Chapter 18

Shu Fu recalled how her neighbor had responded the last time someone persistently knocked on her door, trying to stay over. Turning off the camping light, she went to open the door.

She opened it just a crack, positioning herself in the gap to block the view inside completely. The smell of fried pastries wafted through the hallway—someone was cooking nearby. She asked, “What is it?”

The gap in the door was even smaller than last time, but the visitors didn’t seem to mind. The woman outside smiled and said, “So, you’re living here alone, right? The evacuation is scheduled for this time tomorrow, and we were wondering if you’d like to team up with us…”

Shu Fu had been busy all afternoon and hadn’t had time to check the residents’ group chat, where earlier evacuees had shared updates.

Evacuation Rules

Orderly Departure: Residents were expected to queue for the boats in an orderly manner. Anyone causing trouble or breaking the rules would be sent to the back of the line or have their actions noted for later handling at the resettlement site.

Team Formation: Each rescue boat could accommodate eight people in addition to the crew. Those on the same boat would form a team, which would also determine their grouping and sleeping arrangements at the resettlement site. This arrangement would persist through subsequent relocations.

Knowing this, late evacuees had begun forming teams proactively. It was natural for close neighbors or friends to group up, as mutual familiarity made it easier to care for one another during the evacuation and afterward.

The Visitors’ Intentions

The visitors’ household included Huang Jun and Zhong Li, who already knew the couple from next door. Zhong Li, known for her shrewdness, had declined a family of three from the fourth floor, who were quiet and avoided trouble, and managed to rope them into their team. Now with three men, three women, and one teenager, they needed one more person and turned to Shu Fu.

The woman introduced herself as Fang Xiwen, and her husband as Wang Qian. Despite having lived nearby for some time, this was Shu Fu’s first extended conversation with them.

Fang Xiwen was quite pretty, straightforward, and didn’t beat around the bush. Shu Fu had a good impression of her, especially after the last time Fang helped deflect unwanted visitors. If Shu Fu had been just an ordinary evacuee, she might have agreed. But given her circumstances, she could only refuse.

Fang Xiwen was surprised by the rejection. With the team’s gender ratio balanced and them being neighbors, she couldn’t understand Shu Fu’s reasoning.

“Why not? Don’t you want to evacuate? Or do you think the water won’t reach the fifth floor?” Fang speculated, referencing a thought she had entertained earlier herself. “I know your windows are reinforced and very secure, but staying behind will become unsafe sooner or later. Besides, it’s better to team up with people you know rather than strangers. I know you’re cautious because you live alone, but we’re not bad people. Didn’t we help you out before?”

“Thanks, but I’m sorry. Please find someone else,” Shu Fu replied politely but firmly before closing the door.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished—” Fang Xiwen’s voice was cut off by the shutting door.

Fang seemed to continue speaking outside, and her husband might have tried to pull her away. After some back-and-forth, they left.

Persistent Visitors

Shu Fu thought the matter was over, but an hour later, there was another knock at her door. This time, the young couple staying with the neighbors also came along, though Fang Xiwen led the group again. Her husband Wang Qian was absent, and the couple stood behind her.

Fang first introduced the couple before bringing up the same topic. She emphasized that their team included another familiar family of three from the fourth floor—the ones with the cat. They were all neighbors, and teaming up would make it easier to look out for each other.

Fang’s words seemed considerate, but she avoided mentioning the real reason for their persistence. Due to previous conflicts and behavior, most residents preferred not to team up with Huang Jun, Zhong Li, and their group.

The neighbors had been trying to find one more person to avoid disruptions to their evacuation order. If they couldn’t, they might have to wait for someone from another building. There was a risk that the person might be physically strong, difficult to get along with, or disruptive—possibilities that Zhong Li, ever calculating, wanted to avoid.

Eventually, Zhong Li persuaded Fang Xiwen to try again, reasoning that, as Shu Fu’s direct neighbor, Fang stood a better chance of convincing her.

Shu Fu’s Suspicion

Shu Fu opened the door the same way as before, without unlocking the metal gate, letting the door open just enough to obscure her face in the shadows, with only one eye visible.

She wasn’t paying much attention to Fang Xiwen’s words this time. Something about the couple’s posture seemed off, especially Zhong Li’s. Half her body remained hidden behind Huang Jun and Fang Xiwen the entire time.

Shu Fu recalled what had happened before when the couple had a conflict with the family on the first floor, and she sneered with a “Heh.” She then reached out and closed the door directly, ignoring Fang Xiwen’s surprised calls and knocking.

Outside the door, Huang Jun muttered in a low voice, somewhat annoyed, “I told you not to film with your phone. She must have noticed!”

Zhong Li awkwardly tucked her phone, half-hidden in her sleeve, and turned off the recording function, but she was unwilling to admit it. “How could that be? It’s so dark here. She doesn’t have candles inside. It’s pitch black, and you guys were in front. How could she have noticed? I think she’s just weird… Living alone in such a big house and even reinforcing the windows like a turtle shell. I haven’t seen her come out these past few days. She doesn’t even show her face when opening the door. Either she has social anxiety or some psychological issues…”

To her, everything in modern society needed proof, especially after last time when they reaped some benefits from it.

They had gone to her place to negotiate, but what if the other party realized that they were the ones seeking help? What if they took advantage of the situation to make demands? For example, asking for a share of the backpacks or requesting her to carry more personal supplies…

In any case, she needed to be cautious and film the whole process, in case anything happened. If necessary, she could expose her online!

Although Fang Xiwen thought it was rude to say such things about others, Zhong Li was still her friend. Plus, since Shu Fu had closed the door in front of her twice, Fang Xiwen still felt a little uncomfortable but didn’t criticize Zhong Li too much. Instead, she turned and said, “Alright, this family definitely won’t be willing. You should confirm with the family on the fourth floor. I overheard them arguing earlier.”

“Could it be about that cat again?” Zhong Li seemed to know a little about it.

“Yeah, their son wants to take it, but the parents won’t allow it, especially his mother, who is strongly opposed. She secretly complained to me for a while…” Fang Xiwen recalled with a strange expression, “I think she said the cat was very evil. In the middle of the night, it would sit in front of the computer by itself, surf the internet, and even open the door to go outside. She also said something like it shouldn’t have happened, even though several times…”

“What?” Zhong Li didn’t understand.

“I’m not sure. She didn’t finish. But it all sounded like nonsense. Her son definitely won’t believe it.”

“Can you believe that? Sounds like an excuse not to take the cat. Let’s go downstairs now, so that family doesn’t make trouble.”

…

The voices in the hallway slowly faded. Inside the room, Shu Fu, still standing in place, turned on the camping light again.

**

The next evening, the large evacuation of Ping’an community began.

Shu Fu lay by the tempered glass of the south balcony, quietly watching the evacuation below.

The people next door hadn’t come to her door again, and she wasn’t sure if they had complained privately or pulled others into their team.

At this stage, evacuation was the priority. The other side could only make some small moves; more extreme actions were impossible since they were still hoping to board the rescue team’s speedboat smoothly.

So, when she discovered they had been secretly filming yesterday, she wasn’t angry, nor did she scold them. She just closed the door and let it go.

But before the evening, when the people next door left with backpacks to line up downstairs, Fang Xiwen stayed behind, came to her door again.

She wasn’t sure if Shu Fu was inside, so she gently knocked on the door. After waiting a while without a response, she said, “I’m sorry about yesterday,” before leaving and heading downstairs.

Shu Fu wasn’t sure why Fang Xiwen came to apologize. After all, they weren’t really close; Zhong Li was her friend, not Fang Xiwen, and she wasn’t the one filming. But hearing the apology still made Shu Fu feel a little more at ease.

Nearby, apart from their community, several other communities were also evacuating around the same time.

One by one, speedboats broke through the rain and came, quickly carrying people across the water. To be able to maneuver in various corners of the city, the speedboats were not large, but there were many of them. This wasn’t something that only the city’s rescue forces could manage; it was likely that external reinforcements had arrived.

Some people whose phones still had battery began filming the rare sight of this large-scale disaster evacuation: a city submerged in floodwaters, murky waters filled with construction debris, a gloomy sky, and the ongoing heavy rain, as the speedboats cut through the water, with people wearing raincoats and life vests onboard. In the distance, the familiar buildings that gradually became smaller and finally disappeared.

In just two weeks, this city had turned into something unrecognizable. The familiar streets were already submerged beneath the water.

In some tall buildings around, there were still people visible, as their buildings were taller and hadn’t yet reached the time for large-scale evacuation.

Even from behind the glass, the people on the speedboats could feel the envious and anxious looks from the people left behind.

Even though they knew they would eventually evacuate, as long as they hadn’t left yet, watching the other districts evacuate made them uneasy, afraid that they would be left behind by the main group.

The evacuation of Ping’an Community and nearby areas continued from the evening until late at night. By then, most of the community had emptied out. After these two days, the water level had risen to the third floor of the buildings, reaching an unprecedented and terrifying depth.

Apart from a few individuals who were sure other boats would come to take them to other resettlement points, the rest of the people in the area, even if they wanted to go to other points, ultimately boarded the rescue team’s speedboats.

On the fourth day, early in the morning, Shu Fu set her alarm and woke up very early. In addition to the electricity, the gas and water in her home were also cut off one after another.

She took hot water from her space to wash up, then took out a serving of beef ramen and enjoyed her last peaceful and leisurely meal for the time being.

After breakfast, she changed into warm, lightweight, sweat-wicking base layers, added a removable fleece jacket on top, and wore a set of warm, waterproof outerwear. She also changed into professional anti-slip waterproof boots.

Then, she stored all the items she had left outside, including the air conditioner and mattress, in her wristband space. She then took out a waterproof backpack and a hand-carry boat bag containing an inflatable boat.

The items in the waterproof backpack were carefully chosen by her: a small outdoor portable first aid kit, a portable electric kettle, and a large folding drinking bottle already filled with purified water.

The kettle was foldable, so as long as there was a suitable place at the evacuation site, she could easily boil water. It was also useful for preparing instant noodles. The folding water bottle had an opaque body, so the remaining liquid and its color couldn’t be seen, and it was lightweight, making it more discreet than carrying regular bottled water.

In addition, the backpack contained a few cups of instant noodles, vacuum-sealed meals, a bag of ham sausage, a bag of dried fruits and vegetables, a can of chocolate beans, canned candy, and a bottle of vitamin C effervescent tablets. All of these were ready to eat right out of the packaging, with the instant noodles only needing hot water and a few minutes to be ready.

Other supplies included a box of disposable underwear, a bag of compressed towels, a single-person sleeping bag for wrapping up at night, a fully charged large-capacity power bank, a raincoat, and several sets of disposable cutlery.

These were all things that were visibly packed. Some items took up space and couldn’t be temporarily taken from the space, but most of them weren’t too important. Even if they were lost, it wouldn’t matter much.

She did one final check around the house to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind. Then, she checked all the windows, ensured they were closed, and sent a message to Lu Zheng.

A moment later, he replied. Shu Fu put on the safety life jacket the rescue team had distributed over her waterproof jacket, pulled up the jacket’s large hood, strapped on her backpack, and grabbed the boat bag as she stepped out of her home.

She carefully locked both doors, walked through the silent corridor to the stairwell. After several days, the stairwell had become filthy and disordered, with piles of garbage in the corners and personal belongings left behind by residents.

The last few steps of the stairs from the fourth to the third floor were already submerged in murky water. She took out two waterproof shoe covers from her jacket pocket, which reached above her knees, and added an extra layer of protection to her waterproof boots.

The water on the third floor had reached just below her knees, and the shoe covers barely kept the water out. She had to be careful while moving, as any quick movement would stir the water, causing the covers to let in water.

She slowly walked down the hallway of the third floor, raised the boat bag, and tossed it into the water outside the railing, following the method she had seen earlier. Then, she pulled the rope attached to the bag with force.

The boat bag opened, and the steel cylinder inside quickly inflated the inflatable boat. In just over twenty seconds, a small hexagonal inflatable boat was fully inflated, with a triangular tent-shaped canopy popping up automatically.

Compared to the normal six-person inflatable boat, this boat was more compact, and it had fewer accessories. However, the essentials were still included, such as a repair kit, oars, flashlight, smoke signals, whistle, warm gear, and a small first aid kit. It was a simplified, low-spec version of a rescue boat.

Shu Fu secured the inflatable boat with the rope, carefully climbed over the railing, and got onto the boat.

She first threw her backpack into the tent of the inflatable boat, then retrieved the floating boat bag and placed it inside the tent. She untied the rope and stored it on the boat. Afterward, she found the oars, assembled them, and began rowing with all her strength.

The rain continued to fall, but compared to the heavy rain earlier, it wasn’t as intense. More importantly, the wind wasn’t strong. The smaller the wind and waves, the easier it was to travel, which was why she had decisively contacted Lu Zheng to set off immediately.

Shu Fu had previously rowed a canoe while traveling, and the inflatable boat was much lighter, making it less tiring. However, since the boat was hexagonal, and she was alone, she needed to row in both directions to control the direction. So, at first, she circled around in place a couple of times. Once she got used to it, she successfully steered the boat around the building and headed toward the next one.

When she was between the two buildings, she heard a faint and familiar sound amid the rain. She turned her head and saw a small figure on the windowsill of the third floor of her building.

The blue-eyed tabby cat, soaked and curled up on the narrow windowsill, seemed trapped, unable to climb up and too scared to jump into the water, shivering in the rain.

She wasn’t sure if it saw her, but it seemed to be calling out to her in a small voice, looking so pitiful.

Shu Fu…

She immediately lowered the hood of her jacket, pretending not to see it, and began to row away.

But just as she started to row, the cat’s cries grew louder, meowing nonstop toward her.

Shu Fu sighed, steered the boat closer to the south wall, and pointed to an empty space in the boat: “Jump down, and I’ll take you with me.”

A moment later, the cat, wrapped in a thick towel, was placed in the corner of the inflatable boat’s tent.

“Remember, no peeing or pooping in the tent, or I’ll drop you off on the way!” Shu Fu tapped the tabby cat’s wet little head. It meowed and obediently curled up in the towel.

Although she didn’t want to keep it, she could at least take this opportunity to bring it to a safe place on her way to the library.

Lu Zheng was already waiting by the window of the third-floor stairwell in the building behind them. When he saw her approach, a smile appeared on his face under his rain hat, and he waved energetically at her: “Sister Fufu!”

Shu Fu waved back at him. The other residents of the complex had evacuated, and the two of them could wait for twelve more hours without asking any questions about where she got the inflatable boat. They trusted her implicitly.

Lu Zheng caught the rope she threw and helped guide the inflatable boat closer to the window. Afterward, the two brothers first tossed their backpacks onto the boat, then carefully climbed onto it, one after the other.

Lu Ce immediately spotted the cat in the tent and called out in surprise: “How did a cat get in here?”

“Yeah, I just rescued it. This silly thing was stuck on the windowsill of the outer wall.”

“Sister Fufu, you’re such a good person!” Lu Ce said earnestly.

Shu Fu: …

Actually, she had been pretending not to see it…

She had heard everything Fang Xiwen said yesterday, and after hearing it, she felt uneasy. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the boy’s mother on the fourth floor might not have been talking nonsense.

After all, there were time travelers, there were people who were reborn, so having a strange cat—or a creature that resembled one—wasn’t all that surprising.

The opening of the tent in the inflatable boat was facing forward, with two-thirds of the boat body covered by the tent. Only the front third was available for rowing. Once the two brothers climbed aboard, Shu Fu had no choice but to give up the rowing spot and move inside the tent.

But Lu Zheng hadn’t intended for her, a woman, to row the boat anyway. It was still raining heavily outside, and there were only two oars, so it was just right for the two of them to do the rowing. Lu Zheng even thoughtfully pulled the tent flaps down to prevent the heavy rain from filling the boat with water too quickly.

However, since the inside and outside of the tent were part of the same boat, some water accumulation was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.

Shu Fu didn’t waste time either. She sat inside the tent, took out her phone from the waterproof pouch around her neck, and opened the map she had downloaded earlier. She switched to navigation mode and said to the two brothers, “Let’s go.”