Chapter 11

The next day, when everyone woke up, they were all a little confused to find that there was an extra person in their camp.

Tong Shu didn't sleep well all night, her mind filled with the impending flood. She was terrified that the floodwaters would rush into the basement at any moment, and she even got a blister on her lip from the anxiety.

It seems this young girl can't keep secrets at all. Wen Shaocheng looked at Tong Shu's face, which looked much more haggard after a night's rest, and was also very curious about the information Tong Shu was so eager to convey.

However, he didn't show it on his face. Tong Shu thought for a while, made a few strange expressions, and then suddenly said to another girl, "Sister Xiaoxiao, want to go to the bathroom together?"

Qin Xiaoxiao knew that Tong Shu probably had something to say to her, so she quickly said "oh, oh" twice, took two plastic bags and a pack of tissues from the tent, and prepared to go out with Tong Shu.

"Major, excuse me."

Wen Shaocheng stretched out his long legs diagonally, blocking Tong Shu and the others' path. Tong Shu thought it would be too impolite to just step over him, so even though she was very unwilling, she could only speak up and ask the major to condescend to retract his legs.

"Why didn't you go alone this time?" Wen Shaocheng asked, sitting on the ground and looking up at Tong Shu.

Tong Shu was speechless, knowing he was talking about last night: "Because I was afraid someone would suddenly appear from behind."

Wen Shaocheng raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, bent his legs, and made way for Tong Shu and the other person.

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"Shushu, what's wrong with this guy?" Qin Xiaoxiao asked softly from the corner of the garage.

Tong Shu was speechless: "Yesterday I went back there for a fortune telling, and when I came out to lock the door, he happened to be standing at the front door and saw me."

"What?!" Qin Xiaoxiao raised her voice, then looked around guiltily and asked in a low voice, "Did he see you come out from there?"

Now, they all refer to the island as "there".

“No, not at all,” Tong Shu said, “but they’re definitely suspicious of me.”

"Forget about him." Tong Shu waved her hand. Time was of the essence, and she needed to tell everyone about the flood as soon as possible. "Nini said the next flood is coming, and we need to run to higher ground at any time."

"flood?"

"Yes." Tong Shu nodded seriously.

"But with the sun so bright now, and not a single cloud in sight at night, where would the water come from?"

"Sister Xiao, it's better to be safe than sorry. Underground air-raid shelters are indeed a good place to avoid radiation and high temperatures, but once a flood comes, this place will definitely be submerged immediately. If we don't prepare early, none of us will be able to escape!"

Qin Xiaoxiao also became frightened. She bit her lip and said, "Then we need to tell my uncle and the others as soon as possible and prepare to evacuate."

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When they returned to the air-raid shelter, Wen Shaocheng was no longer there.

"Major Wen and the others should have gone out for training. Being a soldier is really tough; they never have a moment to rest." Zhu Cheng distributed supplies again and happened to run into Tong Shu.

"Director Zhu, you've worked hard too," Tong Shu said.

"Hey, not at all, it's good that everyone is safe and sound." Zhu Cheng waved his hand and went to another place.

Taking advantage of Wen Shaocheng's absence, Tong Shu quickly gathered her family elders. She had originally planned to have Qin Xiaoxiao secretly inform them, but now she didn't need to bother with that.

Everyone was very nervous after hearing Nini's prophecy. They only knew that a flood was coming and would last for a long time, but they had no idea where the water would come from or when it would arrive.

Everyone felt as if a sword was hanging over their heads.

“We are now at the very innermost part of the air-raid shelter, which is very disadvantageous for escaping. We need to find a way to move out, preferably directly to the stairwell.”

"But the stairwell is not safe either. Water usually flows down one floor, and if the flow is strong, we will be swept back."

"So, we can only wait on the first floor? But with this temperature, it's impossible for anyone to stay up there."

"Besides, if it's just our family at the stairwell, other people might get suspicious..."

......

Everyone offered their opinions, but no decision could be reached for a long time.

In the end, Tong Shu made the decision to move the camp to the cave entrance first, and have everyone except the elderly take turns on guard duty. In case of any sudden change, Wang Jie and the other men would take turns carrying the elderly and rushing out of the air-raid shelter as soon as possible.

She was willing to gamble that the flood wouldn't engulf the city in an instant. If her luck really turned that bad, she wouldn't care about anything else and would bring everyone back to the island as soon as possible!

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The entrance to the cave is near the parking lot exit, and the temperature is extremely scorching even during the day.

The relocation of Tong Shu and her group has indeed attracted considerable attention.

"Master Tong, why are you suddenly moving out? Isn't it nice inside?" An older woman straightened up and asked. She was a resident on the second floor of the same building as Tong Shu, and they would usually greet each other when they met.

“My parents are always out in the dark inside, and it makes them feel unwell. Being closer to the outside world makes them feel better,” Tong Songming replied.

“That’s true,” the woman nodded in agreement. “After all, we’re not rats. If we keep hiding in this tunnel, we don’t know when this will end.”

Shu Hua felt a pang of pity and comforted him, saying, "It will all pass. As long as you're alive, that's all that matters."

"Yes, it's good that you're alive."

...

Wen Shaocheng led his team to do some simple physical training in a corner of the parking lot before returning to the air-raid shelter. Unexpectedly, Tong Shu's family had already moved to the entrance of the shelter.

The temperature at the entrance of the cave is quite high during the day, and the air-raid shelter has no air conditioning, so this family's behavior is really strange.

When Tong Shu saw that Major Wen had returned, she quickly turned her head to avoid his gaze, while mentally repeating the words Tong Songming had just used to appease the neighbor lady, so that she could answer his questions at any time.

This time, however, Wen Shaocheng didn't say anything. He plopped down next to Tong Shu and started drinking water from his water bottle.

Tong Shu glanced at the major out of the corner of her eye, secretly relieved.

Around midnight, the people in the air-raid shelter came out to move around.

Since the outbreak of the high-temperature disaster, these survivors have been living a life with their days and nights reversed.

Even in the underground parking garage during the day, the temperature is around 50°C, which is unbearable for most people. Only these soldiers insist on getting up early for training.

At night, more people started talking in the air-raid shelter. Some went out to search for valuables in the apartment buildings, while others stood up to stretch their limbs or deal with the trash they had accumulated inside. They would put all the trash in a bag and throw it out from the garage exit or the apartment building entrance, where it would naturally be dried out by the high temperature during the day.

Tong Shu's family usually plays cards or chats in the evenings, but today no one made a sound. Everyone looked out of the air-raid shelter at the sky outside the garage, as if they were waiting for something.

When Wen Shaocheng returned from his patrol, he saw this whole family craning their necks and looking serious.

To dispel Wen Shaocheng's suspicions, Tong Shu took the initiative to get closer, saying, "You're back, Major. Why are you on patrol every day?"

"Hmm." Wen Shaocheng responded, standing straight at the cave entrance, also looking at the sky outside. "Some people take advantage of the night to rob and fight. Keep an eye on them to prevent any trouble."

Wen Shaocheng had been turning a blind eye to the nighttime raids on people's homes, but gradually, as more people took what they could and saw others finding valuable items, they became greedy, leading to frequent robberies at night. These people had even formed small organizations, hiding during the day in old residential buildings with basements in the streets and alleys, waiting to rob people at night. In the past few days, they had arrested quite a few, and after educating them, they were all placed under centralized custody.

Tong Shu nodded understandingly: "You've worked hard."

Wen Shaocheng chuckled upon hearing this, saying, "This is nothing."

Tong Shu was stunned for a moment.

“Previous training and rescue work were much more arduous than this.”

"There's more pain now."

"So many civilians and compatriots turned into corpses in an instant. I joined the army when I was a teenager and swore to serve the country and the people, but at that time, there was nothing I could do."

"That's not something you can control..." Tong Shu said softly.

"Hmm." Wen Shaocheng let out a soft breath. "I hope this disaster will end soon."

Tong Shu felt a lump in her throat. She looked at the major in front of her and, for the first time, saw a hint of weariness on his handsome face. She then turned her head and looked at the neighbors in the air-raid shelter, leaning on each other for comfort. Some were praying with their hands clasped, while others were encouraging each other, their eyes filled with a desire to survive.

"Major..." For a moment, Tong Shu even wanted to tell him something.

Wen Shaocheng looked over with clear, bright eyes: "Hmm?"

But Tong Shu ultimately suppressed the impulse. She bit her lip and whispered, "You should take care of yourself and get some rest."

For some reason, Tong Shu saw a hint of disappointment in Wen Shaocheng's eyes.

Tong Shu felt a sudden pang of sadness for no apparent reason.

She is not a savior; she cannot save everyone. She only wants to use her own strength to protect her small family.