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Chapter 86
Chen Fa glanced out the window, took out a camping lantern, and turned it on. The light wasn’t very bright, seemingly low on power. Taking the opportunity, Shu Fu retrieved a household generator she had intended to give to Chen Fa and placed it in the corner of the cabin, then turned it on and motioned for Chen Fa to use it for charging in the future.
“Although it consumes some fuel, having no power at all is not an option. You can keep this one here, and if Lu Zheng and the others need to charge anything, they can use it too.” Seeing Chen Fa about to refuse, Shu Fu reassured her that her own raft didn’t need it. “After all, I have the advanced version that’s backward-compatible!”
Besides, she had originally purchased four of these generators, not knowing that her floating island house would come with its own power source. Even after giving one to Chen Fa, she still had three spares.
Just then, Lu Ce’s voice came from the side. “So it’s hailing! No wonder the roof sounds like that!”
Standing by the small lattice window, he couldn’t see outside clearly due to the storm, but at this close range, he could hear the sharp impact of hailstones against the windowpane. When he pressed his palm against the glass, he could even feel the vibrations from the hail striking it.
After peering out for a moment, Lu Ce turned back to the others and said, “The hailstones outside are bigger than eggs!”
Shu Fu was the first to react. “Your car!” She immediately stood up, activated her personal protective shield, and quickly opened the back door of Chen Fa’s raft cabin before stepping outside and shutting the door behind her.
“Why is she going out now—” Lu Zheng instinctively got up to follow, but Chen Fa stopped him.
“Don’t go out. She’ll be fine.” Chen Fa had experienced Shu Fu’s protective shield firsthand and knew that she wouldn’t have left unless she was certain of her safety. But this was Shu Fu’s secret ability—she had shared it with Chen Fa out of trust, and it wasn’t something Chen Fa could casually explain to others. Just like Shu Fu wouldn’t disclose the full capabilities of her gun to others.
Outside, Shu Fu quickly reached Lu Zheng’s raft, passed through his cabin, and made her way to the shore where the jeep was parked. One of its windows had already been shattered by the hail. Without hesitation, she stored the jeep into the last empty slot in her “Compression Display Cabinet.”
The storm raged fiercely, dark clouds pressing low overhead, with hailstones pelting down amidst the wind and rain.
She paused to assess the situation and realized that while she could feel the hail landing on her, the protective shield completely nullified its impact. It was as if countless playful water droplets were bouncing off her body.
This protective shield was truly top-tier.
Thinking about how the raft would unlock the full functionality of the personal protective shield once it leveled up to Level 4, Shu Fu felt a surge of excitement. At that point, she wouldn’t have to rely on lucky draws to gain usage time—it would be a stable feature.
After securing the door to Lu Zheng’s raft cabin, she returned to Chen Fa’s cabin the same way she had left. Not only was she completely dry, but even her slippers remained spotless.
Aside from Lu Ce exclaiming in admiration, “Sister Fufu!” the others didn’t react much.
By now, everyone had their own unique abilities, so rather than being surprised by Shu Fu’s skills, their focus remained on the raft cabin itself.
Since the structures on both rafts were identical, any defensive features of Chen Fa’s cabin would also apply to Lu Zheng’s.
They each got up to inspect their surroundings. Chen Yuezhen checked for leaks in the corners, Lu Zheng examined the small window for any damage, while Chen Fa took the most direct approach—she opened the door just a crack.
Inside the cabin, they had only been able to hear the storm outside, but the moment the door was slightly ajar, they immediately felt the raft sway violently. If they were to quantify it, the disaster intensity level jumped from 2 to 6.
The wind drove rain into the cabin like a high-pressure hose, instantly soaking the area near the entrance.
Chen Fa quickly shut the door, and the raft stabilized once more. It was as if a shock-absorption system had been activated—but it was more than that. Unlike a normal shock absorber, this didn’t cause dizziness. Instead, it provided a solid, grounded feeling, as if they had moved from a rickety straw hut into a sturdy concrete building.
Before long, Chen Yuezhen and Lu Zheng completed their checks.
“The roof isn’t leaking, and the corners aren’t seeping,” Chen Yuezhen reported.
“The window glass is intact—stronger than I expected,” Lu Zheng added.
Shu Fu then informed them, “Your jeep’s window was shattered by the hail.”
Lu Ce grew anxious. “What do we do? With a storm and hail this bad, there’s no way we’ll make it back before the curfew.”
“If we can’t make it, then just stay here. Isn’t this a perfectly good shelter?” Shu Fu said matter-of-factly. In her eyes, the refugee shelter wasn’t a real home. A raft that she could carry with her wherever she went—that was home. No matter how simple the interior was, as long as it could block the wind, resist disasters, and keep them safe, it was the warmest place.
“That’s true.” Chen Fa nodded. She had been thinking too narrowly before, assuming the raft’s full potential could only be realized on the water. But in reality, whether on land or sea, as long as there was space, the raft could be deployed. Once set up, it became a real house.
More importantly, they had just discovered that with both doors closed, the raft’s disaster resistance significantly increased. This wasn’t just a house—it was a fully functional safehouse!
“So—” Shu Fu brought the topic back. “Shall we have a barbecue tonight?”
**
Half an hour later, the long-unused kerosene stove was brought out by Shu Fu once again. A grill pan was placed on top, sizzling with lamb skewers that were gradually turning golden brown. As cumin powder and chili powder were sprinkled over them, that uniquely mouthwatering aroma of barbecue spread through the air, striking straight at the soul.
Outside, the storm raged on with hail, dropping the temperature to around eleven or twelve degrees Celsius. Though the small house was disaster-resistant, it wasn’t temperature-controlled, so the air felt a bit chilly. But now, with the group gathered around the kerosene stove, the warm firelight gave their faces a rosy glow.
A camping table nearby was set up with an array of meats, vegetables, and seasonings for the barbecue.
Shu Fu hadn’t gone overboard with fancy dishes—just the essentials: lamb skewers, chicken wings, pork belly, steak, squid tentacles, and scallops—plenty of meat for everyone to feast on. The vegetables were simple too: fresh lettuce leaves, along with eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms that could be grilled.
Even so, the sight of the spread left everyone stunned, especially Chen Yuezhen and Lu Ce. They had already thought the milk tea and cake from the afternoon were the ultimate luxury…
Lu Ce started feeling a bit uneasy. When a lamb skewer was placed on the disposable plate in front of him, he didn’t immediately eat it. Instead, he ran over to his brother and whispered in his ear, urging him to check his backpack compartments.
“See if you’ve got any good food left from the school trading market yesterday. Sister Fufu went all out for this meal; we can’t just freeload!”
“Bro, what about that soda? I saw you organizing supplies last night—you had soda!”
“That was from Shu Fu…”
“Okay… then what about the frozen pizza? That one’s good too, just needs reheating!”
“Also from Shu Fu.”
“Then… the candy?”
“… Also from Shu Fu.”
“… ” Lu Ce was dumbfounded. He didn’t even bother asking about the fried chicken, Sichuan dishes, burgers, or sandwiches—those were obviously fresh and ready-to-eat, clearly from Shu Fu too.
Adding it all up, most of his brother’s good food had come from Shu Fu!
He shot Lu Zheng a resentful look. “Bro, you’re kinda like one of those useless pretty boys being taken care of by Sister Fufu, you know?”
“Pfft—” Shu Fu nearly spat out her coconut milk.
Lu Zheng’s face heated up, half from being exasperated with his unreliable little brother, the other half from the sheer embarrassment of being called out so directly.
But in the end, Lu Zheng did bring out something valuable—a bottle of wine he had traded for at the marketplace. It was from an expensive vintage. The original owner had kept it even after seeking refuge here, intending to drink it someday. However, his wife had recently given birth prematurely, and with their baby’s needs taking priority, he decided to exchange the wine for more essential supplies.
This bottle had once been worth over a hundred thousand, but now, no one was willing to trade for it. It cost a bit too many points, and wine wasn’t exactly a necessity—it wasn’t as practical as liquor or rice wine. Liquor could be used for disinfection, and rice wine for cooking. But grape wine? What was it good for? A skincare routine?
In the end, Lu Zheng had taken the bottle.
Because when he saw the wine, a fragmented memory surfaced in his mind—an image of Shu Fu standing at a distance, smiling confidently, as if a long struggle had finally been recognized. In that memory, her slender, fair fingers were holding a wine glass…
Yes, in those fleeting memory fragments, she had appeared more than once, and her clothing had changed noticeably.
Most of the time, she dressed simply, her hair casually tied back, no makeup, always wearing a baseball cap. She moved through crowded spaces, constantly coming and going. Even though the places were noisy and packed with people, her exceptionally fair skin still made her stand out to him immediately…
It seemed he had spent a long time just watching her from afar. He didn’t know why—only that he could look, but not get too close. And the reason wasn’t her—it was himself…
A stern voice echoed in his ears, repeatedly warning him about his “rising period,” saying it was absolutely not allowed.
Not allowed? Not allowed to do what?
He couldn’t remember.
But what was clear was that compared to those fragmented memories, simply sitting beside her now, chatting and sharing a meal—doing something so ordinary—was once something completely out of reach for him.
Shu Fu knew a bit about wine and commented that if they were going to drink this bottle, even if they didn’t have proper wine glasses, they couldn’t use disposable cups. So, she pulled out a few glass cups to at least do it some justice.
Seeing Shu Fu genuinely enjoying the wine, Lu Ce finally sighed in relief.
None of them were particularly hungry after the afternoon’s feast, but the aroma of grilled meat was just too tempting. Even Chen Yuezhen, who rarely ate barbecue at her age, couldn’t resist having some steak and lamb skewers.
Lan Lan, the cat who had once taken a bullet for Chen Fa, was also given some grilled meat—special treatment for a hero.
By the end of the meal, Shu Fu removed the grill pan and replaced it with the stove’s top cover. She then brought out a small pot of light bamboo fungus chicken soup, setting it over the flame to simmer gently. Anyone who wanted some could ladle it into a disposable kraft paper bowl.
Outside, the hail and storm raged on for hours. They could hear the howling wind, the rain hammering against the lake, and the relentless clatter of large hailstones striking the raft and cabin. The sounds filled the air—not disturbing them, but acting as a kind of natural white noise.
Around nine in the evening, the hail stopped, and the storm weakened significantly. The bottle of wine was finished, and Chen Yuezhen, feeling drowsy from the alcohol, went to the partitioned area to scoop water from a collapsible barrel with a newly replaced basin for a quick wash before heading to the sleeping area on the other side.
Half of the chicken soup remained, and Shu Fu told Chen Fa to store it directly in her backpack compartment. Tomorrow morning, they could add some noodles to make chicken soup noodles, or pan-fry some dumplings to go with it.
“You should head back and rest. You’ve been with us all day. Even if we come over in the future, you don’t have to go out of your way to keep us company. After all, your own place is the most comfortable.” Chen Fa urged Shu Fu to put away the kerosene stove and head back first while she and the Lu brothers cleaned up the trash.
Shu Fu, a little sleepy after a few glasses of wine, decided to release the Jeep onto the shore since the hail had stopped and the rain had lightened. She instructed them to call her on the satellite phone if the weather worsened again during the night, and she would come back to retrieve the vehicle.
Then, she opened her raft, stepped across onto it, and returned to her floating home.
As she stood under the eaves closing her umbrella, she glanced toward Chen Fa and Lu Zheng’s raft. The way she had positioned her raft this time formed an L-shape with theirs, allowing her to clearly see through the lattice window of their small cabin.
At first, only the front raft cabin emitted a soft, warm yellow light. Then, she saw Lu Zheng and Lu Ce quickly run back to their own raft cabin, with Lu Ce waving at her midway.
Shortly after they entered, the dim orange light of their cabin flickered on as well.
The faint glow from the raft cabins seemed small yet warm in the vast, pitch-black mountains.
Shu Fu placed her umbrella under the eaves, smiled, and turned back into her floating home. She took a hot shower, changed into comfortable clothes, and lay on her bed watching some TV before falling asleep.
The next morning, when she woke up, her raft was the only one left on the lake. Chen Fa and the Lu brothers must have woken up early, noticed the lighter rain, and packed up to return to the refuge.
Checking her satellite phone, she found a message from them confirming her guess: since the weather was manageable, they had returned to the military school shelter. If she needed anything, she should call them directly.
The days that followed were peaceful.
Every two to three days, Lu Zheng and Chen Fa would visit. Sometimes, they came together; other times, Lu Zheng came alone. During one of his solo visits, he brought up fragments of memories that had resurfaced.
Shu Fu was almost certain by now—he was one of the actors she had collaborated with in the past. More specifically, he had been part of a live-action project when she was writing film scripts.
However, who exactly he was and why he ended up in this world remained a mystery. Since he still couldn’t recall his name or appearance from his previous life, much of the crucial information was lost to him, and even more so to her.
The scene he described—the moment when she smiled confidently, as if all her hard work had finally been recognized—was something she had absolutely no memory of.
From what she remembered, she had only ever been a third-rate screenwriter. The first project she was supposed to be independently responsible for had barely made it past the outline stage before she transmigrated. When had she ever experienced such a triumphant moment?
Chen Fa’s new memory fragments were mostly repetitive. Or perhaps they weren’t actually repeating—her previous life had simply consisted of an endless cycle of commuting between work and home, making everything feel monotonous.
Still, neither of them had remembered anything concrete. Their fragmented memories, scattered like pieces of a broken puzzle, were not enough to form any useful clues.
Whenever they visited, they would release their rafts onto the lake and stay overnight. This arrangement also benefited Shu Fu—she could stay on their raft for four hours a day without using up her time-extension card, nor would she have to hide in the dilapidated little hut on the hillside with its broken windows.
On days when the rain was light, Lu Zheng would fish with a rod.
Shu Fu used a lure rod. The first time, she gave him some pointers on casting techniques, and he quickly got the hang of it.
Unlike Chen Fa, who had psychological resistance to handling fish, Lu Zheng had no such problem. Plus, since the fish were caught using a “goldfinger” tool (a special fishing rod with enhanced abilities), he felt reassured about their quality. He stored all his catches in a cardboard box and then transferred them to his backpack compartment for preservation, treating them as rations for his team.
However, his rod’s efficiency couldn’t compare to her automated water-fishing rod—it could only catch one fish at a time, and sometimes, if he wasn’t careful, the fish would escape. Shu Fu, feeling a bit exasperated by his slow progress, would occasionally sneak a few extra fish into his box while he wasn’t looking.
Of course, using a lure rod provided a much more engaging experience.
Watching him a few times made her hands itch to try, but when she borrowed Lu Zheng’s fishing rod, she found that she couldn’t use it at all. Not just that—when she tried his axe and water filter, they didn’t work for her either. The axe was dull in her hands, unable to chop anything, and the filter refused to function.
It seemed that as the administrator of this world, she had downward compatibility—she could integrate their raft cabins into her domain, but she couldn’t use their personal tools.
Chen Fa still had trouble dealing with fish, but since completely abandoning the fishing rod felt like a waste of a goldfinger tool, she eventually started fishing too. Like Lu Zheng, she stored her catches in a cardboard box, planning to take them to the refugee camp’s market later to trade for other supplies.
About half a month later, Chen Fa and Lu Zheng returned, this time bringing Xu Tingfeng and their team along.
With more people, they arrived in two vehicles. The new vehicle was a pickup truck, supposedly a recent reward from the military. In the truck bed, wrapped under waterproof tarp, were a large number of supplies.
The two vials of red liquid they handed over were indeed transported by drone to the main military base in Xiangzhou Province, where research conditions were more advanced. As expected, the scientists there managed to uncover some findings.
The red liquid appeared to be a glandular secretion that was artificially induced in Gray Scab patients through various drug experiments conducted by Tang Ping. However, the process of extracting this gland caused the patients to suffer even more intensely.
As for why the mutant fish found this liquid repulsive and terrifying, researchers speculated that it might be related to a natural hierarchy among species. For example, tiger urine contains specific scents and chemical compounds that effectively deter other animals. Similarly, the glands induced in Gray Scab patients seemed to have a comparable effect on the mutant fish. However, this theory remained speculative, and further research was ongoing.
A breakthrough came just two days ago—using available blood, cell, and pus samples from Gray Scab patients, the research team successfully synthesized a similar red liquid with comparable effects. They officially named it “Fish Repellent Agent.”
However, due to the limited availability of Gray Scab patient samples, only a small amount of the agent could be produced—nowhere near enough for practical deployment.
The origins of the mutant fish were also under investigation. Scientists were currently divided into two main theories:
The creatures had also been given an official name: Amphibious Man-Eating Jumpfish—a straightforward and descriptive term. Additionally, they had acquired a more commonly used nickname: Hexi Monster Fish. This was because their first recorded appearance and the location where they started coming ashore was Hexi Town.