Chapter 29

The first time Shu Fu saw the news about the dam construction was before the internet cut off in Suicheng. At that time, she only came across it occasionally, and it wasn’t an official announcement, so she wasn’t sure of its authenticity. But now, just a month or two later, several safe cities have already built such dams.

The flood-blocking dam in Lou Yuncheng is located in the eastern suburbs of the city, running from the north to the east, then from the east to the south, taking advantage of the unique geographic features of the hilly area. The first phase of the construction was completed in a very short period of time.

This type of dam is different from the water station dams; it doesn’t require such complex construction. Its main purpose is to protect the city and block the waterline—hence, the locals also call it the “safety wall.”

At the beginning of the dam’s construction, Lou Yuncheng and the cities to the east, which had suffered from flooding, were still quite far apart. When the idea of this defense project was proposed, it faced strong opposition from many people, but in the end, the construction plan was approved.

As time passed, it became clear that the flood-blocking dam was absolutely necessary. The water level gradually rose, and now it has submerged the entire Sankou Province and reached Muzhou Province.

The vast low-altitude areas to the east of Muzhou Province are now submerged, and about three or four days ago, the waterline reached the eastern suburbs of Lou Yuncheng.

Standing on the eastern dam, one can already see the vast waters beyond.

The once inland city, built on the hills, now gives the illusion of being a coastal city.

Beyond this dam, there are a few other shelters. Originally, there weren’t many people there, but as Muzhou Province was flooded, refugees from other surrounding towns have been transferred here, causing the shelters to fill up again.

The authorities treat these as temporary transfer stations for refugees before they enter the safety wall. Survivors from nearby towns who have been rescued are also initially settled here.

Some work such as calming, registering, and sorting are done at these shelters before official arrangements are made for transferring people to the city.

For Lou Yuncheng residents who went out of town for work, as long as they provide identification and proof of property ownership, they will be quickly arranged to enter the city.

Other refugees, after confirming their relatives or friends, are allowed to stay with them. Those who can afford to rent houses or pay for hotels are given those options. For those with limited funds, there are a few designated small apartment complexes where they can share accommodation. Those without any resources must follow the arrangements and stay in the official shelters within the safety wall.

The official shelters naturally come with many inconveniences, and they are overcrowded, but the benefit is that the dormitory-style accommodation is free, and they can receive free food and water once a day.

However, the free water now isn’t as abundant as it used to be in the Suicheng shelters. Typically, it’s just a bag of bread with 300ml of water or a pack of instant noodles with 300ml of water, and so on.

These shelters beyond the dam are Shu Fu’s planned destination.

Method 1: When the raft approaches the eastern suburbs of Lou Yuncheng, she will find a deserted and relatively remote building that has been submerged, use the building to hide the raft, and then disguise herself as a refugee. She’ll launch an inflatable boat and row to the shelter outside the wall, completing the check-in.

Method 2: Similarly, she will hide the raft and then call for rescue, waiting for the official rescue boat to take her to the shelter outside the wall, completing the check-in.

The downside of the first method is that the inflatable boat might not be able to be retrieved once it’s out in the open, and rowing herself would be too much trouble.

The second method is safer and easier, but she will definitely have to wait, which could affect her check-in time.

After thinking it over, Shu Fu quickly made her decision. She will try method 2 first and set the latest waiting time. If the rescue hasn’t arrived by then, she will release the inflatable boat and go to the shelter on her own. She can’t afford to waste time.

The only consolation is that the rain has stopped today. She checked the weather history, and the number of rain-free days in Muzhou Province is indeed higher than in Suicheng, and the chances of heavy rain are lower. So, she considers herself quite lucky today.

After deciding on a method, she needs to find a suitable building to dock the raft, which requires her to compare the waterway map and the electronic map.

Fortunately, now that she has internet access, she can search for detailed information about the building’s situation, and even check the building’s original and current condition online.

**

At 10:40 AM, Shu Fu’s raft turned into a broken waterway building and docked against another intact wall.

This building is located in the center of the waterway. It used to be a farmhouse near a fish pond, with a low elevation. It looks like it has been submerged for quite some time, and there’s no sign of survivors.

The water depth in this area is about seven to eight meters. The farmhouse has been submerged for the most part, but there are still two higher buildings that can temporarily accommodate people.

One reason Shu Fu chose this place is that not far from here is a small commercial district on the eastern outskirts of Lou Yuncheng, with shopping malls, office buildings, and small high-rise apartments. Most of the buildings there are fairly high.

With seven or eight meters of water depth, the water has reached the second floor of the shopping mall. The buildings should mostly be intact, and since the shopping mall has supplies and backup power, there may be evacuees looking for supplies or resting while being relocated.

Shu Fu made a rescue call from the farmhouse near the commercial district. She can come up with several explanations, such as saying that her original destination was the shopping mall, where she planned to find food. While passing by here, she stopped to use the restroom, and her inflatable boat disappeared—maybe it was stolen or drifted away because it wasn’t tied properly…

In any case, this place is close to the crowd, yet still distanced from it, making it convenient for her to safely land. Her appearance won’t seem out of place.

The farmhouse is built in a traditional architectural style, with a relatively high single floor. The building she’s in is the tallest one here, but it’s only four stories tall, plus a rooftop viewing platform with eaves. Many of the windows are broken. She landed on the third floor and chose a suite on the fourth floor as her resting spot.

This is likely a family suite, with over 60 square meters in total. The balcony with a railing and the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom were both shattered, but luckily, the living room doesn’t have floor-to-ceiling windows, and many wooden planks have been nailed across them from the inside, so the rain doesn’t affect her much.

It seems that the people who evacuated here didn’t do so in a hurry. All the useful supplies that could be carried away were taken. The living room is large, and the sofa and tables were moved away from the windows, with some trash scattered around.

Perhaps because the rain had stopped for the morning and the temperature had risen, Shu Fu, standing inside the building in her old home cotton clothes, felt a bit warm. The air was thick with a musty smell.

She quickly found the source of the odor—it came from the bathroom in the room. She blocked up several of the drains and closed the bathroom door. Then, she took out a broom and swept all the scattered trash from the living room into the room, finally closing the room door while leaving the suite’s door open to ventilate the living room.

While the living room in the suite aired out, she went outside and stacked some heavier cabinets and chairs at the stairway between the fourth and third floors. She did this just in case.

If any other evacuees, in a moment of impulsiveness, tried to climb up to the fourth floor of this nearly submerged building, this would be the only stairway, and they would have to move the obstacles, making noise and giving her some time to prepare.

After all, she wasn’t really a refugee. When alone, she wouldn’t sit idly in misery like a real refugee.

When Shu Fu returned to the suite’s living room, the unpleasant smell had indeed faded a lot. She took a single folding sofa from the space, took off her thick home cotton clothes, and started drinking coconut juice while dialing the rescue number.

She tried for over half an hour, but the help hotline published by the communications company was always busy. Every time she reached the waiting for operator section, the call was automatically dropped due to timeout.

The communications company had also published another emergency help number, but since her situation didn’t match, she didn’t dare dial that number. After checking online, she found another rescue hotline.

But the situation was the same. She didn’t know if these two numbers were outdated or if there were just too many people calling, overwhelming the lines.

Looking at the time, she realized it was almost 1:00 PM after all the attempts. She decided to have lunch first and try calling again afterward. If it still didn’t go through, she’d have to resort to Method 1.

For lunch, she picked food that didn’t have a strong smell—canned prepared meals she had bought as emergency food in Suicheng.

At the time, she bought a total of forty boxes—two boxes of dehydrated vegetables, one with 500g family-sized packs (20 bags), and another with smaller 50g packs (200 bags).

Of the remaining thirty-eight boxes, she bought twenty-five boxes of canned prepared meals, covering all the flavors. The remaining thirteen boxes were meals with rice toppings, also in various flavors.

These were ready-to-eat canned meals that could be stored for a long time and were suitable as emergency food.

She took a can of chicken stew with mushrooms, a can of old duck soup, and a box of packaged rice from the shelf. Since it wasn’t cold today, she didn’t heat them up and just opened the cans and started eating.

She had tried this brand of canned food before buying it, and it tasted fine, though it had been heated when she tasted it. Now, without heating, while not unpleasant, it wasn’t exactly delicious either. But in an emergency, it would definitely be a decent meal for refugees.

Shu Fu didn’t waste anything, finishing both cans and leaving half a box of rice, which she put back into the space.

In the afternoon, she continued calling the rescue hotline while checking disaster updates on her phone, trying to find other ways to call for help.

During this time, she put her original phone card back into her old phone. After all, two months had passed, and most importantly, this card had free internet access.

A few days ago, Shu Fu had just realized that leaving Suicheng meant that coming back to a city that was still functioning also meant she would have to start spending money.

Her online repayment was automatically deducted every month, and the 5000 yuan she had left on the card was probably used up by now… If she wanted to continue paying with her phone, she’d have to recharge the card.

She had some cash on hand, but with the soaring prices, rent in Lou Yuncheng had probably doubled. If she wanted her own private space like before, she couldn’t share an apartment with others. Renting a place alone was ridiculously expensive.

Thinking about this, she decided to save money wherever possible. According to the information she found, even phone bills and internet fees had increased several times, and her new phone’s data plan was almost used up. Once it ran out, it would start deducting from the phone card, so soon she wouldn’t be able to make any more calls…

When she turned on her old phone, it immediately started beeping with notifications—missed calls and various messages flooding in, the beeping noise endless. Shu Fu was annoyed and muted the phone, planning to check it later after resolving the rescue hotline issue.

Fortunately, calling the rescue hotline was free. She gave herself a deadline of tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow would be the fifth day since she received her check-in task. If she hadn’t successfully contacted rescue by tomorrow morning, she would release the inflatable boat and go to the shelter herself.

She had checked the map, and it was still over ten kilometers to the shelter. It wouldn’t be impossible to go there on foot.

Fortunately, she had a bit of luck. Just before dusk, she finally got through to the help hotline. The person on the other end was experienced. Before she even spoke, they apologized and quickly explained the reason for the busy lines.

Because the weather had cleared up, and there was no rain today, it was ideal for evacuees to be relocated. As a result, not only were all the rescue boats dispatched, but even the rescue phone lines had been overwhelmed.

Shu Fu first registered her name and phone number, explained the details of her situation, and the number of people needing assistance. Following the instructions, she downloaded the Lou Yuncheng disaster update app and uploaded her current location’s coordinates, so the rescue team could find her quickly and accurately.

“Your location and help request have been registered. They will be sent to the rescue team for arrangements. Please pay attention to your phone messages.”

After hanging up, Shu Fu expected to wait for a long time, but within five minutes, a message arrived.

The message was similar to the confirmation replies one receives after booking a hotel or flight online, with her name, the details of her help request, the number of people involved, and the rescue team’s assigned number, along with the expected arrival time of their rescue boat.

It seemed that there were simply too many people needing help today, and her evacuation was scheduled for tomorrow morning, between 9:00 and 9:30, with a potential fluctuation in timing.

At the same time, they requested that she remain where she was and not relocate on her own, as two missed appointments or inconsistent information would result in being blacklisted.

Shu Fu took a power bank from her space and charged the phone she was using for help calls. To keep the phone line open, she decided not to use the phone for internet browsing until she reached the shelter.

She took her old phone, which had hundreds of unread messages. After logging into WeChat, a flood of unread messages popped up as well.

The last time she chatted with Zhang Tian and the others was about a month and a half ago. Since she hadn’t replied, there were many messages from them asking if she was okay and hoping she’d check in soon.

Shu Fu replied to all three of them.

As for Zheng Feifei, the last message in their chat was still from two months ago when she sent a message at the library.

Zheng Feifei’s family had failed to evacuate in time, and after the water levels rose, they moved to stay with other residents on a higher floor.

Since Shu Fu had advised her, they had arranged everything early in the morning, smoothly relocating with their supplies.

Later, when Shu Fu decided to go to the library, she heard Zheng Feifei complain that more people had moved into the place where they were staying, and the living space was getting smaller and more inconvenient.

She regretted not acting on Shu Fu’s advice to move her parents earlier. However, she also said that at least the large-scale evacuation had begun. Even though their relocation time was later due to their higher floor, there was finally hope.

After this chat, Zheng Feifei had not sent any more messages. Shu Fu didn’t know whether it was because the phone had completely run out of power or if something else had happened.

Shu Fu sent another message to inquire about Zheng Feifei, and it was successfully sent, but there was no response.

She sighed, shaking her head, and returned to the contact list. Looking at the unread messages from Yao Ruoyun and Lu Zheng, she couldn’t help but smile. She wondered if these two were also staring at the empty chat screen on their phones, sighing and shaking their heads as well.

Just as she was thinking about it, her phone screen suddenly changed, and a call came in.

She had the number saved, and it displayed as: “Ruoyun’s Uncle.”

The caller was Cheng Yu.

She didn’t understand. She had been missing for two months, so why was he calling?

Moreover, she had turned off her phone and removed the SIM card for two months—how did he know she had turned it on today?

Shu Fu didn’t answer the call, nor did she hang up. Since it was already on mute, she just let it ring.

However, thinking about the person’s role as the rescue team leader, her thoughts started to wander—an unlikely guess, but she still felt it couldn’t be a coincidence.

But if it really were this coincidental, it would indirectly tell her something: who the general target of this check-in task was.

---

The next day, at 9:20 AM.

Shu Fu sat quietly in the corner of the inflatable boat, holding her slightly worn backpack.

This was a large inflatable boat with a driving area at the front, equipped with a wind-and-rain shielded roof and a zippered rain canopy. The boat could hold around 30 people at a time.

However, most of the seats were empty now.

Beside her, a young woman in a camouflage waterproof suit was standing at the edge of the boat roof, confirming the direction of the boat’s travel with her teammates.

She had been mistaken. The leader of the rescue team who had come to pick her up wasn’t Cheng Yu, but a stranger, a woman with healthy skin and a fit physique. She introduced herself as Liu, the team leader responsible for today’s relocation task.

Perhaps noticing her gaze, Captain Liu turned to her after finishing the conversation with her teammates, reached into a nearby box, and handed her a bottle of mineral water. “Don’t worry, once the boat is full, we’ll head to the shelter. Drink some water for now.”

Shu Fu took the bottle and thanked her.

Captain Liu smiled at her, her gaze gentle. Perhaps it was because Shu Fu’s appearance looked quite disheveled. To better blend in with the image of a refugee, Shu Fu had made an effort to look the part.

Her hair was greasy, clearly showing that it hadn’t been washed in a long time. Strands stuck together in clumps, with fine flakes of dandruff caught in her hairline, making her look quite dirty.

Her face and hands were grimy, especially the gaps in her fingernails, which were filled with black grime.

From yesterday to today, there had been no rain in this area. After the sun came out, the temperature quickly rose to over twenty degrees. The rescue team members, dressed in waterproof clothing, found it a bit stifling. Yet, Shu Fu still wore her old, filthy thick cotton home jacket, and on her feet were a pair of worn-out rain boots—probably because she couldn’t find anything else to wear.

She was very quiet. Unlike other disaster victims, who, upon seeing the rescue team, immediately began asking for water and food or trying to make connections by asking for details about the shelter and Lou Yuncheng, she remained silent. Since getting on the boat, she had only thanked them and then quietly sat in a corner, clutching her bag, looking small and alone. No one knew what she had gone through before, where her family was, or why she was left alone in this nearly submerged building.

Liu Shuang shook her head and sighed silently.

She understood well that in these times, making it alive to a safe city was already an incredible stroke of luck. But whenever she saw a solitary and quiet girl like this, almost wooden in demeanor, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy—after all, she had a younger sister close to this girl’s age.

Moreover, she felt that the girl in front of her seemed familiar, as though she had seen her somewhere before.

Shu Fu, looking lonely, quiet, and wooden, and almost about to faint from the heat: …

It seemed that her appearance had worked a little too well, but as long as no one suspected, that was fine.

In the end, she silently thanked the fragrance-free hair oil, fragrance-free toner, fragrance-free BRUNETTE foundation, and the 8B pencil’s lead gray…

The rescue boat first went to the small shopping district in the outskirts of Lou Yuncheng that Shu Fu knew, picking up a group of evacuees who had been taking shelter in a shopping mall. Once the boat was full, it headed west toward Lou Yuncheng.

The inflatable boat quickly became crowded.

The new group of passengers had not suffered much, as Muzhou Province had just been hit by the flood. They had been relocated early from Guanyu County and other towns, as Lou Yuncheng was the closest safe city with a dam.

When they arrived at the small shopping district, although there was some water accumulation in the area, it was limited to certain places, with most of it only ankle-deep.

At that time, the residential area in the shopping district still had many residents. They wanted to find a place to rest for the night and stock up on supplies, but since the residential buildings were inaccessible, they headed to the mall.

They stayed there ever since. Initially, food and water supplies in the supermarket were available for purchase, but as more people evacuated and the store closed, with the lightning and rising water outside, the remaining people inside became less cautious. They started smashing windows to grab supplies, forming cliques, and conflicts broke out…

If the situation hadn’t become so chaotic and the supplies had not dwindled, these people would never have chosen to leave.

After all, everyone knew what Lou Yuncheng was like. The shelters there, known as “refuge points,” offered meager daily meals and skyrocketing prices. These outsiders, without property or relatives to rely on, had to pay for everything, making it not much better than staying inside the mall.

Although they had actively called for help and agreed to relocate, the thought of the shelter’s conditions didn’t make anyone feel good. The people boarding the boat weren’t from the same group either, so before long, a small argument broke out over a minor issue.

The person sitting next to Shu Fu was extremely agitated, joining the argument with a few members of her group. She moved around so much, trying to get involved, that a few times, she ended up bumping into Shu Fu.

“What’s the fuss about! We’re on a boat! If you want to argue, find another place when we get there!” Liu Shuang had seen this kind of thing too many times. It was a disaster year, and people were agitated. They didn’t listen to warnings, but as long as it didn’t interfere with the rescue team’s tasks and didn’t escalate into violence, small-scale conflicts were usually ignored—they simply didn’t have the capacity to manage everything.

She scolded them a few times, then walked over, patted the person sitting next to Shu Fu, and asked them to move to her seat. Liu Shuang sat next to Shu Fu, creating some space between her and the others who were still glaring at each other angrily.

Shu Fu was a bit surprised, turned to look at Liu Shuang, and thanked her again.

Liu Shuang nodded and, after a brief pause, asked, “Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Shu Fu was puzzled. She looked at Liu Shuang again and was certain she didn’t know her, but clearly, Liu Shuang didn’t say that for no reason.

She suddenly had a faint suspicion, but before she could think it through, she heard surprised exclamations from the other passengers on the boat.

Shu Fu looked up to see a huge wall at the end of the waterway.

The wall was as tall as several dozen floors, deep gray in color, with a smooth surface. It stood tall between the hills at the end of the waterway, using the natural geographic advantage to block the rising floodwaters from the outside, protecting the city within.

Nearby, Liu Shuang’s voice sounded, laced with pride and confidence. “This is Dam No. 1, Lou Yuncheng’s earliest safety wall, and also the tallest of the six city-encompassing dams. Its current height is 71 meters, and construction to raise it further is still ongoing.”

Shu Fu followed her words and looked up at the top of Dam No. 1. Sure enough, she saw that construction work was still underway at the very top.

Liu Shuang turned to look at her and smiled. “Welcome to the safest city in Muzhou Province—Lou Yuncheng!”

**

Shu Fu stood by the factory warehouse window, her gaze slowly drifting upwards. From this close distance, the towering No. 1 Dam appeared even more grand and massive.

The dark gray wall did not entirely obscure the Lou Yuncheng behind it. Built on hills, the city had varying elevations, with many buildings constructed on the slopes. The high-rise buildings stacked upon one another, much like trees growing in a staggered pattern on the hillside.

In the pitch-black rainy night, the lights on the dam resembled a lighthouse in the darkness, while the lights of the buildings in the city flickered like a safe and warm harbor, waiting for the wandering travelers to return home.

This was the second night after Shu Fu entered the shelter. The rain had stopped for nearly three days, and today, the temperature was even higher than yesterday, reaching twenty-seven degrees, a rather surprising warmth for the winter, nearing the end of December.

Although Lou Yuncheng had experienced rain before, it usually only lasted for about a day.

Some people online even started to speculate whether the continuous heavy rains over the past few months were finally coming to an end. Rather than calling it speculation, it was more of a wishful hope from everyone.

Unfortunately, by late afternoon today, the rain started again. Though it wasn’t heavy, it drizzled persistently, continuing from dusk without stopping.

Even though Shu Fu had already successfully entered the shelter yesterday, the bracelet on her wrist remained quiet, with no completion notification appearing.

Shu Fu had grown somewhat accustomed to this. After all, she had already reached the shelter within the seven-day window, and nothing unexpected had triggered yet.

This stage was always when she felt most alert, always fearing that some uncontrollable event would happen at any moment.

During the rain cessation period, the number of people at the few shelters outside the dam, which served as transit points, had surged. The larger the crowd, the slower the registration and distribution process for assigning evacuees to their destinations.

In this world, “Shu Fu” was originally from Lou Yuncheng. Unfortunately, when she left, she sold her only property. Now, after entering the city, if she didn’t want to stay in the shelter, she could only choose to seek refuge with relatives or rent a place.

Those who chose to rent typically either had plenty of money on their cards or carried a lot of valuable items with them. Shu Fu, being alone and a woman, didn’t want to attract attention at the shelter, so when registering her accommodation in the city, she listed it as staying with relatives.

Her ID showed her as a Lou Yuncheng resident, so she didn’t need any additional proof. Shortly after registering, she was assigned to a batch heading into the city.

However, due to the large number of people being transferred these past two days, she would have to stay in the shelter for two nights. She was scheduled to enter the city on the third day at noon—tomorrow.

Liu Shuang had also been staying in the shelter these past two nights. The rain break was too precious, and the rescue team was trying to make the most of every moment. She was coming and going every day, and even at night, she barely rested, let alone returned to the city.

When she noticed Shu Fu’s registration details and realized she was from Lou Yuncheng, Liu Shuang was a bit surprised and asked why she wasn’t going home to stay.

“My parents are no longer around, and the house was sold.” Shu Fu replied plainly. After all, this was just the past of the “original” Shu Fu in her memory, and it had nothing to do with her.

Liu Shuang apologized, giving her a thoughtful look, as if she was thinking about something, before her gaze softened again.

Whether it was because of this unexpected information, for the next two nights before entering the city, Liu Shuang specifically arranged for her to stay in the area near where the rescue team rested. The refugees in this area were generally quiet and unlikely to cause trouble.

After all, the nearby military personnel were stationed there, and the supply distribution was also in this area. Even if conflicts arose, they would usually hold off and resolve them elsewhere.

The two nights passed quickly. Before nightfall, the light rain gradually turned into a heavy downpour as dawn approached.