Yun Zhen was delighted upon hearing the news and eagerly asked about the other yachts. After all, one yacht wasn’t enough to carry all the supplies she had given them. Even with a few more, it would still be more than enough!

On the deck, leaning against the railing, Pei Hao opened his wristband and pulled up a map of the coastal cities, explaining the situation to the Goddess as he checked. He described each yacht’s location, what they looked like, their special features, and even their names, introducing them all to her one by one.

The two of them, inside and outside the bookshelf, chatted excitedly and with great enthusiasm, with a few passing bodyguards occasionally chiming in with additional information. The atmosphere was so lively and joyful that anyone watching would be sure to smile.

Not far from them on the same deck, Jiang Maochuan sat in a lounge chair, staring at Pei Hao with a mysterious expression. There was a certain darkness in his eyes, though his face revealed nothing unusual. He was silent, indifferent to everything around him, and seemed to have adopted a “let it be” attitude.

It was indeed a relief to have been rescued in such severe calamities. However, the fact that everyone had survived went beyond his expectations, especially since the deity had promised to escort them back home.

If someone had perished in this disaster, the remaining survivors would have been in chaos, which would have made it easier for him to slip away unnoticed and return to Beidu quietly. Instead, everything was unfolding like a heartwarming family reunion, where everything was well-organized, and everyone was so relaxed that they began to consciously ignore or even ostracize him, the yet-to-be-dismissed deputy leader.

Was there really something unforgivable about hesitating to be the first to blaze the trail? Seeking survival is a basic human instinct, and Jiang Maochuan didn’t see anything wrong with his moment of hesitation. He simply wanted to survive and had no desire to sacrifice himself for anyone.

At that moment, as he watched the energetic young man across the deck, he thought that Pei Hao was indeed a very lucky child. And as for the Goddess of Huacheng, she certainly was meddlesome.

Jiang Maochuan lit a cigarette, took a drag, and began to puff out smoke, narrowing his eyes to hide his emotions and making it even harder to read what he was thinking.

“Why are you staring at Xiao Hao?”

Suddenly, a voice rang out, startling Jiang Maochuan so much that he involuntarily shuddered. He turned angrily, his brows furrowed, only to see Gao Yun standing behind him with a cold expression.

“I wasn’t staring at anyone. I was just zoning out.”

Jiang Maochuan defended himself with a single sentence, then stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table and walked away.

Gao Yun frowned, watching Jiang Maochuan’s brisk retreating figure, feeling a vague sense of unease. Yan Ge said they would dismiss him once they returned to Beidu, but they hadn’t openly mentioned it yet. Judging by Jiang Maochuan’s behavior, he didn’t seem eager to stay either, as he had been keeping to himself, not participating in any of the tasks on the ship.

They all coexisted without stepping on each other’s toes, though it was slightly awkward. However, once they disembarked, it wouldn’t be anything worth dwelling on. Hopefully, everything would remain peaceful until then, without any accidents.

As for driving him away or executing him? Whether it was the Pei brothers or the other bodyguards, none of them would resort to such measures without significant conflict. After all, it had only been a month since the apocalypse began, and most of their time had been spent drifting at sea. Although they had witnessed various tragic and brutal events along the way, civilization and order hadn’t completely collapsed, so it wasn’t at the point where disagreements led to killing.

If Jiang Maochuan didn’t make it back, the Jiang family, known for being aggressive and troublesome, would also be a headache. With that thought, Gao Yun sighed, “I shouldn’t have softened and brought him along in the first place.”

---

Outside the bookshelf, Yun Zhen had just finished her conversation with Pei Hao, took a sip of tea, and then returned to her computer. She opened her email to check on the status of her recent book submission and discovered that it had received a response.

Feeling nervous, she clicked on the email and peeked through her fingers—

It was good news! The manuscript had been accepted! After three rejections, Yun Zhen had felt quite discouraged, unsure of what to write next. But now, with the successful acceptance, she felt like she could burst out laughing!

Ahem, she reminded herself not to get too carried away. After all, getting accepted was just the first step; it didn’t guarantee that the book would be a success or make money. There were still plenty of tough days ahead.

If she wrote tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of words and it didn’t do well, she’d certainly feel the harsh reality of life. Yun Zhen took a moment to calm herself, then contacted the editor to discuss the publication timeline.

After the conversation was almost wrapped up, the editor suddenly mentioned that the current book title was too plain and needed to be changed to something more eye-catching.

Change the title? Yun Zhen scratched her head. She wasn’t very good at coming up with titles. Several of her previous books had encountered similar issues, so what should she come up with this time?

Yun Zhen thought of her friend Shu Yue, who worked in the PR department of a multinational company. They often had to write PR materials and were more sensitive to words. So, in desperation, Yun Zhen sent Shu Yue a message asking for advice.

Not long after, Shu Yue replied with a link to a forum post, suggesting Yun Zhen study it to learn the art of titling.

Yun Zhen looked at the link and saw that it was a post from a social media forum, authored by an anonymous user. The title was quite sensational: “A Ten-Million-Follower Internet Celebrity Drowned in Her Bathtub, Photos Are a Bit NSFW.”

Tsk—

Are netizens using this to test human nature? Does she seem like the kind of person who enjoys gossip? How could this serve as study material? It was absurd!

Yun Zhen, her face full of righteous indignation, clicked on the link, ready to see what it was all about. The post opened with a large screenshot, showing a bathtub filled with water and a drenched orange cat inside.

The cat’s fur was soaked and clinging to its body, making it look like an alien. Its expression was a mix of anger and sarcasm as it stared at the camera, as if to ask, “What did you expect to see?”

Yun Zhen: “…”

Ah, she understood. “Shocking the world with outrageous headlines” is the essence of news appeal.

She quickly typed out three alternative book titles and sent them to her editor, asking which one would work. The editor picked one, and all the details for the book’s release were finalized.

Now it was time to start stockpiling chapters! Yun Zhen opened an Excel sheet to create a daily schedule. She planned to dedicate time each day to writing, while also preparing to escort the Lilliputians home in a few days. Time was tight.

From what Pei Hao had said, the sea was extremely dangerous, requiring constant vigilance against the possibility of encountering a super tsunami.

Pei’s yacht was enormous—how could she protect them? Regular tsunamis had water walls up to dozens of meters high, but super tsunamis could reach over a hundred meters!

If there were only one or two yachts, she could lift them high into the air to avoid danger. But what if they added more yachts to collect supplies? How could she protect an entire fleet?

Maybe she could use a board to block the tsunami? That sounded a bit silly and probably wouldn’t work. Water and fire are the world’s most peculiar elements, with fluidity and the ability to merge. Blocking one part wouldn’t necessarily stop the rest, which is why they say “better to divert than to block.”

But forbidding the addition of yachts didn’t seem right either. It would be a waste to let them sink in the ruins. Many cities had been destroyed by natural disasters, and the system had predicted that 80% of humanity would perish. Without factories or a labor force, many machines or tools would become “non-renewable.”

Preserving a few more yachts would be beneficial, providing a foundation for the Lilliputians’ recovery. But how to execute this?

Yun Zhen bit her lip and clicked on the system’s “Voice Q&A”…