Chapter 42

The citizens of Lou Yuncheng woke up to the piercing, prolonged sound of air raid sirens in the early morning.

They were used to the sound of torrential rain beating against their windows. Aside from the occasional thunderclap that might briefly jolt them awake, the howling winds, pounding rain, and rattling window frames no longer stirred much emotion.

At most, they would get up when thunder roared to check if the windows were shut tight, then turn off the main power switch and go back to sleep.

But the air raid siren—that was not something they heard often. The last time had been when a wave over forty meters high struck Lou Yuncheng.

Back then, many residents in high-rise buildings panicked. They had no experience with such events and couldn’t figure out what exactly the repeated blaring of the siren was warning them about or how they should respond.

Sure, Lou Yuncheng had experienced thunderstorms and hailstorms before, but none of those had ever triggered an air raid siren.

So that time, the siren blaring for over three minutes truly terrified the citizens of Lou Yuncheng.

Later, when the giant waves smashed against the high walls with deafening roars, and videos taken by residents in the eastern suburbs’ high-rises were uploaded online, people finally understood the truth behind the air raid sirens.

Everyone had thought that such hurricanes and giant waves were just a one-off event.

Until this morning, when they were woken once again by the familiar wail of the sirens.

Within mere minutes, the phrase “Giant Waves Return” shot to the top of Lou Yuncheng’s trending searches.

The trending topics in Huagou were no longer what they used to be. Gone were the days of celebrity gossip and entertainment news. People no longer paid attention to who had gained weight, who had lost it, or who had been caught in a scandal.

Nowadays, half of the trending topics were major sudden disasters and survival tips, while the other half spotlighted the unsung heroes tirelessly providing aid in disaster-stricken areas.

The last giant wave had hit just over a week ago. It caused the floodwaters outside the dam to surge dramatically, turning the entire plain region of Huagou into a vast ocean and making Lou Yuncheng a true coastal city.

As the sirens blared, residents in the high-rises of the eastern districts and suburbs of Lou Yuncheng stood by their windows, staring blankly at the churning waves beyond the dam.

From their vantage points, they couldn’t truly gauge the height of the waves, but they could feel the roar and fury of the waters in that area.

Beyond the dam, it was like another planet—no land, only endless, sprawling seas. A single storm or hurricane could trigger massive tsunamis, waves towering like mountains, ready to engulf everything.

When the waves struck, the thick, towering dam once again held firm against the onslaught. People couldn’t see the moment of impact between the waves and the dam, but they could picture it and hear the tremors reverberating through the dam.

Had it held?

Half an hour later, when the roaring subsided, the tense citizens finally confirmed that their dam had once again withstood the house-high waves.

Shu Fu heard cheers erupting from her neighbors and from the hallway outside. Compared to the first time, when people were completely clueless, the citizens of Lou Yuncheng now understood the terrifying nature of such waves from countless videos and disaster footage shared online.

Ignorance is bliss, they said. But it was precisely because they knew and understood the danger that they felt such overwhelming relief and joy afterward.

Just like last time, the areas struck by the giant waves were still Muzhou Province—where Lou Yuncheng was located—and Xiren Province to the north. Both provinces were in hilly regions, with vast plains and low-lying lands stretching to the east and southeast. The water in these areas had now reached depths of up to a hundred meters, even deeper in some parts.

The planet’s climate had become extremely unstable. During brief pauses in the rain, daytime temperatures could suddenly spike by nearly twenty degrees. The drastic day-to-night temperature differences led to unstable air currents.

Every evening and night during these dry spells, temperatures would plummet rapidly, and the rain would come back with double the intensity, often turning into torrential storms accompanied by hurricanes.

Experts speculated that these hurricane-fueled storms were the reason the hilly regions had been hit by giant waves twice.

But it had been raining since October—three months straight now. At first, experts confidently predicted when the rain would stop, only to be proven wrong again and again. Eventually, the public stopped listening to their forecasts altogether.

After all, those experts, with all their climate science knowledge, hadn’t been able to make sense of the situation. People figured it was better to pin their hopes on the six water-blocking dams around Lou Yuncheng being completed as soon as possible.

The No. 1 Dam outside the eastern suburbs was visibly taller than when it had first been built. It now stood at 81 meters high—10 meters higher than when Shu Fu had first arrived in Lou Yuncheng.

The construction seemed to be progressing faster than before. At this rate, in about a month, the dam would reach its planned height of 120 meters, and its width would increase from 20 to 30 meters.

Every time the citizens of Lou Yuncheng looked at the dam, they felt a strange sense of reassurance. With this ring of dams firmly protecting Lou Yuncheng, they didn’t have to worry no matter how many giant waves came.

Even those from other cities, temporarily stranded in Lou Yuncheng and hoping to relocate to the western or northern cities, had to admit that Lou Yuncheng was a forward-thinking, highly efficient city. It was this foresight and efficiency that was now safeguarding its people.

Shu Fu retreated to her floating island house, planning to check her task rewards before stowing away the raft.

[Checked in at Zheng Feifei’s house. Task of accepting dinner and overnight invitation completed. Gained 10% progress on Raft Level 3; additional 15% progress bonus; 2 spins on the prize wheel. (Current progress on Raft Level 3: 70%)]

Shu Fu hadn’t expected that a task worth 10% would come with an extra 15% progress bonus.

The number of prize spins was a bit disappointing, but after her previous experience, Shu Fu felt she could handle whatever outcome this time.

However—

Blue Fifth Prize: Raft Fence ×1
Blue Fifth Prize: Floor-to-Ceiling Window.

Shu Fu: …

Just when she thought her luck couldn’t get any worse, it somehow did.

Now both windows in her floating island’s living room had already been upgraded to floor-to-ceiling windows, and yet here was another one. What was the point of that?

After claiming the prize, Shu Fu discovered that the floor-to-ceiling window had been installed in the bathroom shower area.

That window was located next to the wooden bathtub. Previously, when she soaked in the tub, the small lattice window beside her was quite nice—it allowed her to enjoy the view outside while bathing.

But now, with the lattice window replaced by a floor-to-ceiling one, even though she knew people outside couldn’t see in, it still felt like bathing in the open air.

The raft fence was automatically added next to the previous fence, making the unfinished end of the raft look at least somewhat tidier.

After checking everything, Shu Fu changed into comfortable clothes for going out, her expression blank as she stowed away the raft. Relying on prize draws for supplies was less practical than depending on herself. Since she had just completed a task, she planned to use her rest period to go out again, buying and stockpiling what she could.

Though she had salvaged a lot of supplies in Suicheng, the water conditions limited her from getting fresh vegetables and fruits. In Lou Yuncheng, these items were rationed, but every little bit added up. As long as there was still a chance to buy them, she needed to keep at it.

But before heading out, she needed to reorganize her bracelet space. She planned to move long-lasting daily necessities to the floating island house and also shift small amounts of food that could be consumed within their shelf life. The goal was to free up a few more cubic meters of space.

This was meticulous work. She had wanted to do it after returning from the supermarket last time, but one thing after another had left her no mood for it.

Now seemed like the perfect time for such a tedious task. Shu Fu pulled the living room curtains shut, activated the item retrieval function on her bracelet, and began moving supplies in and out, sorting and organizing.

It took her nearly two hours, but she finally cleared out 5 to 6 cubic meters of space. Then, she took out the raft, went inside, and retrieved a small portion of sealed food to store in the kitchen, stacking several large boxes of non-perishable supplies in the storage area outside the kitchen.

With this, she had freed up about 8 cubic meters in total. Adding the 17 cubic meters that were already empty, she now had 25 cubic meters of space.

Of these 25 cubic meters, she planned to reserve 15 as backup, and the remaining 10 would be filled with vegetables, fruits, and ready-to-eat foods.

Before heading out, she took out her phone to reply to earlier messages.

Zheng Feifei responded the fastest, mainly because she was a bit worried about Shu Fu’s condition yesterday. She also informed Shu Fu that she had received commendation and reward notifications from the neighborhood committee and had already replied with her desired rewards.

She wanted a commendation as an exemplary citizen and had applied for a Shacheng pass.

Her voice message was full of excitement: “The neighborhood committee said the exemplary citizen commendation should be a sure thing. As for the pass, once the commendation comes through, I can apply for it! Not just me—you too, Shu Fu! We can apply for the pass together! We’ll be able to go to Shacheng!”

Shu Fu knew that even if she got the pass, she wouldn’t be able to go to Shacheng herself. But exchanging this kind of reward for supplies wasn’t cost-effective, so once the commendation came through, she would still apply for the pass—just not for her own use.

She already knew who she would give it to.

Liu Shuang was probably busy and hadn’t replied yet.

Cheng Yu called shortly after she replied to his message. When she answered, she first apologized, explaining that she was exhausted yesterday and had gone straight to bed after getting home.

Cheng Yu had only wanted to confirm she got home safely and understood her mood hadn’t been great these past two days, so he didn’t press the issue. The reason for his call was about the outboard motor for the boat.

He had heard about it from Liu Shuang: “When do you need it?”

From the way he asked, Shu Fu could tell there was hope, and her tone immediately brightened. “As soon as possible, of course! Price isn’t an issue. If possible, three units would be great, or two at least… worst case, even one would do…”

She heard a low chuckle from the other end of the line.

“Got it. I’ll do my best to sort it out for you.” Liu Shuang didn’t have the connections to get an outboard motor, but she had clearly stressed how important this was, urging him repeatedly to make sure it got done.

Cheng Yu actually wanted to say that even if she hadn’t emphasized it so much, he would’ve sorted it out for Shu Fu.

After all, he had been the first one to look out for her.

“Thanks, Captain Cheng,” Shu Fu said, then brought up the pass.

This time, perhaps because the pass situation seemed more promising than before, Cheng Yu offered new advice: “Even with the exemplary citizen commendation, applying for a Shacheng pass is still quite difficult. My suggestion is to consider other second- or third-tier small cities in Xizhou Province.”

Xizhou Province was the region where Shacheng was located—the largest and only provincial district on the Fengshang Plateau.

“Yes, during such a disaster, places like Xizhou Province, which were already underdeveloped due to geographical constraints, will likely have even tighter supplies and various inconveniences in daily life. But sometimes, you have to look at the primary goal. Your friend’s goal is a safe, high-altitude area, so if there’s an opportunity, go for it first. Once you’re there, you can figure out the rest. Besides, people should still have faith in the nation’s development…”

Cheng Yu only finished half of this sentence, but Shu Fu could tell he was hinting at some news that couldn’t be openly discussed yet.

Based on her previous speculations, if Huagou had more than one reborn individual and the authorities were already taking preventive measures, focusing on the rapid development and construction of the entire Fengshang Plateau should be one of those measures.

Realizing this, Shu Fu understood and thanked Cheng Yu again.

After hanging up the phone, she messaged Zheng Feifei, suggesting a way to increase the chances of obtaining a travel permit.

Zheng Feifei had been somewhat fixated before, mainly due to some experiences in Suicheng that had left her with a strong obsession.

Going to Shacheng—a large plateau city over 3,500 meters above sea level—was seen as the safest place in the future of Huagou. Only by bringing her parents there could she truly feel safe, no longer at the mercy of sudden disasters. That city represented the peaceful and stable life she had always dreamed of.

The method Shu Fu suggested wasn’t something Zheng Feifei hadn’t thought of, but her obsession had magnified Shacheng’s significance.

Even Shu Fu herself had developed an obsession with Shacheng.

From the first day she awakened in Suicheng, Shacheng was the city she had always wanted to go to but never could. She recommended this city to every friend she knew, projecting her inner hopes.

Looking back now, as long as it wasn’t some desolate corner of the Fengshang Plateau, whether it was a first-tier large city or a third-tier small town, either option was viable.

By the time she left the house, her mood had improved significantly because of this realization. Zheng Feifei was also in high spirits and invited her to dinner, mentioning that the entire Jixing Community had been unlocked, promising a lavish meal.

Shu Fu declined politely, genuinely this time.

She hadn’t been out in days, so she drove straight out of the eastern part of the city, heading toward the shopping mall in the city center. There were large supermarkets and many deli shops there. She planned to hit the supermarket first, buying all the fruits and vegetables she could.

On the way from the east to the city center, she encountered several roadblocks.

They were checking both vehicles and people, but since she had a rental car certificate and a local ID, she passed through the checkpoints quickly.

Afterward, she went to a jewelry store to exchange more gold for enough cash to top up her mobile account, then headed straight to the supermarket.

This supermarket was quite large with a wide variety of fruits. Since she arrived early, the shelves were stocked with both regular and newly restocked fruits. She picked up a bag of each: apples, pears, grapes, longans, a Hami melon, and a bag of cherry tomatoes.

The vegetables were pre-packaged in bags as well, ranging from about 500 to 1,000 grams depending on the type. There were more varieties of vegetables than fruits—nine types in total. She could buy them all, but there was a limit of one bag per type per day.

For the limited fruits and vegetables, they had to scan her ID at checkout. Even if she went to another supermarket, the system would show that her purchase limit had been reached.

However, unless a family of three generations lived together, an average family of three would need two or three days to consume all the vegetables.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, she visited the household goods section. Most of the items here weren’t restricted, so she only bought things she hadn’t stockpiled enough of.

Sanitary pads, underwear, towels, insecticides, floral water, mosquito repellent, mosquito coil liquid and plates, garbage bags, kraft paper packaging boxes…

Especially sanitary pads—during two months of living on the water in Suicheng, she hadn’t salvaged even a single pack. But that made sense; the packaging was thin, with easy-to-tear perforations. After soaking underwater for too long, they were bound to get ruined.

Her automatic fishing rod never came up empty, but it wouldn’t reel in things like this.

Now that she saw them, she definitely had to stock up.

After leaving the supermarket, she loaded her shopping bags into the car and headed back to the mall. She first stopped at a branded phone store to buy two new high-storage smartphones and tablets, in case her current devices malfunctioned and couldn’t be repaired. Better safe than sorry.

She also picked up matching keyboards, chargers for the tablets, and four sets of Bluetooth earphones: two in-ear, one clip-on, and one neckband style.

When passing a large bookstore in the mall, she hesitated but eventually went in and bought a cart full of books—fiction, literature, history, sci-fi, fashion… She chose a lot based on her personal preferences.

Although her phone and tablet were loaded with countless e-books, they weren’t the same as physical books. These were all brand-new, with beautiful covers and the fresh scent of ink.

She figured when she got tired of reading e-books, she could flip through these physical ones.

Since she bought so many, they filled seven or eight large bags, making it impossible to carry by hand. In the end, she paid a deposit to rent a cart from the bookstore, transported the books to her car, and then returned the cart.

Finally, she headed to the deli section of the mall, focusing on buying meat-based prepared foods.

It happened to be lunchtime, and since it was a relatively safe downtown area, there were quite a few customers around.

Fried chicken, roasted chicken, lamb skewers, takoyaki, grilled squid, shredded chicken, pepper chicken, spicy beef offal, mala skewers, dandan noodles, and various flavors of duck tongues, wings, feet, necks, and clavicles—spiced, spicy, you name it—roasted pig trotters, crispy pork, burgers, pizzas, hot dogs, sandwiches… she bought anything she hadn’t tried before, and even some she had.

At each shop, she kept her purchases modest, around 20 portions.

After hitting over a dozen shops on the left wing of the mall, she moved on to another dozen on the right.

Along the way, she grabbed lunch for herself, having a bowl of pig trotter soup and a serving of takoyaki.

Initially, she thought the boiled pig trotter soup wouldn’t be as fragrant and chewy as roasted trotters, but after tasting it, she found it had its own unique flavor. The broth was rich and delicious, the trotters tender and flavorful, and it was packed with collagen. After eating, she felt like her skin looked better, so she packed another 20 portions before leaving.

By early evening, she was driving slowly back towards the eastern part of the city.

Around 7 PM, she timed it perfectly to release her floating island house, took a shower, and then rolled around on the soft, spacious sofa, celebrating another safe day.

For the next several days, Shu Fu’s life remained calm and routine.

As long as there were no hurricanes, waterspouts, or heavy rains, she went out daily, visiting different supermarkets to buy vegetables and fruits, then stopping by nearby food shops to scout and pack more delicacies. If she happened to see a bookstore, she’d go in and buy some books she hadn’t gotten yet.

At home, she used the large pot she’d bought to make soups, usually simmering one pot all day. Once done, she’d cover it and store it in her space. When she wanted to eat it later, she could scoop some into a small pot, add vegetables or noodles, or just drink it as is.

In the evenings, she stayed cozy inside her floating island house, browsing the news online, listening to music, watching movies or variety shows, and chatting with Zheng Feifei on her phone before going to bed at a reasonable time.

After what had happened in the east side of the city, there were now far more patrol cars and officers on the streets than before. The rescue teams and military personnel weren’t fully armed anymore, but stun batons and guns had become standard gear.

The armed patrols gave people a sense of security. Ordinary residents in the east continued their daily lives and work as usual, while those who were prone to causing trouble or petty theft were now lying low.

Occasionally, rescue teams would visit residential communities in the east to conduct random safety checks. Jixing Community was checked twice, and the residents were cooperative both times. Shu Fu knew people from both visits—once it was Liu Shuang leading the team, and the other time it was Cheng Yu. These checks didn’t require going door-to-door; they mainly inspected surveillance systems, gates, and retrieved data on people entering and exiting.

Once, because Jixing Community was the final task point before the team wrapped up, Liu Shuang took Shu Fu along when they left, saying the team was having a meal together and the restaurant wasn’t far from the community, so she brought her along.

Shu Fu didn’t refuse. Knowing they were going for barbecue, she ordered a bunch of bubble teas from a shop on the same street so everyone could have one. Liu Shuang knew Shu Fu did this because she didn’t want to freeload, but since splitting the bill would feel too formal, she simply bought the bubble tea.

Liu Shuang appreciated this approach, snapping a photo of the bubble teas and posting it on her Moments: Barbecue dinner, treated to bubble tea by a pretty girl!

The photo showed the bubble teas and a blurry half of Shu Fu’s face. Unless someone knew her personally, they wouldn’t recognize her.

Shu Fu liked the post.

A moment later, Liu Shuang exclaimed in surprise that even Captain Cheng had liked it—was he liking the barbecue or the bubble tea?

---

After this ordeal, Lou Yuncheng’s previously chaotic order began to settle again.

The root of this change was the deterrent effect of firearms. The city’s higher-ups had probably long wanted to arm the rescue teams, but hadn’t found the right opportunity until now.

Lou Yuncheng welcomed the New Year in this tense yet secure atmosphere.

January 21st marked the last day before the New Year in Huagou.

Online, people were saying this year’s New Year came early, as if even the heavens wanted the old year to end quickly, ushering in the new one sooner.

This year had been full of disasters. Countless people were displaced, many experienced separations and losses they never thought they’d face in a lifetime. Yet, there were still many looking forward to the New Year. People did their best to celebrate despite their circumstances, hoping that with the end of this year, all the bad things would be left behind.

They hoped that in the new year, the disasters would finally end.

On New Year’s Eve, Shu Fu was quite busy, with lunch and dinner plans.

Lunch was with Liu Shuang, and dinner was with Zheng Feifei.

Liu Shuang was hosting the lunch, and this time Cheng Yu came along too.

On the phone, Liu Shuang repeatedly emphasized that Shu Fu didn’t need to bring anything—just come and eat.

The meal was set at a stir-fry restaurant in the east part of the city. Liu Shuang originally offered to pick her up, but Shu Fu said she’d rented a car and could drive herself.

In the end, though, she didn’t drive. That morning, Cheng Yu had driven to Jixing Community with two outboard motors for boats and three 30-liter barrels of fuel in his car. Clearly, he was worried she’d have motors but no fuel, rendering them useless.

These items were quite heavy and conspicuous, so after driving over, he personally helped carry them upstairs.

Shu Fu brought down a folding cart to meet him, feeling very pleased. She hadn’t expected Cheng Yu to be so thorough, even thinking to bring fuel.

Nowadays, fuel was also a restricted commodity, and the refueling regulations were nothing like before. Ordinary people could only refuel directly into their vehicles and were not allowed to use portable fuel cans. Additionally, purchases were limited by real-name registration each week, making fuel even more precious than vegetables and fruits.

In front of Cheng Yu, Shu Fu portrayed herself as a hidden online expert who wasn’t short on money. So when she’d asked him to help buy the equipment earlier, she’d made it clear that no matter the price, she wanted it.

In peacetime, the price of such outboard motors ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 yuan. She had anticipated a tenfold price increase, but when it came time to pay, she found the cost was only one-fifth of her expected price.

“This cheap?” She was a bit skeptical.

Cheng Yu, standing in the living room of her rental, lifted items from the cart and nodded, saying it was an internal price.

Shu Fu couldn’t read anything from his expression, so she transferred the money first, planning to privately ask Liu Shuang about it over lunch later.

After placing the items neatly against the wall, Cheng Yu helped fold the cart back up. Before leaving, his eyes swept over her sparse living room.

Everything necessary was there—dining table and chairs, sofa, coffee table, trash bin—but that was it. There wasn’t even a book or a cushion, giving the place a cold and barren feeling.

Even his dorm room felt more lively than this. This didn’t look like a home, just a place to stay.

“What’s wrong?” Shu Fu glanced back at the living room. Since Liu Shuang and the neighborhood committee had come to inspect the place, she hadn’t changed anything about the setup. There weren’t many things, but it still looked lived-in. She couldn’t figure out what Cheng Yu was staring at.

“Nothing. Let’s go.” He picked up his raincoat by the door. “You don’t need to drive. We’ll go in one car, and I’ll bring you back after lunch.”

“Alright.” Shu Fu never fussed over small things. She grabbed the raincoat hanging behind the door, locked up, and left.

At lunch, Shu Fu didn’t find a chance to privately ask Liu Shuang about the outboard motor’s price because, besides the three of them, several other team members were also there. Some faces she recognized; others were unfamiliar.

It wasn’t until she was at the table that she realized today’s meal was Liu Shuang’s farewell party.

She had been reassigned back to the military and would be returning to Xizhou Province the next day.