Chapter 122 The Last Five Percent

Chapter 122 The Last Five Percent

Shu Fu was momentarily taken aback, then quickly glanced at her wristband. Sure enough, the black notebook icon she had been waiting for was flashing. The final five percent of the mission had finally arrived!

She took out the black notebook, but this time, the task that appeared left her momentarily confused.

"Special progress bar task triggered!"

"Number of people rescued and transported so far: 31, current progress: 0.1%"

"Note: This task is special, with a maximum progress bar of 5%. The task carrier is limited to the starting house type of the Drift Island House. Folding up the raft will reset the progress bar to zero, and unfolding the raft will allow the progress to accumulate again."

Shu Fu: ...!?

The accumulated progress bar is... how much?

Was she hallucinating?

Why is there a "0" before the number?

Shu Fu quickly closed her eyes, did a few eye exercises, and then reopened them to check the notebook. The accumulated progress bar was still clearly "0.1%".

Shu Fu: ...

She never expected this 'little devil' to throw her such a curveball.

So, rescuing about 30 people only increases the progress bar by 0.1%?

And the task carrier is limited to the starting house type, meaning using her large villa to transport dozens or even hundreds of people doesn't count. No wonder the task wasn't triggered when she transported those survivors to the waters near Dari County!

Looking at the line "folding up the raft will reset the progress bar to zero," Shu Fu finally understood why she had drawn two one-week extension cards in her previous seven consecutive draws.

So, this is where it was waiting for her!

The maximum progress bar is 5%, exactly the last five percent she needed to upgrade her raft to level 5.

In other words, to upgrade the raft to level 5, she must complete this special task. Rescuing and transporting 31 people only gives her 0.1% progress, meaning she needs to rescue and transport at least 1500 people to get 5% progress!

Shu Fu felt like throwing in the towel right then and there. 1500 people! If it were during peaceful times or the early stages of the disaster, it might have been manageable, but now most people have already moved to Xizhou Province. Where on earth is she supposed to find 1500 people to rescue?

Not all survivors are fools; not everyone would dive into the water during a storm...

Too frustrated to continue cooking dinner, Shu Fu stored the half-finished fish soup in her space and switched to her lavish, collector's S-grade house model on the function screen.

As the light and shadows shifted, she soon found herself in the grand, bright living room of her large villa. She opened all the glass doors in front of the living room, listening to the storm battering the protective shield. She took off her home clothes, initially planning to change into a swimsuit, but then thought, why bother with a swimsuit for a massage bath?

So, she took out a large towel from her space, wrapped it around herself, and went barefoot to the front deck. She then quickly removed the towel and entered the bath.

The new task had finally arrived, but its difficulty was so high that it made her want to go on strike.

An hour later, after finishing her massage bath, Shu Fu sat by the pool on the second-floor balcony, starting to dig into a hot pot meal on a beautiful semi-circular glass table.

Outside the protective shield, the storm still raged, but inside the luxurious raft villa, it was like a different world—safe, warm, storm-proof, and with no shortage of food or water.

But this world was hers alone.

She suddenly found herself missing the dinner in the tunnel on New Year's Eve. Back then, the table was set with just snail noodles, canned food, and military rations, and they didn't even have decent bowls, but she had been so happy...

Shu Fu had been in high spirits today, as it was New Year's Eve. As a Chinese person, the sense of New Year's Eve might not be as intense as the Lunar New Year, but the significance of New Year's Eve was something else entirely.

Before dawn that day, as she said goodbye to everyone one by one, she was well aware that she would likely spend the upcoming New Year alone.

Earlier in the afternoon, when she was preparing to cook herself a New Year's Eve dinner, her mood had been quite good.

But now, for some reason, even though the long-awaited mission had finally arrived, she suddenly felt enveloped by a profound sense of loneliness. She wasn't usually like this, and she didn't like it either, as it seemed overly sentimental to expend so much energy on emotions.

She sighed, put down her chopsticks, and took out her phone to check the date, realizing her period was about to start. She decided to blame her mood on her upcoming period. After all, Shu Fu was still her carefree self, who thought that as long as she could chill every day, everything would be just fine.

The satellite phone beside her beeped with a message from Chen Fa.

Chen Fa: Today, I took out the last cup of bubble tea, opened it, and shared it with everyone using small cups. I even shared the pearls as evenly as possible... Luckily, the bubble tea you gave me was the extra-large size, otherwise, one cup for ten people would never have been enough. Chamu County isn't short of provisions, and there's butter tea (a traditional Tibetan drink), but the bubble tea shops still haven't reopened. Grandma said if I really like it, she could teach me how to make bubble tea by frying tea leaves and how to make pearls with tapioca flour... What do you think, Xiao Fu? If I really learn, how about opening a bubble tea shop?

Around the same time, a message from Lu Zheng arrived: How was your day today? For some reason, I really wanted to see you today... Are you okay? Are you with your... friends?

Soon, more messages came from the same two numbers, but as usual, it was easy to tell who sent them.

— Fufu Jie! You haven't texted me in days, do you not miss me at all? But I miss you so much, when can we meet again? We've moved to a new place, it's not as big as the previous ranch, and my brother's raft can't be used anymore! I really want to hit the waves with you soon!

— Haha! Guess who this is? You should be able to guess right away! My brother is too shy to message you, so I'm doing it for him. Remember what I mentioned before? That offer still stands! Hehe, or if you fancy my brother, that's fine too... Oh, and Happy New Year's Eve! Haha...

— Happy New Year's Eve! This is Xu Tingfeng, I've cut ties with my brother, so you don't need to pay attention to him. No matter what... I hope we can meet again soon.

— Shu Fu, this is Jiang Dai. I've always seen them messaging you, but because the message fees are a bit expensive, I didn't dare to join in. But every time, I pay close attention to your messages, knowing you're doing well puts Yue Dong and me at ease... Today is special, it's New Year's Eve, for Huaxia people, after New Year's Eve, everything starts anew. Shu Fu, the past year has been tough for us, without you and Chen Fa, Yue Dong and I wouldn't have made it... Chen Fa said you still have unfinished business, and once it's done, we will definitely meet again. I firmly believe that, but I also hope you don't pressure yourself, wherever you are, I hope you stay safe, because only by living can we have the chance to meet again. Lastly, Happy New Year's Eve!

...

— Happy New Year's Eve, Little Shu! Grandma isn't good with typing, so Fa Fa is writing for me. Fa Fa recharged the satellite phone a couple of days ago, your number was also topped up, so feel free to use it, send more messages, and feel free to call Grandma anytime, she's bored every day. Take care of yourself, dear. Let Grandma know as soon as we can meet again, Grandma will make you delicious knife-cut noodles, this time with authentic beef bone broth and freshly made chili oil, stored in Fa Fa's storage compartment, ready to be served whenever we meet... Oh, Fa Fa just said that compartment keeps things fresh no matter how long, so I can start preparing now. If there's anything else you'd like to eat, just message Fa Fa and let Grandma know...

Shu Fu scrolled through the messages one by one, and when she reached the last one from Chen Yuezhen, she couldn't hold back her tears.

But since she had already been sentimental today, a little more wouldn't hurt.

Shu Fu tilted her head, resting it on her arm on the table, while her other hand scrolled through the messages again, then sent messages to both numbers.

— I'm doing well, having hotpot, my raft has undergone a small change, hope you'll like it when we meet next time. Also, I might need a bit more time before I can meet everyone, but I'll try my best! Lastly, Happy New Year's Eve!

At the end of the message, she attached a photo of the hotpot, though it was automatically compressed into a blurry image upon sending. She deliberately included a large cup of bubble tea, a slice of marble cheesecake, and a matcha mille-feuille by the hotpot, along with the translucent light refracted through the glass table and the edge of the luxurious pool.

As expected, once she sent the photo, her phone buzzed with a flurry of messages, all filled with exclamations and lamentations.

Especially Xu Jiechu, who was exceptionally dramatic, sending a long string of "I want to marry into your family, don't stop me!"

Shu Fu chuckled, realizing that this guy could be quite adorable at times.

So, she sent another message: Well, Xu Jiechu keeps bringing this up, maybe I should consider it.

Soon, her satellite phone received a message from an unknown number.

— This is Xu Jiechu, this is my phone number, the signal in Chamu County is good now, we can chat privately from now on! If I don't reply in time someday, it's definitely a signal issue, not me! PS: Remember to save the number!

Lu Ce: Fufu Jie! Are you really Fufu Jie? Has your phone been stolen? Wake up! That's Xu Jiechu! Oh my god! Isn't my brother handsome enough? Don't do it~~~

Chen Fa: Hahaha, sure, make him kneel on a washboard every day after marrying in!

Lu Zheng: …………

It seemed like everyone, in the spirit of the New Year, wasn't calculating the expensive satellite message fees as usual, treating the messages like group chats.

Shu Fu felt her mood lighten a bit. As she was cleaning up the hotpot dishes in the open kitchen on the first floor, Yao Ruoyun sent a message saying she had finally managed to deliver her gift before the New Year.

She also sent her a picture, a photo she took of Zheng Feifei holding a sparkler, which was also compressed to a blur, but it was still clear that Zheng Feifei was holding a sparkler in one hand and covering her mouth with the other. It was unclear whether she was crying.

It was hard to tell what she was thinking—whether she was crying from being moved or from nostalgia.

Shu Fu thought for a moment, found Zheng Feifei's phone number in her phone, then opened the satellite phone device and directly called her.

The call took a while to connect. It was unclear if, during the wait, Zheng Feifei had already learned from Yao Ruoyun who the owner of this number was. Her voice quivered slightly when she picked up.

"Hello? Shu, Shu Fu?"

"Yes, it's me, Feifei."

"It's really you! That's great!" Zheng Feifei, who couldn't hold back while setting off fireworks, now hearing Shu Fu's voice directly, burst into tears over the phone. "It's been a whole year! Shu Fu... where exactly are you?"

"I'm near the border of Xizhou Province, but since I still have some unfinished business, I couldn't make it back to reunite with you for the New Year. Ruoyun is my junior at school, and we happened to meet before. Since she was also going to Zhicheng, I asked her to bring the sparklers to you."

Zheng Feifei hummed on the other end of the phone, saying she had set off the sparklers well and made wishes, and had lived well this year.

"I've been working hard this year too, but since I still have some unfinished business, I need a little more time before we can meet."

"It's okay, just knowing you're safe is enough for me. I'll wait for you!"

Just before midnight, Cheng Yu sent a message, unexpectedly, also a photo.

In the photo, his large hand was spread out, holding a light blue star-shaped candy in his palm. He didn't send a single word, but she could understand his meaning: he had been diligently eating candy every day, the candy was decreasing day by day, and the time until they meet again was slowly shortening.

Shu Fu replied: Yes, I will definitely try to meet you before you finish eating!

Cheng Yu: Safety comes first. Safe on New Year's Eve and every day thereafter.

Just after midnight, Liu Shuang and Han Lan also sent messages. They were using their original phones, presumably because they were in a safe city, but even with smartphones, they could only choose to send text messages to the satellite phone.

Liu Shuang: After the New Year, we have to go on a mission again. Do you think we'll meet again?

Han Lan: You heartless girl, why don't you take the initiative to send me a message? Too busy during the New Year, can't even send a simple 'Happy New Year'?

That night before bed, Shu Fu changed the house type back to her small cozy wooden cabin.

She opened the satellite phone, checked the messages on it again, then decisively turned off the lights and went to sleep.

It was already past 12, so it was now a new year—a year destined for reunions. Rescuing and transporting 1500 people is just a simple mission; aim to complete it within a month!

**

The goal was set, but putting it into practice faced many hurdles.

First, as she had initially thought, most people had already moved to Xizhou Province, and those who hadn't moved yet weren't all fools. Very few people would take a boat across the waters in stormy weather, and the chance of others encountering sudden storms and capsizing or falling into the water during water transfers was not high.

Secondly, the raft couldn't be folded up, meaning she couldn't go ashore disguised as a refugee to blend into a group, then release the small raft remotely at the right moment like last time by the Yinsha River. She could only stay on the water, waiting passively.

Lastly, if she were to accumulate rescuing and transporting 1500 people, the appearance and uniqueness of her raft cabin would definitely become known to more people.

Therefore, throughout the entire mission, she had to hide herself better and absolutely must not show her face. Not seeking speed, but stability.

In the first month, she tried to anchor the raft near the water-land line of the southwestern plateau, where the survivors should be the most numerous on land in China now, apart from the Fengshang Plateau where Xizhou Province is located.

However, the habitable areas here are only at an altitude of about 2000 meters. Although it's possible to survive now, it won't last long, so as long as the timing is right, there will always be boats departing from the southwestern plateau to Xizhou Province.

The survivors' settlements on the southwestern plateau should still have network access. They check the weather before traveling, and the boats used for large group transfers are also built very sturdy. So even though Shu Fu stayed nearby for a month, she only rescued and transported about sixty to seventy people.

That was because the weather suddenly worsened that day, starting to hail heavily, directly damaging a moving boat, which was stranded on the water. She seized the opportunity, quickly shuttled back and forth between the boat and the land several times, safely returning all forty-plus people on the boat, thus adding this "big order."

There was no other way, the initial raft house had limited space. If it were truly upgraded to an S-class house, the mission could be accomplished in one go. Unfortunately, the number of people rescued and transported in such a manner wouldn't be recognized.

Shu Fu looked at the pitiful "0.3%" displayed on the progress bar, feeling as though she had taken the wrong approach. The survivors on the southwestern plateau had decent conditions for relocation themselves, and her strategy of waiting passively here wasn't effective.

Compared to orderly areas, those chaotic waters and lands seemed more suitable for her mission.

Shu Fu quickly thought of a place to go—the North Plateau.

She had heard from Chen Fa that although the official cause of the fish scale shedding disease had not been found—or perhaps it had been found but not disclosed—a treatment for this terrifying disease had been developed.

Although it was still in the experimental phase, and the effects varied from patient to patient, there were indeed many humans who had been cured.

Afterwards, with the change of seasons and heavy snowfall, the number of new cases of this disease plummeted. Coupled with the snow blocking the roads, many survivor organizations on the North Plateau that had originally planned to move south or west canceled their plans and continued to live in their original cities.

After the water level rose, most of the Qinghe River expanded into a lake, but some cities on both banks had slightly higher elevations, making it more likely for survivor organizations to gather there.

The survivors on the south bank of Qinghe, being close to Xiangzhou Province, had already evacuated earlier.

On the north bank of Qinghe, the authorities were temporarily unable to manage, and the survivors still living in the ruined cities had already formed groups and factions, creating a social structure and survival rules completely different from those in Xizhou Province. Therefore, the authorities had not yet figured out how to relocate and settle these people.

Thus, at this stage, the ruined cities still inhabited by people mainly received airdrops of supplies, medicines, and fish repellents. Of course, some survivors had already started farming and breeding, repairing power plants and water plants, and becoming self-sufficient.

The terrain there was complex, and sometimes two ruined cities were separated by overflowing rivers and lakes, so boats were needed for trade and travel.

As spring approached again, the amphibious man-eating fish in the waters were ready to move ashore to spawn.

Although the production and airdrop of fish repellents ensured that cities and towns on the North Plateau would regularly dispense such agents at the water's edge, it only prevented the amphibious man-eating fish from appearing in inhabited areas.

The vast wastelands between the waters, the slopes of the hills half-submerged in water, were the favorite spots for the amphibious man-eating fish. They would soon lay a large number of eggs in these water-land wastelands, giving birth to a large number of young fish in urgent need of nutrients.

The farther the waters were from cities and towns, the more unsafe they became. Therefore, this was the time when the need for boats should be at its peak.

And rescuing and transporting people didn't necessarily mean saving those who had fallen into the water; being a ferry between two cities seemed like a good idea too.

Although her raft wasn't large, it was fast and stable, with a balcony that could shelter from wind and rain and resist the man-eating fish. Most importantly, it was unsinkable, fully automatic, and free!

Shu Fu thought she could give it a try, so she set the course that day, crossing the Yinsha River waters to reach the waters of Xiangzhou Province, then turning northeast, directly passing through the old site of Xiren Province, and turning northwest after leaving the boundaries of Xiren Province.

After the water level rose, the downstream of Qinghe River, like the Yinsha River, had submerged the lands on both banks, forming lakes, with the islands on the lakes being the peaks of former hills.

She compared the water map and the electronic map, found the dark green icons that might indicate survivor organizations, and arrived nearby in the form of a protective shield—the waters of Zhangcheng. She spent a day or two drifting around the area, roughly understanding the situation of the waters and boats nearby.

Then, she began to remove the raft's protective shield during the day, quietly mooring in waters with other ferry boats, waiting for "guests" to board.

In the first week, she didn't get a single "guest."

Although the survivors here recognized that this was a raft of a person with special abilities, the owner never showed up, the raft was too small to carry many people, and they didn't know the price. So, after several attempts to communicate with no result, the survivors invariably chose to switch to other boats.

Shu Fu: ...

Shu Fu decided to step up her efforts, so in the second week, the survivors here quickly noticed changes in the raft.

Inside the glass balcony on its second floor, several large characters were posted, written with a thick pen on A4 paper, rough and careless, but the content was eye-catching: Free ferry! Really free! Try it and you'll know! Everyone who's been on board says it's great! No cheating!

There was also a smaller line of text below the large characters: Just shout out your destination after boarding! Free purified water and seats provided inside the balcony! Good deeds only for three months, don't miss out!

The characters, large and small, were written in different colors and posted inside the glass balcony, so they wouldn't get wet from wind and rain, making them particularly eye-catching and colorful compared to other old, rusty ferry boats.