At this point, there was no internet signal on their phones, and communication was barely possible. Still, the two students helped move all the supplies onto the boat.

Shen Xiaoxiao had initially worried that they might notice the iron rod that had appeared out of nowhere in her hands, but it seemed they hadn’t, so she didn’t ask anything.

After they finished organizing the items, they all got onto Shen Xiaoxiao’s inflatable boat.

The boat was already cramped, and with Shen Xiaoxiao’s parents aboard, adding two more made it feel completely full.

It was only now that she realized the quiet one using the crossbow was Chen Gui, while the one carrying a bow and talking the most was Yuan Shang.

On the way, Yuan Shang explained the background of the robbers:

“These two are murderers who escaped from a nearby detention center. The leader, the bald guy, calls himself Fifth Master—he even made the news a few days ago. In the chaos, they’ve been lying in wait along roads leading out of the city, robbing supplies. We’ve been here for several days and have seen them rob quite a few people.”

“They have clear roles and seem to have a base. There are quite a few of them, mostly local thugs and some criminals who recently escaped prison. They take advantage of times when the rescue teams aren’t nearby, making it difficult for authorities to catch them.”

Yuan Shang glanced at Shen Xiaoxiao, impressed: “Almost everyone who passed by them earlier got killed. You’re the first person to survive their hands.”

It was rare for someone who had lived in peaceful times to have the courage to fight back—especially a young woman.

Shen Xiaoxiao felt a shiver recalling the close call. She hadn’t expected the robbers to have real guns. If the bald man hadn’t been careless and had shot recklessly instead of toying with his prey, they might have ended up like the previous victims.

Luckily, all three of them had acted in coordination. She would do the same again if needed.

Shrugging, Shen Xiaoxiao said, “No choice. In times like this, you have to be extra vigilant. Against ruthless people, you have to be even tougher than them.”

She glanced at their bows and crossbows. “Your equipment is nice too. Looks like you came prepared.”

Yuan Shang smiled, “We’re all enthusiasts. Usually, it’s just for fun, but this time, it happened to come in handy.”

Shen Xiaoxiao nodded, deciding not to pry further. She had wanted a sleek bow herself, but her aim wasn’t precise. Such weapons required diligent practice to hit targets.

With time so tight, it was better to follow the advice from online friends and use the modified nail gun.

It was small and easy to shoot with nails loaded, though the downside was needing to be close to the target, making it easier to be noticed—but accuracy was greatly improved.

Each had its pros and cons.

Ideally, she’d like a handgun—but unfortunately, the bald man’s gun had fallen into the water.

Light rain continued intermittently. It wasn’t heavy, but they had to watch the water accumulating in the boat.

Following the map, the rest of the journey went fairly smoothly.

Although the boat was heavier with two extra people, they reached the vicinity of Huanxi Valley Resort before dark. There, they saw solid mountain terrain, concrete roads, and boats anchored on land—a small island amid the floodwaters.

Stepping onto solid ground felt almost unreal.

After being surrounded by water for a week, the city had become a literal isolated island.

Sometimes, humans feel so small and helpless in the face of natural disasters—still unable to combat many of them by sheer force.

“Now that we’re here, how do you plan to get to the official shelter?”

Shen Xiaoxiao glanced at her phone. The official shelter and Huanxi Valley Resort were in completely different directions.

She remembered that when they first met, Yuan Shang had said they were heading to the official shelter, so she hadn’t planned to travel with them further.

At that moment, the quiet Chen Gui said, “Yuan Shang, since we’re here anyway, and we’re all going to a base, you might as well be honest.”

Shen Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered.

Yuan Shang laughed and pulled a familiar black card from his pocket. “This afternoon, we didn’t plan to act, but seeing the weapon appear in your hands, we wondered if you were from the same group as us. You came to Huanxi but didn’t go to the official shelter, so you must also have a black card to enter the base, right?”

It was impressive that the two had held back questions along the way.

Shen Xiaoxiao smiled, “That’s right.” She also pulled out her black card to verify her identity.

Cardholders had an agreement not to harm each other, so it provided a measure of safety.

Chen Gui also revealed his black card. “Great, we can enter the mountains together later. More people mean more security.”

He had judged that Shen Xiaoxiao was reliable, resourceful, and brave, not someone who would hold them back, so he was willing to cooperate.

At that moment, a pickup truck appeared on the mountain road.

Seeing them, the driver rolled down the window and asked, “Heading to Huanxi Valley?”

Shen Xiaoxiao nodded. “Yes, could you give us a ride?”

It was getting late, and the wilderness was unsafe. Their space was too small to carry large transport.

Yuan Shang and Chen Gui had mountain bikes, but in the dark and rain, it wasn’t safe to ride.

“No problem, hop in,” the driver said. “I’ve already picked up a few young people today.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Shen Xiaoxiao noted the words and climbed into the truck bed, followed by her parents, Yuan Shang, and Chen Gui.

Before driving off, the driver asked, “Are you going to the official shelter or to relatives here?”

“If it’s the official shelter, the route is different. Huanxi is large, and with the rain, the roads are difficult. We need to clarify beforehand.”

Shen Xiaoxiao replied, “We’re going to Huanxi Valley Resort to join relatives.”

The driver wasn’t surprised. He was a local villager, taking advantage of the situation to earn some money.

All five wore raincoats, though they were still damp from the rain.

The truck drove with headlights on, winding through mountain roads and soon entered the hills.

Along the way, signs of flash floods and landslides were visible, and people were clearing roadblocks—much better than in the city.

They paid the driver near the resort and planned to get off on a flat area.

Soon, Shen Xiaoxiao’s phone started buzzing with notifications.

She was surprised—there was actually a signal here.