The terrace was open-air.

So when the flood receded, it left behind a great deal of filth.

To make matters worse, the former owner of the house had laid anti-corrosion wood flooring on the terrace.

Anyone who’s ever laid that kind of flooring knows: you don’t even need a flood. If it hasn’t been cleaned for six months, mud and grime will accumulate underneath.

Let alone after a flood has passed through.

Just the sludge on top of the decking took Lin Chu a whole bucket—and then some—to shovel off.

And once she lifted the boards, the space underneath was packed full of silt and muck.

From the 20-square-meter terrace alone, Lin Chu cleared out a total of four full buckets of sludge.

Because there were already other survivors living nearby, Lin Chu didn’t let Xiao Er help with the cleaning.

After she finished cleaning the terrace, she placed a few flowerpots there, pretending she was going to grow vegetables. Then she went back inside and locked the terrace door behind her.

Once she was inside, with the view from outside blocked, Lin Chu submitted the four buckets of sludge to the system and received four 12-liter bottles of purified water in exchange.

Satisfied, Lin Chu was planning to return to the shelter to do some physical training, then wash up and go to sleep.

But suddenly, she heard urgent knocking from the south-facing window.

She checked the time—it was already ten o’clock at night.

At this hour, who could be looking for her?

The knocking was fast and frantic, clearly showing the person’s anxiety.

Worried they might break the window if she took too long, Lin Chu quickly stepped to the window and pulled open the curtain, revealing a face she had just seen earlier that day.

Seeing her open the curtain, the person immediately stopped knocking.

“Captain Wang? It’s you?”

Lin Chu opened the window just wide enough for a head to fit through.

Wang Rui looked at her anxiously. “Doctor Lin, do you have a moment?”

“What’s the matter? Why the rush?”

Upon hearing her question, Wang Rui didn’t waste any time and said directly:

“It’s like this—our Doctor Liu flew to Base No. 1 with the supply helicopter that came yesterday to get medicine for everyone. She still hasn’t returned.”

“But earlier today, Assistant Wu was bitten by a giant black fish. He hasn’t woken up since, and just now, he suddenly developed a high fever—his whole body is burning up. I wanted to ask if you could come take a look.”

Lin Chu thought for a moment and asked:

“Your base doesn’t have any other doctors?”

Wang Rui shook his head helplessly.

“No, just two nurses left. Ours is a small base—no doctor wants to stay here. Doctor Liu only agreed to stay long-term because she was good friends with Mayor Li before the disaster.”

Lin Chu happened to be thinking about moving around the area more, to see if there were other places to gather more sludge.

After hearing what Wang Rui said, she readily agreed.

“Alright, I’ll come with you and take a look. But I can’t promise I can cure him.”

At this point, Wang Rui was simply treating a dead horse like a live one—grateful beyond words that she was even willing to try.

Lin Chu could tell from his expression that they had run out of options.

“Wait a moment. I’ll go get my medical kit.”

She shut the window, lowered the curtain, and returned to the shelter, where she found Xiao Er feeding the fish.

“Xiao Er, I’ll be going out for a bit. Stay in the house and keep watch.”

“If anyone tries to break in, you know what to do.”

As she said this, Lin Chu glanced toward the iron shovel in the corner.

Xiao Er immediately understood.

“Understood, Master. I’ll guard the house well!”

After giving Xiao Er her instructions, Lin Chu led him out of the shelter, told him to hide in the room next door, then took out the medical kit she had prepared from her storage space and reopened the window.

Wang Rui was just about to help her through the window when he saw Lin Chu plant one hand on the windowsill and vault out in a smooth motion. She landed lightly on the boat below, barely causing it to rock.

She picked up the medical kit from the sill, shut the window behind her, and turned to find Wang Rui staring at her, mouth half-open, seemingly speechless.

Lin Chu smiled faintly. “I practiced martial arts a bit when I was bored.”

“Amazing… That’s amazing.”

Wang Rui finally found his voice and stammered out his praise.

He knew it—this woman was not ordinary. Definitely not someone to provoke lightly.

That move Lin Chu just pulled off—even as the security team captain, he couldn’t have done it so easily.

Lin Chu glanced at his dazed profile but said nothing more.

She had intentionally shown off in front of Wang Rui to make an impression.

This time, the system had placed her near a survivor base, meaning she’d inevitably have to interact with the locals in this world.

It would no longer be possible to stay completely secluded like she did in the last world. But as long as she made it clear she wasn’t to be trifled with, and they didn’t cause trouble in the remaining 19 days, that would be enough.

Wang Rui had come in a hurry, piloting a speedboat.

After briefly spacing out, he quickly remembered his duty, started the engine, and sped off toward the small hillside.

The distance was only a few hundred meters, and with the boat, it took just three minutes.

Lin Chu stepped off the boat with her medical kit in hand, and after locking the boat, Wang Rui walked ahead to lead the way.

This was Lin Chu’s first time setting foot on the survivor base on the hill.

Though she had seen it from afar, it was only now, standing on the land, that she got a clear look at the place.

The rows of tents had been reduced by half; the remaining ones were neatly arranged along the slope.

It was past ten at night—before the apocalypse, this would be prime time for nightlife.

But since the end came—no water, no electricity—people spent their days working hard just to exchange for survival supplies.

Most had already retreated to their tents to rest.

Only a few survivors were still outside, either staring blankly into the distance or chatting in small groups.

Seeing Wang Rui bring Lin Chu ashore, those few people cast curious glances their way.

But as soon as Wang Rui swept his gaze across them, they quickly looked away.

“They’re just like that—cooped up in a small place like this, no entertainment. Anything new is a curiosity. Doctor Lin, I hope you won’t mind.”

Lin Chu had already noticed how obedient everyone was to Wang Rui and made a mental note of it. Now hearing him say this, she responded:

“Your base is well managed.”

Wang Rui unconsciously straightened his back at the compliment. “That’s all thanks to Mayor Li.”

As they chatted, they passed through a courtyard gate and entered a small building.

This building was slightly larger than the surrounding villas. In Lin Chu’s original world, it would have been the sales office of a villa development.

Sure enough, just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard Wang Rui explain:

“This building used to be the sales office for the villas. After we got here, we made it our headquarters. The mayor works here, and the infirmary is set up here too.”

As he spoke, he led Lin Chu to a room.

Even before stepping inside, Lin Chu could hear the sound of someone groaning in pain.