Chapter 58 Xu Zhen Returns

Waking up in the morning, Bai Xiao discovered no water flowed from the tap when she went to wash her face. The water outage was abrupt and unexpected.

Zhao Fangzhe and Shi Jun knocked on her door once more.

Anxiety filled their eyes. While surviving without electricity or internet was possible, the lack of clean water was a bolt from the blue—a matter of life and death.

The water stoppage came without prior notice. The water reserves in their respective homes were meager, insufficient to last very long at all.

Now, the two who originally had no plans to go out found themselves compelled to venture outside in search of water. They came to Bai Xiao to ask if she wanted to join them.

For Bai Xiao, searching for water was optional. Her stored water was enough for one person to drink for at least ten years; she wasn't in dire need.

However, having seen how rapidly the water level rose yesterday, her first act upon waking was to check the building across the way. After a day and night, the accumulated water had already submerged the second floor, and the Third Floor was in imminent danger.

Bai Xiao worried that when the third game arrived, her home environment might no longer be safe. Going out to search for a potentially safer place had become an urgent necessity for her.

So she nodded, agreeing to the proposal to go out. After discussing and agreeing on a plan, they each returned home to pack, planning to depart in half an hour.

Just then, the sound of running footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

"I knew my husband wouldn't abandon me. Brother Xu is still the best."

It was the voice of that woman from unit 1301. Ever since Bai Xiao's physical intimidation of the two of them last time, they had fallen completely silent from that day on, not daring to cause trouble lightly again.

Yesterday, Zhao Fangzhe had clearly seen that Xu Zhen and his group hadn't returned. What did that woman mean just now? Had Xu Zhen and the others not died? Had they come back?

The three exchanged glances and decided to go down to see what was happening.

Since the water had flooded into the residential building, everyone could no longer leave through the main unit entrance unless they swam out.

People could only choose to leave through the stairwell windows or directly climb over the connecting corridor between the two building units. The corridor was open-air, about three meters long, wider than the unit entrance, with railings on both sides only about one and a half meters high, making it easy to climb over.

When they reached the fourth floor, the area below was already packed with people—half were worried family members, the other half were those who didn't believe the missing had returned and came to see for themselves.

Separated by just one floor, they could hear Xu Zhen's hearty laughter. Bai Xiao and the other two simply didn't continue downward. Since every floor had a connecting corridor, they could still see the situation below clearly even from a floor or two above.

They directly went to observe from the connecting corridor on the fourth floor.

Wow! Quite a spectacle. Their group of seven or eight people had actually returned paddling four rubber dinghies. Two of the dinghies were piled high with bags of all sizes—the supplies they had found.

"We were lucky. After being swept away by the water, a fallen tree saved our lives. That place was a training school. We found these four rubber dinghies in a training room and some food in the school cafeteria, which is why we were delayed."

Surrounded by family and followers, Xu Zhen and a few others were boasting about their experiences and gains from the past two days.

"It really is Brother Xu. You guys actually managed to find boats."

"Could you lend us the boats? Did you know our building's water is cut off? We need to go out and find some water."

The onlookers gazed enviously at the several boats, their eyes covetous.

Upon hearing this, the families of Xu Zhen and the others were furious, lashing out without thinking: "Yesterday you all thought they were dead, unwilling to go out and search for them, unwilling to share even a bite of food with us suffering families. How do you have the nerve to ask to borrow the boats now? Get lost! No borrowing!"

Hearing his family say this, Xu Zhen's originally amiable and joyful smile instantly stiffened on his face. His gaze turned sharp, sweeping over the guilty faces. His eyes shifted, as if he thought of something, and his expression softened again: "It's not impossible to borrow the boats."

The crowd seemed surprised he could let bygones be bygones. Despite how his family was treated yesterday, he was still willing to forgive everyone. They couldn't help but think he was truly a good person, his image becoming grand and righteous.

He spoke leisurely, exuding a sense of holding all the cards, having everyone in the palm of his hand.

"To borrow a boat once, each person must pay ten jin of food or clean water. Moreover, family members cannot borrow simultaneously. Each use is limited to half a day, and we take thirty percent of any supplies you bring back."

Just moments ago, they thought he was a saintly great person. Unexpectedly, the next second he proposed theseUnfair terms. The onlookers felt Xu Zhen was simply asking for the moon.

"You're too ruthless! We'd be out working hard for half a day, and you want thirty percent for doing nothing?!"

Xu Zhen glanced sideways at the speaker, offering no response. He simply said to the brother beside him, "Xiao Liu, note this down. No matter how many supplies this person offers, we won't lend him a boat."

"Got it, Brother Xu. I'll remember it well!"

"Brother Xu, that's not what I meant. Please don't hold it against a petty person like me. My mouth is trash; don't take it to heart." That person was spineless, quickly bowing and begging for forgiveness.

Xu Zhen couldn't be bothered to look at him, only announcing to the others: "Those who want to borrow boats, come to the eighth floor to hand over supplies and register."

After speaking, he called to his subordinates behind him: "Bring all the stuff, carry the boats upstairs. Let's go back and rest up first."

...

"They've struck it rich, actually getting so many boats. Rubber dinghies are much sturdier than the two toy boats we managed to get." Zhao Fangzhe couldn't help but marvel at Xu Zhen's dumb luck—not drowned by the flood, and even finding all these things.

"Should we borrow their boats? The vehicle we found floats okay on the water, but if we need to navigate the flooded city, if we bump into something sharp, it could easily get punctured." Shi Jun expressed his concern.

Having decided to go out with Zhao Fangzhe and Shi Jun, she didn't plan to hide it from them: "I was in a hydrological observation club in university, often wading in water. I also have two rubber dinghies stored at home as backup."

Of course, the hobby of hydrological observation was fabricated. Normally, no one keeps rubber dinghies at home; she needed to invent a source.

Moreover, she didn't just have two inflatable rubber dinghies; she also had two inflatable assault boats with aluminum alloy hard bottoms that required assembly, complete with outboard motors, propellers, and even gasoline and diesel. However, it wasn't wise to reveal all this. One must guard against others. Maintaining just the right level was safest.

Hearing this, Zhao and Shi were overjoyed, urging her to go upstairs, pack, and prepare to leave.

Bai Xiao quickly changed into a set of iron-gray outdoor waterproof gear. She then took out two rubber dinghies on the spot and began inflating them with an electric air pump. The benefit of electric was speed; in just a few minutes, one dinghy capable of carrying four people was fully inflated.

She had only gathered four paddles originally, all made of carbon fiber—the most expensive and lightest material among all paddles, yet extremely strong, offering low resistance when paddling and high travel efficiency.

Yesterday, she saw paddles among the pile of supplies Zhao Fangzhe and the others had scavenged. Her own stock of paddles was too professional; bringing them all out would be too conspicuous. She only took out one for her own use.

When going out with others, Bai Xiao was accustomed to packing potentially needed items into a large bag first. By the time she was almost done packing, Zhao Fangzhe and Shi Jun were already waiting outside her door.

Seeing that Bai Xiao had already inflated the rubber dinghies, they silently admired her efficiency.

Zhao Fangzhe had no experience with rubber dinghies. Unconsciously, he stepped forward and touched the two black-and-gray dinghies. The hull felt soft yet resilient, with a subtle fabric texture on the surface. They looked sturdy and high-quality, seemingly on a completely different level from Xu Zhen's.

Shi Jun, having served in the military and frequently encountered such equipment during outdoor training, recognized at a glance that Bai Xiao's two dinghies were made of Hypalon—the best material for rubber dinghies. He couldn't help but think this young woman was truly impressive: strong personal capabilities and professional material reserves. He praised, "Your rubber dinghies are far superior to Xu Zhen's."

"How so?" Zhao Fangzhe, completely clueless about watercraft equipment,Humbly seeking advice from Shimilitary.