Chapter 58

Not long after the news of the apocalyptic tsunami broke, chaos erupted in Lucheng. Even though it was thousands of kilometers away from Muzhou Province, once fear took hold of the people, it wasn’t something the authorities could easily quell with mere words.

Lucheng, situated at an altitude of 600 to 1,000 meters, had been designated as one of the nation’s relocation cities, meant to be a safe haven. However, its proximity to Qinghe made many residents as skittish as startled birds, fearing any body of water. As a result, a mass westward migration began.

The city had made extensive preparations for resettlement, including housing and stockpiling large quantities of food and water. But just as Shu Fu had pieced together from online reports, those planning to flee westward started by panic-buying. When they couldn’t buy supplies, they resorted to outright looting.

The ones who wanted to leave took what they could by force, and those who intended to stay weren’t about to be left behind. With two-thirds of the city’s population caught up in the chaos, even the police were powerless. What could they do? Start a massacre to regain control?

Even the government had begun withdrawing, concentrating its resources and forces in the safest cities. But what more could they do?

The chaos lasted for a month. Those who could leave had left, the unfortunate ones had perished, and those who remained had their own reasons for staying.

Some people saw no point in leaving.

What good would heading west do?

The entire region was in turmoil. Finding an intact vehicle was difficult, and even if one was available, securing fuel was another challenge. Moreover, the further west one traveled across the northern plateau, the more treacherous the terrain became. Cities were scarce, resources even scarcer, and Lucheng wasn’t in the tsunami zone—meaning it wasn’t within the airdrop supply range.

Along the way, travelers might face extreme weather conditions, encounter impassable bodies of water, or simply find that the journey was too far to guarantee survival. No one could promise a better life at the end of the road.

Why take a gamble on an unknown city when one could fortify their own territory instead?

In Hexi Town, two factions had emerged—two distinct groups. One consisted of the original townspeople, while the other was primarily composed of outsiders.

The town had always been sparsely populated. When the mass relocation first began, many residents moved to the supposedly safer Lucheng—only to perish during that chaotic month.

Chen Fa belonged to the outsider faction. She had joined them while evacuating from Lucheng. Skilled and bold, she had chosen not to head west and instead retreated to this small town.

She had stayed in Hexi Town before, back when there were still entry restrictions for plateau cities, before the mass relocation orders had been issued.

Chen Fa wasn’t originally from Lucheng, but she had to pass through it to return to her hometown. Fortunately, when the relocation orders came, Lucheng was designated as a resettlement area, allowing her to file for relocation there for both herself and her family.

She hadn’t expected to be forced back here so soon.

Though the town was surrounded by water, it had high-altitude peaks where people could take refuge in emergencies. Until Qinghe’s floodwaters swallowed the area completely, this small town was a better survival ground for civilian factions.

For now, there was no immediate flood threat, but resources were scarce. At first, the two factions clashed frequently—sometimes nearly to the point of bloodshed. Eventually, they negotiated a truce, dividing the town into separate zones of control and agreeing to a peace pact.

Dividing the town didn’t mean splitting it in half; each faction simply maintained order within its own district. If trouble arose in their own zone, they handled it. If someone from the opposing faction caused trouble on their turf, they had the right to punish them first before sending them back.

Additionally, apart from the northeastern mountains, all other town outskirts were patrolled, with each faction responsible for its respective area.

Shu Fu wasn’t sure whether to consider herself lucky or unlucky. When she entered the town, she had somehow avoided the patrol teams and ended up in a store within Malaysia’s faction’s district—immediately catching the attention of the other group.

As for Wu Zhong’s claim that he had only followed her and had no intention of making a move, Chen Fa didn’t entirely disbelieve him. She had even noticed the two nails in his palm, likely Shu Fu’s doing. But so what? The fact remained that his faction had caused trouble on their turf, so Wu Zhong had no choice but to take his beating.

She might have been hitting Wu Zhong, but the real message was directed at his faction—a warning. They had been probing their defenses too often lately. If Chen Fa’s group showed any sign of weakness, the other side wouldn’t hesitate to swallow them whole.

It was a time of chaos. Showing weakness at any moment could be fatal. This was the survival rule Chen Fa had learned in just two months.

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Hexi Town wasn’t large, and Shu Fu was already within Chen Fa’s faction’s district. Leading her quickly through the streets, Chen Fa brought her to a place she had been staying—a sprawling guesthouse.

The town wasn’t a tourist destination, nor did it have any major attractions, so the guesthouse was somewhat old and had a rather plain architectural style. However, it had one advantage: space. It consisted entirely of separate two-story houses, making it easy for faction members to house their families.

Some single members with good relationships also bunked together in one house, making it easier to communicate and provide backup when needed.

Chen Fa took Shu Fu directly to her own building and urged her to take a hot shower.

Shu Fu was surprised. “You have hot water here?”

“Yes. There’s a hydroelectric station near a waterfall in the northeastern mountains. The water is collected from filtered rainwater. The town doesn’t have many people left, so for now, it’s enough.”

Back when she had first stayed in Hexi Town before heading to Lucheng, she had noted the existence of the hydroelectric plant. That knowledge was precisely why, when she was forced to evacuate Lucheng, she had decided to return here as a temporary refuge.

So, although food, drinking water, and some other supplies were scarce in the town, basic utilities like running water and electricity were still available.

Shu Fu wanted to ask a few more questions, but Chen Fa kept urging her to take a hot shower and asked if she had clean clothes. Shu Fu patted her backpack, indicating that she did.

Chen Fa glanced over—her backpack was stuffed full and made of waterproof material, suggesting she had all the essentials. Satisfied, Chen Fa took out a pair of plastic slippers from a nearby cabinet, handed them to her, and then practically shoved her, along with her backpack, into the first-floor bathroom, telling her they’d talk after she finished showering. She even reminded her to stay under the hot water for a while.

Shu Fu: …

The bathroom wasn’t big, nor was it particularly modern, but since it was a guesthouse, it was clean and had all the necessary toiletries—even a dryer, so she could machine or hand wash her clothes and dry them right away.

She had already showered the night before and had only been lightly rained on earlier, so she finished washing up in under ten minutes. However, she took a few extra minutes to reorganize her bag.

This time, she didn’t need to keep camping supplies, so she only packed an emergency thermal blanket—a very thin one that folded into a small, compact piece.

For food, she brought two vacuum-sealed instant rice packs, a few packs of instant noodles, a pack of sausages, some chocolate energy bars, vacuum-compressed biscuits, a bag of dried fruit, a jar of candy, two tubes of vitamin C effervescent tablets, and a bag of mixed dehydrated vegetables.

For drinking water, she kept the same large-capacity collapsible cup she had used before. Since it had an opaque body, the water level wasn’t visible. She found it too heavy, so she only filled it a quarter of the way. As for the 100ml water bottle she had exchanged at a store earlier, she tossed it into a corner of her backpack for now.

She refused to drink water from unknown sources.

In addition, she had three separate small pouches.

One was a medical kit, which contained a compact outdoor first aid kit, two boxes of common medicine, and some insect repellent sprays.

The second was a personal care pouch. Since the weather was hot and her clothing was light, she packed three or four changes of clothes, mostly breathable, sweat-wicking, and waterproof athletic wear, along with two packs of disposable underwear.

The third was a tools pouch, which currently only contained a nail gun.

Finally, she had her phone stored in a waterproof bag—a new phone with a fresh SIM card. She placed this waterproof bag inside a waist pouch, planning to carry it with her at all times for easy access to small items.

Even though she knew no one here would deliberately rummage through her bag, she still needed to make sure her belongings were actually inside. Otherwise, having to act secretive every time she took something out would be exhausting.

Compared to these supplies, the secret of her space was far more important.

Before leaving the bathroom, she quickly checked her black notebook.

[Mission: Check-in at any store in Hexi Town completed. Reward: Raft Level 4 progress +20%, additional bonus progress +5%, two spins on the prize wheel. (Current Raft Level 4 progress: 25%)]

It was a standard reward, but just like the first task for Raft Level 3, this one also pushed the progress bar up by a quarter, which made Shu Fu very satisfied.

She really wanted to spin the prize wheel, but now wasn’t the right time. She was worried that rushing it might affect her luck, so she planned to do it later in the evening.

When Chen Fa saw her come out so quickly, she grumbled a little, then handed her a cup of brownish liquid that looked like medicine. “There’s no fresh ginger, so this is made with ginger sugar. Drink it to warm up.”

The room was stuffy due to the closed windows and poor ventilation. The humidity made it feel even warmer, probably close to 30 degrees Celsius.

And yet, Chen Fa was telling her to drink ginger sugar water to warm up?

Shu Fu: …

Chen Fa could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression and sighed. “Just drink it. Medicine is scarce in town. If you catch a cold from the rain, there won’t be any medicine for you, and that’ll be even more troublesome.”

The ginger sugar water had a strong ginger aroma, but it tasted sweet with a slight spiciness. It was actually quite good.

The other team members had apparently gone back to their own places, so there was no one else on the first floor of the small building. The two of them sat down on the sofa, and Shu Fu was about to make some small talk before asking about recent events. After all, the last time they met was seven months ago in Suicheng at a gathering organized by Zhang Tian.

Now, after crossing half of Huagou, they were reuniting in Lankou Province. Under normal circumstances, people would take a moment to marvel at such a coincidence.

But before Shu Fu could say anything, Chen Fa immediately launched into a scolding. She demanded to know why, back when the government started the mass relocation, Shu Fu had dragged her feet so much. And why did she suddenly go off the grid? Once wasn’t enough—she disappeared a second time! Was she planning to vanish a third and fourth time too?

Shu Fu honestly wanted to nod. She had been playing solo for too long, and now, her very first mission had reunited her with an old friend. Even if she was getting scolded, she felt a strange mix of pain and happiness. So instead of explaining, she just leaned on the sofa’s armrest, resting her chin on her hand, and smiled at Chen Fa.

Chen Fa: …

Oh, this stubborn girl!

Chen Fa felt a headache coming on and immediately reached out to pinch Shu Fu’s face. “Stop grinning like an idiot and talk properly!”

So, Shu Fu briefly explained the story she had pieced together in the bathroom earlier.

Chen Fa and the other two knew her too well—if she tried to use some ridiculous excuse like “disappearing for love,” they’d never believe her. And she wasn’t planning to say that anyway. Fortunately, her first disappearance hadn’t lasted too long, and they didn’t know the exact details of her evacuation from Suicheng, so she mainly focused on explaining what had happened in Lou Yuncheng.

This time, she decided to portray herself as a resilient heroine who faces setbacks but rises to the challenge.

Being out of contact didn’t necessarily mean she was in danger. A dead or damaged phone was a perfect excuse. For example, when the relocation began, she had a small conflict with someone, and her phone broke. After that, she had to focus on gathering supplies and catching transportation, amidst the chaos, and didn’t have the time to get in touch.

After that, everyone knew what happened.

Fortunately, by that time, she had already left Lou Yuncheng, but the aftermath of the super tsunami caused a wide range of disasters, including internet outages.

In such extreme weather, her journey wouldn’t have been smooth sailing. There were car accidents and personal mishaps; she got injured and was taken to a temporary medical tent by a rescue team. Afterward, she spent a long time recovering, and it was natural that she continued to be out of contact.

During her recovery, she made some good friends, started learning self-defense, and traveled with others for a while. She found a new phone and some supplies in another city, but eventually parted ways with them.

By then, she was already in Lankou Province and decided to head towards Pincheng because she had friends there who had given her an address. She wanted to see if she could find them.

“You got a new phone but didn’t message us first? Back then, the network hadn’t even gone down here…” Chen Fa sighed, seemingly softened by her journey.

“At first, the signal was bad, and then the battery died,” Shu Futook out her waterproof pouch, revealing that her phone was, indeed, dead.

Chen Fa shook her head and went to grab a power strip from the side: “Charge it.”

Shu Fulooked at her. “I lost the charger.”

“…How could you lose something so important? Forget it…” Chen Fa rubbed her temples, glanced at the model of her phone, and said, “Wait!”

A moment later, she returned with the appropriate charger.

Looking at Shu Fu plugging her phone in to charge, Chen Fa suddenly had a thought: “So you were already in the town before the flood?” She suspected this because many residents had stayed inside since their team arrived, afraid of outsiders. They had barricaded their doors and were living off their stored food.

“No, I came by boat,” Shu Fu said. She couldn’t lie about that because she didn’t know the town well enough to pull it off.

“A boat?” Chen Fa was surprised.

“Yes, a two-person inflatable boat. I hid it before I landed,” she had two inflatable boats—one set up and another packed away.

The packed boat was small and easy to hide.

Chen Fa was speechless: “There’s a difference between a two-person inflatable boat and a real boat…”

Shu Fu didn’t argue, asking if Chen Fa needed it. If so, she could go secretly retrieve the hidden boat.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Our team has dozens of people…”

“But if it’s just me, you, and your grandma, it should be enough,” Shu Fu said. The other three people in the group knew that Chen Fa had come back to Lankou Province mainly for her only relative—her grandmother, who had raised her.

Her parents had divorced when she was young. Both remarried and didn’t want her. Her grandmother was furious, scolding her father for being heartless, and even scolding her mother—her own daughter.

Chen Fa’s grandmother had been a performing artist in her youth and had a tough personality. Since her daughter and son-in-law didn’t care for their own child, she severed ties with them and raised her granddaughter herself.

Although Chen Fa had no parents, the love she received from her grandmother was unmatched. Her grandmother taught her about responsibility, the importance of education, and having a job that could support herself. She made sure she exercised and learned self-defense so she could be self-reliant and protected in any situation.

Chen Fa had shared before that her grandmother had been strict with her because she felt she had spoiled her daughter too much and didn’t want the same thing to happen to her.

As a child, Chen Fa didn’t understand, but as she grew, she realized how important it was for girls to be independent and to have the ability to protect themselves.

To Chen Fa, her grandmother was the only family she had. No matter what choice she made, whether to go west or retreat, she couldn’t leave her grandmother behind.

Sure enough, when Shu Fu said this, Chen Fa looked towards the staircase leading up to the second-floor bedroom. Her grandmother should be upstairs.

But… why hadn’t her grandmother come downstairs after all this time?

Shu Fu quickly realized the answer.

Someone knocked on the door of the small house, bringing in a thermos. It wasn’t one of the team members she had seen before, but a man she didn’t recognize. She could sense Chen Fa’s change in demeanor, a brief moment of tension and wariness.

But she didn’t show it outwardly, and if Shu Fu hadn’t known her so well, she wouldn’t have noticed.

The man, in his thirties, wasn’t wearing a raincoat, just holding an umbrella.

“Why are you here so early?” Chen Fa asked.

“I heard you finished your patrol early, so I thought I’d come by,” the man said. His outfit was different from Chen Fa and the others. In this humid weather, he was wearing a white long coat, which looked like a hospital lab coat. His face was decent, with a sharp, thin nose, and he wore glasses, giving him a somewhat pretentious air.

He placed the thermos on the table, casting a glance at Shu Fu sitting on the sofa. His scrutinizing gaze made her feel uneasy.

As he approached, Shu Fu smelled the distinct scent of disinfectant mixed with a faint foul odor in the air.

A foul smell?

Shu Fu’s expression didn’t change, but she carefully sniffed again, and indeed, there was a faint, unpleasant… fishy smell coming from him.

“How come there’s a stranger?” he furrowed his brows.

“She’s my younger sister,” Chen Fa said, giving only those four words, clearly not wanting to explain how she had suddenly appeared. She then turned to Shu Fu and introduced, “Tang Ping, the doctor on our team.”

“Hello,” Shu Fu gently greeted.

Tang Ping gave a slight nod, his eyes leaving Shu Fu and returning to Chen Fa. He explained that the herbal medicine in the thermos contained newly collected herbs and reminded Chen Fa to make sure her grandmother drank it while it was still hot. Afterward, they should monitor her, and if any changes occurred, they should contact him immediately.

Chen Fa listened attentively and expressed her gratitude, nodding in acknowledgment.

Once Tang Ping left, Chen Fa picked up the thermos and went straight into the bathroom, pouring the medicine down the drain.

When she came out, she saw Shu Fu waiting at the bathroom door, her expression a little grim. “This medicine won’t cure my grandmother’s illness…”

She seemed to know what Shu Fu was about to ask and continued, “If I hadn’t reacted the way I did earlier, they would have sent someone over to watch my grandmother drink this… nonsensical medicine.”

“So, is Grandma really sick…?” Shu Fu was truly confused now, not knowing if Chen Fa’s grandmother was truly ill or not.

Chen Fa sighed. “Did you encounter any… strange diseases while you were outside?”

Shu Fu thought about the news she had pieced together online, and since she hadn’t seen any mention of illnesses, she shook her head.

Chen Fa nodded. “It seems that either there are no such diseases outside, or… it’s just like here. After all, when someone falls ill with this kind of disease, over time, their family gets panicked and instinctively tries to hide it.”

Chen Fa gestured for Shu Fu to grab her backpack and follow her upstairs. “I’ll show you your room and… show you my grandmother.”

In the room at the far end of the second floor, Chen Fa’s grandmother, lying on the bed, heard footsteps and first opened her eyes cautiously. When she saw it was her familiar granddaughter, the wariness in her eyes faded immediately. Then, when she saw Shu Fu following her in, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

“Grandma, this is Xiao Fu, the one you praised in front of me before. She’s the prettiest one in our dorm.”

Shu Fu had met Chen Fa’s grandmother twice, both times when they had just started their first year in college. She remembered that Chen Fa’s grandmother was strong and healthy, and worried about Chen Fa going to Suicheng alone for her studies, so she visited her twice.

Every time she came, she brought a lot of hometown specialties and snacks for everyone in the dorm and was very kind.

Later, after Chen Fa had adjusted to school life, she stopped visiting.

Now, Chen Fa’s grandmother, lying in bed, looked a little pale. It seemed she had been sick for a while and was in poor spirits, but she still greeted Shu Fu with a friendly smile.

Chen Fa sat at the edge of the bed, giving a faint smile to Shu Fu, who was looking worried. “Don’t worry, my grandma’s illness was caused by catching a cold from the rain, leading to a fever. After a long journey and a lack of medicine, her condition has been fluctuating, so it has been dragging on until now. These last two days, it may have turned into pneumonia… But, in this situation, no one else would believe it. The symptoms are similar to many other illnesses, so I didn’t bother explaining much.”

“A month ago, I might have been able to get medicine in Lucheng, but now, it’s useless. The pharmacies have already been emptied, and the useful medicine has been hidden by other teams still in Lucheng.”

“However, our team regularly borrows boats from Malaysia to cross the flood area and trade supplies with the people in Lucheng. I’ve already secretly arranged with people from their team, and in about half a month, when they come to exchange supplies, they’ll bring me some proper medicine. The exchange terms are tough, but right now, getting legitimate medicine is…”

Before Chen Fa could finish her sentence, Shu Fu interrupted her, holding out a hand in front of her.

In her slender fingers, there was a box of medicine that Chen Fa had long dreamed of—a box labeled “Amoxicillin” that practically blinded her with its brightness.

“This should treat pneumonia, right?” she remembered that pneumonia caused by a cold and fever was a bacterial infection, and antibiotics would work for that.

Seeing Chen Fa frozen, Shu Fu thought she might have remembered it wrong, so she dug out another box of Cefdinir, one of Oseltamivir, and another of Ibuprofen from her backpack. “Take all of these. You’ll figure out which one works best.”

These medicines covered fever reduction, pain relief, antibiotics, and antivirals.

Chen Fa stared at Shu Fu for a long time, until her eyes turned red. Before the tears could fall, she stood up and hugged Shu Fu tightly. “You…”

Her voice was choked, and she couldn’t finish her sentence.

Shu Fu completely understood the unspoken words. She wrapped her arms around her, gently patting Chen Fa’s back with the hand holding the medicine box. “Yeah, I’m late, but I’m here.”