Chapter 48: Rainstorm

After dinner, it was time for the group at Jiang Si’s house to take turns keeping watch and resting.

Jiang Linhai prepared pajamas and toiletries for Qin Shen. When he came out of the bathroom, he was wearing the most ordinary loungewear, yet it looked as luxurious as high-end custom tailoring.

Qin Shen’s deep eyes held a hint of fatigue, giving him a lazy and casual air.

’It was a side of him she had never seen before.’

A flash of admiration appeared in Jiang Si’s eyes, but she quickly hid it. She said to him, "If you need anything, don’t be shy about asking. We’re still well-stocked on most things." Noticing the light stubble on his face, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a razor. "Here."

Qin Shen stared at her for a moment before taking it. "Thanks."

Jiang Si went back to her room. Recalling the look Qin Shen had just given her, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed with herself. ’Pulling a razor right out of my bag for him must have made it look like I was trying to get close to him, as if I’d been planning it for a long time.’

Staring at the ceiling, Jiang Si finally remembered to ask Shen Baoying, "Mom, how did he get over here from the other side?"

Shen Baoying sat up in bed. Recalling Qin Shen’s sudden appearance, her voice filled with excitement. "He said he swam over! It took him no time at all. We were all sick with worry, and when we saw him, we just burst into tears."

"How many minutes, roughly?"

"Less than two minutes? Your dad and I were still talking, and then he just showed up." Suddenly, Shen Baoying gasped. "I wonder if he heard us talking about deploying the lifeboat!"

Jiang Si frowned. "With this much rain, he probably couldn’t have heard clearly."

But Qin Shen’s strength was unfathomable. Having him stay with them inevitably made her a little wary.

The night passed without incident. When Jiang Si got up to brush her teeth, she saw that her rinsing cup was tilted at a severe angle.

This meant the house’s foundation was no longer stable.

If the rain got any heavier, their house would face collapse, just like Qin Shen’s.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Several more old houses in Longquan Village were washed away and collapsed in the torrential rain.

The Weasel Crocodiles attacked those who had fallen into the water, tearing at them ferociously on the surface. The scene was too gruesome to watch. Even more people, unable to swim, drowned outright.

A small number of people escaped, climbing onto the nearest rooftops.

Cui Weisong grew even more anxious as he watched the scene unfold. They were running low on ammunition, the village’s clogged drain still hadn’t been cleared, and they needed to save some bullets for the Weasel Crocodiles.

The assault boat was useless without power, unable to break them out of their predicament.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of massive explosions erupted from the location of the drain.

Cui Weisong looked out the window, his eyes lighting up with pleasant surprise. Ren Jishan had returned with a special forces team, braving the storm with explosives.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Another series of loud explosions. A small opening was finally blasted in the drain. A large amount of floodwater began to pour through the opening, which was instantly washed out into a much larger gap.

WHOOSH!

The floodwaters in Longquan Village began to drain away. Shen Baoying said to Jiang Si, "Sisi, the water is draining! Are we still going to leave?"

’If the water drained and the weather cleared, they could reinforce the tilted foundation. But the authorities probably wouldn’t be able to resupply everyone in time.’

’If they stayed here, they would likely become targets for resource plunder again.’

’Even the authorities would wonder where their food came from.’

Jiang Si was still inclined to leave, but she couldn’t be sure if the authorities might still have food and supplies in stock.

She had intended to wait and see, but Qin Shen glanced at the forest on the mountain behind them, his tone suddenly grave. "We have to leave this place immediately."

Everyone was taken aback. "What’s wrong?" they all asked.

Qin Shen pointed toward the swaths of toppled trees and the soft, flowing soil in the forest. "The floodwater has completely saturated the mountain. It’s very likely to collapse."

Qin Shen meant that the entire mountain where Longquan Village was located would collapse.

A jolt of fear shot through them, and they all looked at Jiang Si.

Jiang Si trusted Qin Shen’s sharp judgment. "Everyone, start packing," she said immediately. "Once the floodwaters—and the Weasel Crocodiles with them—have drained out, we’re leaving right away."

Even after the water drained, it would leave behind a thick, muddy swamp, which would be difficult to traverse.

In reality, Jiang Si planned to wait until nightfall, secretly take out the lifeboat, and have everyone use the current to leave.

Everyone packed their belongings, paring them down as much as possible. That evening, Jiang Si suddenly cried out, "Quick, look! A lifeboat just floated up!"

A rescuer had been dragged into the water by a Weasel Crocodile earlier, and his lifeboat had capsized. This gave Jiang Si the perfect excuse.

Everyone watched Qin Shen’s expression. Seeing no reaction from him, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then made a show of being thrilled. "This is great! We can row our way out of here!"

They moved their things onto the lifeboat and worked together to row forward. Before long, Jiao Weisong spotted them.

Seeing the Weasel Crocodiles attacking them, Jiao Weisong truly couldn’t understand why they would choose to leave now, especially since the water was draining.

’Could it be that their house is about to collapse too?’

Qin Shen stabbed a Weasel Crocodile with his knife, driving it back. Jiao Weisong sneered, wishing they would all be eaten alive.

Lu Zhifeng, who was watching from his window with a torch, knew that Jiang Si’s house was sturdy and wouldn’t collapse so easily.

’For them to take such a huge risk to leave now... there must be a reason.’

Lu Zhifeng waved and shouted to them, "Jiang Si! Sister-in-law! Brother Jiang!!!"

Jiang Si looked over and saw Lu Zhifeng and Niu Niu leaning out the window.

Zhang Qingzhi said, unable to bear it, "Should we take them with us?"

’By the time the water drains and they realize the mountain is about to collapse, it might be too late.’

But taking Lu Zhifeng and Niu Niu would mean two more mouths to feed.

It is when people are on the brink of desperation that their extreme selfishness and ruthlessness are revealed.

But they had the ability to help, and they had interacted, fought alongside them, and formed a bond. They couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Jiang Si nodded. "Let’s take them with us."

’Lu Zhifeng is capable and perceptive; he won’t be a freeloader.’

While fending off lunging Weasel Crocodiles, the group paddled toward Lu Zhifeng’s house. Jiang Si shouted, "The mountain is about to collapse! Grab some things and come with us!"

When Jiang Si shouted this, the villagers who had been mocking them for being fools suddenly grew anxious.

’No way!’

’How could such a huge mountain just collapse like that?’

But the rain showed no signs of stopping, and it was possible that Jiang Si’s group, being closer to the forest, had noticed something.

The villagers panicked and started waving at Jiang Si’s group. "Save us! Save us!"

Having survived this long, everyone cherished their lives all the more.

Lu Zhifeng’s expression changed in alarm. He believed Jiang Si without hesitation, quickly helped Niu Niu put on a life preserver, and grabbed an emergency supply bag to toss onto their lifeboat.

After lifting Niu Niu onto the boat, Lu Zhifeng heaved a huge, heavy box out of the window and whispered to Jiang Si, "This is full of guns."