The torrential rain hadn’t stopped.

By the second night—when the skies should’ve cleared—the downpour showed no sign of easing.

Lin Chu, who had originally planned to send Xiao Er to the pool to catch some fish and make a quick getaway, had to change her plan and stay put.

Lin Chu, Bai Wei, and Wu Xiangming—who had already been returned—stood by the window at the end of the corridor, watching the unrelenting rain outside. None of them looked pleased.

Lin Chu was worried about her plants, her eggs, and that little black fish.

She wasn’t too concerned about the crops planted directly in the ground. She knew ground planting was more resilient—plants would instinctively push their roots downward in search of water if they experienced short-term drought.

What worried her were the tomatoes and lettuce she had planted in pots as part of an experiment.

There weren’t many of them, but seedlings were precious now. If they died, it would be a real shame.

Then there were the eggs. Regular turning improved their hatch rate. No one had been turning them for days—it was hard to say whether they’d survive.

But as long as the rain didn’t stop, she couldn’t go back.

If only the shelter’s location could be reset.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, the system suddenly spoke in her head:

[Please keep leveling up, Host. The location reset function will be unlocked at Shelter Level 3.]

There really was a reset function!

Lin Chu became excited about the next upgrade.

But…

When would this rain ever stop?

Just as the three of them stood in silence, watching the rain through the window, a voice sounded behind them.

“Wu Xiangming.”

They turned to see who had spoken—it was Xia Zhengyang.

Wu Xiangming sat in a wheelchair, pale-faced and bloodless. Clearly, his prior injuries and the blood extractions over the past two days had left him drained.

When he heard Xia Zhengyang call his name, Wu Xiangming flinched involuntarily.

Xia Zhengyang slung a thermos bucket into his arms.

“This is red date tea. Drink it. Good for replenishing blood.”

A flicker of emotion passed through Wu Xiangming’s eyes—just as he was about to say thanks, Xia Zhengyang added:

“Professor said, if this rain doesn’t stop, we’ll need to draw more blood from you tomorrow. Can’t just let you freeload off us.”

The emotion vanished from Wu Xiangming’s face, replaced by a mix of anger and fear.

Bai Wei beside him also looked furious.

“Why don’t you let your old man Professor Cheng take a look for himself? A perfectly healthy person’s been sucked dry like this.”

Xia Zhengyang glanced at her, a helpless expression on his face.

“I don’t make the rules. You can go argue with the professor yourselves.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “Though I don’t recommend it. After all, this is our turf.”

His words were blunt and honest, leaving no room for argument.

Lin Chu, however, was more interested in something else he said.

“So, what you’re saying is… this rain won’t be stopping anytime soon?”

Xia Zhengyang looked up toward the window.

The rain was getting heavier.

So heavy that the buildings outside were barely visible.

“We’ve got meteorological experts in our lab. According to one of them, this rain resembles that three-month-long deluge we had before.”

Lin Chu and Bai Wei exchanged glances, and both saw a flash of gravity in the other’s eyes.

If this rain truly lasted three months, they might not be able to return to their own shelter before the survival mission in this world ended.

And Professor Cheng’s team… they weren’t exactly the friendliest people to be around.

Though troubled, Lin Chu continued with her daily workout routine.

Bored, she informed Xia Zhengyang and began wandering around the building from time to time.

Occasionally, she’d stroll past the pool and, when the surveillance system was temporarily down, sneak a couple of fish.

One time, she bumped into Bai Wei doing the same.

Bai Wei pressed her lips together and gave her a small smile.

They both knew why the other was there.

That time, they left together. As they walked, Lin Chu teased, “I thought you were so moral—you wouldn’t do something like this.”

Bai Wei blushed deeply, clearly remembering the time she had tried to guilt-trip Lin Chu in the infirmary at the Hillside Base.

She mumbled without replying. Just before they went back to their rooms, she suddenly said, “Actually… the reason I said those things back then was because I wanted you to notice me.”

“I thought… you’d recognize me.” She cast a quick glance at Lin Chu, then hurriedly opened the door and returned to her room.

Lin Chu looked at her closed door and let out a quiet sigh.

The sneaky fish-catching continued every day.

Lin Chu never caught too many—just ten or so at a time.

After all, she didn’t know how long they’d be stuck here. If she took too many at once, it might draw attention.

Fortunately, the situation they feared didn’t happen.

After three days of rain, the skies finally cleared.

The day after the rain stopped, Wu Xiangming was eager to leave.

Professor Cheng quickly agreed.

Early the next morning, Xia Zhengyang joined them on the helicopter back to base.

Also aboard were the supplies being delivered to the Hillside Base.

“Why are there fewer supplies than before?”

As soon as they boarded, Wu Xiangming—who used to handle supply distribution—noticed something was off.

Hearing this, Lin Chu and Bai Wei sat up straighter, their interest piqued.

Xia Zhengyang, seated at the front, glanced at him coolly.

“If the rain continues like the first three days, how long do you think your base will last before it floods?”

Wu Xiangming froze.

The Hillside Base had only just re-emerged from underwater after a previous three-day rain cycle.

From the helicopter, they had all seen how the non-stop three-day downpour had raised the water level near Base No. 1 by nearly two meters.

The same must be true for the Hillside Base.

But how much time would they get between each three-day storm cycle for the water to recede?

If the gaps weren’t long enough, the water level would keep rising, eventually submerging the Hillside Base again.

So, Base No. 1 was planning to…

“This time, I’m acting on behalf of Base No. 1 to speak with your Mayor Li,” said Xia Zhengyang. “If he agrees, you may all be relocated to Base No. 1 in the near future.”

Whether the Hillside Base folks would agree to relocate, Lin Chu didn’t know.

She was too busy admiring the 208 points that had just landed in her system account, feeling pleased.

After the rain stopped, she had asked Xia Zhengyang about the departure time and, just before takeoff, had Xiao Er scoop up a good haul of fish from the pool.

Since the pool wasn’t an essential facility, Base No. 1 had already cut off the surveillance there to save power.

Lin Chu wasn’t worried about being caught on camera at all.

To her surprise, since Xiao Er was her robot, the fish it caught could be directly submitted to the system.

She didn’t even need the storage backpack she’d prepared for it.

That saved her from losing points by killing the fish just to submit them.

Meanwhile, back at the Base No. 1 pool—

Two researchers, following Professor Cheng’s orders, went to catch ten fish for research.

When they got there, they found the once-crowded pool now almost empty, with only a few scattered black fish swimming leisurely.

The two of them looked at each other, baffled.

But stealing these fish—what was even the point?

No one knew.

In the end, after Professor Cheng threw a fit about it, the matter was quietly dropped.