Chapter 10: Sui City

Chapter 10: Sui City

If Shu Fu hadn't discovered Zhang Tian's boyfriend cheating, and if they had followed the plan to go home separately, and if Shu Fu hadn't offered to drive them, Chen Fa and Wu Shaoshan would have taken the Line 14 subway from the station next to the shopping center, as they normally would have.

Chen Fa had always been bold, but when this "what if" scenario formed in her mind, she felt a shiver of fear unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Although the incident was over, her subconscious was telling her just how high the probability of this "if" was.

It was like when a person blinks unconsciously, or like a butterfly flapping its wings gently...

There was a ninety percent chance they would have been on that metro. If they had been, their fate would now be uncertain.

Similarly, Shu Fu on the other end of the phone felt a slight tremor in her heart as well. She opened the black mini notebook again, and any joy she had felt from the progress bar increasing significantly disappeared.

"Invitation task completed, obtained Raft Level 2 10% progress; gained an additional 10% progress bonus; obtained spin the wheel: 2 times. (Current progress of Raft Level 2: 45%)"

She had planned to do the lottery after her shower, but now she had lost her enthusiasm.

In today's invitation task, there was only one certainty: she would definitely come to the appointment because she was bound by the task that threatened to reduce the progress bar if she didn't show up. Everything else was uncertain.

If she hadn't thought about stockpiling and left two hours earlier, she wouldn't have witnessed Zhang Tian's boyfriend cheating;

If Zhang Tian hadn't broken up with that scumbag and hadn't felt uneasy, she wouldn't have offered to drive them;

If she had taken the subway instead of driving, they might have avoided the flood in the parking lot, but Chen Fa and Wu Shaoshan could have ended up on that deadly subway train...

One "if" after another...

Everything was an if, nothing was certain, everything was variable, and that was exactly why it made people uneasy.

When she drove out of the underground parking lot and avoided the trees that had fallen due to the thunderstorm, she actually felt a moment of confusion, because this task was different from the previous ones. She wasn't outside the event this time; she was a part of it, experiencing the danger firsthand.

From the start, when she saw the task and the progress bar, she had some ideas.

She guessed that these were risk-avoidance tasks, helping people avoid risks, gaining merit, and thus accumulating progress for her Raft upgrade.

But soon, she refuted this guess herself.

Although she had helped Zheng Feifei and the female shop owner avoid some dangers, she felt that this part belonged to the additional 5% progress.

In other words, if she hadn't dropped her phone or decided to pack up, and if Zheng Feifei and the female shop owner hadn't avoided the dangers, her task would probably still have been completed after the event, just without the bonus part.

These tasks were vague and lacked clear requirements. As long as the initial part was completed, the outcome wasn't strictly required. It definitely wasn't a risk-avoidance task.

After that, she guessed that this might be the main storyline, or perhaps because she hadn't named the protagonist yet, when she arrived here, she filled that role and became the main character of the world.

Now that the Drift Island House special ability was in her hands, this guess seemed plausible.

From this, she further speculated that the main character had a stroke of luck and could drive the plot, helping others avoid risks—especially after what happened today in the underground parking lot, which solidified this guess.

But now, Chen Fa's call had brought things back to square one.

So the real danger wasn't in the underground parking lot, but the metro!

So this time, there was no difference from the previous tasks.

She still couldn't fully control the plot. Without that absolute certainty, this couldn't be the main storyline, and she hadn't filled the role of the world's protagonist.

Now, she felt more like just a tool.

Imagine a moment when a wrench must appear, its sole purpose being to tighten a screw, ensuring that two nearby gears continue to turn smoothly without derailing.

The wrench can't control how fast or slow the gears turn, or whether they wear out over time.

But is the wrench's existence truly necessary?

Why exactly did she come to this world?

**

Shu Fu, wrapped in a coral fleece robe, stood on the small balcony. Outside the balcony glass, the rain had eased up from earlier, but it hadn't let up completely.

Both TV news and online platforms were filled with updates on the severe rainstorm and thunderstorm.

The terrifying thunderstorm had lasted more than ten minutes. Lightning struck several areas in Sui City, hitting low-rise buildings that conducted electricity, and some people seeking shelter inside were injured.

Sui City had never experienced a thunderstorm before, and many people lacked basic knowledge when the disaster struck. In their haste to avoid the thunderstorm, some were struck by lightning and fell into a coma instantly.

Some were lucky enough to be rescued in time, but others were found lifeless after being struck alone during the storm.

The floods and thunderstorm left eleven dead and over forty injured, a staggering toll for such a peaceful city.

But Shu Fu knew that this was only the beginning.

After 9 PM, the rain outside intensified again. The sound of pouring water was loud, and even with the windows shut, the air felt damp and chilly.

Shu Fu organized today's purchases in her bracelet space, sorting non-perishable items and storing them in the Drift Island House as usual. When she put away the raft and returned to the living room, she actually felt a bit cold.

The temperature wasn't particularly low, hovering around ten degrees at night, but because of the rain, there was a pervasive chill. Turning on the air conditioner or using a kerosene heater seemed excessive for this temperature, so she finally took out a heating fan.

The heating fan lit up, emitting a warm orange glow, dispelling the cold around her.

Wrapped in her robe and sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Shu Fu still ended up opening her laptop and posted an anonymous message online.

What if I told you I’ve been living inside a book? I’m not the main character, but I still have to do all these little things every day—like eating, working, meeting people. It’s all pretty ordinary stuff. Do you think any of it actually matters to the story?

The site gets tons of traffic, with all sorts of weird posts. People often leave comments if something catches their eye, and getting a thumbs-up from the original poster earns them points, boosting their status and popularity.

Shu Fu's anonymous account was newly registered and didn't have much traction, but even so, within half an hour of posting, there were sporadic replies.

——Small world! I ended up in a book a few days ago too. Want to compare notes, OP?

——OP, eating and going to work count as tasks? Try to be more creative next time, okay?

——Eating and going to work, meeting people... isn't this just an NPC? The protagonist is the one who needs to save the world. What more do you expect from an NPC?

——Above comment, this is even worse than an NPC. At least an NPC can issue fixed tasks and drive the plot forward! This is at best a background character. What's the point?

Unfortunately, most of the comments were just nonsense.

Of course, there were a few more serious replies.

——Have you heard of the butterfly effect? Something as small as what you’re doing could set off a chain reaction that leads to something much bigger, even if you don’t realize it. The world is full of unexpected connections. If you knew the outcome, you might act differently, and that could change everything—for better or worse. Sometimes, it’s best when things unfold naturally.

——I think it's very meaningful. Even if you're doing mundane things like eating and going to work every day, it's not going to be exactly the same every day, right? Even if you take the same bus, leaving a few minutes earlier or later can lead to meeting different people on the road. A book only has one protagonist, but there are so many people in the book. Without all these other people, how could the protagonist be a protagonist?

——So it's still the same question, would you rather be a molecule standing on the upper level or a part of the crowd that's forgotten below?

Shu Fu sighed and closed the webpage.

In truth, she didn’t care whether she was part of the numerator or the denominator. What worried her was the fear of receiving a task to become a "molecule" while being completely unaware, and unknowingly missing important tasks that she should have completed.

The tasks were filled with uncertainties, and even the slightest thought could lead to different outcomes. In the delivery knight task, she didn’t receive any extra bonuses.

Compared to other tasks, she couldn’t help but wonder if her failure to secure those extra bonuses might result in the loss of a life...

Once every tiny thought and choice involves human lives, those thoughts and choices become heavy. They turn into an invisible net that falls over her, making her feel trapped and helpless...

This feeling was familiar. It was like when she used to write scripts. Creating characters and plots was an act of creation. Based on a theme, a great deal of creative freedom was needed to bring out more vivid and realistic characters and stories.

But if there were too many voices around, from investors, directors, producers, and actors...

Everyone would interfere with the creation, wanting to make changes and add their own subjective ideas. All those constraints would only make the creator feel trapped and helpless, even leading to second-guessing herself, resulting in stiff characters and a lifeless script...

Shu Fu’s mind was in chaos. Various thoughts filled her head. Her thinking became rapid and disorganized. She couldn’t dwell on or deeply consider any single issue because too many thoughts would entangle her, and in the end, she wouldn’t even understand why she had those thoughts in the first place.

Can’t think about this anymore!

She decided to stop and, after checking the doors and windows again to make sure they were closed, she turned off all the lights and went back to the bedroom to sleep.

**

Since there was no task to clock in for work, she decided to take Monday off, using the simple excuse that she had been at the scene of the underground flood incident yesterday and hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Zheng Feifei: ...

It must be said, this luck was unmatched. But why did it somehow feel a bit enviable?

After all, it had been raining in Sui City since last week, occasionally accompanied by strong winds and hail. There was even a thunderstorm yesterday, and the temperature had continued to drop.

It was cold and wet outside, and she didn’t want to go to work in this weather, only wishing to stay in her warm and comfortable home.

Unfortunately, although it was still raining today, the rain was much lighter, and the wind wasn’t strong. According to the weather forecast, this transitional season’s heavy rain would probably be over in another two or three days.

In this situation, the company definitely wouldn’t give them time off.

She didn’t even dare to ask for leave like Shu Fu. She had taken several sick leaves recently, but they were all recorded as personal days.

The supervisor must have taken note, and no matter how valid her reasons for leave were, it would be reflected in the year-end evaluation.

Zheng Feifei asked a few questions about the situation and, while comforting her, also advised Shu Fu to go to work if possible. They got along well, and she really didn’t want to see her get fired by the end of the year.

Shu Fu sent a voice message: "Take care of yourself. The weather is so bad that taking a break is a good idea. I plan to buy more food and supplies using the delivery app and stay home for a while to recover."

Zheng Feifei texted back: "I’m jealous. But I can’t pull that off..."

Shu Fu sighed. She could only hint this much. She replied with a hug emoji and then focused on driving again.

Of course, taking a day off didn’t mean she would stay home. With the lighter rain today, she had gone out early to stock up on gasoline. Her plan was to visit all the gas stations within reach before the window shop staff came to install the shatterproof glass in the afternoon. She would purchase the maximum number of portable gas cans that her car could hold at each station and fill them up before leaving.

After a night’s rest, she had moved past those confusing emotions from yesterday.

That was just how she was. No matter how absurd the situation was, once she adapted, it became the new normal, and she was particularly good at finding distractions. Simply put, she didn’t dwell on things.

Since the outcome of each task was uncontrollable and she couldn’t know the perfect approach, she could only continue as before, following the few rules within the tasks and trusting her gut.

Trusting her instincts was the most important.

She couldn’t be perfect in everything. No matter the outcome, at least it was her most genuine choice.

As for herself, whether she was in a real world or living in a dream, like Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly, and whether there were eyes watching her from outside this world, it was impossible to find answers at this stage. So for now, she would just leave it as it was.

She would do what she could and leave the rest up to fate.