Chapter 44: Torrential Rain

The sandstorm had blown off the roof, leaving only bare walls and part of the attic behind.

Luo Daqiang suddenly had a realization. He freed one hand and took out a gun:

“Here, big bro!”

Zhang Xianchao reached out, but his hand slipped. The gun was snatched by the wind, slammed into his face, and then vanished without a trace.

Luo Daqiang froze in place, trembling in fear. Zhang Xianchao clutched his face in agony and rage, face twisted in pain, wishing he could rip Luo Daqiang in half:

“You idiot!”

If he weren’t afraid of losing balance, Zhang Xianchao would have kicked him off the ledge then and there.

Once he made it through this, he swore he’d hunt down that fraud fortune teller and tear him to pieces.

Creak—creak—creak!
They were gripping the outer wall and holding tightly to the iron security door, which rattled in the storm.

Zhang Xianchao hoped the wind would blow the door open—but not blow them away. His nerves frayed, he started kicking at the door like mad.

But the anti-theft door Jiang Si had installed was far too sturdy. No matter how hard he kicked, it didn’t budge.

Luo Daqiang glanced at him and said cautiously:

“Big bro, maybe we should wait for the wind to die down a bit, then let go and jump down.”

The attic was pretty high, and they couldn’t even see what was below.

Zhang Xianchao took a mouthful of sand and bellowed:

“Idiot! You wanna jump? Go die and get reincarnated as a pig. Don’t say you ever knew me!”

Luo Daqiang genuinely thought it was a good idea. They couldn’t get inside this house, and clinging here in the wind seemed even more dangerous.

If the wind picked up any more, he’d be turned into dried sausage.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up:

“Big bro! I still have a crowbar! I’ll shield you—pry the door!”

Zhang Xianchao wanted to slap him:

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?!”

Luo Daqiang grinned sheepishly:

“I forgot!”

Zhang Xianchao had just grabbed the crowbar when—BANG!
The door suddenly swung open.

“Ugh—!”

Zhang Xianchao looked down in shock. The sharp tip of the crowbar had pierced deep into his chest, and blood gushed out.

The weight shifted to Luo Daqiang, who grunted:

“Big bro, you’re heavy! Get up, I can’t hold on…”

But Zhang Xianchao collapsed on top of him. The raging sandstorm howled even louder. Luo Daqiang couldn’t support the weight anymore, lost his grip—

And the two were swept away, like shooting stars into the swirling sands.

Their fading silhouettes vanished into the storm.

Jiang Linhai peeked out from behind Jiang Si and asked:

“Where’d they go?”

Jiang Si pointed to the sky:

“They flew.”

“Oh… oh.”

The next second, Jiang Linhai was stunned by the wreckage of their attic.

The entire upper floor had been obliterated, leaving only a few steel beams dangling with bits of concrete.

The roof was completely gone.

Jiang Si had reinforced their roof, thinking it could withstand the storm. Clearly, she had underestimated its force.

Fortunately, the first and second floors were still intact and livable.

But even opening the door for a short while had let in loads of sand.

Jiang Si’s goggles were nearly covered in dust.

She wiped them clean, and through the grit, she finally spotted Qin Shen’s silhouette.

Jiang Si stood on tiptoe for a better view. He was holding wood planks, hammering away—seemingly repairing the second-floor window.

Despite the sandstorm, Qin Shen only wore a knitted head cover—not even sunglasses or a mask.

Jiang Si called out loudly:

“Qin Shen! I’m sending over some supplies. I’ll toss them into your yard. Can you get them?”

His blurry figure paused. A moment later, his deep voice replied:

“Yes.”

Jiang Si breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly grabbed a woven sack, wrapping inside:

• Face cream
• Goggles
• Four dust masks
• Protective suit

She packed everything tightly in foam wrap and added two heavy bricks for weight.

Jiang Si tied a chain around her waist, and the family held onto the other end. The wind still made it nearly impossible to stand.

She threw the sack with all her strength:

“Can you see it?”

Qin Shen moved steadily through the storm, like he was walking on flat ground.

He picked up the sack, waved, and shouted back:

“Got it. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome!” Jiang Si replied. “Don’t go out unless absolutely necessary—the wind’s too strong!”

“Alright.”

The chain clanged in the wind. As Jiang Si wobbled, the others pulled her back inside just in time.

The door closed behind her.

Only then did she realize—Qin Shen’s lower-body strength was insane. In such strong wind, he moved like nothing was wrong.

---

The sandstorm raged for two straight days, without pause.

Their entire first floor was buried in windblown dust and gravel.

In the village’s temporary shelter, residents had gone two days without receiving official supplies. Starving, they tied rocks to themselves and ventured out just to bring back a bit of food.

Clearly, even the authorities had underestimated the storm’s intensity.

Even the drinking water they had stockpiled was running out.

As for food reserves, none had been transported yet from the original emergency site—thankfully, perhaps, because they’d probably have been blown away mid-route.

Just as everyone was praying for the storm to end, the temperature plummeted to 10°C (50°F).

Having endured weeks of heat, most people were only wearing thin clothes. Now crammed into small rooms, on the brink of despair, fights broke out over a single cotton jacket or a thin blanket.

And when it couldn’t get worse—it started to rain.

No warning, just a torrential downpour.

The parched land, dry for months, was suddenly soaked by the rain. Combined with the wind, it quickly turned into massive flooding.

Rain pounded the roof like bullets. The attic echoed with bang-bang-bang sounds.

Earlier, they had placed waterproof boards and raised the threshold at the main door, so rainwater could flow from the roof down into the yard.

By the next morning, the whole house was soaked, and the first floor was covered in mud and water.

Looking out, the ground was now a bubbling, muddy swamp, like a hungry mouth ready to devour.

Only the second floor remained habitable.

But the bad news?
The torrential rain continued into the second night.

The waterproofing failed. Rain began seeping through the walls, and buckets were placed everywhere to collect water.

At this rate, Jiang Si’s water tanks in her storage space would soon be filled to the brim.

Luckily, Longquan Village sat at higher elevation, and the sand and gravel buildup from the storm had elevated the ground, somewhat buffering them from flash floods.

Jiang Si observed the rain.

As long as the house didn’t collapse, they weren’t going anywhere.

Many villagers tried to flee, but they quickly returned.

The muddy ground was like a swamp. Step in too deep, and you’d be submerged up to your waist.

No one dared go out unless they had a death wish.

They had no choice but to endure—and survive on rainwater.

But sometimes, even in despair, hope appears.

As the waters rose, someone spotted the shadow of fish in the water.

People rejoiced and rushed to catch them using whatever tools they had.

Jiang Si also saw the fish. She dropped her fishing rod, and immediately something bit down hard—she didn’t even need bait.

A chill ran through her as she remembered the spotted gar alligator she killed in the cave.

She reeled it in and sure enough—it was a 3-jin (~1.5kg) spotted gar alligator!