Chapter 156: The Rainstorm Arrives

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: The Rainstorm Arrives

After reading Jiang Jing’s message, Shi Zhile immediately gathered Mr. Wen and the others.

"You’ve all seen the message, right? The experts predict a possible superstorm. We aren’t afraid of the rain itself, but it’ll be a problem if the sea pours in.

Stone Island has no mountains. Other than the iron ore mine not far to the east, the terrain is completely flat.

That flat terrain means that if the sea level rises, the only high ground we have to retreat to is the Stone Castle. Let’s pack up everything in the courtyard before the rain starts."

Without a word, Mr. Wen immediately pulled Shi Zhile over to the fenced garden. "Never mind anything else for now," he said. "These are my babies. Put them in the Planting Space first."

With a wave of her hand, Shi Zhile stored them, soil and all, in the Planting Space.

Wen Bai said, "You guys start cleaning up the courtyard. I’ll do a sweep around the shelter and check for any other potential hazards.

Also, let’s prepare some extra sand and gravel. If the sea level rises, we can use it to seal the shelter’s doors and windows."

Shi Zhiyi added, "Wen Bai’s right. The shelter’s walls are extremely high. As long as water doesn’t get in through the doors and windows when the sea level rises, we’ll be safe.

The lake in the courtyard is huge; it can hold a lot of rainwater. Or... we could seal the top of the courtyard. Using glass would make it easy to monitor the rainfall and would also protect the courtyard from damage."

Shi Zhile made the final decision. "Let’s do it. Mr. Wen and I will pack up the courtyard. Sis, you get the sand. Wen Bai, come right back after you’ve checked the perimeter.

Once we’re sure the area is secure, we’ll seal the courtyard."

The group split up and got to work.

Shi Zhile quickly cleared the courtyard. She stored the workbench near the south wall in her space. The furnace was too hot to move, so she had to leave it where it was.

After gathering the clothes that were drying in the courtyard, Shi Zhile opened the Task Hall to check the materials required to seal the courtyard with a glass roof.

’A double-paned glass roof for the courtyard requires 1,300 panes of glass?’

She quickly checked her remaining glass supply. She only had a little over 50 panes left from the last time she dismantled something, which was nowhere near enough for a glass roof.

As she weighed her options—making more glass or abandoning the roof—she caught sight of the Wish Drifting Bottle in her inventory.

Her supply of Wish Drifting Bottles increased by one every day. Ever since she returned from the Primitive Forest, the charges had become stackable.

In other words, if she didn’t use a Wish Drifting Bottle on a given day, that day’s use would be saved up.

According to the system, accumulated Wish Drifting Bottles contained a special kind of energy. While the energy from a single bottle couldn’t match the effect of an Energy Ball, gathering enough of them would eventually unleash their maximum potential.

So far, she had saved up 17 Wish Drifting Bottles.

But she wasn’t going to save today’s wish.

’Today’s wish: seal the shelter’s courtyard roof with tempered glass.’

A charge was instantly consumed from the drifting bottles in her inventory, and a glass roof materialized above the courtyard.

Everything happened without a sound. Around noon, Shi Zhiyi and Wen Bai both returned.

By then, dark clouds hung low in the sky, casting everything in twilight. Muffled thunder rumbled, one clap after another, a ceaseless BOOM in the distance.

An occasional streak of purple lightning would flash, momentarily illuminating half the sky.

The shelter grew completely dark inside. Shi Zhile lit a bonfire in the courtyard for illumination and also set up solar panels and lamps.

Across the region, everyone was waiting for the downpour. Even if the storm brought disaster, the coolness and the rain would surely arrive first.

After suffering through the dry, scorching heat for so long, everyone longed for a blessing of rain from the heavens.

The chat channels were filled with pleas for rain.

[DrWensBidetWater: Please, please, let it rain! I’m not short on drinking water, but I can’t stand this heat!]

[PokeTheGuyAbove: I’m the one who’s short on water! The water I traded from the big shots is only enough for today. I’ve been bathing in seawater every day; I feel like I’m being pickled alive.]

[Sun Ci: A superstorm? You’ve got to be kidding. Our group is still drifting at sea on a boat, with no islands nearby. If a storm hits, we’re finished.]

[PokeTheGuyAbove: Is the player above me out fishing? Just hurry back to an island.]

[Sun Ci: We’re not out fishing. We’re a team heading to Huaxia Base. We’ve already been at sea for a month. There are thirteen of us on this boat; we can’t turn back now. And also, person above me, stop replying to my posts.]

[Chu Fan: If it can hold that many people, the boat must be pretty big. As long as the storm doesn’t flood the cabins, you won’t capsize.

You’re in a relatively good situation. You have no idea what it’s like to be near Volcano Island. It was erupting for a long time, and even though it’s stopped now, the lava flows haven’t cooled.

Only rain can put out the lava. If it doesn’t get extinguished soon, I’m literally going to be cooked alive.]

It was rare to see news about Volcano Island, so Shi Zhile paused to read through the messages carefully.

Back in the shelter, Wen Bai brought out several hairy crabs and a pile of oysters.

"This rain will relieve the drought, and it also marks the official end of the extreme heat disaster. It’s hard to say if more disasters will follow, so let’s have a hot lunch. We can enjoy some good food, watch the rain, and take our minds off things.

Zhile, should we invite Jiang Yuxing and Wang Peng over?"

Having known him for over a month, Wen Bai’s impression of Jiang Yuxing was that of a calm and composed man.

At times, he could sense the authoritative aura of a leader from Jiang Yuxing.

But most of the time, he kept his abilities hidden, appearing lazy and relaxed. It didn’t seem like he was in a survival situation at all; he was as carefree as someone on vacation.

People like that were often the hardest to get close to. He always had a smile on his face, but on the inside, he kept everyone at a distance.

Shi Zhile opened her chat. "I’ll ask them."

She sent the message and quickly got a reply from Jiang Yuxing.

"He said they’ll be over in a bit. Let’s go up to the third floor so we have a better view of the storm."

Worried the smoke from grilling would be too strong, the group opted to steam the food instead. They lit the stove, poured fresh water into a large iron wok, and began steaming the hairy crabs and oysters in separate batches.

A few moments later, Jiang Yuxing and Wang Peng arrived.

The two brought some beer and a bowl of shelled lobster meat.

Before they could even exchange greetings, a flash of lightning, so bright it was almost purple, lit up half the sky. As thunder cracked, a single, huge raindrop splattered against the glass.

More raindrops followed, scattered at first. But in an instant, a dense sheet of water covered the entire glass roof.

Muffled thunder rolled in from the distance, one clap after another. A moment later, another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, this one even brighter than the last, clearly illuminating the churning sea and its rolling waves.

The group gathered at the window, binoculars in hand, peering into the distance.

At first, they could still make out the distant sea through the misty rain. But as the downpour intensified, a heavy curtain of water fell between heaven and earth, instantly blurring their vision.

Mr. Wen’s expression was grave. The arrival of the storm had done nothing to ease the worries weighing on his heart.