Chapter 84: Boundary Line

Chapter 84: Boundary Line

After several days of driving and a half-day hike, her waterproof boots were caked with mud and grime. Not even the rainwater could wash them clean. She stepped onto the wet, soft, and rotten ground and made her way to the raft. Although her movements were awkward, she managed to climb aboard without dirtying the raft's deck.

Satisfied that the deck remained clean, she sat on the edge of the deck, took off her boots, and pulled out an old brush. She used the rainwater outside the raft’s shield to scrub her boots vigorously.

After a few moments, she placed the cleaned boots and brush on the deck, picked up her backpack, and walked under the front door eave.

The backpack, after being used for a while, had started to give off strange smells. She planned to empty it today, toss it into the washing machine, and give it a good wash.

Her raincoat also needed to be taken to the shower room for a thorough rinse. The waterproof sportswear she had been wearing for nearly a week already smelled of sweat. After last night, it had acquired some other strange odors too. Not only did it need washing, but it required multiple rinses.

Shu Fu released the raft from its mooring, letting it drift freely across the wide lake. She then equipped the electric card, turned on the washing machine, and began a thorough self-cleaning process.

Half an hour later, Shu Fu emerged from the bathroom, freshly cleaned and wearing slippers. She then used the "one-click dust removal" function on her wristband, cleaning up the barely existent dust in the raft and any dirt she might have brought in when she entered.

Barefoot, she padded into the living room, leaped joyfully onto the soft couch, and wriggled around happily for a bit.

At that moment, it felt like the long overtime work was finally coming to an end, and a beautiful lying-flat time had begun again!

And this time, it wasn’t as if she was the last person left in the world.

Though she didn’t know when the final mission would arrive or how long Chen Fa and Lu Zheng would stay at the nearby military academy shelter, she knew that life was full of reunions, goodbyes, and eventual returns. Regardless of the situation, living through each moment was the most important thing.

Guests were coming tomorrow, so she planned to save her appetite for a barbecue. Today, she opted for hot pot instead—a dual-flavor hot pot with bone broth and spicy broth!

A little later, Shu Fu opened the front door to find the rain had intensified outside the protective shield. The raft had drifted to the center of the lake. From this angle, the raft was surrounded by mountains, with large stretches of dark green hillside slopes around it. The clear, dark lake surface was dotted with countless raindrops, and near the lake shore, a faint mist had risen.

The surrounding land seemed to appear and disappear through the raindrops and mist, creating a sense of distance that felt both close and far away. She could let the raft drift to reach it at any time or keep this distance forever. This was her favorite mode of interaction with the world.

She cast the automatic fishing rod into the water. Although she knew it was just a lake and the most she could catch would be some aquatic products, she hadn’t used her special ability for a long time and wanted to give it some presence.

Afterward, she set up an additional table under the eave next to the small camping table. Then, she began to place things on the table: a dual-flavor electric hot pot with two prepared broth bases, sliced fatty beef and lamb, tripe, baby bok choy, seaweed shoots, shrimp, baby cuttlefish, enoki mushrooms, vermicelli… along with a few favorite seasonings and chopped scallions, garlic, and cilantro.

Compared to the hot pot set she’d gotten earlier, the selection here wasn’t as varied. But for someone who had been eating convenient instant food for over a month, these fresh ingredients laid out in front of her each exuded an irresistibly enticing luster.

Of course, hot pot called for a fizzy drink to go with it. She poured cola into a cup filled with ice, listening to the hissing sound of the soda and ice colliding, and involuntarily curled her lips in joy.

The fatty beef and lamb were fresh, fragrant, salty, and spicy. The tripe was crispy, and the vegetables and mushrooms were placed in the non-spicy bone broth. While eating, she could also enjoy a bowl of the delicious bone broth.

For dishes she didn’t feel like finishing, she stored them on the storage shelves in her space. When she suddenly wanted to eat some stir-fried or marinated dishes, she would take them out, eat a few bites, and put them back in.

In the mountain lake, with heavy rain pouring down, she sat on the raft, isolated from the rainwater, enjoying the pure natural scenery while being in a secure, technologically advanced residence with supplies all around her. Even though she was stuck in the suburban areas of You City and couldn’t leave, it didn’t feel like a big deal to her.

After the meal, she cleaned up the pots and bowls, disposed of the trash, and turned off the raft’s protective shield. On the lake surface, a small, slowly drifting raft wasn’t anything strange or out of place.

Having been wandering outside for a while and just returning to a safe shelter, Shu Fu didn’t want to think about anything or do anything for the time being. She just wanted to lie down, read a book, play some single-player games, listen to music, and watch movies, TV series, and variety shows.

She set up a lounge chair under the front door eave and placed a table next to it with a cup of freshly made coconut iced latte, a matcha red bean snowy mooncake, a box of jackfruit, and a box of crispy fried duck tongues. Then, she started a revenge rebirth drama, beginning her slothful and carefree routine.

Because the raft’s protective shield was turned off, her feet on the lounge chair would occasionally adjust and accidentally stretch outside the eave, getting drenched by the heavy rain.

The temperature outside was around fifteen degrees Celsius, a ten-degree difference from under the eave. The cool rainwater felt quite comfortable on her bare feet.

Shu Fu wiggled her toes, pulled her feet back under the comfortably warm eave, and after a while, stretched them out again to feel the cool rain, enjoying it endlessly.

Lu Zheng was right—these endless rains had once been her muse, especially when she sat by her apartment window, gazing out at the neon-lit city through rain-streaked glass.

To some extent, she was a contradictory person. She loved to travel and see the scenery along the way in the outside world, but at the same time, she longed to return to her comfortable home every night and sleep in her familiar bed.

So she had always hoped for something like "Doraemon's Anywhere Door," where she could work at home for three hours in the morning, have a meal at an eco-friendly restaurant in the mountains at noon, enjoy a fancy afternoon tea in the city in the afternoon, go to the beach to watch the sunset and have a barbecue in the evening, and finally return home to rest at night…

Now, she could be considered to have another kind of "Anywhere Door" in a different sense. When on land, her home came along for the ride, and when on water, her home carried her as it drifted—it was perfect!

Shu Fu spent the entire afternoon eating, drinking, and lounging. By dinnertime, she wasn’t even hungry. Eventually, she found a pot of braised fish head with cellophane noodles from the storage shelf. It had been cooked last year in Sui City and was still unfinished because she had too much food to eat.

She served herself a bowl and put the rest back into the storage space. Then, she took out some sea urchin and sashimi tuna, enjoying a healthy dinner that wouldn’t make her gain weight.

In the evening, she closed the front and back doors and returned to the soft cushions by the floor-to-ceiling windows to continue lounging. During this time, she suddenly remembered her newly obtained three lottery chances.

She had originally planned to wait until the next mission was completed to accumulate more chances and then do the draws all at once. If she hadn’t remembered, it wouldn’t have mattered, but once it crossed her mind, her heart started to itch with anticipation.

On one hand, her logical side told her that the more lottery chances she accumulated, the more likely she would get high-level prizes. On the other hand, her heart felt like it had a hundred ants crawling all over her, persuading her that three consecutive draws were also a considerable number of chances and that she could try her luck...

In the end, she gave herself a reason to use up these three chances: tomorrow would be the first time hosting a guest in her "little gadget." Normally, as a host, she should buy some groceries in advance. Now, since conditions didn’t allow for a trip to the supermarket, she could do a lottery draw to see if she could get some supplies...

Shu Fu convinced herself, ran to wash her hands, applied some fragrant lotion, and then lit a scented candle to begin the ritualistic lottery draw.

The first spin, a green second prize: Raft usage extension card (one week).

Shu Fu: ...

It was a good prize, but she felt a little disappointed.

The raft was about to level up to four, and when it did, the daily usage time would certainly increase. Currently, it could be used for 20 hours a day. Once it reached level four, she guessed the daily usage time would reach a full 24 hours.

Getting a one-week extension card now felt somewhat pointless.

If only it were a red or blue prize of the same level. The blue second prize didn’t appear often, but whenever it did, it was incredibly handy.

The second spin, a red third prize: Sichuan Cuisine Package ×10.

This spin was quite lucky. The last time she drew this Sichuan Cuisine Package was in Sui City. It contained over 30 dishes, and she had finished them all. The dishes were all delicious. Although she had stockpiled a lot of gourmet food in Louyun City, supplies would eventually run out if there were only outgoings and no income.

Now, with the planet in chaos and major cities gradually collapsing, even if she wanted to stock up on such ready-made dishes, she wouldn’t be able to buy them. In some places, even if they were available, she wouldn’t be too confident about the source of the ingredients.

This package was a godsend—delicious and trustworthy.

The third spin, a blue fourth prize: external wood ladder.

Shu Fu had a sense of wish fulfillment, even though it was just a fourth prize. It was on her wish list for home improvements.

After claiming the prize, she immediately opened the front and back doors to check. The wooden ladder appeared on the left side of the deck under the front eave. It was a wooden staircase with handrails on both sides, leading directly to the platform above the roof.

However, like the raft’s deck, this staircase was outside the eave, so it would get wet in the rain when the protective shield was off.

Now that the ladder was here and she had enough wooden railings, Shu Fu decided to set up the terrace area.

She turned on the raft’s protective shield to keep everything dry and then went back to the function screen, clicked on "Manual renovation," and opened the 3D layout of the Drift Island House. She arranged the previously drawn raft railings neatly along the upper level of the wooden house and the eave area. Finally, she left an opening at the lower left corner of the rear eave, and then moved the wooden ladder connected to the front eave to the left side of the rear eave.

This way, the view from the front eave remained unobstructed, and with the opening left at the rear eave, when the raft was in motion, the upper space would feel more like the upper deck of a yacht.

After the renovation was complete, she exited the function screen, found a pair of plastic slippers from the shoe cabinet next to the rear door, and went up to the upper level of the wooden house via the newly positioned wooden staircase.

Indeed, with the staircase and enough railings, the entire upper roof became a delicate little terrace. The space-saving feature didn’t apply to the roof, and even though the entire terrace, along with the eaves of the front and back doors, was only about nine to ten square meters, it was more than sufficient.

Shu Fu immediately took out a lounge chair and a round table to test out the terrace.

As she lay there looking at the night sky, she could see the rain falling on the protective shield, as if an invisible glass encased the entire terrace. Lying here watching the stars on a clear night would be even more magical.

It's just a shame that when the shield is down, this place gets pummeled by heavy rain, and strong winds might blow things away, so no furniture can be left here.

However, she has a storage space where she can retrieve items anytime, which is quite convenient.

Shu Fu lay on the deck for a while as the raft carried her slowly across the lake. The lake was vast and empty, and the surrounding wilderness was dark and silent, offering little sense of security. So, she quickly put away the table and chairs and returned to the Drift Island House.

Warm, orange lights filled the house, creating a cozy and serene atmosphere. After washing up, Shu Fu climbed onto the small wooden loft and buried herself in the soft, comfortable quilt. She then picked up the book from the bedside table, turned on the bedside lamp, and began her pre-sleep reading.

**

Back when she was staying at the salt lake, although every night she would quietly place the raft into the Drift Island House to rest and cook small meals, her special ability was still a secret. She had to set alarms and head back to the container warehouse early each day.

But today, it felt like the first holiday completely her own without any alarms. Waking up naturally around six-thirty, thanks to her biological clock, she went to the bathroom and then crawled back into bed and fell asleep.

She slept until past ten. Thinking there were still two hours until noon, she decided to watch a variety show while brushing her teeth and having breakfast. Right after brushing her teeth, she heard a horn from the lakeside.

With a beef egg sandwich in her mouth and a latte in her hand, she hurriedly opened the front door and looked toward the lake. She saw an old jeep parked by the lake, with both the driver's seat and passenger seat doors opening simultaneously. Lu Zheng and Chen Fa got out of the car, waving at her in the pouring rain.

Standing under the eave, Shu Fu waved back. She immediately pulled out her map panel, setting their lakeside location as the destination and adjusting the raft speed to the maximum of 60 kilometers per hour.

Back in the car, Lu Zheng and Chen Fa expected to wait a bit. But to their surprise, the raft, which had been drifting in the center of the lake, was now speeding toward the shore like a speedboat, arriving in no time.

The lakeside was all wetlands, so Shu Fu's raft couldn't fully dock. Anticipating this, Chen Fa and Lu Zheng saw Shu Fu’s raft approaching quickly. Lu Zheng got out of the car, took out a wooden plank, and placed it on the muddy wetland.

The two of them kicked off their shoes and left them in a corner of the small house, then walked barefoot through the house to the front of the raft. Chen Fa then took out his raft, positioning its rear end against the front of Lu Zheng's raft. This way, they used two rafts to create a raft bridge.

Shu Fu had slowed down her raft, and standing inside the house, she manually adjusted the direction on the function screen, aligning her raft's front closely.

As she watched them step across the two rafts and through the two small houses, she suddenly realized something. She rushed out of the house and shouted to the two standing barefoot at the front of the raft, "Can awakened individuals freely enter other people's raft houses?" She had been able to enter before, but her situation was different, so she couldn't use herself as a benchmark.

Chen Fa smiled at her. "No, we can't. After entering the mountains earlier and finding an open space, we took out the raft to study it. There are still limitations. However, when the distance between two rafts is less than a certain range, our panels will prompt us, asking if we allow visitors. If both sides agree, they can freely enter each other's houses. That's exactly what happened."

"That's a nice feature. When does the visitor permission expire?"

"It expires when the distance exceeds a certain range or if the raft is retracted," Lu Zheng replied. Seeing her standing under the eave of the raft house in the pouring rain, he froze for a moment, and his cheeks involuntarily heated up.

Since their reunion, they had been constantly on the move outside, wearing dark waterproof clothes every day, with loose raincoats over them. Their hair was often wet, and their faces looked haggard and disheveled. They were frequently in danger, running for their lives, covered in dust and dirt.

This was the first time in ages he’d seen her with her hair down and in casual clothes. It suddenly reminded him of the first time he met her last year.

Back then, she had looked like this too—her face fair and clean, long hair falling over her shoulders, looking soft and smooth. She had appeared completely relaxed and at ease.

The front end of Shu Fu's raft gently touched the front end of Chen Fa's raft. Compared to their raft, hers looked particularly miniature, being nearly half the size in both length and width.

"Come on over!" she waved at them, shaking the latte in her hand. "Let's have some coffee together!"

"Did you just wake up?" Chen Fa said, stepping onto Shu Fu's raft first. "Your raft looks pretty new, though it’s a bit small..."

However, a serious problem soon became apparent to the three of them—Chen Fa and Lu Zheng couldn't enter Shu Fu's small house; they couldn't even step into the area under the eave.

Shu Fu carefully checked both the function screen and her wristband several times but didn't see any prompt asking if she wanted to allow visitors.

Chen Fa sighed, "Your raft looks so small; maybe it's just missing some features."

Shu Fu: ……