Wherever the fishing boat passed, it left behind a trail of horror.
A hundred miles of floating corpses... so this is all it amounts to.
Ye Shu perched on the rail of the fishing boat, gnawing on a flatbread with one hand, while keeping a vigilant eye on the world around her.
Jincheng was in sight, yet she hadn’t seen any sign of a shelter.
The fishing boat nosed its way into the city. Even here, Ye Shu could see high-rises, their foundations submerged, survivors lurking in shadows, watching the boat intently. Mistaking it for a rescue team, they called out to her for help.
Ye Shu ignored every plea.
When they saw the boat was leaving, the crowd resorted to desperate measures—waving their arms, shouting, even throwing on bed sheets to attract attention.
"Here! Look over here!"
"Help! We're here!"
"There are people here! Please don’t go—please, we're begging you, save us..."
No one wanted to give up hope now that a boat had finally appeared. The rain had never stopped; eventually, even the tallest buildings would be swallowed. The fishing boat was a lifeline, a fortress afloat.
In a shadowed corner of a building, one man lay sprawled.
The man tried weakly to rise, only for pus and blood to ooze from his leg as sharp pain forced him to squeeze his eyes shut.
Perhaps... this was truly the end of his fate!
If only he could go back, he’d never have saved this pack of ingrates—he’d wasted all his resources and lost his chance at life.
Through the dingy pane, Pang Pangzi caught a glimpse of the big boat and felt nothing but envy. Exhausted, he exhaled, steadying himself on a crutch, trembling, with a single thought burning in his mind: He could not let these villains deceive the people on that boat.
His only regret was not meeting Lady Ye before the end...
Ye Shu did not want to go near strangers, but with no sign of the shelter, she was forced to seek help from locals of Jincheng.
As the fishing boat circled back, the crowd grew frantic with hope.
"Are you with the rescue team? Help us! We can't leave this building without a boat!"
"Young lady, where are your teammates? There are a lot of us here."
"Take us with you... We'll give up all our supplies if you do. This rain's been falling for over ten days—there's just no way out for us."
There were still a few meters of safe distance between the boat and the nearest building.
Dozens of voices overlapped, desperation in their eyes that made Ye Shu uncomfortable—a sensation like being a slab of fresh meat on a butcher’s block.
Sensing her distrust, their voices softened, tinged with despair and pleading.
"Save us... I know you don’t trust us, but at least take the children. They are humanity’s hope."
"If you take the children, we’ll do anything you ask."
"There’s a shelter nearby—if you can take our kids there, all our food will be yours in thanks."
Ye Shu studied their faces, noticing the strange flush that colored every cheek. Her frown deepened, and she steered the boat further away.
"Please, young lady, don’t go... We’re not bad people. The food is fine—stockpiled after the heat wave, just look... isn’t it fresh?"
The burly man leading them, seeing Ye Shu about to leave, tore open a packet to prove the food was good.
Inside, everything looked normal enough...
Yet none of the adults begged to be taken away, only the children...
Was she being too suspicious?
Ye Shu couldn’t shake the feeling she was missing something crucial, but just couldn’t recall what.
At that moment, a new voice rang out from the crowd.
"Don’t come any closer!!"
"Don’t trust them!!"
"These people are all liars. Run! They cheated me and stole everything I had!"
Suddenly, a shadow darted out like a big rat, screaming despite the hostile looks from the crowd.
"Dammit! Who let him out?"
"About to reel in a big catch and now it’s spoiled. If I don’t skin him myself tonight for pork oil, I’m not a man. Laosan, shut that fatso up!"
Knife Scar spat out, motioned, and a fist crashed down on Pang Pangzi.
Even from a dozen meters off, Ye Shu could hear every word. And the voice—it was strangely familiar.
When she brought the boat nearer, the residents morphed their faces back to harmless friendliness, as if nothing had happened at all.
Knife Scar smirked, thinking even if the girl was warned, she was still just a naïve kid—easily handled. He threw a mocking glance at the fat man pinned to the floor.
Pang Pangzi was filled with hopelessness and resentment.
Hadn’t he told her this was a nest of demons? Why had she come back—his life was definitely wasted now. He’d hoped to at least save an innocent girl.
"Little sister, it’s all a misunderstanding... that man’s just crazy, always thinks everyone’s out to get him. Don’t be scared, we’re all just residents of the Jinxiushanhe Community."
Ye Shu didn’t answer that. Instead, she turned to the man sprawled in the dirt.
Not many people remained fat during days of heat and rain—she knew only one: Pang Pangzi.
"Pang Pangzi?"
She called out experimentally.
He reacted at once, and Ye Shu knew, without seeing his face, it had to be Pang Tong.
Pang Tong looked up, suspicious. Could he really be hearing Lady Ye’s voice? Was it just his imagination?
Knife Scar stared at the pale, clean-faced Ye Shu, sizing up the two of them, confusion in his eyes. Never would he have thought this pretty young girl would ever go for a two- or three-hundred-pound fatty. "You know each other?"
"No, I don’t," Ye Shu replied flatly, her voice utterly calm, as though she’d said nothing at all.
"Doesn’t matter. Your boat is in my territory, so it falls under my control. Hand over all your food and I’ll spare you."
The burly man’s right eye was slashed with a long scar, and he looked delighted, not taking the frail-looking Ye Shu seriously.
Ye Shu let her lips curl into a mocking smile. Robbery? She knew that test well.
With a swift move, she produced a sniper rifle from behind her, set it atop the deck rail, her striking features twisting into something diabolical as she mimicked Knife Scar’s taunting tone: "Robbery... Hand over everything you took earlier. Or I’ll start shooting!"
Pang Pangzi looked up and saw the familiar figure.
It really was Ye Shu!
He’d thought he’d die in this survival game.
Now that Lady Ye was here... it’d be these traitors’ turn for misery.
Looking at Ye Shu radiating with charisma, Pangpangzi was both anxious for her safety and swelling with pride.
"Hahaha—"
"Boss, she says she’ll kill you."
"Boss, let me deal with that nutcase. The boat’ll be ours anyway."
"She’s going to shoot us—what a joke! Me, Knife Scar, threatened by a kid? Hand over the stuff and the boat, and maybe you get to live. Don’t be ridiculous, little girl."
Ye Shu warned once more: "I’m really going to shoot!"
The thugs just laughed even harder, waving off the threat: "Go ahead, shoot!"
As always, Ye Shu’s warnings faded into the void.
She touched her delicate face, half-resigned. This face was too innocent; nobody would ever believe that yesterday she killed a man—not an NPC, but a real one.