“A reliable boat? How reliable are we talking?”
“I actually have a backup boat in my space,” Ya Tong said. “But it’s very small—an electric dinghy that seats only five or six people. It’s fine for short trips or just
using it, but with more people, it gets too cramped. There’s no way it could be used for searching underwater supplies.”
Yu Xi understood what she ant. Searching for underwater supplies in a coastal city subrged by a tsunami wasn’t a task that could be completed in a few hours. They would need to locate sites, dive down, and, if the supplies weren’t waterproofed or the storage areas were flooded, they’d have to search elsewhere.
This process would take ti, possibly requiring them to stay there for several days.
Spending several days eating, sleeping, and managing everything on a tiny electric dinghy wasn’t impossible, but it would be exhausting. If they had a proper boat with so shelter where they could stretch out and rest, it would make things significantly easier.
“Too bad this is high ground, not the coast. If we were near the coast, we might be able to find a boat, patch it up, and make do.”
The main issue was that larger boats took up too much space. Even though Ya Tong’s storage space had been upgraded multiple tis, fitting a dium-sized speedboat was still too much of a squeeze—especially since her space already contained a car.
“I have a boat,” Yu Xi said. The three-story yacht from the acid rain world had been stored in her transportation warehouse and hadn’t been used even once.
“How big?” Ya Tong knew Yu Xi’s space was large. After all this ti apart, her storage must have been upgraded as well, so fitting a speedboat wouldn’t be surprising.
“Not that big. Definitely bigger than the electric dinghy—big enough to use.” Yu Xi thought of the 75-foot, three-story yacht. To her, it didn’t feel particularly large.
But the real luxury wasn’t its size—it was the three bedrooms, two living rooms, and various functional spaces. It was essentially a floating luxury villa. Two of the bedrooms were suites, complete with bathrooms, closets, and desks. For their group of three, a single suite would be more than enough.
Ya Tong trusted Yu Xi completely. Hearing her say it was sufficient, she didn’t probe further and instead focused on planning their route.
The fastest way from their central highlands location to the eastern region would be overland—assuming the typhoon and rain let up enough to leave the roads usable.
“We’re also relatively close to the northern seas. We could take a direct water route,” Yu Xi suggested, then shook her head. “No, that won’t work. If we go along the outer lines, we might accidentally enter a ti-loop area… Besides, we can’t predict when the next typhoon will hit. Both water and land routes co with risks.”
This was precisely why she had brought Yu Zhenzhen to the highlands before the disaster struck. The wrath of nature was terrifying and unpredictable. If they weren’t on high ground, they’d likely be dealing with devastating floods.
“That’s one thing we don’t need to worry about,” Ya Tong said. “If it cos down to it, I have last-resort asures to keep us alive. For now, let’s just hope the typhoon passes soon.”
But the powerful, howling typhoon didn’t pass the next day. It raged on for an entire week.
…
Those seven days changed everything.
Fifty percent of the land on the Lushan Peninsula was subrged by seawater and flooding. The affected areas, already without power and water, saw their residents running out of food and supplies. When the typhoon briefly subsided, many people, desperate and carrying only small amounts of water and belongings, used whatever tools they could find to escape their flooded hos for higher ground.
So managed to leave, but others were forced to stay behind.
Among those who stayed were the sick, those without boats or other ans of transportation, and even people who lacked sothing as simple as a large wooden basin to float on.
The floodwaters had risen to the second floor in so areas, with strong currents carrying all sorts of filthy debris in the murky gray-black water. Beneath the surface, hidden whirlpools and undercurrents made travel extrely dangerous without proper tools.
The internet connection was intermittent at best. Even when there was a signal, it was weak, and calls frequently dropped. Ergency rescue and fire departnt hotlines were nearly impossible to reach—overwheld by the sheer number of people calling for help.
Recently, a rumor had been circulating around the Lushan Peninsula.
No one knew where it originated, but the gist of it was this: due to so unknown reasons, there had been no external rescue operations on the peninsula since the first typhoon struck.
No convoys, no personnel, no water or supplies—nothing.
The entire Lushan Peninsula seed to have been abandoned.
…
During the seven days of the typhoon, even the highland tourist areas began descending into chaos.
With the relentless storm raging outside, tourists were confined indoors. Hotels struggled to ration backup power and water daily. However, the lack of supplies not only caused anxiety among the guests but also led hotel staff to secretly hoard resources.
The typhoon turned each hotel into an isolated island. Conditions varied significantly from one to another.
So hotels fared poorly. On the second day of the storm, a group of organized guests overthrew hotel managent, using a mix of coercion and outright violence to seize control. They forced the staff to hand over all food and water supplies, which they then indulged in while keeping the remaining guests under tight control, only distributing minimal rations.
Other hotels were luckier. Those with older tourists or family groups had fewer violent incidents. While disagreents over resource distribution arose, they were far better than outright violent takeovers.
By the third morning, the hotel where Yu Xi and Ya Tong were staying beca the site of its own “violent takeover.”
A group of people organized themselves, first overpowering the hotel staff and taking the master key cards. In the early hours of the morning, when most guests were asleep, they began breaking into rooms one by one.
This group was more ruthless than others—they not only took all the hotel’s food and water supplies but also attempted to rob each guest of their personal belongings.
These people were organized and ard, having taken knives, cleavers, and other kitchen tools. Guests who were woken by them had little chance to resist and were forced to surrender their supplies.
However, the group t their match when they tried to break into Yu Xi’s suite.
Finding the master key ineffective, they resorted to a fire axe to break down the door. Just as they were about to smash through, the door opened from the inside.
Yu Xi, having slept only three hours and still in a foul mood, stepped out and swiftly dealt with the ard bullies wielding their knives, spatulas, axes, and mop handles.
The remaining hotel guests held a vote on what to do with the troublemakers. The choice was between expelling them or tying them up, and they ultimately opted for the latter.
It wasn’t out of rcy—most people were simply hesitant to resort to killing in the early stages of societal breakdown. Expelling them posed risks since the hotel’s damaged doors and windows made it easy for them to return and cause more harm. Instead, the group was bound and confined, kept under watch.
…
The Chen family, who were staying at the sa hotel, had been slightly more vigilant. They had locked their door and barricaded it with furniture. When the intruders began hacking at the door, they woke up and managed to resist.
Although their group had more people, few dared to fight back once they saw the weapons. Chen Shengxin, the son, was injured while trying to protect others. This incident also brought Yu Xi and her group into contact with the other guests, including so suspicious individuals.
Yu Xi ntioned to Ya Tong that she had noticed peculiar glances from one of the people in that group. They were now concerned that the person might be a tasker.
The individual in question was a refined-looking man in his 30s or 40s, accompanied by his wife and a teenage daughter. When he saw Yu Xi, his gaze carried a strange, indescribable emotion.
Through this encounter, Yu Xi gained so additional world-related information.
It was absurdly lodramatic—this man, nad An Dong, turned out to be the first love of the character tied to the world plot and Yu Zhenzhen’s biological father.
Yu Xi: ……
It seed An Dong, now with a new family, didn’t want his wife and daughter to know about his past. He only gave Yu Xi a few aningful glances in public but refrained from speaking.
Later that afternoon, he ca alone and knocked on Yu Xi’s door.
An Dong explained that when he found out she was pregnant, he inford his parents. However, they disapproved of their relationship, arranged for him to transfer schools, and even offered a sum of money to her parents, which was angrily rejected.
Now, he had a new life, but he still felt deeply sorry for what happened in the past—especially after calculating Yu Zhenzhen’s age and realizing she was his biological daughter.
With the world now in chaos and peaceful days gone, their reunion in this place was a twist of fate. If she ever encountered difficulties, she could seek his help privately, and he would do everything he could. However, he also hoped she wouldn’t bring up the past, as his current wife and daughter knew nothing about it, and he couldn’t acknowledge Yu Zhenzhen as his daughter.
Inside the room, Ya Tong overheard the conversation from the hallway. Unable to hold back, she opened the door and stepped out. Using the imposing height of Qu Yichen’s body, she wrapped her arm tightly around Yu Xi and pulled her into an embrace. “Shut it. Xiao Xi has
now, so you, old geezer, can get lost. Don’t try to leech off us. Oh, and did you know? The instant noodles, ready-to-eat rice, and sausages you’ve been eating these past few days all ca from my Xiao Xi! And now you’re talking big about offering help? If you have any sha, go vomit up what you’ve eaten before running your mouth here!”
An Dong was stunned, staring at “Qu Yichen” in disbelief, scanning her up and down several tis. “You—you’re with a high schooler—”
“High school your ass!” Ya Tong, with her bad temper, didn’t bother arguing. She directly kicked him, sending him stumbling away. “How can the Chen family father and son associate with such a hypocrite? Doesn’t seem reliable at all.”
“Then it’s just the three of us working together. After all, we’ve only known them for a few days; there’s not much of a bond.”
“Mm, that works.”
The two continued discussing as they headed back into the room, only to find Yu Zhenzhen standing in the suite’s living room, gazing at them with a lancholic expression.
“…I—I won’t call you Dad!”
Yu Xi: ……
Ya Tong: ……
…
When the typhoon finally subsided, Yu Xi and Ya Tong braved the rain to repair a damaged car and headed to check the previously blocked mountain road.
The week-long torrential rain had caused a complete collapse and landslide in the affected area. However, the continuous downpour had also washed away the mud and debris blocking the road, carrying it to the slope below.
The upper part of the mountain was now entirely eroded, eliminating the risk of further collapse midway. Only large rocks, too heavy for the rain to displace, remained on the mountain road, obstructing the path.
Yu Xi and Ya Tong, leaving Yu Zhenzhen obediently seated in the car, donned raincoats, grabbed iron rods, and manually cleared the boulders from the road using their extraordinary strength.
As they prepared to leave the scenic area, the Chen father and son unexpectedly arrived with their luggage. They explained that they, too, had repaired a vehicle and wanted to follow them down the mountain.
“You’re not staying with your friends?”
Chen Lei smiled without offering any lofty explanations. “I think the chances of surviving are higher with you—of course, that depends on your willingness. If you don’t want to take us, we won’t force you.”
Ya Tong glanced at Yu Xi.
“Taking you along doesn’t an we’re responsible for your lives. Also, there’s no room here for traitors. Rember to keep quiet and ask fewer questions.”
“Got it! We’re not that stupid!” Chen Lei, indeed, wasn’t foolish. This disaster had opened his eyes to the true nature and intelligence of his so-called friends.
Compared to them, the mysterious and capable duo seed far more trustworthy.
“Alright, drive your car and follow behind us.”
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