Chapter 41: Danger on the Road

That’s right—those guys had somehow managed to get a bathtub from someone’s home.

It wasn’t small, about two meters long, and the three of them could sit in it comfortably.

Even with some supplies added in, it wasn’t a problem at all.

Once they set off, Song Yi started inflating the kayak.

It was also electric—he brought an electric pump powered by a battery.

In less than ten minutes, it was fully inflated. This kayak was much larger than the one they’d used last time.

It looked about three meters long and nearly two meters wide.

“Everyone, put on your life jackets…”

Zhang Kaiyang helped push the kayak out. Jiang Yuan and Ye Mianmian, already wearing life vests, helped as well.

The water level had already reached below the third floor, so they could just jump out from the window ledge.

Zhang Kaiyang was itching to drive the kayak, but Song Yi, worried about his lack of experience, told him to come back and let him handle it.

At the start of the journey, Song Yi personally took the helm.

Ye Mianmian sat in the back, observing their surroundings, while Jiang Yuan held a telescope in the front, scanning for obstacles.

When they passed by the three men with the bathtub, those guys were clearly stunned by their gear.

A simple “What the hell?!” was all they could say before being left far behind.

With a motor, their kayak zipped through the water. It was way more thrilling than any vacation outing.

Heavy rain pounded down with howling wind—everyone looked a bit battered.

Jiang Yuan felt an odd sense of exhilaration standing at the front of the boat, like she was sailing against the wind. It was actually kind of amazing.

The roads were mostly submerged. Fortunately, Jiang Yuan had offline maps, and Ye Mianmian knew the route well. Iconic landmarks were still vaguely identifiable.

Even though it was just a few kilometers, under these conditions, it was tough going.

Along the way, they ran into several people also out looking for supplies.

The heavy rains had lasted just under two weeks, following an extreme heatwave.

If people hadn’t gone out to restock during that time, most homes were completely empty by now.

Some of the people they saw were pretty ridiculous.

Some had inflatable kayaks, others were floating on washbasins, and a few even wore swim rings.

“Hey, hey!”

“Someone’s calling for help…”

Jiang Yuan looked through the telescope and saw clearly—a man clinging to a tire.

“Ignore him. Keep going!”

Song Yi shouted loudly. Earlier, Zhang Kaiyang had been fidgeting, so Song Yi had let him try steering for a bit.

Then suddenly, Song Yi shouted again:

“Go faster—someone’s coming after us!”

No time to dwell on the situation—danger was already here.

Because Zhang Kaiyang had slowed down, someone nearby had caught up—suddenly appearing from the side.

The guy was sitting in a large plastic basin, probably the kind used to bathe kids. He even had two toy paddles—it was clearly meant for children.

He approached from behind, and since their kayak sat higher in the water, Ye Mianmian hadn’t seen him.

“Stay back!”

Ye Mianmian was nervous—it was her first time dealing with something like this. She cautiously pushed with her paddle to keep the man away.

In that split second, the man suddenly pulled out a fruit knife and slashed at the kayak!

Song Yi immediately ran over with a large paddle and knocked the man overboard in one powerful swing.

The man had managed to grab the side of the kayak and was trying to climb up. When Ye Mianmian tried to stop him, he decided to destroy the kayak instead.

If it had been punctured and lost air, the four of them would’ve been in serious danger.

“Zhang Kaiyang—full speed ahead!”

The frightened young man cursed under his breath. But adrenaline kicked in, and he slammed the throttle.

The sudden burst of speed made Jiang Yuan stumble; at the back of the kayak, Ye Mianmian fell over, almost getting thrown out. Luckily, the kayak was big enough that she didn’t fall into the water.

She didn’t look too good.

“Here…”

Jiang Yuan handed the telescope to Song Yi and pointed at Ye Mianmian.

He understood immediately, nodded, and took her position in the front.

Jiang Yuan moved to Ye Mianmian’s side.

Her face was deathly pale, clearly terrified.

Jiang Yuan patted her on the shoulder. With the rain so loud, she had to shout:

“Pull yourself together!”

Ye Mianmian looked at her blankly, then nodded, trembling.

Forcing herself to focus, she grabbed her paddle like a true warrior.

It was a minor incident, but they reached their destination relatively smoothly.

Once they saw the familiar surroundings, Ye Mianmian perked up a bit.

“Over there—let’s go that way!”

She pointed toward her company’s building—Tower C.

They stopped near the second floor. Song Yi took out a fire axe and smashed a window, and the four of them entered the building through it.

Inside, it was noticeably warmer—even Jiang Yuan could feel the difference despite her layers.

Back in familiar territory, Ye Mianmian was clearly more composed.

“Our office is on the 18th floor. Let’s go up and change clothes first. Then we’ll hit the 17th floor—that’s where the snack shop is. We might score a lot there.”

“Good plan!”

With the heavy rain, water inevitably seeped into their clothes.

Changing into dry clothes would help prevent getting sick.

After agreeing, they packed up the kayak and began climbing to the 18th floor.

The elevator was obviously down, but the stairwell was still usable. Song Yi, ever alert, led the way.

When they reached the 18th floor, Zhang Kaiyang used a piece of wire to pick the lock.

Back inside, Ye Mianmian grew sentimental.

“Because it was so hot back then, everyone worked from home. Then the power and water got cut off, and no one came back. Looking at it now, it’s like… nothing ever changed.”

Jiang Yuan understood exactly how she felt, but there was nothing they could do. The world had changed.

“Things will get better. Don’t worry.”

“Yuan-jie… is what we’re doing even legal? If the rain stops, will we get arrested for this?”

“What are you talking about? If we don’t do this, we’ll starve to death long before anyone arrests us.”

Zhang Kaiyang chimed in to comfort her:

“I’m fine with it, but… I can’t stop thinking about my grandma. If I end up in jail, can you guys take care of her for me?”

“Enough. Let’s change clothes first.”

With Song Yi’s words, everyone went quiet.

The influencer office was definitely upscale—nicely decorated with no cubicles.

It looked fancy and professional. Hopefully, they’d find useful supplies here.

Jiang Yuan had wrapped herself up well—after peeling off her raincoat, she didn’t need to change clothes. She waited in the restroom for Ye Mianmian.

Ye Mianmian came out in a clean, military-green windbreaker, looking sharp and tough.

Good-looking people really could wear anything and still look good.

The four regrouped in the main hall. Zhang Kaiyang was already rummaging through things.

“Mianmian, your company has a ton of stuff! The breakroom’s loaded with expensive coffee and fruit tea…”

“Let’s head down to the 17th floor first, check things out, and take stock. We can always come back later.”

“Got it!”