reached a dead end. Even if they continued to mutate, they could not obtain enough oxygen and would eventually suffocate to death. To survive, they could only continue to mutate and make their bodies as small as possible.
No one expected that the crisis of these insects on Earth would not be solved by humans themselves, but rather by the Earth itself. This was because a volcanic eruption directly caused a large number of plants on Earth to wither, leading to a further decrease in oxygen concentration. Ultimately, countless insects could only continuously shrink their bodies, or they would not survive.