Chapter 21: Sui City

Chapter 21: Sui City

Huijiang lies on the border between the outskirts of Sui City and Ning City, with different elevations on both sides. The first stop of the evacuation was to cross the Huijiang and reach the outskirts of Ning City.

The waters of Huijiang in this area have always been gentle, and since the flood had not affected the Huijiang coast, previous evacuations had been safe.

No one expected that the Huijiang dam would suddenly breach.

A breach is different from a partial collapse. A partial collapse means there is a gap in the dam, while a full breach means the entire bank collapses, and the defense line is completely overwhelmed. The flood rushed down with an overwhelming force, leaving no chance for recovery.

In the footage, the surging dark brown waters rushed forward like a galloping army, breaking through the banks, carrying away the surrounding soil and riverside trees, and sweeping away everything in its path with devastating force.

The once tranquil Huijiang had transformed into a raging torrent, its waters now a chaotic swirl of mud and debris. The entire riverbank was submerged, and the few houses along the river were all washed away, not to mention the evacuation boats that were on the river.

From the sound of the air-raid siren to the sight of the flood rushing from the Huijiang, and then to the boats capsizing and plunging into the cold river, it all happened within a few dozen seconds.

The overwhelming waves rolled, and no matter how hard the people in the water struggled, they could not escape the cold and suffocation.

There was no time to react or escape...

The footage included aerial views and shots from buildings located on higher ground farther from the river.

Even through the screen, everyone could feel the roar and terror of nature.

The people in the library gradually stopped what they were doing, and almost everyone was glued to their or others' phones, their hearts racing as they refreshed the latest updates on the Huijiang dam.

In the crowd, muffled sobs and sighs began to rise.

Before the rain started, when life was still normal, such disaster news and footage would have briefly caught their attention. But back then, their busy lives and the peaceful city would have quickly dulled any lingering sorrow.

They might have felt sorry for the victims, and some might have donated a little money through an app to help out. But they would never have felt such immense fear and grief as they do now.

This storm has changed everything.

They were in the midst of the disaster. This sudden, all-too-close disaster made them feel it deeply.

The outskirts of Sui City, Huijiang, and the outskirts of Ning City—these places were also on their evacuation route. Some of them even had friends who were on today's evacuation boats.

And now, they were all swept into the cold, terrifying waters, with no idea if they'd survive.

In such a massive and raging flood, even with a life jacket, survival was a matter of sheer luck.

Yao Ruoyun, Li Tong, Xun Huiming, and others stared at their phones, feeling a suffocating fear creeping up from their feet.

They could have been on those boats. This near-death experience made them tremble in fear, and the more timid ones could barely hold their phones.

Lu Zheng held his phone in one hand and tightly wrapped his other arm around Lu Ce's shoulder.

They had arrived late and were never going to board those boats, but they had considered evacuating with their classmates. Fortunately, it didn't happen. In fact, because of this, it indirectly disrupted the original evacuation schedule of their classmates.

He couldn't help but think that if they hadn't come to Sui City but followed the rescue team or another friend's boat to a different shelter, would his classmates have encountered this disaster today?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look up at Shu Fu by the window. She had mentioned that she came to Sui City to find someone, but after two days, he hadn't seen any sign of her finding them.

So—is there really someone she is looking for here?

It seemed unbelievable, even to him, as the thought crossed his mind. He wanted to ask, but didn’t know how, and even felt that the idea forming in his head was too absurd, too unreasonable.

Shu Fu could sense Lu Zheng's gaze and his hesitation, but as long as he didn’t say anything, she pretended not to notice.

Some things were inherently mysterious, and even she couldn’t fully understand them. She could only follow her heart, proceed with the mission, and wait quietly.

It wasn’t long before a silver bracelet on her wrist, invisible to others, vibrated slightly.

Mission… completed?

**

"Task of checking in at the West Campus Library of Sui City University completed within six days, obtaining 15% progress toward Raft Level 2; receiving an additional 15% progress bonus; receiving 5 spin draws. (Raft Level 2 progress: 100%)"

"Congrats! Your raft is now Level 2!"

[You may view the functions of Raft Level 2 in the "Drift Island House."]

Sure enough, this time, with several linked individuals, the progress bar surged and even hit Level 2 directly.

It wasn’t convenient to take out the raft just yet, so she decided to take out the small drift bottle instead.

When the Drift Island House was first activated, there had been different font displayed on the drift bottle. As expected, because the raft had been upgraded to Level 2, the font on the drift bottle had changed—

["Drift Island House" activated, "Raft" Level: 2

Drift Island House size: 40 square meters; driving mode: controlled drifting; daily usage limit: 12 hours]

The 12-hour usage limit immediately caught Shu Fu’s attention, and she felt a surge of joy. She had hoped the upgrade would double the usage time from five to ten hours, but it exceeded her expectations by adding two more hours!

Twelve full hours, half a day—enough time to sleep soundly or to safely escape if needed.

The driving mode had also changed; from the wording, it seemed like she could now control the direction.

And the size of the cabin had increased from 10 square meters to 40 square meters. She wondered whether the raft itself had gotten bigger or if the internal compressed space had expanded.

She also thought of the "Unlimited Radio Card," which could be used for 24 hours and was obtained through a previous draw. Since the raft had now been upgraded to Level 2, would there be more surprises waiting for her?

Shu Fu was very curious and eager to release the raft and enter the cabin to explore, but that wasn’t possible right now.

Although the mission was completed and she could leave the library, she couldn’t just jump into the water in plain sight and release the raft to leave.

Moreover, if possible, she wanted to test whether she could leave Sui City now. Previously, she couldn’t pass through the outskirts of Sui City, but with the rescue team’s boats as a carrier, maybe she could leave smoothly after all.

The rescue efforts at the Huijiang dam continued into the evening, with a high level of public attention. Additional rescue helicopters arrived before noon to continue searching for survivors.

**

The Sui City rescue team recalled some of the rescue boats to return to the city for further evacuations.

The phased evacuation rhythm of Sui City was disrupted by the dam incident. All boats originally evacuating toward the Huijiang area were forced to pause. Many people scheduled to be relocated that morning had to remain in their original temporary shelters.

In the afternoon, more evacuees arrived at these shelters from the city, causing the number of people in each shelter to surge to an unprecedented level.

While the library had multiple floors and ample space, it wasn’t as crowded as other shelters. However, the influx of evacuees made it increasingly noisy and chaotic. With fewer rescue personnel and more evacuees, Yao Ruoyun and her group had little time to lament as they were once again busy with logistical work.

Later, Shu Fu and Lu Zheng also joined in to assist with the logistics.

Everyone worked silently, and the busyness gave them a sense of purpose, replacing the fear brought by the Huijiang dam breach. When things were less hectic at night, people would gather to play cards and share a bottle of candies or a pack of dried fruits and vegetables.

Shu Fu was never stingy with these kinds of snacks—anything that could be stored at room temperature and had a small volume, she would share.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the evacuation route to the northwest of Sui City finally reopened. But after the dam broke, the waters along the Huijiang surged dramatically. The previously slightly flooded low-lying areas were now completely submerged.

The floodwaters hadn't receded after a full day and night, and by now, the river had merged with the surrounding floodwaters. The heavy rain continued to pour, and the water levels kept rising. Many survivors were still missing since the day before.

Based on the current flood situation and the speed of the waters, the chances of these people surviving were extremely low...

In all the bad news, there was one small silver lining: due to the rising floodwaters, evacuees leaving from the Sui City shelter could stay on the boat and cross the Huijiang directly without needing to switch vehicles, reaching the outskirts of Ning City.

This time, Lu Zheng, Yao Ruoyun, and the other classmates were all assigned to the same boat, with their evacuation scheduled for the morning of the ninth day.

However, Shu Fu did not join the main group this time. Citing the need to wait for someone, she delayed her evacuation and was scheduled to leave in the evening of the tenth day—part of the last group to evacuate from Sui City University, one of the final teams to leave the city.

No matter what happened, they wouldn’t delay the evacuation past that evening.

The timing was perfect for Shu Fu. With the current weather, it would be pitch black by evening. Once on the boat, she planned to stay close to the edge of the water. If any issues arose, she could jump into the water and escape under the cover of night.

This was a plan she had prepared long ago. She just hadn’t expected to meet new friends so quickly and to face separation from them in such a short time.

Yao Ruoyun had tried to persuade her to leave together, wanting to stay behind and wait with her. But this time, Shu Fu was firm, stating that she would wait until the last moment. Yao Ruoyun, on the other hand, had been at the library for too long. Even if she didn’t think about herself, she had to consider her parents and couldn’t afford to keep waiting.

Unable to persuade her, Yao Ruoyun could only hug her goodbye and remind her to send a message once she had settled down.

Shu Fu smiled and nodded, giving her an unopened box of disposable underwear as a parting gift. Her backpack, though large, had limited capacity, and she couldn’t take out any more items.

The gift of underwear successfully made Yao Ruoyun laugh. After the laughter, she felt a bit emotional. "For you to wait alone like this, you must really like that person, huh?"

Beside them, Lu Zheng also looked up at her.

Yao Ruoyun quickly explained, saying that Lu Zheng had mentioned it in passing. He said that Shu Fu had come here to find someone and had her own plan, so she shouldn’t be forced to leave with them. The rest was all her own speculation.

"...," Shu Fu was a bit speechless, but since the misunderstanding could continue without causing harm, she decided not to explain.

On the morning of the ninth day, Shu Fu still got up early. Although she wasn’t boarding the boat, she intended to see them off.

With everyone leaving, she couldn’t leave her belongings behind, so she packed them neatly into her backpack to carry with her.

Lu Ce hadn’t spoken much to her the entire day before. Upon learning that she wouldn’t be leaving with them, he seemed a bit down. As he lined up after packing, he kept his head down, comforting the tabby cat in his arms.

He had been taking care of this cat for a few days and found it to be very clean. It never made a mess and was usually quiet, always staying well-behaved. He had decided to take it back to Pin City.

At that moment, the tabby cat was tucked into the backpack in front of him, its head peeking out. Lu Ce’s warm body temperature comforted the cat, which struggled only a little at first and soon calmed down. However, it still tilted its head to the side, looking at Shu Fu with those pretty blue eyes, as if pleading.

Shu Fu reached out and tapped its furry head, saying, either to Lu Ce or perhaps just to the cat, "Lu Ce will be a good owner."

Yao Ruoyun and her mother, Hua Qiong, stood beside her, giving detailed instructions. They reminded Shu Fu that she would be spending the night alone and needed to be careful. Although there were rescue personnel around, the area was large and crowded, and as a girl alone, she had to be cautious.

Xun Huiming, hearing this, turned around. "Don’t worry, I’ve spoken to my uncle. He’s also leaving around the same time tomorrow and will keep an eye out for her."

Seeing Yao Ruoyun looking at him, he smiled and raised his eyebrows. "What? Shu Fu is my friend too. Even though we’ve known each other for a short time, we’ve been volunteers and played cards together."

Yao Ruoyun was amused by his expression and sincerely thanked him.

Shu Fu also nodded at him in gratitude.

Hua Qiong also chimed in, praising him. "This young man is really something."

Xun Huiming, a bit embarrassed, turned back to continue waiting in line.

Shu Fu chatted with them for a few more sentences, and during the conversation, she mentioned Sha City again, using the same kind of description she had used with Chen Fa and the others earlier. She noted that she might settle in Sha City after this and gave it a glowing review.

Suddenly, Lu Ce spoke up, "You're not coming back to Sui City?"

"Oh, I thought you weren't going to talk to me today," Shu Fu said, reaching out to pat Lu Ce on the head. "Whether I come back depends on the situation, but I really want to go to Sha City. If I get the chance, I might stay there for a long time."

Lu Ce nodded and lowered his head again. After a moment, while he was playing with the cat, someone next to him slipped a round object into his hand. He looked closely and realized it was a jar of chocolate beans, heavy and full.

He felt a pang of sadness, realizing this was a farewell gift.

Shu Fu's voice came, "Your brother has my WeChat. You can contact me anytime."

"Hmm."

"When someone gives you a gift, why don't you say thank you?" Lu Zheng shook his head, a bit helpless.

"Thank you, Sister Fu Fu," Lu Ce said softly.

Lu Zheng sighed softly. Although he had also tried to persuade Yao Ruoyun, telling her that Shu Fu had her own plan and not to force her to follow the group, he really wished they could all continue to travel together.

If Shu Fu could evacuate with them to Pin City, that would be perfect. It was their hometown, and they had a house there, so she wouldn't have to go to a shelter and squeeze in with others. Once Sui City returned to normal, they could come back together.

But he knew that Shu Fu, despite her approachable appearance, was fiercely independent once she made up her mind. Her pure face, with its clear, expressive eyes and beautiful features, gave off an innocent, first-love kind of vibe that made people want to get close to her. But beneath that appearance, she was determined, and once she decided on something, nothing could change her mind.

After a brief hesitation, he finally spoke up, "If you go to Pin City, remember to call us."

"Sure," Shu Fu agreed quickly, then said seriously, "Or you can come and find me in Sha City."

Lu Zheng chuckled, "Understood."

Suddenly, another hand reached out and patted Lu Ce on the head, and Yao Ruoyun's hearty laughter rang out, "Boy, don't be depressed. Maybe in a few days, we'll all be back in Sui City, and we can hit up a karaoke place together!"

Hearing this, a chubby boy eagerly poked his head out from the back of the line, "Let's go to a place where we can have a private room, eat, play cards, and sing!"

"Hey, Fatty, didn't you say you wanted this break to last until winter? What's with the sudden change of heart?"

The joke hit home, and everyone burst into laughter.

"But when is this water going to recede..."

"We should first ask when this rain will stop..."

...

A little after 9 a.m., Shu Fu, wearing a raincoat and carrying her backpack, stood on the platform of the library building, waving goodbye to those on the boat.

After a few days, even though this area was on higher ground, the entire platform steps had been completely submerged. The surrounding area was all water, making the library on high ground look like a small island.

The inflatable boat used for ferrying disappeared quickly into the rain curtain, and Shu Fu's world became quiet again. She turned around, crossed the puddles on the platform, and walked back into the library.

The next day, in preparation for the evening, she took the opportunity to go to the bathroom in the afternoon. In the stall, she took off her fleece, base layers, and underwear, changing into a thermal wetsuit.

The wetsuit was a front-zip, two-piece set with a buckle at the lower hem of the top that fastened at the crotch. It was easy to put on. Without the diving hood, the collar sat just below her neck, and when she pulled on a waterproof jacket and zipped it up, the wetsuit was completely concealed.

**

She hated the cold and damp, but with this suit on, she wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable even if she ended up in the water.

At around 4 p.m., Cheng Yu came over to her again. She had spent the previous night at a café that was temporarily set up as a resting place for the rescue team. The place was quite large, divided into many sections by bookshelves. In addition to long chairs and tables, there were also sofa seats and a water bar.

The rescue team had staggered rest times, so this area was designated as a common resting zone.

The rescue team also included several female members. Cheng Yu had asked for Shu Fu to stay there for just one night, and it wasn’t considered breaking the rules.

Shu Fu noticed that Cheng Yu’s tone was gentler than before when he spoke to her, with many considerate reminders.

She quickly realized that if it weren’t for the three of them joining the group of classmates, there was a good chance that the dam breach on the morning of the sixth day could have taken Xun Huiming’s life.

Even if others saw it as a mere coincidence, as long as the outcome of the coincidence was positive, some people would naturally remember it.

People like Yao Ruoyun, Lu Zheng, and Cheng Yu, for instance.

As they were about to line up to board the ship, Cheng Yu came over at this time to tell her that he could switch her to his boat. Since they were the last batch of evacuees, some boats still had empty spots.

Shu Fu thanked him for his kindness but said it was fine to board the original ship. There was no need for a special switch since she was alone and could go to any shelter.

Cheng Yu was genuinely concerned about her, but seeing her insistence, he didn’t push further. Instead, he glanced at her a few more times because of her response and then asked, “You… are still alone?”

Shu Fu nodded.

He seemed to have something more to say but hesitated, as if he had heard something from somewhere. His tone became even gentler, and he gave her a few more reminders before taking out his phone to exchange numbers. “During the big evacuation, I’ll be very busy, but if you need anything, just call me.”

“Okay, thank you.” Shu Fu knew he had misunderstood something, but this misunderstanding actually saved her a lot of trouble explaining, so she didn’t say much more and thanked him again.

**

The evacuation boats varied in size. There were double-decker ferry boats, sightseeing yachts, and some fishing boats. Most of them weren’t very large, with either one or two decks, and all were equipped with canopies.

However, some of these canopies didn’t have side walls, so they barely protected anyone from the heavy rain. Fortunately, everyone had gotten used to wearing raincoats by now. Since they were about to reach a place where the water had receded, there weren’t many complaints.

Everyone put on life jackets first, wore their backpacks in front, and then put on raincoats as the outermost layer.

The raincoats were loose-fitting, so if they fell into the water, they could quickly shed them. If necessary, they could also abandon the backpacks as long as they kept the life jackets on. At least they wouldn’t drown.

As long as they didn’t encounter a flood with a strong current, the chances of survival were relatively high.

As they were transferred from smaller boats to the evacuation vessels, people couldn’t help but recall the incident two days ago when they encountered the dam breach during the evacuation. They once again lamented their bad luck.

Despite most people wearing life jackets or carrying life rings, the worst-case scenario had still occurred…

Since they were the last group to leave Sui City University, the rescue team’s supply evacuation was also happening simultaneously, which slowed down the boarding process for the people. It wasn’t until after 6 p.m. that Shu Fu finally managed to board a boat.

The boat she boarded was a sightseeing yacht—not a small private one, but a rectangular double-decker sightseeing yacht.

The first deck had an enclosed cabin with three rows of seats on each side. The upper deck was a flat observation deck, which originally had no roof. Now, a temporary waterproof cloth had been set up as a roof and walls. It still let some rain in, but it was better than nothing.

The rescue team didn’t enforce rules about giving up seats in the cabin for the elderly or children, but many people were traveling with families, and there were always older or younger members in the group.

Some people didn’t mind giving up seats, while others fought for them. Shu Fu saw several older evacuees quickly use their bags to occupy the seats next to them as soon as they entered the cabin, then called their family and friends to come sit down.

Some people didn’t want to cause trouble, so when they saw the seats were taken, they moved to other spots. But there were also those who couldn’t stand this kind of behavior and sat down right next to the people who had claimed seats.

The seat-claimers angrily protested, but the newcomers ignored them. The rescue team had only said to take any empty seats, and no one mentioned saving seats for others. As long as no one was sitting on a seat, anyone could take it. Who cared whose seat it was supposed to be?

One side sat with cold faces and didn’t respond, while the other side angrily scolded. This soon attracted the attention of the rescue team members. The seat-claimers had no valid argument and had to back down.

You could observe the different sides of human nature even in the short process of boarding the ship.

Shu Fu shook her head, pulled down the brim of her raincoat, and headed straight for the upper deck.

This boat wasn’t moving fast, and after departing, it quickly fell to the very back.

Ahead were the other boats evacuating together. They stayed in a single file to avoid running aground in the suburban waterways.

The area around them was eerily empty. This should have been an open green space, but now it was all water. In the dark, the water rippled, and it felt like they were drifting through an endless sea.

Tall trees occasionally appeared in their view, but the surroundings were too dark. With the dim light from the boat, they could barely make out the vague outlines of the branches, like the twisted limbs of some strange, silent creature, watching them from the dark water.

It was dinnertime. The evacuees had queued up early for boarding, and most hadn’t eaten yet. People in the inner cabin were rummaging through their bags for snacks—biscuits, bread, anything to tide them over.

Up top, anyone who wasn’t getting rained on grabbed a quick bite of bread to hold them over.

Shu Fu hoped the boat would help her break through Sui City’s invisible barrier. She was a bit nervous and didn’t feel hungry for the moment.

After a few minutes, she noticed no one was watching and quietly slipped down the ladder to the lower deck.

The bathroom was at the back of the lower deck. Hardly anyone would venture to the bathroom in this situation. It was close to the water, separated from the inner cabin, and with the dim lighting on the boat, it was a spot she had chosen as soon as she boarded.

She touched her left wrist, activating the storage mode of her bracelet. A cold, silver, soft metal glove covered her fingers, making it easy to store her backpack in the space at any time.

The surroundings were too dark, and after being flooded, it was impossible to recognize where in the outskirts of Sui City they were. She knew the boat had traveled far enough to take her beyond the limits of her earlier escape attempts.

The sound of water crashing grew louder beside her ears, and wave-like undulating ripples began to appear on the water surface. Peering ahead, she saw faint city lights at the darkest edge in front.

She knew where this was!

They were about to reach Huijiang. The faint city lights were from the shelter in the outskirts of Ning City.

Shu Fu's eyes widened. Could it be that she had successfully gotten out!?

Just as hope started to swell inside her, the twinkling city lights in front of her suddenly distorted, like a normal television screen showing wave-like distortions, becoming strange and unreal.