Chapter 48: Torrential Rain

After dinner, the Jiang family began taking turns resting for the night.

Jiang Linhai gave Qin Shen some pajamas and toiletries. When Qin Shen came out of the bathroom, even though he was dressed in the most ordinary homewear, he somehow wore it with the luxurious flair of a high-end custom suit.

His deep eyes held a trace of weariness, exuding a casual, lazy elegance.

It was a look Jiang Si had never seen from him before.

She was briefly captivated, then quickly looked away and said,

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We still have most essentials at home.”

As she glanced at the light stubble on his jaw, she instinctively pulled a razor out of her pocket and handed it to him:

“Here, take this.”

Qin Shen stared at her for a moment before reaching out to accept it.

“Thank you.”

Back in her room, Jiang Si couldn’t stop replaying the way he’d looked at her. Then she started regretting her own impulsiveness. Giving him a razor like that—had she seemed too eager? Like she’d been planning this moment?

Staring at the ceiling, she suddenly remembered to ask Shen Baoying:

“Mom, how did he even get across from the other side?”

Shen Baoying sat up in bed, recalling the moment Qin Shen appeared, her voice tinged with excitement:

“He said he swam over. It only took him a couple of minutes. We were so worried at the time, and when we saw him, we were all in tears!”

“How long exactly did it take?”

“Maybe two minutes? Your dad and I were just talking when he arrived.”
Then she suddenly gasped.
“Do you think he overheard us talking about the lifeboat?!”

Jiang Si frowned.

“With the rain pouring like that, he probably couldn’t hear clearly.”

Still, Qin Shen’s true strength was a mystery. Having him move in made her somewhat wary.

That night passed uneventfully.

When Jiang Si got up to brush her teeth the next morning, she noticed that her cup was slanted—a sign the house’s foundation was becoming unstable.

If the rain worsened, their house might collapse just like Qin Shen’s.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—

Several old houses in Longquan Village were swept away by the torrential rain.

Alligator gars launched attacks on those who fell into the water, violently tearing at them. The scene was horrifying. Many people drowned simply because they couldn’t swim.

Only a few managed to climb onto nearby rooftops.

Seeing this, Cui Weisong became even more agitated. They were nearly out of ammunition, the drainage system was still blocked, and they needed to conserve bullets to fight off the gars.

Their inflatable boats had no power and couldn’t be used to escape.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of powerful explosions rang out from the drainage outlet.

Cui Weisong looked out the window, and his eyes lit up in surprise—Ren Jinshan had returned with a special forces team, braving the storm with explosives.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Another round of explosions opened up a small breach in the drainage outlet. Massive amounts of floodwater began to rush out, quickly expanding the hole.

SPLASHHH—

The floodwaters in Longquan Village began to drain.

Shen Baoying told Jiang Si:

“Si, the water’s going down! Are we still leaving?”

If the rain stopped, and the ground dried up, they could reinforce the tilting foundation. But it was unlikely the government would have enough supplies left to help everyone in time.

If they stayed, they might become targets of looters. Even the authorities might start questioning where their food was coming from.

Jiang Si still leaned toward leaving—but it was hard to say. The government might still have reserve rations.

She was thinking it over when Qin Shen looked toward the mountain forest behind them, his voice suddenly grave:

“We need to leave immediately.”

Everyone froze.

“Why?”

Qin Shen pointed toward the trees—many had collapsed, and the soil was soft and shifting.

“The floodwater has soaked the entire mountain. A landslide is very likely.”

He was talking about the entire mountain Longquan Village sat on.

Everyone gasped and turned to Jiang Si.

She trusted Qin Shen’s sharp instincts without question.

“Everyone, pack up your things. Once the water drains out—and takes the gars with it—we leave immediately.”

Even with the water gone, the area would still be a thick, muddy swamp. It wouldn’t be easy to escape on foot.

But Jiang Si had already made a plan—wait until nightfall and discreetly pull out the lifeboat. They’d ride the current and slip away unnoticed.

Everyone packed up, trimming their supplies down as much as possible.

That night, Jiang Si let out a sudden cry:

“Look! A lifeboat floated up!”

There had previously been a rescue team that was pulled under by the alligator gars, and their lifeboat had overturned—this gave Jiang Si the perfect excuse.

Everyone stole glances at Qin Shen. Seeing his face remain calm and indifferent, they silently sighed in relief.

They all pretended to be ecstatic:

“This is great! We can finally paddle out of here!”

They loaded the boat with supplies and began rowing in sync. Before long, they were spotted by Cui Weisong.

Seeing them being attacked by gars, Cui Weisong couldn’t understand why they were leaving now, just after the flood had drained.

Were their houses collapsing too?

Qin Shen killed a gar with a single precise stab, causing Cui Weisong to scoff—he hoped they’d all get torn apart.

Lu Zhifeng, watching from the window with a torch in hand, knew Jiang Si’s house was sturdy—it wouldn’t collapse easily.

If they were leaving now, even with the danger, something must be wrong.

He waved and shouted:

“Jiang Si! Sis-in-law! Brother Jiang!!”

Jiang Si looked and saw Lu Zhifeng and Niuniu leaning out the window.

Zhang Qingzhi couldn’t help but say:

“Should we take them with us?”

If they waited until the landslide became obvious, it might be too late.

But bringing them meant more mouths to feed.

Moments like this reveal the ugliest side of human nature—selfishness, cruelty, desperation.

But Jiang Si thought of their shared struggles, and she nodded.

“Let’s take them.”

Lu Zhifeng was capable and sensible—he wouldn’t cling to them forever.

As they fended off attacking gars and approached Lu Zhifeng’s house, Jiang Si shouted:

“The mountain’s going to collapse! Pack your things and come with us!”

Her warning startled the villagers who had previously mocked them as fools.

Could it be true?

A whole mountain collapsing just like that?

But with the storm still raging, maybe Jiang Si, who lived near the forest, really had noticed something.

Everyone panicked and began waving:

“Help us! Please help us!”

After surviving this long, no one wanted to die now.

Lu Zhifeng’s face changed. He immediately believed Jiang Si. He hurried to dress Niuniu in a life vest and tossed an emergency supply pack onto the lifeboat.

Then he lifted Niuniu onboard, and afterward brought out a huge, heavy box, whispering to Jiang Si:

“These are guns.”