RITW 10: Heavy Rain Warning

After a night passed, Yu Qunqing spent all the hexagonal stars he had on repairing the main fountain, in addition to the vegetation and trees within a one-meter radius of it. It was evident that renovating a small area of over ten thousand square meters would require a massive quantity of calamity stones.

By the way, he also constructed a semi-transparent observation elevator that went directly to the third floor. There were no buttons; once the crocodile climbed into the elevator, it would sense it and start running.

Now, he had cleared level 145 of the puzzle game and had 2 diamonds remaining, with 3566 construction materials and an exploration value of 70.

Yu Qunqing had planned to venture further out today to find weapons. However, he didn’t set off immediately after daybreak. Instead, he rode his bicycle to a pergola corridor in the community. The ground here was covered with many glass tiles, allowing a view of the situation in the parking lot below. A large section of the glass had already been shattered, and the damp and foul odor of the parking lot permeated the air.

He didn’t take the elevator directly to the parking lot because he was concerned about being overwhelmed by the toxic fumes as soon as the elevator doors opened. The parking lot had been out of service for three months, and the air circulation system was broken during this time. All exits were tightly shut, so it would be strange if no poisonous gas had accumulated.

Yu Qunqing secured a rope to a pillar and tied himself up, then carefully descended through the broken glass opening.

He descended one meter first, holding a glowing light tube to survey the surroundings. After confirming it was safe, he continued to descend another meter. Finally, he landed safely, his feet touching the floor like water settling on a lake’s surface.

Nearby were luxury cars, Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis, and Maybachs scattered like discarded cabbages. The parking lot had a minimalist industrial-style ceiling, with undecorated black marble pillars and signs pointing to different exits. Yu Qunqing didn’t feel any discomfort in his body, so he proceeded forward.

Ahead was a circular sunken coffee shop with a ceiling adorned with diamond-shaped glass, allowing a direct view of the garden. He circled around the coffee shop until he found what he was looking for—an advertising flyer.

“Fishing King Tournament, Golf Club, Mixed Martial Arts Fitness Gym… Found it! Archery Training Class!”

The disadvantage of staying in the city center was that it was difficult to find good but easily accessible weapons. At most, there were kitchen knives, which weren’t ideal. Fire axes were too cumbersome, and crowbars were prone to breaking. Yu Qunqing had changed several weapons over the past few days. Suddenly, he remembered seeing some archery promotion classes during his leisurely strolls and decided to look for clues.

Luckily, the advertising flyer clearly indicated the location of the archery training class and even provided a map.

Yu Qunqing set off immediately.

He took the route from the south square, arrived at the New Fashion City, climbed up the external fire escape ladder, then slid down a rope to another Rose Avenue square, finally reaching the so-called archery experience hall.

Using a safety hammer, Yu Qunqing smashed the glass door of the experience hall and entered. Inside the shooting range, he found many practice bows used by students. After searching around, he finally found a compound bow they were selling.

Modern compound bows had greater power and more accessories compared to traditional bows. The pulleys at the top and bottom could be used to reduce effort, and they were equipped with multiple dampeners, sights, string suppressors, and more, showcasing the beauty of modern mechanics. The handle and limbs were decorated with different patterns, making them visually appealing. Some compound bows even had arrow rests directly mounted on the bow, with ten well-sharpened arrowheads placed inside. Some people who saw such a powerful weapon for the first time might mistake it for something illegal.

There were also different subcategories of compound bows, with target bows being larger, followed by hunting bows, as well as smaller short-axis bows and slingshot bows. Yu Qunqing first tried a hunting bow with a 32-gram arrow, which pierced halfway through a sandbag 100 meters away. Next, he tried the target bow. This time, Yu Qunqing made some modifications. He had previously obtained a batch of children’s walkie-talkies and dismantled all the components. Now, he wound the wire around the arrow, securely attached a copper plate to the front, and added some carbon powder. A faint electric spark was released from his fingertips.

He pulled the string taut and released!

The arrow pierced through with tremendous force, causing a resounding blast upon hitting the sandbag. A ring of electric current was discharged from the arrow, forming a visible purple electric circle that spread into a 3-meter diameter, leaving the surrounding sandbags charred.

The greatest advantage of pure elemental abilities was that the wielder could quickly come up with practical applications based on their life experiences. Yu Qunqing felt that the bow and lightning were a perfect match, and now, after trying it out, he was satisfied with the power. It justified his effort in searching for materials, although it was a bit non-renewable and consumed arrows.

So he took all the arrows from the experience hall and also grabbed all the slingshot bows. As the name suggests, slingshot bows could not only shoot arrows but also fire steel balls, although they were not very accurate. Yu Qunqing selected several camouflage-decorated hunting bows and a purple target bow, packed them into the bow case, along with the necessary protective gear.

As he stepped out carrying the bow case, the sky began to drizzle.

With the impending heavy rain, Yu Qunqing realized that many things were not fully prepared, so he spent the whole day searching for supplies and didn’t even have time for his puzzle game. When the sky turned slightly gray and the drizzle intensified, he finally returned home with a large bag of supplies.

“Boom!”

A thunderclap sounded, and a massive shadow covered the clouds. From then on, there would be no sunlight for the next seven days.

Yu Qunqing lit a fire at home, and the pre-cut starch sausages curled up in the hot oil pan, sizzling as their cuts gradually curled outward. The grilled sausages resembled intricate patterns, and the hot oil made a sizzling sound. In the post-apocalyptic world, seasonings were easier to find than food. He had previously obtained a package of assorted seasonings, all neatly packaged. So he brushed some cumin powder on one sausage, plum powder on another, and cheese powder on yet another… Today, he opened a package of gluten, and the rich bean flavor combined with the satisfaction of meat made one’s mouth water.

Yu Qunqing carried the large bowl to the living room to eat, looking out the window. He never expected to experience such a pleasant moment in the apocalypse. It started raining as if a hole had opened in the sky. At this moment, it was still a relatively common heavy rain in Jiangbei City. However, by tomorrow, it would become an extremely rare rain disaster.

The sound of rain was like a drumbeat, and he absentmindedly forgot about time. He didn’t notice when his phone briefly lit up and then hung up due to poor signal.

On the other side, downstream in the shelter, some people carried their supplies, wearing raincoats, and ran towards higher mountains.

Han Shuzhu, also wearing a thick raincoat, loudly reprimanded the staff in front of him. “I’ve been saying that there would be heavy rain, and it would be an extraordinary downpour lasting for seven days. But you didn’t believe me and waited until today to evacuate. I’m afraid it’s too late now, and it might cost everyone their lives. You can’t afford the consequences!”

“This security officer, we are also following the regulations,” the staff member replied impatiently. “If you really have a solution, why don’t you think about how to deal with that eight-legged monster!”

Upon hearing this, someone started crying, saying, “What kind of monster is it? It’s so huge that we can’t see its head. Even Dr. Chen’s instruments couldn’t detect it.”

Yu Yanlan, who had initially been skeptical of Han Shuzhu’s words, now completely believed him. He retorted at the shelter staff for a few moments, then said he would try to persuade those who insisted on staying halfway up the mountain.

His mother, Liang Cai, suddenly showed a look of excitement and shouted that she had reached Yu Qunqing’s phone. She had traded some food for her remaining 4% battery power on her portable charger. However, the signal was weak, and the connection was lost the next second. Liang Cai’s face turned pale, but she didn’t give up and continued to dial.

Also searching for Yu Qunqing was She Lulang.

He was wrapped in a black raincoat, his face gloomy, occasionally revealing a hint of anxiety in his eyes. He walked against the crowd, closely observing everyone who passed by.

“Mr. She, please wait!” a bespectacled researcher quickly caught up, “You are the only LV2 ability holder in our shelter. We cannot afford any mishaps. Dr. Chen is researching new detection instruments and needs to draw your blood. We hope you can cooperate and contribute to the future of humanity.”

“Is it more important to save the people right in front of us, or to make instruments?” She Lulang turned directly, his gaze cold as iron, like a ghost from the abyss.

The bespectacled researcher stepped back a few steps in fear, standing there stunned, allowing She Lulang to leave. Afterwards, he muttered, “That’s not my responsibility anyway.”

She Lulang suddenly realized that the other person had mentioned being the only LV2. It was an impossible thing in the past. The person from the previous life was extremely arrogant when he became an LV2 ability holder, sitting leisurely on a recliner at the entrance of the Abilities Hall, watching people come and go. At that time, there was only one LV2 ability holder, so everyone tolerated it. She Lulang also endured it, vowing to beat him up in the future. 

In this life, She Lulang became an LV2 first. He thought Yu Qunqing didn’t want to stand out and was hiding, trying to preserve his abilities. Therefore, he specifically searched for him in the vast sea of people.

But on the first day, he couldn’t find him. On the second day, he couldn’t find him either. He was nowhere to be found. With the approaching storm, he searched almost the entire shelter, but it seemed like this person had disappeared!

For a moment, he felt an excruciating pain that tore at his heart and lungs. The rain beat down on his face, pouring into his clothes, everything was cold.

It wasn’t until someone bumped into his shoulder that he snapped out of it, but his expression grew even more gloomy. The obsession in his heart hadn’t dispersed; instead, it was etched like a knife in the depths of his soul. He walked on with hatred and pain in his heart.

A few steps later, he brushed past Han Shuzhu. He had naturally been keeping an eye on the other person, thinking that one day he would dig out all the secrets in Han Shuzhu’s mind and torture him relentlessly to alleviate the hatred in his heart.

After a few hours, a mudslide rushed down the mountain, and the remaining survivors on the mountainside finally took action, carrying instruments and running towards higher ground.

The rain grew heavier and heavier, as if the river water was pouring down from the sky, while they lived at the bottom of the river. The water rushed fiercely, and once it submerged people’s calves, it would inevitably carry them away. People tied themselves with ropes, carrying supplies, struggling to climb upwards in order to survive.

“Boom, rumble—”

It wasn’t thunder, but the sound of buildings collapsing in the city center due to unstable foundations. The rain continued to pour, engulfing everything in a river, while lifting up the collapsed buildings and crashing into other places along the water. Some natural pipelines exploded, creating whirlpools beneath the river.

Meanwhile, Yu Qunqing didn’t forget that he still had a group of tree prisoners and flies waiting to be dealt with. With his bow case on his back and the peculiar moonlight lamp in his hand, he headed downstairs.

By this time, the water in the residential area’s gardens had already accumulated to half a meter high. The foundations of the residential area were built high, and there were multiple drains in the parking lot, indicating the terror of the torrential rain. He had previously tied a batch of rubber boats with hundred-meter-long nylon ropes in various corners of the garden, ready to be used on rainy days. Now the rubber boats were floating. However, he could still withstand the current water level.

On the third floor, the crocodiles were enjoying their meal and a good sleep.

Arriving at the second floor, he slid down the rope to the first kayak and then ran out of the residential area. He realized that the torrential rain outside was even more painful when it struck the body. Looking up, he noticed that the transparent dome above the residential area had actually weakened the power of the rain.

Yu Qunqing braved the rain and headed towards the commercial building in the east. That area was lower, and the water grew deeper as he went.

Suddenly, a section of the drainage ditch beside his feet burst open, and a bloodstained hand reached out!

Then a mouth pressed against the iron railing of the drainage ditch and shouted in a thunderous voice: “Save us!”