Those days of working together and laughing together are still vivid in my mind, as if I could reach out and touch the warmth of yesterday.

But the mess before my eyes is like a heavy hammer blow, shattering beautiful memories and forcing me to face this cruel reality.

Lu Fan silently bent down and grasped the fence that had been knocked down by the floodwater with both hands. The fence was still damp and cold.

He lifted each tree up and replanted it in the soil, then moved stones and tamped down the surrounding soil.

Every movement is like a conversation with the past, an attempt to piece together those scattered memories.

He was even more meticulous about the damaged areas, carefully finding tools and materials to replace the broken planks and rebuild the loose bricks.

His movements were unhurried, steady, and resolute, as if he were restoring more than just this weathered house.

It is also a precious memory of his journey. Every brick and every plank carries his sweat and laughter.

At that time, he, Anlan, and a group of lively and clever monkeys worked together on this land.

With everyone working together, they built this hopeful home brick by brick.

Every brick was infused with their hard work, and every drop of sweat was filled with their hopes for the future.

Their laughter and joy echoed in this courtyard, witnessing their growth and struggles.

But now, under the relentless onslaught of this torrential rain, it has become unrecognizable, leaving one with a heart full of sorrow and melancholy.

Memories flooded back, and Lu Fan paused for a moment, but quickly resumed his work.

He buried those days of working together deep in his heart once again, focusing on the restoration work at hand, as if to tell the world with his actions that no matter how great the difficulties they encountered, they would not be easily defeated.

Meanwhile, An Lan was busy inside the villa.

Like a diligent bee, she carefully sorted out the items that had been soaked by the rain and carried them to a well-ventilated place to dry.

While drying, she gently patted the items, trying to shake off the water droplets and dust.

After tidying up the items, she carefully inspected every corner of the villa, her eyes wide open, not letting go of any place that might pose a safety hazard.

She would sometimes crouch down to check the corner of the wall, and sometimes stand on tiptoe to check the ceiling, just like a dutiful guardian protecting their home.

However, even though everything was slowly returning to order, the three of them still felt heavy-hearted.

The disaster brought by this rainstorm was too heavy. In just two days, they learned from the announcement that more than a dozen athletes had unfortunately lost their lives in floods, mudslides and other disasters.

These athletes, like them, fought for the nation's hopes in this wilderness, faced the same predicament, and are now separated by death.

Thinking about all this, the three were filled with emotion. Life is as fragile as a candle flame flickering in the wind in the face of the powerful forces of nature, and it can be extinguished at any time, which makes people sigh.

"Life is so fragile. So many precious lives have been lost in just a few days."

Ling Yue couldn't help but sigh. He had seen many criminals brought to justice in the past, and those people deserved their punishment, so he didn't have any particular thoughts about it.

But these athletes who sacrificed their lives were people who worked hard for their country, which made him feel particularly bad.

A look of sadness appeared on An Lan's face as she sighed softly and said, "Those who lost their lives innocently because of the player rebates are the most pitiful. They did nothing wrong, yet this cruel game took their lives away. So many vibrant lives... Alas."

Seeing that the two were in low spirits, Lu Fan tried to lighten the mood with lighthearted words: "Everyone dies eventually. They just faced this end earlier than ordinary people. They're not like characters in a novel with a protagonist's halo. How could they possibly be safe and sound forever?"

He paused, then added half-jokingly, "Besides, with fewer people, resources are relatively less strained, right?"

Upon hearing this, An Lan and Ling Yue were speechless, looking at him with an expression that said, "What kind of twisted logic is this?"

Lu Fan laughed awkwardly: "Haha... just kidding, if it's not funny, then forget it..."

After the rain, the sun, like a liberated spirit, poured down without reservation, kissing the earth wantonly, as if to completely drive away the gloom accumulated in the previous days.

The water on the ground seemed to have received an emergency assembly order, and it decreased rapidly at a visible speed.

In those low-lying areas, where the water was originally full, it was now bubbling and gurgling, like a group of naughty children chasing each other and turning into water vapor, happily escaping towards the sky.

These past two days have been incredibly boring for Big Black. It's been jumping around the house, and every now and then it runs to the door, gazing longingly outside, as if it's muttering, "I'm practically turning into a statue from being cooped up like this! When can I finally go out and play with White Wolf?!"

As soon as the rain stopped, it seemed to be injected with stimulants, jumping three feet high with excitement, grabbing its favorite jerky, and dashing out like an arrow.

It was moving so fast that it created a small whirlwind, and its tail swayed like a propeller, as if announcing its joy to the whole world.

Lu Fan, Ling Yue, and An Lan also planned to go out and explore.

As soon as they stepped out of the villa, a wave of heat swept over them, and the three of them truly felt how terrible the weather was.

The water on the ground evaporated rapidly under the sun, making them feel as if they had stepped into a huge, fully-heated steamer.

With each breath, I felt a warm sensation in my nasal cavity, as if a fire was burning inside.

Sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, slid down his cheeks, and dripped onto the scorching ground. With a "sizzle," it vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

However, this trip was full of surprises, like fireworks, and they gained a lot along the way.

Perhaps the torrential rain disrupted the animals' peaceful rhythm of life, and many animals were "washed down" by the rain and forced into their sight.

Various colorful birds fluttered their wet wings on the branches, looking like they were performing a comical dance, but they couldn't take flight no matter what.

The pheasants darted about in a panic in the grass.

Every now and then you can see muntjacs that were originally agile and deer that were once graceful, now lying sprawled on the ground, their bodies still warm.

These animals were still quite "fresh," clearly having just escaped the clutches of the torrential rain.

The three of them walked and collected prey as they went, and before they knew it, they had reached the halfway point of their exploration.

But then a problem arose: the baskets they brought simply couldn't hold all of their harvest.