Chapter 33: Louyun City

Chapter 33: Louyun City

"Congratulations on winning the Second Prize: Drift Bottle Portable Protection (1-hour experience card, note: this is a function for a Level 4 raft, but the experience card can be equipped on rafts of any level)"

"Do you wish to claim the prize?"

"Yes/No"

The small golden card fell into her hand. The golden second prize card seemed even more dazzling than the third prize card she had received earlier, perhaps because of its higher rank.

This one-hour experience, while limited, felt exceptionally precious compared to the 24-hour Drift Bottle Protection.

Judging by the name, she could probably guess the function of this prize. Since she had used the "Drift Bottle Protection" before, the addition of the word "portable" on this card gave her a rough idea.

However, all cards needed to be activated on the function screen inside the Drift Island House. She didn’t want to move the furniture in her hotel room to make space, so she didn’t have the conditions to set up the raft at the moment.

She’d have to wait until she found a safe place to set up the raft and test out her guess.

She hadn’t set up her raft for several days and missed her small and cozy Drift Island House. Shu Fu didn’t hesitate much and immediately changed her clothes and prepared her gear to go out.

On the outermost layer, she would still need to wrap herself in a thick waterproof jacket. The jacket from the day before was soaked inside and out due to the heavy rainstorm and her escape. She had washed it when the water came in this morning, and now it was stored in her space.

However, she had bought many jackets of the same style and color, so she just changed into a clean one.

Now that she wasn’t in the shelter, her identity was no longer that of a refugee but a local who had worked hard and finally returned home. Therefore, she didn’t need to dress so shabbily. Under her waterproof jacket, she wore her usual warm, lightweight, sweat-wicking base layers, added a fleece for easy removal, and topped it off with a waterproof jacket, pants, and boots.

She had also switched back to a waterproof backpack, where she placed two cans, a packaged bread, a bottle of water, a pack of tissues, and a pack of disinfecting wipes for show. In any case, she could grab whatever she needed from her space at any time, hidden by her waterproof jacket and backpack.

She slung the backpack in front of her, hung her phone in a waterproof bag, and then put on her raincoat before leaving the room.

There were quite a few hotel guests, but most of them stayed in their rooms.

Those staying here were mostly well-off outsiders. Many had been living in the hotel for a long time. Some were waiting for train tickets to cities further west or north; others had their own cars but were also waiting for permits to enter northern cities.

The requirement for permits to enter northern and western plateau cities dated back to a month ago.

About a month and a half ago, a live broadcast of a suicidal man’s apocalyptic theory from Sui City was leaked online by someone with ulterior motives.

The video had been edited to include footage of disasters from around the globe over the past month, interspersed with scenes of the man’s apocalyptic claims, making it look like a real end-of-the-world prophecy.

The person who uploaded the video had hacked into various websites, causing chaos online for a while before the video was completely taken down.

Afterward, there were numerous educational posts and expert videos online, all analyzing how much land would be submerged by the planet’s water resources, reassuring the people that the apocalyptic claims were not to be believed, that the disaster would eventually pass, and that the country would continue to rescue disaster areas.

The entire incident was suppressed, but people’s fears and anxieties couldn’t be easily calmed after that.

Some claimed the uploader was an anti-social troublemaker, intent on causing chaos and unrest. Others argued that the uploader was a skilled hacker, and the video was genuine.

Some believed it, others dismissed it, while some laughed it off, and others fell into panic, fearing the coming apocalypse...

In any case, after this incident, the video and the apocalyptic theory had become widely known throughout the country.

Those who believed in the apocalyptic theory firmly held that Muzhou Province, Xiren Province, and even the higher-altitude Xiangzhou Province to the west of Xiren Province were not safe enough. They had to go to the plateau cities because those were the last sanctuaries that would remain after most of the planet’s land and cities were submerged.

Those cities were seen as the last truly safe places.

Given China’s large population, even if only a fraction of people believed in the apocalyptic theory, the number of people relocating would be massive.

The issue was that many people were already living in safe cities like Louyun City, where there was no real need to relocate. With flights suspended and transportation severely disrupted, this unnecessary movement was putting additional strain on all sectors.

The sudden influx of so many people into the highland cities has created all sorts of issues.

These cities are not designated refugee camps but serve as China's rear bases, producing essential supplies like drinking water, medicine, clothing, and rain gear for refugees. The influx of people disrupts the social balance, causing these strong rear bases to face situations similar to those in Muzhou Province and Xiren Province.

As a result, traffic bans and entry permits were eventually implemented.

Those who had already flooded into the highland cities earlier were allowed to stay, but it became much harder for the larger number of people who wanted to go afterward.

Now, those staying in hotels in Louyun City without renting a house are people passing through, temporarily stranded due to the newly implemented traffic bans and permit requirements. They never intended to stay long-term and therefore have no interest in looking for rental properties.

**

After going downstairs, Shu Fu visited a nearby medium-sized supermarket to check the prices. While prices had risen, they weren’t as sky-high as what she’d seen online while in Sui City. At that time, she saw prices from disaster-stricken areas that were already bad and have since been completely submerged by floods over the past two months, with the refugees having been relocated.

Here, most food items such as rice, noodles, canned goods, and convenience foods had increased by fifty to seventy percent, with some prices doubling. Fresh produce like vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat were not as varied as before, but different types of fresh produce were supplied on a rotational basis each day.

At the same time, all drinking water, beverages, rain gear, and boat supplies were subject to purchase limits for both individual consumers and businesses needing to buy in bulk for restaurants.

For example, the supermarket’s fruit section today only had cantaloupe, oranges, apples, and pears. Apples and pears were regular items, while cantaloupe and oranges were new additions. All fruits were put on the shelves in the morning, and once the new items were sold out, they would be restocked the next day.

When the purchase limits were first introduced, there was some chaos—supermarkets were packed, and people even fought over supplies, leading to one viral news story after another.

But as time went on, people gradually realized that although supplies were limited, there was never a shortage. The shelves that were emptied one day would be restocked the next. As long as they went to the supermarket a little earlier the next day, they could buy what they missed.

Once people realized this, the chaos subsided.

People realized that the purchase limits didn’t really impact daily life. After all, no one can eat or drink that much in a day, and the limits were still generous enough.

The real purpose of the purchase limits was to prevent people from hoarding large quantities of goods to resell at higher prices.

Shu Fu suspected that many of the messages she had seen online about Louyun City were exaggerated to some extent, colored by personal emotions.

The atmosphere in the supermarket was quite pleasant, with many people discussing the disaster from the day before without any look of panic. Instead, they spoke with pride, likely because Louyun City’s safety wall had held back the massive waves and protected the city.

Similarly, after yesterday, there were more voices online doubting the apocalyptic theories. More people began to believe that Muzhou Province and Xiren Province were quite safe, especially with the ongoing construction of the flood barriers, which will only make things safer in the future.

Shu Fu didn’t stay long. After showing her ID for registration, she bought all the available fruits and left.

The price of oranges was double what it used to be, with a limit of one bag per person. Each bag contained six oranges. Apples and pears were the same. Customers could buy one bag of each of these three fruits plus one cantaloupe, but if they wanted to buy more oranges, they would have to come back the next day.

Let alone these four types of fruits; even the six oranges would be too much for an average person to finish in one day.

Ordinary people who lacked a sense of security and wanted to stock up on food and drinks could go to the supermarket every day, accumulating supplies bit by bit.

However, these amounts would certainly not be enough to allow for hoarding and reselling at higher prices, nor would they affect the overall market prices. Shu Fu began to suspect that the negative online comments came from unscrupulous merchants who wanted to monopolize the market.

After leaving the supermarket, she went to a communications store across the street. She had three phones: one for everyday use with an unlimited data plan, and two backup phones with unlisted numbers that she used offline when needed.

She used to top up her phone credit online, but now she was hesitant to do so, fearing the money would be automatically deducted. So, she topped up all three phones with cash. Afterward, she took a taxi to a local car rental shop with a good reputation.

This was her second time renting a car, and she stuck to the same routine.

Louyun City had many slopes, so this time she chose a domestic jeep with a higher chassis, automatic transmission, a large trunk, and foldable rear seats, which had already been fitted with one-way window film.

The monthly rental fee had jumped to 4,000 yuan.

The last time she rented a car, she didn’t need to pay a deposit because she had lived in Sui City for over four years, had good online banking credibility, and had savings. A credit card pre-authorization was sufficient.

However, after Sui City was submerged, the car was lost due to irresistible circumstances, and she couldn’t return it. Of course, the pre-authorized payment on her card hadn’t been released yet. Now, in the midst of a disaster, pre-authorizations were not valid, and a deposit in cash or gold was required.

This was convenient for Shu Fu. The car she rented was an economy model, so the deposit wasn’t much. She reached into her backpack and handed over a simple gold ring to the clerk.

Nowadays, besides money, using gold and food supplies for transactions is quite common. Most businesses that accept gold have specialists for it. The clerk quickly appraised the ring: 999 fine gold, 7.8 grams, which was enough to cover the deposit.

The clerk handled the paperwork thoroughly and issued a deposit slip.

Shu Fu put away the slip but didn’t worry about the gold ring. Whether it was returned didn’t matter to her. Her automatic water fishing rod sometimes malfunctioned, bringing her baskets full of gold jewelry and even gold bars.

Although her bank account was overdrawn and her cash was limited, she wasn’t short of gold.

Soon after leaving the rental car shop, she turned off the dashcam, just like she had done when renting a car in Sui City. Although this dashcam only recorded the view outside the car, she was always careful. Turning it off and removing the memory card felt like the safest move.

Her next stop was a gold shop, where she planned to exchange some gold to clear the negative balance in her phone account and leave extra funds in it.

Although her phone account would automatically deduct payments for previous purchases, keeping the funds circulating was necessary. After all, she could still order delivery in Louyun City!

Nowadays, most deliveries were for non-rationed items.

Rationed items could still be bought on delivery apps, but supermarkets and farmers' markets released limited quantities that were snapped up as soon as they were available at midnight.

And even if you managed to place an order, it didn’t guarantee a successful purchase. Before the delivery rider arrived, anything could happen.

For example, sudden weather changes or other force majeure factors might cause the rider to cancel the delivery. It was also possible that the rider might run off with the goods. After all, many evacuees from other cities were now in Louyun City. They didn’t want to stay in shelters with just one meal and drinking water, preferring to earn their living through their own efforts.

Delivery companies did have strict screening for new hires, but unexpected situations always occurred.

For instance, a rider might discover that the medicine in the order was desperately needed by their family but had been unavailable for a long time...

Or they might decide to leave Louyun City for a small town in the mountains to join someone they knew, and just happened to accept a delivery order, only to find that the family had managed to buy a large amount of supplies...

With so much chaos, petty theft wasn’t really being policed anymore.

Shu Fu would try to avoid ordering rationed items if she wanted delivery.

She went to a chain gold shop. In the past, exchanging gold at gold shops required a photocopy of her ID. Now that the world was in chaos and so many cities had been submerged, it was a feat for some people to make it to the safe cities. Many procedures had been waived.

As long as you weren’t there to rob the place, you were a customer.

Due to rising prices and slight currency depreciation, the exchange rate for gold had also increased. She chose heavier, simpler pieces like bracelets and necklaces. After the transaction was completed, the money was directly transferred to her phone account.

Shortly after the money arrived, deductions began, but she had exchanged a relatively large amount this time, so there was still plenty of balance left even after the deductions, enough to cover her rental payments later.

**

After leaving the gold shop, it was already past noon. Shu Fu drove to the next street.

In Shu Fu’s memory, there was an extremely delicious noodle shop on this street. The prices were affordable, and the noodles were very chewy. Moreover, there was parking space in front of the shop.

Now, with expensive prices, most people chose to cook at home. Some who worked outside during the day also preferred to bring meals or use sandwiches as alternatives. The restaurant industry was struggling, and many shops had closed down. Fortunately, this shop was still open, though there weren’t many customers inside.

Shu Fu parked at the door, left her raincoat in the car, and took an umbrella.

She ordered a bowl of beef noodles. The price had doubled compared to pre-disaster times, which was a bit pricey, but since the money in her phone account came from the automatic water fishing rod’s haul, she didn’t feel bothered.

Prepared food in restaurants wasn’t rationed. Such food was hard to preserve, and normal people wouldn’t buy large quantities without reason, nor could they hoard and resell it at high prices unless there was a gathering.

Before leaving, Shu Fu ordered fifty portions of noodles for a company gathering: mixed pea noodles, beef noodles, egg and vegetable noodles, and pickled cabbage beef noodles.

Now, the government had taken over the centralized supply of raw materials for restaurants. Each operating shop had a corresponding procurement quota based on its size, which was another form of rationing.

Additionally, authorities had increased inspections, dropping by randomly to ensure that the food served was safe and reliable.

The boss received a big order and realized that finishing it would allow him to close early and get some rest. So he happily took the payment, headed to the back kitchen to help with the noodles and packing, and even pitched in with loading the car.

As Shu Fu drove away, she felt exceptionally good, because just ten days ago, she was living in a deserted city on the water, thinking she would grow old there alone. But unexpectedly, ten days later, she found herself back in a bustling city, able to stock up on her favorite foods again.

She knew that, according to the progression of the apocalypse, Louyun City would eventually be submerged like Sui City, becoming a flooded city.

But after witnessing the forty-meter-high waves yesterday and the flood barrier that could completely block such terrifying waves, she couldn’t help but entertain other thoughts.

This shouldn’t be a scripted world, after all, she was truly living here and could clearly feel the joys and sorrows of those around her.

Could it be that through the videos of the reborn apocalypse survivors, the authorities had started to take this matter seriously?

Could there be other reborn individuals existing in places she couldn’t see?

Such people, unlike her, weren’t bound by various restrictions. If the authorities could believe their prophecies and extract useful information to take preventive measures in advance, would it be possible to change the inevitable apocalypse?

Taking it a step further, could the flood barrier in Louyun City be a form of preventive measure?

After all, building such a high safety wall in a high-altitude inland city did have a certain prophetic quality...

While waiting for the red light, Shu Fu opened her phone’s navigation. However, just like in Sui City, all the exits, stations, and nearby cities were impossible to navigate to.

As for various ticket-purchasing apps, she had already tried them while waiting for her noodle takeout, and none of them allowed purchases.

Looking at the grey, unselectable ticket options, she felt as though she was reliving a nightmare.

Her attempt this time was just because she wasn’t ready to give up. Given that the airport was closed and train tickets were already hard to find, it wasn’t surprising that she couldn’t buy any.

She was familiar with the city’s streets, thanks to her memories of navigating them before.

Now she wanted to replicate that experience.

After two hours, the black jeep pulled over on the rain-soaked road, and she finally gave up on the idea of leaving Louyun City.

Obviously, she had failed.

Except for the waterway area she came from in Sui City, all other directions in Louyun City still had an invisible barrier preventing her from leaving.

However, this time Shu Fu recovered quickly from her defeat. If she couldn’t leave, then so be it. This place wasn’t bad.

Unlike Sui City, Louyun City had areas with high altitudes. Residential buildings in these areas were at least twenty stories high, with some reaching fifty or seventy stories. These towering buildings, with their expansive bases and spacious balconies, felt more like luxurious sky villas than mere apartments.

It wouldn’t be a short time before these heights became uninhabitable, and with the flood barrier outside the city, it would take even longer.

So now, what she needed to do was find a suitable place to settle down and make herself comfortable.

**

For the next three days, Shu Fu drove around a lot. Some of the time she spent following a mobile home agent to look at houses, and the rest of the time she went to delicious restaurants to stock up on her favorite foods and snacks, according to the memory of "Shu Fu."

Stinky tofu, spicy hot pot skewers, spicy noodles, spicy chicken, brown sugar rice cakes, spicy pig trotters, grilled fish, hand-torn roast rabbit, ice jelly, spicy wontons, guokui, various barbecue skewers, and spicy hotpot base...

The space on her wristband was running low, and she had already stocked up on other necessary items. The only things she wanted to hoard now were these kinds of cooked foods that carried the scent of life.

Fortunately, cooked foods weren’t subject to purchase limits, so buying twenty or so portions at a time didn’t attract attention.

As for housing, she wanted to rent a place in a higher-altitude area, in a safe neighborhood with nearby supermarkets, markets, or malls. It didn’t have to be big, but she didn’t want to share it with anyone.

Additionally, the residence needed to be in a high-rise. This was mainly for contingency planning.

If Louyun City eventually got submerged like Sui City, at least this time she wouldn’t have to search for higher shelter in the floating city. She could stay in her own high-rise apartment until the situation became unbearable.

After two days, she finally found a nice place.

Everything else was perfect except for the price. If she rented here, she would need to exchange more gold at the pawn shop, or she could ask the agent if they took gold.

Just as everything was about to be finalized, she felt her wrist buzz.

New task?

Knowing the other person likely couldn’t see her bracelet or black notebook, checking the notebook would draw attention, so she excused herself to the bathroom and went to the restroom in a nearby fast-food joint to check it.

She was hiding in a stall when she saw the 'book' icon blinking. A task had indeed arrived.

"Within three days, check in at Jixing Community and rent a house to receive a 10% progress bar for Raft Level 3. (Current progress of Raft Level 3: 25%)

Note: Failing to complete this task will result in a deduction of 10% progress bar."

Obviously, the residential area where she was about to sign the rental contract was not Jixing Community.

Shu Fu: ...

What a joke! She had spent a full three days searching to find a place that met her criteria!

Couldn't this task have been issued a bit earlier?