Chapter 297 A World of Natural Disasters (Three-in-One) "This world..."
“This world…” Sheng An rubbed his temples and handed the documents to Sang Zhitao.
"This world..." He hesitated for a long time, still unable to think of a descriptive word to describe it.
"A world of natural disasters, huh?" Sang Zhitao flipped through the information and asked curiously, "Why don't I remember writing about this world?"
Sang Zhitao flipped through the information and found that there was very little information about this world. She couldn't help but look up at Sheng An: "There's so little information about this world?"
The document in front of her was almost the least amount of information she had received since she transmigrated.
"Yes, this is a world of natural disasters. The story is very simple; it's just an ordinary story about an ordinary person trying to survive in a world of natural disasters."
Sheng An tapped the documents on the table and continued, "You wrote a short story of 10,000 words, so the overall setting and pacing of the story are very simple."
"Tells the main stories of five different classes of ships."
Sang Zhitao glanced at the original text in her hand: "Was this originally intended to be written as a series of stories?"
Sheng An nodded: "That's true if we look at your setup."
"It's too bland, no wonder there's no reaction. This kind of female lead in a camera drama isn't popular at all." She finished reading the 10,000-word novel in ten minutes.
Sheng An responded lightly: "Based on past experience, the simpler the story, the more complicated the information hidden behind it. We can't help much, we've only made a guide for you."
He pointed to Sang Zhitao's sleeve: "Don't you have the 'Hidden Space in Your Sleeve'? Things from there can be brought to another world. Why don't you bring more protective gear?"
Sang Zhitao touched her sleeve and said speechlessly, "I forgot. I should have brought more things with me from the last world."
“You’re bringing more things with you now than before.” Sheng An flipped through the documents in his hand and looked at the information compiled by other groups. “I tried to get you to bring things before, but I didn’t expect you to unconsciously use your hidden device to bring so many things back and forth.”
"Maybe I can take you to another world someday," Sang Zhitao said with a smile.
"It would be wonderful if we really had that opportunity," Sheng An couldn't help but agree with a smile.
The two didn't take the idea seriously, but little did they know that they would actually embark on a journey to another world.
"Go back to the military and see what good military equipment they have. Their stuff is more durable and reliable," Sheng An said, organizing the documents in his hand.
Sang Zhitao nodded in agreement, not forgetting to joke, "With my skills, I could actually do a speedrun."
"It's not impossible." Sheng An couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.
After giving Sang Zhitao some more detailed instructions, Sheng An took the documents and left.
Over the next two weeks, Sang Zhitao collected many good things from various places.
"This is a food ball." Lin Jing, who had managed to squeeze out some time, brought her something that the lab had just developed.
"I heard you're a famous professor now, with many students. How come you have time to make this trip in person?" Sang Zhitao was a little surprised, but still hugged her long-lost friend with delight.
After looking her over for a while, Lin Jing explained, "I don't feel comfortable letting anyone else come to find you. Besides, it's been so long since we last met, and I've missed you a bit."
"How is it now?" Sang Zhitao pulled her hand and sat her down on the sofa. "I heard that your space team has developed storage items?"
Lin Jing smiled and nodded, not forgetting to show her a small brown and white ball: "This is the latest military equipment from the laboratory, which I brought especially for you."
"Mild spicy version of Mala Tang?" Sang Zhitao looked at the small words marked on the ball, which was about the size of a ping-pong ball.
Lin Jing smiled and got up to go to the kitchen to find a clean bowl. She then filled it with some hot water and placed it in front of her before throwing the food ball directly into the bowl.
Some food-shaped objects, about the size of rice grains, were scattered in the bowl and then slowly absorbed water and expanded.
Five minutes later, a full bowl of spicy hot pot appeared in front of them.
"Wow!" Sang Zhitao exclaimed in delight, picking up her chopsticks and taking a bite of the corn sausage. "Not bad!"
"Here we also have braised pork, ramen, and other of your favorite foods," Lin Jing said, placing a small box on the table.
Sang Zhitao counted about two hundred small balls.
"Why are there so many?" She was somewhat surprised by the number of food balls in the box.
Lin Jing waved her hand: "This is already as streamlined as it can be. If the people in the kitchen were thinking, they would have prepared a Manchu Han Imperial Feast for you with hundreds of tables."
A hint of regret crept onto her face: "If the technology weren't still not very mature, I could bring you more."
"No, that's enough. I've collected many, many fragments of the true form, enough for me to eat." Sang Zhitao waved her hands repeatedly in refusal.
"Alright," Lin Jing said, pushing a box as tall as a person through the door.
Sang Zhitao opened the box in surprise, revealing a large, silver-white cabinet with hundreds of mini drawers.
"What is this?!"
Lin Jing pulled out a drawer, on which were displayed all sorts of thumb-sized weapons, as exquisite and lifelike as miniature specimens.
"Toys?!" Sang Zhitao turned her head to look at her blankly.
Lin Jing pointed to a round ball in the drawer and said, "These are all weapons and various protective gear that have been subjected to microscopic magic. See how you can organize them more conveniently."
Sang Zhitao's lips twitched. Looking at the dozens of items in one small drawer, and then at the several obviously larger drawers at the bottom, she couldn't help but ask, "How much equipment is here?"
"About..." Lin Jing silently calculated for a moment before saying, "There are about ten thousand."
"I... I don't need them, do I?" Sang Zhitao opened her mouth, then said with a wry smile, "If even I can't handle them, then these weapons are useless, aren't they?"
Lin Jing shrugged: "Just think of it as a toy that everyone gave you. You can take it out and play with it when you're bored."
As she spoke, she spun the large cabinet around.
It was only then that Sang Zhitao noticed that there were several handles behind the cabinet.
Lin Jing opened a drawer, which was densely packed with books that had been shrunk in size.
"Knowing you love reading novels, the government specially printed these for you. They're all your favorite style of silly, funny, and sweet stories," Lin Jing said, pointing to the books. "Pink covers are romance, green covers are silly, blue covers are no-romance, black covers are male-oriented, and purple covers are BL."
"Does it have a copyright number?" Sang Zhitao picked up a book about the size of a thumb and couldn't help but ask.
Lin Jing scratched her head: "I don't know, but it was negotiated directly between the local government and the website, so I guess they agreed on a price."
As she spoke, she patted Sang Zhitao on the shoulder: "Don't worry, the government won't let these authors suffer losses; they will all be paid."
Sang Zhitao nodded, then pointed to the two partitions below: "What's in there?"
Lin Jing didn't open it again, and said directly, "It should be a small generator set and some game consoles. The rest are just random stuff that other people stuffed in. I don't know."
"Should I find you an instruction manual?" Lin Jing looked at the cabinet and then at Sang Zhitao.
Sang Zhitao waved her hand dismissively and said, "It's alright, I'll figure it out slowly later, it'll help me pass the time."
Hearing her say that, Lin Jing could only nod in agreement.
Lin Jing didn't stay long. She was extremely busy these days, and it was only a little time she managed to squeeze out to see Sang Zhitao.
Not only her, but the other experts and researchers she used to know were also so busy that Lin Jing had to compress the gifts they had prepared before sending them over.
Sang Zhitao circled the cabinet several times, opening and inspecting each drawer before finally stuffing the cabinet and the food ball into her sleeve with satisfaction.
Sang Zhitao didn't plan to stay long. After leaving a message for everyone that evening, she went straight to the Outer Heaven.
She plans to travel directly from beyond the heavens to the target world.
After traversing through the spheres of light for a long time, she finally found the sphere she was heading to.
Just as she merged with the energy and entered the sphere of light, a black tentacle suddenly popped out from the sphere of light not far away.
She reacted immediately, raising her hand to block the tentacle before it touched her, but unexpectedly bumped into another tentacle. Before losing consciousness, she forcefully channeled energy to tear apart the dome outside the light sphere and enter the light sphere.
The tentacles intended to pursue, but unexpectedly, when Sang Zhi Tao fell into the sphere of light, she did not forget to transform the energy she had output into a dome, forcibly enveloping the sphere of light, making the tentacles not even dare to get close.
On the gray sea, a storm was approaching. From an ordinary boat came the screams of a woman and the shouts of a man.
The sound quickly faded into the howling of the storm, and the rocking boat stopped swaying, becoming eerily quiet.
Giant waves kept rolling up the sea, arching high and crashing down heavily.
However, the ship was much stronger than expected, so much so that when the storm subsided and the sky brightened, it was still drifting steadily on the sea, despite being battered and bruised.
This sea area is more vast than imagined. This ship has been drifting for a long time, experiencing many natural disasters, and is still a lonely ship.
A blinding light appeared in the sky, followed by a crisp cracking sound, and was seen by everyone on the entire planet.
The light quickly disappeared, and they stared blankly at their surroundings. But after a moment, everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
Only on that lonely ship, a muffled sound rang out, then silence returned.
One day, the ship drifted into an unfamiliar sea area. A similar ship slowly approached it and tentatively called out, "Peach!? Peach?!"
Sang Zhitao yawned, her eyes still sleepy, and frowned as she looked at the newcomer: "Who are you?"
The newcomer was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen. She looked at Sang Zhitao with surprise and asked, "What happened to you? Did you hit your head and lose your memory during yesterday's storm?"
Sang Zhitao frowned, instinctively dodging the girl's hand that was about to touch her forehead: "What storm?"
"What do you remember?" The girl frowned, pushing her into the room with deep concern. "You really don't remember me?"
Sang Zhitao obediently shook her head.
"You don't remember anything?" the girl continued to ask.
Sang Zhitao lowered her eyes to look at her fair, bare feet, and tried hard to think, but found her mind completely blank.
"This is troublesome..." The girl scratched her head in distress, "We don't know when the hospital ship will arrive here, what are you going to do?"
Sang Zhitao slowly shook her head. She felt that the people on the medical ship couldn't help her, but she was too embarrassed to say it in front of a stranger.
The girl sighed, stared at her intently for a while, and then said, "Never mind, let's just consider this a fresh start."
"My name is Zhifeng, and your name is Taozi. We are best friends and have known each other since we were little." The girl, Zhifeng, sat on the sofa, picked up a cushion, and said softly.
"I see..."
Zhifeng continued, "After you were born, you went on a large merchant ship with your parents. When you got there, you didn't want anything, but you insisted on holding onto a peach and wouldn't let go. Even after you finished eating the peach, you didn't want to throw away the pit."
A strange expression suddenly appeared on Zhifeng's face: "Your father named you Taohe (Peach Pit), but your mother thought it sounded bad, so she changed it to Taozi (Peach)."
"Then...where are my parents?" Sang Zhitao looked around at the room, which only showed traces of her own life, and asked in confusion.
A trace of sadness flashed in Zhifeng's eyes: "A few years ago, a group of pirates took advantage of the chaos to attack our ordinary ships. Your parents and my brother all died in that chaos."
Zhifeng then talked about many other things, and Sang Zhitao also gained a lot of understanding of this world.
In this world, a natural disaster occurs every four hours. Each disaster is random, but a few minutes before it occurs, military and police ships will issue warnings so that they can respond to different disasters.
In this world, everyone lives on boats. The boats of the rich and powerful are the most sturdy, comparable to military and police boats, and are known as first-class boats.
Ordinary people's boats are called ordinary boats, which are also the most common type of boat in the world. In addition, there are military and police boats that patrol and protect them. These military and police boats have climate observation experts who can provide early warnings of natural disasters to nearby boats.
In addition, there are merchant ships. Large merchant ships are rare but inexpensive, while small merchant ships are everywhere but are more expensive.
“Third-class ship…” Zhi Feng paused in his narration, “They… if they encounter people with black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin like us, they might lend a hand, but it’s best to stay far away from them.”
According to Zhifeng, the people on third-class ships are the most vicious and cunning group of people. They are born criminals, and every third-class ship is a den of iniquity. They like to plunder first-class ships and merchant ships, but sometimes they will also target ordinary ships.
Sang Zhitao listened to her story as if it were just a story, without any sense of reality.
She was unfamiliar not only with Zhifeng, but also with the world and its rules.
“I always feel…” she said unconsciously.
"What?" Zhi Feng looked at her in surprise when he heard her speak.
“I always felt that I should have a mysterious past, I…” Sang Zhitao paused, and said under Zhifeng’s strange gaze, “I feel that I should be a very powerful being.”
"How could that be?!" Zhifeng said, suppressing a laugh. "We grew up together, okay?"
“But…” Sang Zhitao felt that something was wrong, but she couldn’t say it because she had no memory of it.
"Alright, I came here to tell you that a first-class ship will be coming into our way tomorrow. Do you want to go and work?" Zhi Feng waved his hand, interrupting Sang Zhi Tao.
Sang Zhitao paused for a moment before slowly shaking her head: "No."
Zhifeng was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Didn't you just say you wanted to find a good employer on a first-class ship and then ask for a job?"
After saying that, she looked at Sang Zhitao knowingly and said, "If it's because you have amnesia, then don't worry. Anyway, even if you have your memory, you'll still need to be properly trained before you can start working. You have amnesia, but you're not mentally impaired, so you can definitely handle the job."
To everyone's surprise, Sang Zhitao shook her head: "Never mind, I really don't feel like it right now."
Hearing her say that, Zhifeng remained silent for a moment before looking up and saying, "Whatever you want."
She checked the time again: "The natural disaster will happen in half an hour. I'm leaving now."
Sang Zhitao looked up at the clock on the wall; it was already 11:30.
She watched silently as the small boat carrying the wind-stopping vessel departed, then looked out the window at the azure sea and sky, unable to imagine what natural disasters might occur here.
She got up, took a piece of dry bread from the refrigerator, sawed off a slice, and although she was full of resistance, she still managed to take a bite.
"I always feel like I shouldn't be eating these things..." she suddenly murmured to herself, feeling the whole wheat bread being chewed with difficulty between her teeth.
"Military and police vessel No. 31 reminds you that a level 1 undersea earthquake is imminent. Please take precautions."
Suddenly, a broadcast appeared on the wall and continued playing for nearly ten minutes before stopping.
"Peach, come here quickly, let's stay together!" Zhifeng's voice came from outside.
She hurriedly opened the door and went out, only to find that Zhifeng's family's boat was moored around her boat, and Zhifeng's parents were controlling two anchor chains to launch into the water.
When Zhifeng saw her come out, he quickly pulled her to the fence and said, "I'll throw you the chain, you can tie it up."
She pointed to two fixed locations on the boat, explained them, and then jumped onto her own boat, throwing over two iron chains as thick as a wrist.
Sang Zhitao managed to control the chains with difficulty, and then, following the other party's instructions, threw another set of chains over to secure it to the other party's ship.
Only after she noticed the sea was a little murky did Zhifeng quickly shout to her, "Go back quickly!"
Sang Zhitao obediently crawled into the cabin.
And then the undersea earthquake finally arrived!
The boat that Sang Zhitao was on suddenly began to shake violently, and before she could even regain her footing, the things on the table rolled off the table and onto the ground.
Sang Zhitao quickly jumped aside, dodging the shards of a plate flying towards her.
An even more violent shaking came, and she lost her grip on the stool next to her, falling to the ground and crashing into the back of the sofa.
Fortunately, the furniture and most of the items inside the ship were secured, preventing them from being smashed to pieces.
Because she had amnesia and didn't notice the plate, it fell to the ground and shattered.
Sang Zhitao, supporting herself on the back of the sofa, struggled to her feet and climbed into the sofa.
"Huff..." After taking a few deep breaths, Sang Zhitao raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
She looked up at her watch; less than two minutes had passed since the vibration started.
Zhifeng had told her that a natural disaster would last for about half an hour.
She took a deep breath, felt the ship rocking, and helplessly slumped onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sang Zhitao subconsciously raised her hand and touched her sleeve, feeling as if she had accumulated a lot of things to pass the time.
But as she rubbed her sleeves, the narrow cuffs didn't look like they could hold anything at all...
I couldn't help but shake my head, once again wondering if I was really having a hallucination due to amnesia. How could there be something hidden in my sleeve?
Time passed slowly, and Sang Zhitao, lying on the sofa, was not very relaxed. She would shake violently from time to time, and even though the sofa was sturdy, it would shift slightly, and she would even be shaken off the sofa.
Finally, after another violent shaking, all the vibrations stopped and the surroundings became quiet.
"Ugh!" She finally experienced the feeling of standing on her own two feet, but the next second she rushed to the bathroom.
Half a day later, she lay back down on the sofa, her face pale and unsteady.
"Peach!" A knock came from outside the door.
Zhi Feng knocked a few times, but the door didn't open. He then took out the key he had hidden in the house and opened Sang Zhi Tao's hatch.
"What's wrong with you?!" Seeing her lying half-dead on the sofa, Jiang Zhifeng's face was as white as Sang Zhitao's.
Sang Zhitao raised a hand and greeted them, "It's alright, I'm not dead."
"Alright..." Zhifeng felt relieved.
She sat down on the sofa next to Sang Zhitao, looked at Sang Zhitao who looked like she was barely alive, and couldn't help but laugh and say, "You're like this in the face of a Level 1 disaster, what will you do in a Level 2 or Level 3 disaster?"
Sang Zhitao jumped up from the bed: "Are levels two and three really that common?"
After recalling for a moment, Zhi Feng shook his head: "Level 1 is the most common, Level 2 is not so bad, I've only encountered Level 3 four times, Level 4..."
Her face betrayed her fear: "I've only seen it once."
"You were in such a rush earlier that you didn't even tell me how to deal with these disasters." Sang Zhitao thought about the underwater earthquake and how she was only able to make some preparations thanks to Zhifeng's reminder. If it had been a magnitude 2 or 3 earthquake, she would have been in trouble if she hadn't had time to prepare.
After the wind subsided, he regretfully patted his forehead: "In my haste, I forgot that you have amnesia, and you don't remember any of these disasters either."
"It's not your fault. Who would have thought I would lose my memory?" Sang Zhitao quickly raised her hand to stop her.
Following her movements, Zhifeng stopped patting her head, picked up the fallen cushion from the side, and explained, "We divide disasters into five levels."
"Level 1 submarine earthquakes and submarine volcanic eruptions are relatively easy to deal with. Although we don't have the powerful equipment of first-class ships and military/police vessels, we can anchor several ships together to resist the sea surface tremors caused by the disaster."
"Level 2 is basically acid rain and tsunamis. These two usually occur after Level 1, so I think the next natural disaster is very likely to be acid rain."
"For ordinary ships like ours, the second class is not too difficult to deal with. We can just lay a few more anchor chains and cover the hull with special tarpaulins, and that will be fine. But for third-class ships, it's a disaster, especially acid rain. Special tarpaulins are very expensive, and they can't afford them."
“Level three…” Zhifeng paused, “The level three I encountered was high temperature. The sea temperature reached eighty degrees Celsius. It was only thanks to the top-of-the-line temperature control system that my father and I commissioned at great expense when your father was still alive, otherwise…”
She couldn't help but shudder: "Many people on ordinary ships would hide in better-equipped ships with people they trust at this time."
"At the third level, a lot of third-class ships will die. After such a disaster, it is also the period when third-class ships will attack ordinary ships most frequently."
Although he couldn't detect any fear on Sang Zhitao's face, Zhifeng still comforted her, "When the time comes, you can hide on my family's boat. Dad will protect us."
Sang Zhitao thanked her for her kindness before continuing to ask, "What about levels four and five?"
Zhi Feng licked his lips: "Level four... I've only seen it once, it was during a thunderstorm."
"An endless expanse of lightning descended from the sky, connecting the sky and the sea; even first-class ships would be destroyed in such a catastrophe..."
“As for Level 5…” A look of bewilderment crossed her face. “I’ve only heard of it, but I’ve never seen it.”
"I heard that Level 5 is called Eternal Night. Experts say that the moment Eternal Night arrives, we will all be frozen to death, and this planet will also perish..."
Sang Zhitao's heart skipped a beat, as if something unknown was reminding her, but because of her amnesia, she really didn't know what she should pay attention to.
Zhi Feng didn't notice her absent-mindedness, assuming she was scared, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, levels three and four are very rare."
"How should we protect ourselves against Level 3 and Level 4?" Sang Zhitao asked curiously, snapping out of her reverie.
Zhi Feng's expression froze, and after a long while, he sighed helplessly and said, "Level three is already an unimaginable disaster for ordinary ships and third-class ships. We can only pray that heaven will have mercy on us."
"As for the fourth class... even first-class ships can only kneel down and pray that God will not take their lives."
Sang Zhitao nodded after hearing this: "Is this how disasters always are?"
Zhi Feng was stunned for a moment before asking blankly, "What do you mean?"
Sang Zhitao frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Was the disaster like this from the beginning? What about the land? Doesn't this planet have land? Then how did humans come into being? Are we born knowing how to build ships and sail the seas?"
Zhi Feng shook his head: "I don't know, but I've heard that there are many precious books on first class ships. Perhaps you can find the answer there."
"When will we meet the first-class ship?" Sang Zhitao asked hurriedly, remembering what Zhifeng had said before that they would meet the first-class ship.
Zhi Feng shook his head: "It's not clear yet, but I heard it'll happen in the next few days."
"Fine..." Sang Zhitao threw herself heavily onto the sofa, staring blankly into space, seemingly lost in thought.
Zhi Feng looked at her for a while and then left.
She came over because she was worried that Sang Zhitao might have some problems due to amnesia, and she left relieved to see that she was alright.
In the days that followed, Sang Zhitao experienced more than a dozen disasters.
Just as Zhifeng said, most disasters are level one, and she has not encountered a level two disaster in the past few days.
"Wow!" A huge ship, like a giant beast, blocked their path.
"It's a first-class ship!! It's a ship belonging to the Lin family!!"
“That’s great. I’ve heard that they’re always kind to their servants. I wonder if I can go in?”
"I heard the Lin family rarely hires people."
"Why not give it a try? What if it works?"
...
Ordinary ships around slowly approached the large ship.
It was only then that Sang Zhitao realized that their small fleet actually consisted of more than forty boats.
At this moment, everyone was standing at the bow of the ship, looking eagerly at the large ship in front of them.
Sang Zhitao also stood at the bow of the ship, but she was more interested in the decorations of the large ship.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was too calm amidst a crowd of eager eyes that the people on the large ship noticed the ships behind their two groups.
Forty ordinary boats were no different from a group of mice encountering a tiger compared to the Lin family's large ship.
Soon a banner was lowered from the ship, displaying a job posting.
"Ahhh! Peach, they're really hiring!!!" Zhifeng excitedly grabbed her arm.
"Are you really going to do a job serving others?" Sang Zhitao couldn't help but ask, remembering what Zhifeng had told her earlier.
Zhi Feng nodded without hesitation: "Of course, only on a first-class ship will we not be so terrified when we encounter natural disasters."
Sang Zhitao opened her mouth, wanting to say that she could get through the crisis on her own, but in an instant she remembered that she still relied on the help of Zhifeng's family when facing natural disasters, and for a moment she lost the right to say such hypocritical words.
Zhi Feng didn't notice her hesitation. She quickly jumped onto the boat next to her, rushed to the bottom of the large ship, and caught the rope ladder thrown down from above.
Several girls around her age also quickly climbed up the other rope ladders.
Then a dozen or so people followed suit and climbed up.
Soon, the twenty-odd teenagers disappeared from everyone's sight.
Sang Zhitao looked up and saw that on each boat there were couples looking eagerly at the large ship, just like parents sending their children to the examination hall.
Examination room? Sang Zhitao paused for a moment, quickly grasping at this unfamiliar word, but she still couldn't figure out what the examination room that suddenly appeared in her mind was.
"Why didn't that girl come?" On the Lin family's large ship, a well-dressed man coldly swept his gaze over the bewildered teenagers.
The butler, dressed in a suit, bowed slightly respectfully beside her: "She doesn't seem interested; I didn't see her make any moves."
Seeing that the man didn't respond, the butler tentatively asked, "Young Master, is it necessary to force him..."
The man waved his hand: "Forget it, the Lin family doesn't do things by forcing people."
After hearing this, the butler bowed respectfully before continuing, "Do you think we should keep these children?"
The man casually glanced at the trembling people waiting to be chosen and said coldly, "You decide this little thing yourself."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The butler bowed respectfully until the other person's footsteps disappeared, then straightened up and coldly looked at the waiting crowd: "You, you, you stay. The rest of you, leave."
He glanced briefly at the few children who were clean-cut, had neat faces, and clear features, then waved his hand and shooed them off the boat.
Those who were chosen wore undisguised joy on their faces, while those who were not chosen had no regrets. They obediently went to the deck, received a meal, and then went down the rope ladder.
Sang Zhitao waited with Zhifeng's parents for a long time. When she saw that the others had returned but Zhifeng was nowhere to be seen, she knew that Zhifeng had been successfully selected.
"Good girl, thank you for your trouble." Zhifeng's father smiled and patted her shoulder.
"Shall we continue?" Sang Zhitao glanced at the Lin family's large ship, which had already begun to move forward. Many small boats not only made way for it but also turned around and followed the large ship.
Zhi Feng's father looked at Sang Zhi Tao with some surprise, then remembered that she had lost her memory, and said with a smile, "Silly child, our child works on the ship, so we naturally follow the big ship."
"Aren't you planning to come with us?" Zhifeng's father looked at her with some surprise when he saw her hesitate.
Sang Zhitao was silent for a moment before saying softly, "I want to walk around by myself."
“But that’s too dangerous!” Zhi Feng’s father frowned and disagreed.
Sang Zhitao didn't know how to tell him that she had a feeling that she needed to find something, but the place the Lin family's big ship was going to was the opposite of where she wanted to go.
Seeing that she was really determined, Zhifeng's father didn't know what else to say. He could only sigh and say to her, "Alright, since you've made up your mind, there's nothing more we can say."
As he spoke, he turned and went into the cabin. Soon after, he returned with some supplies for her: "The Lin family's large ship will provide us with food. Although it's not much, it's enough to make a living. We might even get some manual labor opportunities later, which will also earn us generous rewards. You can keep these."
Sang Zhitao, holding her things, looked at Zhifeng's father, her eyes slightly warm: "Mm."
The first person she saw when she opened her eyes was Zhifeng. Perhaps it was a chick fetish, or perhaps it was because Zhifeng's family treated her like family, but she developed a deep affection for this family.
"It's alright. The Lin family's large ships are quite common in this area. Perhaps we'll meet again soon." Zhifeng's father patted her head, the warmth seeping into her heart through her hair.
Sang Zhitao nodded obediently, watching the Zhifeng family's ship follow behind the Lin family's large ship until it became a small black dot and disappeared from her sight.
Just after the large ship disappeared, she saw a dense array of small boats appear from both sides, following closely behind the large ship as it departed.
Sang Zhitao knew that this was the third-class ship that Zhifeng had told her about. They liked to follow behind the first-class ships. They could pick up things left on the sea when the first-class ships threw unused supplies onto the ordinary ships, and they could also attack the first-class ships when they were weakened by the disaster. Just as ants can kill an elephant, they could also destroy a large family.
Of course, such opportunities are very rare. Zhifeng only encountered a first-class ship being attacked once during that level four natural disaster.
Sang Zhitao recalled the gossip that Zhifeng had told her.
The missing ship belonged to the Zhou family, who were related to the Lin family by marriage. The Zhou family was known for their harsh and unscrupulous behavior, which is why they became the first to be punished in the disaster.
The survivors of the Zhou family's large ship back then, the second young lady of the Zhou family, were later adopted by the Lin family's large ship and became the third young lady of the Lin family.
"Huh? Zhifeng seems to have mentioned this second young lady..." She tried hard to recall, but still couldn't remember what Zhifeng had said.
It wasn't until evening, when the new wave of natural disasters had passed, that she lay in bed, untied the straps binding her body, and only then did a single word come to mind—tyranny.
"Get out! Get out! Get out!!!" On the second floor of the Lin family's large ship, in a luxurious room, a beautiful woman glared at the maid in front of her with a twisted expression. "Get out!!!"
The maid covered her forehead with her hand, but could not stop the blood from flowing out. She hurriedly retreated, bowing repeatedly and apologizing, "I'm sorry, Miss, I'm so sorry!"
The maid who had just stepped out encountered the indifferent man and quickly bowed her head in apology: "I'm sorry, young master."
The man glanced at her, then looked at the woman in the room, the coldness in his eyes melting away in an instant.
The butler behind him waved his hand, and a strong man stepped forward, covered the maid's mouth, and dragged her away.
The maid felt the tall, strong man's arm, which felt like an iron band, and trembled uncontrollably, but dared not cry out.
"What is it now?" The eldest young master of the Lin family said with a soft laugh to the woman who was throwing a tantrum. "Who has upset our third young lady this time?"
"Brother Xiao!" The woman's eyes were slightly red. She sat up from the bed, tugged at the sleeve of the young master of the Lin family, and said coquettishly, "That blind fool dared to touch my arm with his dirty hands. Can you help me cut off both of her hands?"
The eldest son of the Lin family didn't seem to think that it was wrong for a woman to say such cruel words in a delicate tone. He chuckled and tapped the woman's nose, then gestured to the butler.
The butler at the door bowed respectfully and left. Only then did the woman stand up with satisfaction and kiss the man: "Brother Xiao, when are we getting married?"
"Wait a little longer, until I get that thing." The eldest young master of the Lin family looked at her gently and coaxed her softly.
The woman pouted, feeling unhappy, but she was still coaxed into blushing, and quickly forgot about the unpleasantness.
"A newcomer?" The butler frowned deeply as he looked at the person he had just chosen today being brought before him.
The old woman who was helping to train the servants said obsequiously, "There's nothing we can do; the Third Miss has disliked everyone in the household."
The butler frowned, nodded helplessly, looked at the several pretty girls in front of him, and pointed to Zhifeng among them: "You'll do."
The opportunity to become someone close to the young master and young lady of the Lin family right away was like a windfall, so much so that Zhifeng didn't notice the pity in the eyes of the maids around him.
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