As the high temperature continues, the water level drops faster and faster, and the survivors gradually come out to move around in the morning and evening. 

In order to keep the secret safe, Jiang Ning decisively stopped going out. 

After continuously going out early and returning late, her body became exhausted, and it took her several days of rest to recover. 

With the air conditioner blowing and eating frozen watermelon, Jiang Ning began to plan for 1803, considering how to ensure their safe journey to Huicheng. 

She took a batch of vegetables from the space and had Zhang Chao and Lu Yu take them to the balcony to dry. “I just harvested this; after drying, seal them. Take them out when you want to eat.” 

Lu Yu was touched and said, “Anning, you’ve given us all the vegetables. What will you and Brother Shen eat?” 

“Seeds are originally shared. You don’t know what the situation will be like over there. Let me dry a batch for you first. We can manage with less to eat.” 

A grown-up doesn’t need to say too many words of thanks. 

Zhang Chao and Lu Yu took the vegetables to the rooftop to dry. The cement floor was scorching hot, and the fresh green vegetables wilted visibly. 

In less than half a day, the leaves became mushy to the touch. 

When packed into bags, they were like crumbs. 

Lu Yu and the others didn’t only despise them but cherished them dearly. 

While other families might be eating cockroaches and rats, they could still eat vegetables. That was already a great stroke of luck. To disdain it would be inviting divine punishment. 

However, there was also worry in their hearts. 

Lu Yu sighed. “Chao, do you think we can survive without Anning?” 

Zhang Chao pondered, “Whether we can survive or not, we just have to try. Can we rely on Anning for our whole lives?” 

Anning isn’t their mother. A friend who has done this much is already loyal enough. They would have to rely on themselves in the future! 

But both of them knew what this separation meant. 

This might mean they will never see each other again in this lifetime. 

Just thinking about it made their hearts heavy. 

Whether in the past or during these two years of natural disasters, they have supported each other. 

Being orphans, they had very few close friends, let alone any family. After more than ten years of friendship, they had long considered each other family. 

Unfortunately, everyone makes different choices. 

To go to Huicheng, 1803 had been busy these days. The first priority was to get a car and learn auto repair skills. 

Otherwise, what if the car broke down on the road? 

Knowing that Huo Yishen had books, they quickly borrowed them to study. If they encountered something they didn’t understand and Brother Shen wasn’t going out, they would promptly ask via the walkie-talkie. 

Seeing more and more people going out to find supplies, Lu Yu couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Brother Shen, do you think we can go out now to find a car?” 

The water level had dropped to the second floor, and more and more survivors were searching underwater for supplies. 

Huo Yishen pointed them in the right direction: “It’s not time to find a car yet, but you can go look for gasoline.” 

As long as the natural disaster didn’t stop, gasoline would only become scarcer. 

Even if they couldn’t find a good car, if they had enough gasoline, they might be able to exchange it for a car. 

1803 was interested in this and immediately came over to ask for advice. 

The gas stations had been emptied by the authorities, but they didn’t have the time or energy to empty gas from every car. At this time, most cars were still submerged, so to find gas, they had to go to higher ground. 

For example, the highways and service stations should have water levels that are nearly back to normal. 

They would start with large trucks. If there was a lot of gas and they could distinguish the types, they would store them separately. If there was only a little gas and they couldn’t distinguish, they would have to mix them. Later, they would take them out for trade and exchange for supplies. 

Jiang Ning secretly gave the oil extractor to Huo Yishen to facilitate Lu Yu and the others movements, rather than using their mouths to suck on the pipes. 

Huo Yishen handed it over to them and said, “I happen to have an oil extractor; you can borrow it.” 

Not only did they borrow an oil extractor, but also a motorboat, going so far as to teach them how to deal with anti-theft oil filter nets. 

They used a sharp tool to puncture the filter net directly. 

So, they switched to leaving early and returning late, starting in 1803. 

Jiang Ning didn’t forget to remind them, “Brew some cooling tea.” 

Earlier, the two were disliked by 1803 for smelling bad, but who knew they would come back even smellier? The sour smell of sweat could be smelled several meters away. 

There was no way; their protective suits were soaked with sweat, and salt stains could even be wiped off their necks. 

However, with Huo Yishen’s reminder, their harvest was still considerable. On the first day alone, they brought back over 200 liters of gasoline. 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t distinguish the types of gasoline, and the containers were not enough, so they could only mix them together. 

Anyway, the preciousness of gasoline was indisputable, so they collected it first and then figured it out. 

So, they went out early and returned late every day, and for several days in a row, their harvest was good. 

The 18th floor was a weather vane, and soon people in the community noticed them. 

Although there was no communication, others were not stupid, seeing the barrels, how could they not understand? 

They immediately followed suit; if the 18th floor was having meat, then soup would be fine for them? 

The underwater supplies had been soaked for almost two years, and the usable supplies were few and far between. Naturally, they chose the tradeable ones and the rarest materials. 

More and more people became aware, and Zhang Chao and Lu Yu brought back less and less. 

But it was still not a small amount; they had already stocked over a ton of gasoline. 

At the same time, the municipal government released new information, aiming to quickly restore city production and construction by reclaiming gasoline from the hands of citizens. 

5 liters of gasoline could be exchanged for 1 kilogram of food, or 1 liter of gasoline for 3 liters of water. 

The news directly caused an explosion, and countless survivors disregarded the scorching heat and collected gasoline. 

As a result, another batch was folded. 

Some suffered from heatstroke, some from heat exhaustion, and some were scratched by dirty things in the water and contracted tetanus. 

But did survivors have any other choice? Either they huddled at home and starved or died of thirst, or they got heatstroke. 

If you are facing death on both sides, you might as well give it a try. 

The municipal government appealed on the radio all day long, urging survivors to collect gasoline rationally and civilly. 

But it was all in vain. 

While the municipal government was collecting gasoline, many private bases or speculators were also collecting, and their prices were slightly higher than the official ones. 

Jiang Ning pretended to go out, then gave a message to 1803, “There are private individuals collecting oil, and there are also those who exchange oil. Do you want to exchange? 3 liters of mixed gasoline can be exchanged for 1 liter of new oil.” 

In fact, it depended on the person outside and also on the quality. Only when the quality was confirmed could 3 liters be exchanged for 1 liter, and if the quality was poor, they would have to give 5 liters for an exchange. 

Of course, there were more unscrupulous second-hand dealers. They claimed to exchange it for new oil, but who knew how many times it had been mixed? However, ordinary people couldn’t tell by just smelling it. 

“We want to exchange.” 

1803 had over a ton of gasoline. Even if only a third could be exchanged for new oil, they could still exchange for six to seven hundred liters. 

Lu Yu was extremely excited, asking Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen to help exchange the oil. 

They believed in this without any doubt; after all, the goods Jiang Ning brought back each time were both profitable and affordable. 

Letting them find a way by themselves would not only make them lose but also make them easily deceived. 

So, Jiang Ning stored the mixed oil collected by 1803 in space and exchanged it for brand new gasoline for them. 

At the same time, she timed it well and not only gave them two batches of vegetables but also helped them dry and pack them. 

The water had risen to waist level, and in some high-lying areas, the cement floor had already been exposed. 

Many survivors formed teams, pushing the submerged cars to higher ground, not only collecting gasoline but also prying open car doors to search for things. 

Zheng Weili and others did the same and almost got into a fight with others over a little gasoline.

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