Jiang Ning told what happened on the ferry, “I used a bottle of quick-acting heart pills to exchange for three more rooms, and the rent was waived for half a year.” 

With so many people around, and all three of them seeming to be in good shape and well-fed, they had already been targeted by many survivors in just a few days. 

Most of them were simply envious, but some had more cunning ideas. 

Moving to Area B, Zone 2, and living with active-duty soldiers should reduce a lot of trouble. 

They decided to move immediately to avoid any future complications. Besides, having three people and a dog living in a space of barely ten square meters was simply too cramped. 

If there’s an opportunity, Jiang Ning didn’t mind making their lives a bit more comfortable. 

Huo Yishen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Looks like I’m taking advantage of my wife again.” 

Jiang Ning gave him a glare, “Good that you know. From now on, all the housework is yours.” 

He was already good at coaxing his wife, “No problem; you have the final say at home.” 

There wasn’t much to move, and after a few trips, they were done. 

The room was the same size, but the two rooms were combined into one, and the area was much more spacious. 

Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen shared a room. Coke lived in the living room in the middle and Doudou stayed in the room on the far side. There was a sliding steel partition that could be opened up for more space or closed off for privacy when needed. 

With the extra space, everyone felt much better. 

After cleaning up inside and outside, Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen went downstairs to fetch water. Unexpectedly, they ran into Xu Kaitai in the corridor. 

The master and disciple were very happy to meet again, “Instructor Xu.” 

Xu Kaitai came back from a mission and ran into Liu Cheng. Only then did he know that Jiang Ning and the others had arrived at their new home safely. He was just thinking of looking for them after his tasks were done, but unexpectedly, they met by chance. 

If there had been no collision of plates and submerging of land, the master and disciple would likely have only exchanged greetings at the southern military base. 

But after experiencing too many disasters and too many separations of life and death, it would be a lie to say that he was not moved that they could reunite on this vast, water-covered planet. 

They embraced each other warmly. 

The three of them went downstairs to fetch water together, talking about everything that had happened since they last met. 

Xu Kaitai was an instructor for the submarine group. He had been piloting a standard national nuclear submarine, the 094A, which was carrying mid-to-high-level personnel from the military base. 

He encountered many maritime disasters, but he survived them all with his extraordinary courage and excellent equipment. 

Mid-to-high-level personnel? Jiang Ning’s heart skipped a beat, and she pretended to be curious, “With the collision of plates and global oceanization, submarines are relatively safe. I assume the high-ranking military officials should be here already.” 

Xu Kaitai had been specifically selected by high-ranking officials to teach Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen how to operate a submarine. 

He wasn’t interested in listening to or talking about rumors, but he could still guess that the two had a special relationship with the top leadership. 

“In the face of natural disasters, there’s no such thing as the safest escape equipment. A lot of it comes down to luck, courage, and a wealth of survival experience.”  

As the chief instructor of the submarine group of the Navy, Xu Kaitai had participated in the meetings on maritime survival plans. 

Since the conversation touched on the maritime survival plans, he didn’t hide anything. “The base is divided into sea, land, and air sections, and the top leaders need to command the three departments. They will evacuate last. 

If there are no accidents, they will leave by helicopter after the evacuation mission and eventually land on naval warships. 

The combat warship has good performance, and the members have rich experience in fighting against marine disasters. I believe they will be safe.” 

Jiang Ning smiled and did not ask more questions. 

After getting out of the water, Jiang Ning invited Xu Kaitai to dinner, “Instructor Xu, if you hadn’t taught me everything you know, our submarine would have been swallowed by the storm long ago.” 

In these times, food is life, so Xu Kaitai quickly refused. 

Jiang Ning insisted, “It’s just one meal I’m offering, but the skills you taught us saved us from disaster multiple times.” 

The two took turns inviting each other, and Xu Kaitai had no choice but to agree. 

The rich food in the space should not be exposed, so Jiang Ning fried dried beans, steamed salted fish, fried wilted vegetables, mixed grain rice, dried sweet potatoes, etc. She deliberately took a bottle of cheap Erguotou and made the bottle look old. 

Xu Kaitai had seen their dog before, so Jiang Ning didn’t bother hiding it. 

The food was soon served on the table. She opened the bottle and joked, “Come on, Instructor Xu, try the special wine. This salted fish is several years old, and the vegetables were grown on the submarine. Do you dare to eat it?” 

In such harsh conditions, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t dare to try— as long as it wouldn’t kill him, he was willing to eat it, especially since they had prepared a feast. 

The spicy white wine went down his throat, choking Xu Kaitai so much that his eyes almost turned red. 

He thought back to the peaceful days when bottles of Erguotou could easily be bought from street vendors. Now, it was almost impossible to get. 

The place where it was produced had sunk, and there would never be Erguotou again in this world. 

Even if we can make liquor someday, they would never return to the prosperous land they once knew. 

Feeling emotional, Xu Kaitai couldn’t help but drink a few more cups. 

While eating and chatting, Jiang Ning deliberately changed the uncomfortable topic, “Instructor Xu, are you still leading the submarine team now?” 

“Yes.” 

The Eastern Military Base only has large submarines, while the Southern Military Base has a rich variety of submarines, especially the small submarines built for the Fire seed Plan, which are specially designed to withstand disasters with very specialized capabilities. 

The search for survivors was handed over to Xu Kaitai. 

The Southern Military Base has built nearly 3,000 small submarines. At present, more than 20 have arrived at the new base, and he believe there will be more in the future. 

Jiang Ning was curious, “You are responsible for the search; didn’t you encounter survivors from other countries?” 

“Yes, and quite a few.” 

It wasn’t just a matter of encountering them; the news had spread, and some had even come because of their reputation. 

But in times of natural disasters, people’s hearts are unpredictable, and their own conditions do not allow them to accept foreign survivors for the time being. 

This sea area was relatively high, with slow currents and fewer large storms. As long as outsiders didn’t get close on the Huacheng base’s territory, they wouldn’t be driven away. 

As for the so-called “territory,” it was based on a first-come, first-served principle. The base’s land area was only about 100 nautical miles in diameter, and patrol boats ensured its security. 

Jiang Ning took the opportunity to ask, “Patrol boats consume a lot of fuel, and they won’t be sustainable for long. Since it’s not typhoon season, why not take the opportunity to build artificial islands and reclaim land?” 

Xu Kaitai sighed, That’s a great question. After all, this is an area where our country excels, and I even asked about it myself.”  

The eastern military base had been preparing for years, bringing in experts from that field and protecting them as part of the plan. They had even secured the key equipment for building artificial islands. 

“Everything was ready, but the weather didn’t cooperate. The fleet encountered a storm at sea, and the containers with the essential equipment fell into the sea.” 

Jiang Ning exchanged a glance with Huo Yishen—could it be the batch they had salvaged? 

Jiang Ning hesitantly asked, “It couldn’t be that the entire shipment was lost, right?” 

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