Chapter 94

Thunder rumbled as dazzling arcs of electricity exploded across the sky above the water, resembling a dense web of lightning.

It was only one in the afternoon, yet the sky outside was already as dark as ink.

Noticing the change in weather, Shu Fu slowly got up from the bean bag chair, stretched her limbs, and then picked up the empty coffee cup, half-eaten kumquats, and plain potato chips from the table before heading back inside.

Now that the house had been upgraded, the floor-to-ceiling windows were larger, and the doors on both sides had glass panels embedded in them. Even with the doors closed, the view remained unobstructed. This was her fourth day drifting across the entire water domain, and she had reached the easternmost part of the navigable area, east of the former site of Suicheng.

Two mornings ago, she had already arrived at the old site of Suicheng. The entire place had turned into a vast ocean. The floating city that had once sheltered her, the high-rise buildings that had provided her with security through every rainy night, were now completely submerged.

Even the tallest building in Suicheng, a sixty-six-story skyscraper standing at approximately 200 meters, had vanished beneath the water. Given the current water depth in this region, even if her raft dived 100 meters underwater, she still wouldn’t be able to see a trace of it.

The sea level had risen too quickly. In less than a year, Huagou had lost a third of its land.

With water levels like these, the continents of Oulu and Yang were probably almost gone, and the glaciers in the extreme south had likely melted entirely. The planet’s climate was in chaos, extreme disasters were compounding upon one another, and things would only get worse—especially in deepwater areas without mountain barriers to break the storms.

She hadn’t lingered long at the old site of Suicheng. The boundless water surface revealed no land, no structures, and certainly no people. So, she adjusted her course and continued drifting eastward until she reached the boundary of the water domain.

For her, this was the end of the world. Even though there were vaster waters and a larger world beyond, she could go no further.

Thunderstorms, hurricanes, and waterspouts were a constant in this region, with each extreme weather event lasting for hours. And in the brief pauses between these events, there was nothing but endless torrential rain.

During these downpours, confined within her small floating island home, she often couldn’t tell whether she was on the water or in it. The rain poured down in an unrelenting deluge, like an everlasting waterfall. Without the protective barrier activated, the raft’s deck flickered in and out of sight beneath the sheets of rain, each plank scrubbed spotless by the downpour.

Yesterday, after hours of hurricane-force winds, the storm transformed into a series of waterspouts. Towering columns of water erupted one after another across the surface, connecting the sea to the thick clouds above.

The water columns swirled and roared like high-speed drills, and anything caught in them was instantly torn to shreds.

Even the raft’s normally unshakable protective shield automatically activated in the face of this storm. At the time, Shu Fu had been lounging on the sofa watching a show. The moment she noticed the shield had deployed, she jumped up, rushed out through the back door, and climbed the wooden ladder to the rooftop terrace.

The higher vantage point provided a clearer, more terrifying view. Surrounding her raft, waterspouts of various sizes had appeared in every direction. Some were close, some were far, filling the entire visible horizon—like a dozen massive, whirling turbines roaring in unison.

The mist created by the spinning columns made the entire water surface look like it was boiling, with fish being sucked up into the air and then flung out again. Several times, fish even slammed against the raft’s protective shield, causing what could only be described as a “fish rain.”

This “fish rain” was different from the one she had encountered in Lou Yuncheng. Now that she was in deep waters, which had essentially become a sea, the fish were no longer just freshwater species but also marine ones. Most deep-sea fish were large, and when they were swept up by the vortexes, they were hurled onto the water’s surface before being launched into the sky.

Shu Fu watched as several half-meter-long tuna and snapper smacked into the protective shield before bouncing off. For a moment, she was tempted to turn off the shield and let the fish land directly onto the raft deck.

On her first day in this water zone, she had used an automated fishing rod to catch a tuna. The fish was so large that it completely filled the metal storage basket. After being “sanitized with one click,” it was clean and ready to be processed.

She had entertained the idea of making fresh tuna sashimi herself. Tuna didn’t die immediately upon leaving the water—it took some time for them to stop moving. So she stored the fish in her inventory and took it out later when it was motionless.

The fish was massive, so she donned gloves, grabbed a newly acquired electric saw, and went to work right on the deck—removing the head and tail, gutting it, and keeping only the body. Then, she carried it into the kitchen, washed it, dried it, and pulled out her sashimi knife. Carefully, she deboned, skinned, and trimmed away the fat and scraps before slicing the deep-red fillets into neat portions, packing them into rectangular kraft paper boxes.

With this preparation, she could simply grab a portion whenever she wanted. The fillets could be eaten raw as sashimi or pan-seared in butter for a cooked meal. In peacetime, tuna was known as the “Ferrari of the sea” and was highly expensive. Freshly caught tuna was a luxury few could afford.

That night, she cut a few pieces into bite-sized cubes, dipped them in wasabi and soy sauce, and found the taste incredibly fresh and tender. Perhaps because she had processed the fish herself, she found it especially delicious.

So, when she saw the “tuna rain” the next day, the only thing on her mind was how tasty they would be.

Of course, she was only fantasizing. The protective shield had automatically deployed in response to the extreme disaster, and she couldn’t turn it off even if she wanted to.

The waterspouts yesterday lasted for about two hours. When the terrifying high-speed vortexes finally disappeared, the sky and sea were once again engulfed by heavy rain, and countless fish carcasses floated on the turbulent surface.

In the face of extreme natural disasters, all life on this planet is the same.

At this moment, the thunderstorm outside continued. Dozens of blue and purple lightning bolts exploded in the sky simultaneously—a sight Shu Fu was witnessing for the first time.

She placed her leftover snacks on the coffee table, activated the protective shield, and once again climbed the wooden ladder outside the back door to the glass balcony on the rooftop. Taking out her phone, she began recording. She had also captured yesterday’s waterspouts, taking multiple photos and videos from various angles to document them clearly.

Today’s thunderstorm was no different—she recorded both photos and videos, intending to show them to her friends the next time they met. These were places where human rafts and boats still could not reach—dangerous, uncharted territories.

Much like the Bermuda Triangle of the past, where planes and ships frequently encountered mysterious accidents, the real cause was not supernatural but rather anomalies in geomagnetic fields and extreme weather conditions. Frequent underwater volcanic activity, earthquakes, and hurricanes triggering water walls and sea tornadoes made these waters nearly impossible for human vessels to traverse.

What Shu Fu had witnessed in the past few days—these extreme weather phenomena—were things an average person might never see in their lifetime. While the dangers were undeniable, such climatic extremes also possessed an unparalleled beauty, breathtaking and awe-inspiring.

She recorded these moments not just for her friends but also because of Lan Lan’s presence. Lan Lan could upload the photos and videos seamlessly to the internet, marking the exact time and location. To scientists, these extreme weather events were rare and valuable research materials.

After taking the photos and videos, Shu Fu sat down on the lazy sofa inside the glass balcony.

She had arranged this space simply. On the right, at the corner where the railing met the back wall, she had installed an L-shaped bar counter. It held a fresh-grind coffee machine and a small tabletop water dispenser. Beneath the bar, cabinets and drawers stored various long-lasting, convenient foods: cup noodles, instant vermicelli bowls, compressed biscuits, instant oatmeal, vacuum-sealed canned food, bagged milk tea mix, instant coffee packets, and bottled water.

Each type was stocked in small quantities—just two or three of each—giving the storage compartments practical meaning.

Additionally, two adjustable-height bar stools with backrests were placed by the counter, providing a comfortable space to sip drinks, chat, and enjoy the view beyond the railing.

On the left side—near the wooden ladder and sliding door—she had placed a low, figure-eight-shaped wooden table near the railing. The two interlocked circles formed surfaces of different heights, capable of holding plenty of items. On either side of the table were two similarly low lazy sofas.

She had kept the furnishing minimal because, ultimately, this was still an outdoor rooftop. Unlike the floating island house, which had built-in defenses, this area was exposed. During disaster-level weather, opening the sliding door would allow wind and rain to flood in, and prolonged exposure could cause furniture to become damp, moldy, or damaged. Therefore, none of the furniture here was new or particularly important—losing them wouldn’t be a big deal.

However, because of this setup, when Chen Fa and Lu Zheng visited next time, they would be able to use the space freely.

The thunderstorm lasted for more than three hours. Shu Fu stayed on the glass balcony for only half an hour before returning inside. Since the current level of disaster didn’t automatically trigger the protective shield, she could turn it off once indoors to conserve its usage time.

By four o’clock, the thunderstorm had stopped. With the lightning gone, the entire sky turned completely dark, as if night had fallen. Shu Fu switched on the lights, went down to the underwater bedroom, exercised on the rowing machine for a bit, and then started preparing her dinner.

Tonight, she was making a seafood vermicelli pot. The extreme weather didn’t affect the use of her automated water fishing rod. Over the past few days in the deepwater region, aside from collecting gold jewelry from city ruins and non-perishable tools, her biggest haul had been various types of seafood.

Mussels, scallops, abalone, tiger prawns, mantis shrimp, oysters, squid, clams, razor clams… She had no idea how the fishing rod worked. Despite the harsh climate, every catch in the metal basket was fresh and alive. After using the “one-click sterilization” function, all the dirt and sand were removed—there was no need to clean anything. She only had to do a bit of prep before cooking.

She started by making the sauce in a frying pan, sautéing minced garlic and chopped chili until fragrant, then adding soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and scallions, stirring everything together.

Next, she took out a large, wide-mouthed clay pot, added some cooking oil, and placed in her favorite vegetables. She layered in the soaked vermicelli, then arranged the cleaned seafood on top. Finally, she poured in the garlic sauce from the frying pan, added some water, covered the pot, and let it simmer for over ten minutes. Once the seafood was fully cooked, she sprinkled scallions over it, and it was ready to eat.

This was the lazy way to cook, but as long as the garlic sauce was well-made and the seafood was fresh, the flavors would be excellent.

Of course, she couldn’t finish such a large pot in one meal. While she could store the leftovers in her space and retrieve them later, five minutes into eating her seafood feast, she suddenly thought of the time she, Chen Fa, and Lu Zheng had gathered around a table, grilling meat together.

Freshly caught seafood, cooked immediately, was incredibly delicious. She felt thoroughly satisfied. But in that moment of satisfaction, she also felt a pang of regret that she couldn’t share this meal with her friends.

Shu Fu took out her satellite phone and sent messages to Chen Fa and Lu Zheng:

“Dinner time. Tonight, I’m having a seafood vermicelli pot with scallops, abalone, tiger prawns, oysters, squid, and clams. What about you guys? Did you eat well?”

The climate in this water region was so terrible that even satellite phone signals had delays. About half an hour later, she received a string of messages. Although only two numbers appeared as senders, it was obvious that different people had written them.

Chen Fa: Xiaofu, if you miss me, just say so. No need to show off. We’re inland—where would we get seafood…

Lu Zheng: You’re at the ruins of Suicheng, right? That place should be completely underwater by now. Be careful—lately, the weather has been getting worse, and it’s probably even harsher at sea. If necessary, head back to the inland waters.
P.S. We had instant noodles for dinner. Everyone seemed to have lost their appetite, so Chen Fa took out a box of fried chicken, and I opened a pack of spicy duck blood stew. It was gone in seconds. 🙂 Regretting it now…

Lu Ce: Sister Fufu, I miss you. The house we’re staying in is so tiny, damp, and leaky. Ge and Chen Fa-jie can’t even take out the raft. I really miss the lake outside Youcheng, miss the days when we lived together, and miss our afternoon tea gatherings. Waaah…

Xu Jiechu: Finally got the phone! Hahaha! Don’t mind Lu Ce—he just misses your milk tea and cakes! I’m the one who really misses you. It’s me, Xu Jiechu! Actually, I look pretty good and I’m very well-behaved. How about considering me?

A few minutes later, another message arrived.

Xu Tingfeng: Sorry, I’m Xu Tingfeng. My brother is acting up as usual—just ignore him. Satellite phone messages are expensive, so you don’t need to reply to this. Sorry again!

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The satellite phone Shu Fu had could only be used for calls and text messages. Calls were too expensive, and with the unstable signal, they often lagged or became inaudible. Texting was far more convenient—she could compose her message, include all the important details, and send it out efficiently.

Plus, texts could be saved. She could always look back at them whenever she wanted.

As she carefully read through the messages, a smile unconsciously curled on her lips.

She was at the end of the world, all alone.

Yet, she wasn’t lonely.

And very soon, she would reunite with her friends.

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Half a month later – Southwestern Water Boundary of Muzhou Province

The raft automatically drifted towards its destination at a speed of 40, stopping at an invisible barrier. Since this time she was heading toward inland waters, where she might encounter boats and people, Shu Fu had activated the protective shield the night before.

This was the junction of Muzhou Province, Xiangzhou Province, and the Southwest Plateau.

To the southwest, the land of the plateau was faintly visible in the distance. To the west, shadows of hills could be seen, and to the east, some highlands and mountain peaks still remained above water. However, these highlands and peaks were no longer connected. The rising water level had turned them into isolated land islands.

Early in the morning, heavy rain poured like a waterfall, drumming noisily against the water’s surface.

In the surrounding waters, boats occasionally appeared—some were rescue ships, ferrying displaced residents from nearby counties to Guancheng County in Xiangzhou Province. Others were private boats, out to make a profit by offering transport services. With plenty of rescue teams and military personnel nearby, there was little risk of troublemakers.

These private boats carried both people and goods. Passengers could book individual seats or rent an entire boat if they paid enough. Some people, burdened with too much luggage, opted for these private vessels instead of government rescue ships.

Some had heard that Xiangzhou Province’s relocation queue to Fengshang Plateau was already full, leaving them uncertain about how long they’d be stranded there. So, they changed plans—hiring a private boat to head to the Southwest Plateau first. The Southwest Plateau had fewer cities and wasn’t as overcrowded, making it a better gateway to Fengshang Plateau via land routes.

Other private boats were filled with random groups of passengers. Disputes naturally arose along the way, leading to constant bickering. But no matter how noisy it got outside, none of it disturbed Shu Fu, who was still asleep in her floating island house.

For one, the island house had some level of soundproofing.

More importantly, she had spent nearly half a month enduring extreme weather in deep-sea waters—this level of heavy rain no longer fazed her.

She had stayed up late the night before, binge-watching a zombie web series until 3 AM.

Since coming to this world, she rarely pulled all-nighters, especially on the floating island house.

Before, she had to ration her raft’s active hours. Now, with unlimited usage, she couldn’t afford to make a habit of sleepless nights—long-term irregular sleep patterns would affect her health.

But every once in a while, it was fine.

At around 10 AM, she finally woke up.

She rolled over in bed, stretched lazily, then noticed the noise outside.

Turning toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, she lifted the curtains and peered outside.

What she saw was the busiest scene she had witnessed in months.

Amid the torrential downpour, multiple rescue speedboats crisscrossed the rough waters, ferrying people past her raft.

Her raft had not been anchored. It was still drifting slightly within the designated area, but with the protective shield active, to others, it was just another unremarkable floating object on the water.

Boats instinctively avoided it, but no one paid it any special attention.

And because of that, she could blend in unnoticed, observing the world around her up close.

The closest speedboat that passed by her raft was only one or two meters away. She could clearly see the color of the raincoats the people on board were wearing and even the expressions on their faces beneath their hoods.

It was a strange feeling, something she had never experienced before.

Whether it was the drifting waters of Suicheng or the waters of Lou Yuncheng, which had been wiped out by a tsunami, there had always been no one around. Back then, she would also avoid populated areas as much as possible to conserve her protective shield’s usage time.

But now, she had ample time for her shield, plenty of usage time for the delay card, and a substantial accumulation of personal shield time. With these three layers of protection, she had nothing to fear and could afford to live more freely.

Shu Fu quickly got out of bed, stood under the eaves with her toothbrush in hand, brushing her teeth while checking her phone for a network signal and observing the people on passing boats. Some of the boats were close enough that she could even hear people talking and arguing.

Unfortunately, this waterway was still quite a distance from land, so there was no network signal. She still couldn’t access WeChat, but at least she had the satellite phone to stay in touch with Chen Fa and the others.

They were still in Pengcheng, waiting in line for their turn to be transferred. Fortunately, they kept a low profile and didn’t cause trouble, so in another seven or eight days, they would likely be assigned a transport.

She had her breakfast under the eaves as well—chicken broth wontons with dried shrimp, a delicacy she had stocked up on last year at the Suicheng Food Market. These wontons were a specialty of Suicheng, and since her supply was limited, she carefully rationed them. Unless she had a strong craving, she wouldn’t eat them casually.

What she really wanted, though, was Yao’s Bubble Wontons. Those were even tastier, but she had already finished them long ago. She wondered if Yao Ruoyun had successfully made it to Xizhou Province after leaving Pincheng. Since losing contact with Lu Zheng, she hadn’t been able to reach her. She didn’t know which city Yao Ruoyun and her family were in now or whether her mother would resume her bubble wonton business after settling down.

After breakfast, Shu Fu went up to the terrace, leaned against the front railing, and pulled out her map interface to adjust the raft’s drifting direction.

The westernmost and southernmost parts of the waterway were within this region. On the map, it looked like a small area, but in reality, it was vast. She wanted to test the boundary lines.

The results came quickly. She could only observe Xiangzhou Province and the Southwest Plateau from a distance—she couldn’t land there. The boundary was closer to Xiangzhou’s Guancheng County, about one to two kilometers away by water. The land of the Southwest Plateau was even farther, only visible from a great distance.

However, the half-submerged towns and villages of Muzhou Province were all within her range of activity.

So for the next few days, she spent five to six hours each day in the border waters of multiple provinces with her shield activated. The rest of the time, she returned to Muzhou Province, finding an uninhabited waterway near the hills where she could turn off the shield.

This way, she didn’t deplete her accumulated shield time too much, maintaining a “balanced budget” of usage each day. She didn’t have to stay in desolate waters all the time and could blend into the crowds, hear human voices, and occasionally pick up news from passersby.

What she didn’t expect was that she would run into a familiar face on one of those boats so soon.