Font Size:
Chapter 22
Shu Fu’s mind hadn’t caught up yet, but her hands moved instinctively. She quickly stowed the backpack she had been holding beneath her raincoat and grabbed a life flotation device, clutching it tightly.
The flotation device was smaller than a life ring but allowed a person to lie on it for better balance.
She thought she was about to fall into the water. By the time she realized what had happened, she was already submerged.
It was pitch black around her, water pressing in from all directions, the icy coldness threatening to overwhelm her. The raincoat became a hindrance, so she quickly removed it and clung tightly to the flotation device.
Her life vest and the flotation device strapped to her chest did their job, and she felt herself rising to the surface. Seconds later, she broke through the water and gasped for air.
Despite the suddenness of the situation, Shu Fu had prepared herself. Holding her breath in time, she didn’t choke on the water. Freeing a hand, she wiped the water from her face, only to find herself in a dark expanse of water with no trace of the boats she’d seen earlier.
The sightseeing yacht she had just been on was nowhere to be found.
As expected, she still couldn’t leave Suicheng.
The invisible barrier surrounding the city functioned like a filter. It allowed everyone else and their boats to pass through, but Shu Fu, like an anomaly, had been left behind, randomly dropped into a section of the suburban waters.
The surface rippled slightly. There were no lights or boats in sight—it didn’t seem like the waterway the rescue fleet had just passed through.
The dead silence made her deeply uncomfortable. Without hesitation, Shu Fu reached for her wristband and released her wooden raft.
Silently, the raft appeared on the dark water—a small wooden floating platform with a tiny, low wooden cabin. It was the same size as before, looking like debris from a collapsed building drifting on the water, inconspicuous in this dim environment.
This was her first time releasing the raft in water. The familiar sight of it instantly dispelled the fear of being alone in the vast, cold, and unfamiliar waters. Clinging to the flotation device, Shu Fu swam forward with all her might and reached for the edge of the raft.
Her rain-soaked jacket had become heavy and cumbersome. After several tries, she managed to flip herself onto the raft.
She climbed onto the platform at the back of the raft, intending to head straight to the bathroom. However, as she shakily opened the door, she noticed something new. Originally, there had only been one compartment on the right side of the back area, but now there was an additional one on the left.
Soaked, cold, and heavy, Shu Fu had no time to explore the upgraded raft. She immediately opened the right-side compartment door.
It was still the bathroom. The interior was dark, but she fumbled for the clip-on light on the mirror above the sink. The light, a rechargeable and plug-in hybrid, had been fully charged during the last generator run. She switched it to its dimmest setting, and a soft, warm glow lit up the bathroom.
The bathroom was noticeably larger than before. There was even a window on the outward-facing wooden wall of the shower area.
Inside the cabin, the temperature was a constant, dry, and warm 25°C, melting away the chill that had seeped into her bones. As Shu Fu surveyed the surroundings, she quickly peeled off her wet boots and the waterproof jacket and pants she’d been wearing.
Fortunately, she had prepared in advance and was wearing a thermal wetsuit underneath. Although she was damp and cold, it wasn’t unbearable.
Due to the conditions, she had only been able to maintain minimal hygiene over the past few days, using disposable underwear and quick wipes. She hadn’t had a proper bath in days. Now seemed like the perfect time—not just for a shower, but for a good soak.
From her wristband’s storage, she retrieved a small desktop clock, adjusted the time according to her phone, and placed it on the wooden shelf beside the mirror.
It was now 6:54 PM. There was enough time left to use the raft until midnight. She could stay here safely for the rest of the evening and decide later whether to return to her usual dwelling via the raft or use an inflatable boat.
She still wasn’t sure where exactly she was in the suburbs. There were no lights nearby and no sign of any rescue boats. It was her first time using the raft on water, and while it hadn’t entered its drifting mode, the gentle undulations of the water caused slight movements.
However, inside the cabin, it felt perfectly stable. It was as if she were in a house on solid ground—completely safe and secure.
Wanting to keep the raft stationary on the water, Shu Fu exited the bathroom and went to the back door to activate the control panel.
The upgraded raft had clearly gained new features, but soaked and shivering, she wasn’t in the mood to explore them now. She selected “Anchor” from the menu in the functionality section.
[Raft anchored successfully.]
Great. It seemed the raft could stay put on the water without needing a nearby dock or shore.
Next, she focused on the water supply settings.
The Level 2 raft’s purified water capacity had increased from 10 liters per day to 50 liters. Even if she didn’t drink it, there would be more than enough for washing and cleaning!
Shu Fu set “Purified water” as the first option in the usage order. Then, she returned to the bathroom and turned on the wooden faucet over the sink.
This time, after waiting for a moment, water began to flow from the faucet. She grabbed a washbasin from the metal rack beside her, filled it with some water, leaned in to smell it, and then adjusted the light to inspect it closely. The water appeared clean and clear, with no impurities or odors, making it safe for use.
After dimming the light again, she moved to the shower area and turned on the faucet on the round wooden tub. Once the day’s 50 liters of purified cold water had been dispensed, the faucet automatically started drawing water from the storage tank.
Next, she retrieved a storage tank filled with hot water from her inventory space, added some to the tub, and adjusted the water temperature to a comfortable level.
The wooden tub, about half her height, was modestly sized—just enough for one person. At the base of the tub’s inner wall, there was a small fixed wooden stool designed for sitting during a bath.
She removed her thermal wetsuit, first using the basin to pour water over herself and rinse off. She cleaned herself thoroughly with shampoo and body wash, rinsed off the lather, and finally stepped into the tub. As she sat down, the water level rose just enough to reach her shoulders.
Wrapped in the warmth of the water, Shu Fu let out a long, contented sigh. Compared to the past few days in the library, this moment truly felt like living. It was as if she had finally returned home, both physically and mentally.
On one side of the wooden tub was a newly added window in the bathroom, a small frosted glass window similar to the one in the living area. From the inside, she could clearly see outside, but anyone outside could only make out vague shapes.
The rain slanted against the glass, producing a soft pattering sound. Thanks to the wooden house’s protective features, the rain noise was quieter than in a normal home, creating a soothing rhythm that calmed her nerves.
She soaked for about half an hour, scrubbing every inch of herself clean. Then, she used the bathwater to rinse her wetsuit and waterproof jacket and pants, washing away the floodwater stains. She also rinsed her boots on the shower floor and left them to dry against the wall.
Not wanting to waste the bathwater, she decided to save it for flushing the toilet later.
After starting the generator and the washing machine, she spin-dried her wetsuit and outerwear, hung them on hangers, and placed them in the drying machine near the sink.
Shu Fu changed into a set of clean, cotton long-sleeved loungewear and mopped up the water trails she had left from the back door to the bathroom. She made a mental note to set up a shoe-changing area at both entrances.
Since the raft would now be used outdoors, it was necessary to change shoes when entering and exiting.
After tidying up a bit, she headed to the front living area and turned on a small rechargeable table lamp.
This part of the living space was now nearly double its original size. The furniture and items that had been arranged along the walls remained in their places, but the increased area gave the room a spacious and airy feel.
The ceiling height had also increased, now somewhere between 3.5 and 4 meters, compared to the previous slightly cramped 2 meters. The space now resembled a loft-style apartment she had seen in her original world. Although the upper area lacked partitions and was somewhat underutilized, it felt much more open.
The positions of the windows and front door hadn’t changed, but the most noticeable difference was in the rear third of the space.
Across from the bathroom, where she used to store miscellaneous items, there was now a small compartment. She used her phone’s flashlight to inspect it. The compartment was roughly five square meters and housed the storage boxes she had previously placed there.
Against the wall opposite the door was an L-shaped wooden countertop with a rectangular sink embedded in it. The cabinet doors beneath could be opened for storage.
Above the sink on the wall was a window, slightly smaller than the one in the bathroom, but with a longer horizontal opening. It seemed like it would provide excellent lighting during the day.
After examining the setup, Shu Fu realized what this new compartment was for—it was a kitchen!
With the L-shaped counter, the sink, and everything else in place, it was a basic but functional kitchen. Although it lacked a gas stove, it could easily be equipped later, allowing her to have a dedicated space for cooking and cleaning.
She returned to the main living area, used the freestanding water dispenser to pour herself a cup of water, and drank it in one go. Then, she stood in front of the control screen and began studying the raft’s upgraded features.
[Raft Level: Level 2]
Drifting Island Dimensions: 40 square meters
Level 2 Protection:
Raft Functions:
Navigation Modes:
Daily Usage Limit: 12 hours (remaining: 11 hours and 1 minute).
Waste Collection and Filtration (113/1000L):
Water Sources:
Waste Disposal and Purification:
Full Power System: Not equipped with a power card.
She wasn’t surprised by the “full power system” feature since she had previously drawn a 24-hour power card specifically for use with a Level 2 raft.
However, the new “waste disposal and purification” function caught her attention and filled her with excitement.
She knew that some advanced RVs or yachts were equipped with machines under the sink designed to grind and process kitchen waste for convenience. These machines allowed solid waste—such as tough bones—to enter through the drain, where it would be crushed and washed repeatedly until it was broken down into liquid form. The resulting liquid waste would then flow into a “gray water tank” for storage, to be treated later when conditions allowed.
So now, once she enabled the feature, the sink in the wooden house—and even the toilet—could function as shredders capable of directly processing solid waste?
Beyond that, the biggest change to the raft’s functionality was in its navigation system. The original “free-floating mode” had been upgraded to a customizable “directional drifting mode,” and new features like direction selection and a waterway map had been added.
A map?
Shu Fu immediately clicked on the “Waterway Map” option, and the entire screen turned into a full map. Unlike standard city maps with roads and buildings marked, this map was a single irregular shape filled with a light green color. Scattered across it were countless dark green dots and blocks in seemingly random distributions.
The irregular green shape was horizontally long and vertically short. At the nine o’clock position near the edge of the shape, a red dot was flashing.
She reached out to touch the screen, discovering that the map could be zoomed in and out like a digital map.
After a few attempts to adjust the zoom and another careful look at the irregular green shape, she quickly took out her phone and pulled up the previously downloaded terrain map. She navigated to the map of Suicheng and compared it with the waterway map.
Sure enough!
Although the edges of the waterway map were irregular, the overall shape matched the electronic map of Suicheng. Moreover, the dense dark green dots and blocks corresponded exactly to the landmark buildings on the city map.
And without exception, those landmarks were all skyscrapers.
Shu Fu suddenly realized what the waterway map represented—it was a map of Suicheng after it had been submerged by the flood!
The flashing red dot was likely the location of her raft. So, the irregular boundary on the map—could it be the invisible barrier preventing her from leaving Suicheng?