Chapter 95

The first time Shu Fu arrived in this waterway and saw the many speedboats passing by, she had already considered the possibility of running into someone she knew.

After all, Xiangzhou Province was the headquarters of their unit. When they were transferred back, no matter what other external missions they might have undertaken later, they would eventually return to Xiangzhou. As Muzhou Province was gradually submerged, the nearest province, Xiangzhou, was bound to be the main force in the rescue efforts. She just hadn’t expected to see not one, but two familiar faces so soon.

Compared to the last time she saw Liu Shuang on a rescue ship—when she had been brimming with confidence, standing tall, and proudly introducing the Lou Yuncheng Dam—this time, Liu Shuang looked noticeably more fatigued.

And it was understandable.

The last time they met was in December, and at that point, the rain had only been falling for two months. Back then, everyone had believed it would eventually stop.

But now, the endless rainfall had continued for a full year. The rescue operations had also lasted an entire year. After experiencing floods and tsunamis, watching water levels rise uncontrollably while land continued to disappear, no one could afford to naively assume the disaster would simply pass.

The people they saved today might not survive tomorrow. Land that still existed now might be swallowed by water the next day. Cities they vowed to protect could collapse and vanish in an instant.

No matter how passionate they had been at the start, the relentless, hope-draining cycle of rescue work—day after day, with no end in sight—was bound to wear them down.

The rain wasn’t too heavy that day, but Liu Shuang seemed unlucky. Halfway through their journey, the speedboat broke down. She tried multiple times to restart the engine, but it wouldn’t turn over, leaving the boat stranded.

Standing under the eaves, Shu Fu silently adjusted the raft’s course using her map interface, drifting quietly toward the stalled speedboat.

It was a 25-seat boat, visibly old, with rust covering its hull. Perhaps due to the severe shortage of resources, not everyone on board was wearing a life jacket, which explained why many passengers looked visibly panicked.

Shu Fu approached mainly out of concern that if the issue with the speedboat couldn’t be resolved and the weather changed, the boat might capsize. In that case, she would be close enough to rescue them.

Of course, her method of saving them wouldn’t involve directly revealing herself. In fact, it was impossible for her to show herself to Liu Shuang right now, as an invisible barrier restricting her movements was nearby. Even if she appeared, she wouldn’t be able to leave with Liu Shuang. Until she confirmed the people on board were truly her allies, she wouldn’t expose anything unusual about herself.

There were many ways to save them without revealing herself. She could stay inside and deactivate the protective shield, allowing the passengers to climb onto the raft’s deck. As long as she remained inside, the raft—without its shield—would function like a floating platform, never tipping over, giving them a safe place to stay until another rescue boat arrived.

Alternatively, she could tie a few lifebuoys to the raft and throw them over, giving the stranded passengers some temporary relief.

She wasn’t planning to act unless necessary, but as she neared the speedboat, she noticed another familiar face on board.

It was Han Lan.

Before Lou Yuncheng was wiped out by the tsunami, after she moved into the rescue team’s family housing as Cheng Yu’s relative, Han Lan had taken care of her at Cheng Yu’s request and had even taught her basic self-defense techniques.

He hadn’t changed much—his spirit was still strong. The only noticeable difference was his complexion. After more than half a year without proper sun exposure, his originally tanned skin had paled significantly.

At that moment, he was moving from the bow to the stern of the boat. After exchanging a few words with Liu Shuang, he crouched down beside the engine and began trying to restart it.

He made several attempts, but none were successful.

Liu Shuang pulled out a walkie-talkie and called for assistance from nearby speedboats. However, resources were tight everywhere. The number of speedboats on the water was limited, and all were occupied with their own rescue missions. For now, they had no choice but to wait.

The passengers on board were growing increasingly anxious. Some were restless, while others stood up to ask what was happening.

“The engine overheated. We just need to let it rest for a bit, then we can restart it,” Liu Shuang reassured them. It was clear this wasn’t the first time this had happened. These speedboats were in constant use every day, and with a lack of backup resources, they had to make do.

Still, some passengers remained uneasy. After all, they were in open water. This area used to be hilly, meaning the underwater terrain was unpredictable—no one knew how deep it was beneath them. And on such a small boat, staying out in the rain was risky. What if the weather suddenly worsened?

“We’ve already called for another speedboat. If we still can’t restart the engine, we’ll switch boats,” Liu Shuang continued reassuringly. “Don’t worry, we’re on this boat too—we won’t leave you behind… Hey, you two over there, sit down! There are waves out here. If you fall into the water, there are undercurrents below. It’ll be a real mess if you go under.”

…

Shu Fu could hear Liu Shuang and Han Lan’s voices clearly from the speedboat as they calmed the passengers. For now, the situation seemed under control. Neither Liu Shuang nor Han Lan returned to the bow of the boat; instead, they simply pulled their hoods down and remained seated near the engine at the stern.

They seemed completely accustomed to the rain. As long as there were no extreme weather disasters, they remained unfazed, no matter how heavy the downpour. They simply sat there, chatting.

“How long has it been raining this time?” Han Lan wiped the water off his face.

“Two months, I think.”

“So, this is the ‘extended rainy period’ the experts were talking about?” Han Lan scoffed. “These experts—when it comes to good news, their predictions are always off. But bad news? They nail it every time. And you—aren’t you supposed to be transferring to Xizhou soon? Why are you still here, soaking in the water every day?”

“Aren’t you the same?”

“I’m not the same. Unlike you, I don’t have parents or a younger sister—I’m all alone.”

“Why don’t you just admit that you can’t sit still, which is why you came along with the team?” Liu Shuang chuckled, as if she was well aware of the whole story.

Hearing this, Shu Fu felt a little relieved. It seemed that besides Liu Shuang and Han Lan, Cheng Yu was also still alive.

“It’s not that I can’t sit still—it’s him. After completing his mission up north, he could’ve stepped back from the front lines for good. With his military achievements, he could’ve easily stayed behind in the rear. Wouldn’t it have been better for him to just stay in Shacheng? But no, he ran straight to the front lines for rescue operations again…” Han Lan spoke as if complaining, but there was a smile on his lips. “Last time, when I went to the border, he saved my life. As his brother, if he’s going, how could I just stay back in Shacheng and enjoy the good life?”

He turned to Liu Shuang, grumbling that Cheng Yu had arrived in Guancheng County half a month ago. But after staying for just two days, he started moving between various rescue towns along the border of Xiangzhou Province and Muzhou Province, as if he intended to check every single rescue station along the line.

And during the only two days Cheng Yu was around, Liu Shuang happened to be away. That’s why the three of them hadn’t had the chance to sit down and talk together until now.

Liu Shuang listened, her expression thoughtful. “Maybe… he’s looking for someone. The border between Muzhou and Xiangzhou… Now Xiren Province is also flooded, and the southwestern highlands are too far away… If she’s still alive, this area is where she’s most likely to be.”

Just like last time, when she suddenly appeared at the rescue point outside Lou Yuncheng.

Han Lan shook his head. Liu Shuang didn’t say it explicitly, but he could guess who she was talking about.

Over the past few months, he had been with Cheng Yu long enough to pick up on a few things.

He understood Cheng Yu’s guilt. After all, he was the one who arranged for her to stay in the family quarters, thinking it was the safest place—close to the rescue team, with an underground shelter nearby.

But no one had expected such a massive tsunami. It tore down the dam and submerged all of Lou Yuncheng. The hill where the family quarters were located was hit head-on. Everyone who had been there, including those who sought refuge in the underground shelter, was lost…

Han Lan understood, but he didn’t quite agree. “But didn’t we get word that she was still alive?” She had legs—if she survived the tsunami, she could’ve gone anywhere. Escaping such a disaster should mean she’s destined for good fortune, right?

“That was in June. It’s already October now.” Liu Shuang replied calmly. She knew because she had also received news from Shu Fu, but at the time, both she and Cheng Yu were cut off from communication, and they had missed each other once again.

“So, her disappearance now isn’t his responsibility. He keeps taking all the blame onto himself… sigh.” Han Lan let out a long sigh.

Liu Shuang glanced at him with a smile but didn’t explain further. Clearly, Han Lan hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, and she had no intention of gossiping about it.

What Cheng Yu truly regretted was not insisting on taking Shu Fu with him when they left Lou Yuncheng. He had respected her choice, watching as she devoted herself wholeheartedly to someone else, expecting nothing in return—twice. The first time, she was lucky to survive. But what about the second time? The third?

How many times can luck really be on your side?

He regretted not holding firm back then, leading to their separation and radio silence ever since.

In times like these, once you’re separated from someone, it could very well mean goodbye forever…

—

The heavy rain continued to fall, and the outboard motor of the rescue boat finally roared to life.

Standing under the eaves, Shu Fu watched as Liu Shuang and Han Lan’s boat disappeared into the waves and downpour, feeling an indescribable sense of melancholy.

It felt good to know that someone was thinking about her, but this was not the right time. The map hadn’t been updated yet—she was trapped in this flooded area with no way across. And she hadn’t spotted any white light bars above Liu Shuang or Han Lan’s heads.

No matter how much she wanted to tell them she was alive and safe, her rational mind kept reminding her: Not yet.

—

Two days later, a sudden storm engulfed the waterlogged region. The howling winds swept the torrential rain across the surface, and a private boat headed toward the southwestern highlands capsized in the violent downpour.

When they had set out, the waters had been relatively calm. But the weather now changed unpredictably—no one could foresee what would happen that same day. The moment they left the land, their fate was left to the mercy of the elements.

And now, the storm was merciless.

If they had taken a different boat, if they had had a more experienced navigator, they might have realized the danger mid-route and detoured to the closer Guancheng County for safety. But their pilot lacked the expertise of a rescue team, and his repeated mistakes ultimately led to the boat capsizing.

Even though those who couldn’t swim were all wearing life jackets, they could still feel the breath of death closing in. The storm was too fierce—so fierce that they couldn’t see anything around them. All they could feel was their bodies being swallowed by the water, waves crashing down on them one after another.

They couldn’t breathe. Even their life jackets weren’t enough to keep them afloat.

Everyone thought they were doomed.

But in the midst of the raging waves, suddenly, right beside them—appeared a small, solid patch of land.

As these survivors, overjoyed, helped each other climb onto this small patch of “land” and coughed up the water from their lungs, they finally realized—this was no land at all. It was clearly a raft!

It seemed to have appeared suddenly from the waves, spreading its small, flat “wings” to scoop up the people who had fallen into the water.

It was a very small raft, yet it floated steadily amidst the churning waves. As the survivors wiped the water from their faces and looked up, they were astonished to find a tiny wooden house atop the raft. The house had an eave and a wooden-framed glass door, giving it a rather appealing appearance. However, the glass seemed to be frosted—no matter how hard they tried to peer inside, they couldn’t make out anything beyond it.

Drenched by the wind and rain, everyone was still cold and frightened as they huddled on the deck. They wanted to take shelter inside the house, but to their surprise, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t step under the eaves. The little wooden house seemed more like a painted illusion on a wall—realistic in appearance, yet when they reached out to touch it, all they felt was an icy barrier of air.

What was going on? Was the little house fake?

Luckily, someone standing on the back deck soon noticed a wooden ladder. When they tentatively stepped onto it, they found that it held their weight just fine. Overjoyed, they climbed up one after another and discovered that the roof actually had a terrace and a glass balcony.

Unlike the frosted windows of the house, the balcony’s glass was clear, allowing them to see inside. The interior was empty, but the sliding door could be opened. Once inside, they could also close it behind them. It was the only spot on the raft that provided shelter from the storm.

One of them hurried to the railing and called out to the others still stranded on the front deck, telling them to climb up through the eaves. There was space on the rooftop where they could take cover.

The wooden house wasn’t very tall, so with each other’s help, they quickly scaled the eaves and joined the others inside the balcony.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people on that private boat—fewer than ten, including a six- or seven-year-old child. This was the only reason they could all fit inside. The balcony wasn’t large, and since it was made of glass, they initially worried about its sturdiness. When an even bigger wave crashed toward them, they instinctively flattened themselves against the floor, bracing for impact.

Yet, despite its seemingly fragile and insecure appearance, the glass was surprisingly strong, firmly shielding them from the raging wind and rain outside.

“Mommy, cough cough… The little boat saved us… cough… We have to thank the little boat… cough cough cough…” The young girl’s soft voice, mixed with coughing, rang out. Her family, still reeling from their near-death experience, clung tightly to their precious child, checking her life vest to make sure it was fastened securely and patting her back to help her expel the water from her airways.

Nearby, the other survivors were still in shock. Unlike the little girl, who had calmly accepted the raft’s sudden appearance, the adults couldn’t believe what had just happened—they all felt as if they were dreaming.

However, some of them, though equally shaken, exchanged glances before quietly sneaking down the wooden ladder to the lower deck. Huddled beneath it, they kept their voices low as they began to talk.

“This… this is a raft, right?”

“Yeah.”

“The raft from that rumor—the one belonging to an esper!”

“Shh, keep it down! The authorities are secretly looking for people like that. Special individuals stand out too much—if they’re discovered, it won’t end well!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be quiet… So this is what the raft looks like? Even with these massive waves, it stays so steady. No wonder you said that espers charge a fortune for transport—if it doesn’t capsize even in a storm like this, it’s definitely worth the price…”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one staying this stable in such huge waves…”

“Damn, we lost all our supply bags. What if the owner of this raft demands payment?”

“Didn’t you stash some gold in your underwear? If we don’t have supplies, just use that.”

“Whimper… But that’s my last bit of wealth…”

“Money doesn’t matter. Staying alive is what’s most important.”

“Fine…”

——

Inside the house, barefoot and dressed in casual loungewear, Shu Fu sipped her homemade iced latte and stared, dumbfounded, at the two men crouched there rummaging through their underwear.

A few minutes earlier, she had quickly stowed away all the furniture and items inside the glass balcony, shut down the protective shield, and made the decision to save these people. But she hadn’t expected to witness such a shocking scene—or, rather, to overhear such an astonishing conversation.

Espers?

Rafts?

Were they talking about Chen Fa and the others?

No, that couldn’t be!

Chen Fa and Lu Zheng were extremely low-key individuals. Their rafts weren’t like her drifting island house, which could activate a protective shield to “disappear” or dive a hundred meters underwater. There was no way they would expose themselves at this stage—let alone charge people for transportation.

So… were there other awakened individuals?

In fact, she, Chen Fa, and Lu Zheng had long suspected that there must be others like them in this world.

She just hadn’t expected to hear confirmation so soon. Or rather, she hadn’t thought that awakenings would happen even without her intervention.

But thinking about it now, since this world already had reborn individuals and transmigrators—both known and unknown to her—it made sense that other awakened ones would exist too.

What puzzled her now was this: if awakenings could happen naturally without her interference, then what was the deal with Chen Fa and Lu Zheng?

What is the relationship between the tasks she has been carrying out and the awakened ones?

**

Over an hour later, the violent storm began to subside. The winds and waves in the waters temporarily calmed, and Shu Fu, knowing that none of the people on board could swim but were all wearing life jackets, waited until the rain lessened and other boats started appearing in the distance. Then, she deactivated the raft’s protective shield and submerged, leaving the area.

The survivors, who had been on the terrace scanning the surroundings, suddenly felt a blur before their eyes. When they came to their senses, they found themselves back in the water.

The raft that had been carrying them just a moment ago had vanished—completely and without a trace.

Those who had never heard of awakened beings were utterly terrified. They had already suspected they were dreaming while on the raft, and now they were convinced they had encountered something supernatural.

However, the two individuals who were aware of the rumors about the awakened and their rafts simply exchanged glances. Deep down, they knew they had just hit the jackpot—they had been rescued by an awakened person’s raft!

And most incredibly, this awakened person didn’t charge them anything!

**

Half an hour later, the raft, now shielded again, resurfaced in a different part of the waters.

Shu Fu was in desperate need of internet access—she wanted to look up information regarding rafts and awakened beings. Unfortunately, no matter how close she got to the mainland, her phone still had no signal.

The signals in Muzhou Province had long since been cut off. Rescue teams relied solely on manual searches and signal flares to locate survivors. Meanwhile, Guangcheng County in Xiangzhou Province and several other land-based rescue points certainly had network access, but she was too far away to reach them and thus couldn’t connect.

With no other options, she decided to ask her partners for help.

Chen Fa’s side responded quickly, but the reply didn’t come from him—it was from Lu Zheng:

_”It’s me, Lu Zheng. Our network connection isn’t great either. We haven’t heard anything about what you mentioned before. Maybe it’s because this area is far from the flood zones—if there are other awakened people with raft-related abilities, they wouldn’t openly reveal themselves here. If the authorities are already aware and are keeping it under wraps, then even if Chen Fa and I searched online, we wouldn’t find anything.

But don’t worry. Hold on—I’ll ask Lu Ce to find Lan Lan. It should be able to find something.”_

Shu Fu: ……

She couldn’t help herself. Despite the high cost of sending satellite messages, she replied with six consecutive ellipses.

Half an hour later, Lu Zheng responded.

During that time, Shu Fu’s mind was filled with an amusing image—she pictured a cat sitting in front of a computer, paws rapidly tapping on a keyboard. Then, the image shifted to a cat holding a phone with its front paws, carefully poking at the screen with its claws…

Lu Zheng:

_”There are indeed rumors about awakened individuals circulating among civilians, but unlike information about reborn people, the reports about awakened beings have only appeared within Huaguo. In other words, there have been no reports abroad.

All the information online is purely textual—no photos or videos. There’s no mention of spatial abilities. The main focus is on rafts—rafts that can carry people and goods through flood zones, can be summoned and stored at will, and have miraculous life-saving capabilities.

Most of these reports originated from flood zones, where communication signals are unstable, and many posts have no follow-up, making them seem more like fabricated stories.

Right now, the only places with stable internet access are the safe cities in high-altitude regions with military presence. The people there largely dismiss the reports, claiming that flood zone survivors must be part of some organization spreading false rumors.

Overall, public reactions mirror the initial responses to news about reborn individuals—some are excited, believing the world has hope, while others are extremely hostile and skeptical.

As for the government, they haven’t made any statements, taken sides, or given any indication of awareness or stance on the matter.

Chen Fa and I suggest keeping a low profile. If this is real, we just have to wait—it’s only a matter of time before more information surfaces. In the meantime, we’ll have Lan Lan keep an eye out for any updates and let you know if we find anything.”_

Shu Fu:

“Got it. That’s what I was thinking too—whether it’s real or not, we lay low. You guys be careful too.”

Two days later, Chen Fa sent a simple message confirming that he had arranged transportation. They were departing that day, heading for Chamuxian County.