CHAPTER 151: MOTORHOME WILL ARRIVE IN HUAXIA IN 20 DAYS

"Everything is ready. Isn’t it a bit late to be talking about this now?"

"...You’re right."

The issue with Yao Zixin passed. It wasn’t until the heavy rains brought the red earthworms that he realized how thorough Jing Shu had been. She had set up such a large umbrella that even the insects couldn’t penetrate the house.

Her awareness is truly excellent. Surviving well in the apocalypse isn’t without reason. It seems that in the future, if anything comes up, I should follow Jing Shu’s lead.

Jing Shu couldn’t help but squint. The rise in sea level is predictable. Scientists discuss this issue daily, and relevant personnel are undoubtedly conducting frequent tests to make predictions.

Then why were many places still submerged before they could evacuate?

It’s because many phenomena on Earth now exceed the analytical capabilities of current technology, leading people to label them as ’unscientific.’

In reality, the sea level rose alarmingly fast. From the moment its rapid ascent was noticed to the onset of floods and torrential rains everywhere, less than a few days passed.

The flooding came as swiftly as a tornado. It was impossible to escape the storm’s eye in time; one could neither withstand it nor find shelter...

Who could have anticipated that Earth’s sea level, rising by only 5 millimeters per year, would suddenly surge explosively after just a few dozen days? The most terrifying part was its unpredictability; it even managed to submerge the highlands of Africa.

It was enough to make Newton exclaim, "Earth’s physics is no longer playing by my rules!"

Jing Shu sighed. All she could do now was lead her family to survive the apocalypse safely and make ample preparations for the natural disasters in the coming year.

When Jing Shu voiced her concerns during dinner that evening, she unexpectedly received her entire family’s approval. Thankfully, the scientists’ predictions were correct, even if the timing was slightly off. This gave Jing Shu some justification for her future actions.

Wu You’ai was the first to support, saying, "My mentor said, what goes up must come down. The heavy rains are inevitable. Not only that, floods could occur nationwide; it’s just a matter of time."

"You make sense. The scientists have their evidence, and we must indeed make some preparations," Mr. Jing agreed.

Mrs. Jing then said, "I’ve already dried our vegetables and fruits, so we won’t lack food. Our grow lights are on for ten hours a day, and the vegetables are thriving."

"We should pack our food in advance and be ready to flee at any moment. But what about the chickens, ducks, and pigs? It’s a pity! We must also figure out a way to save the Domestic Poultry," Grandma Jing said seriously. "How valuable is Domestic Poultry now? It’s a national treasure!"

Jing Shu nodded in agreement. The floodwaters wouldn’t reach here, but it was better to be overprepared and not gamble with their lives.

However, Grandma Jing currently treasured the Domestic Poultry so much that she would undoubtedly insist on taking them during any future migration.

But... while everyone else is making a great escape, our family will be moving with chickens, ducks, and pigs—doesn’t that paint a rather unique picture? Jing Shu didn’t dare to imagine the scene.

Mr. Jing offered advice on construction. "With daily heavy rains, we must ensure good drainage. Besides your water collection tank, we also need to elevate the terrain. We’ll have your grandpa lay a sloping cement surface some other day and dig a channel to divert excess water to the hills behind."

Each family member offered suggestions, more or less.

Jing Shu finally began her ’performance’; there was still a batch of equipment on the villa’s second floor that she hadn’t officially revealed.

"Besides these, I plan to find someone to get a batch of umbrellas, raincoats, life jackets, and inflatable boats..."

Jing Shu’s preparations, of course, didn’t stop there. To prevent red earthworms from sneaking in and wriggling about, she bought one-piece rain suits. These combined rain boots with trousers and a jacket, complete with a hood. A clear visor provided visibility, while the rest of the suit was fully enclosed.

Although they looked a bit ugly, it was far better than her previous life’s method of wearing plastic bags. Back then, she’d return with red earthworms crawling around her neck and in every nook and cranny. Sometimes they’d stick uncomfortably to her skin, feeling like strands of hair, incredibly itchy, especially when they squirmed.

Jing Shu had also prepared life jackets: both old-style ones and new, automatically inflating ones.

The new-style ones usually looked like bracelets but would automatically inflate upon contact with water, floating the wearer to the surface.

Grandma Jing later asked how many of these new-style life jackets Jing Shu had. She wanted to put them on their Domestic Poultry so that if a flood occurred, everyone, including the Domestic Poultry, could be roped together and float without anyone getting lost.

Jing Shu was speechless. ...

The next day, Mr. Jing mixed the last few bags of cement. He laid it around the villa, creating a slope from low to high to facilitate drainage. He paid special attention to raising the coal shed—a few square meters at the back—by a fair bit, as wet coal burns poorly.

Jing Shu wasn’t idle either. She began digging a drainage channel starting from behind the villa. This was mainly to prevent water from pooling around the villa and overflowing. Rain over the next three to four days could easily reach ankle height. If it rained for several months without proper drainage, the water could submerge a person entirely.

While Jing Shu was busy with these preparations, Niu Mou suddenly called. He said Yang Yang had left a message for her: he had obtained the items she wanted. They would probably reach the Huaxia port in about twenty days, and she should prepare to receive them.

Jing Shu was ecstatic.

Thank goodness! It wasn’t a case of throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone for good!

The RV she had dreamed of for months was finally within reach! An RV, one of the top three luxury items in the apocalypse—she, Jing Shu, would soon own one!

Jing Shu calculated the time. Should it arrive by early December?

The location was a port in Huaxia. Jing Shu checked the map: the distance was about 4,000 kilometers. Before the apocalypse, the journey via the Lian-Huo Expressway would have taken three to four days.

But now, some highways were buried under a year’s accumulation of earth, and there were other potential issues like traffic controls and road closures. Without knowing the road conditions or whether detours would be necessary, it would take at least ten days, right? Jing Shu estimated.

If things went smoothly, she could get there before the end of December. But if not... she might not make it back before the floods began.

This timing was rather infuriating.

"Jing Shu," Niu Mou said, "Yang Yang also asked me to apologize. The RV might have been badly damaged; you’ll probably need to repair it when you get it back."

Badly damaged? Just how bad could it be? Jing Shu frowned.

"Oh, right, Jing Shu," Niu Mou continued, stammering slightly, "Yang Yang said that to express his apologies, he has already connected you with someone from Hengda Logistics Company. They’re government personnel, so they’re trustworthy. They’ll be transporting some items for the government from the port in a few days and can bring your RV back too. But... you’ll have to cover the cost yourself." He still didn’t detail the extent of the damage.

Jing Shu had a feeling that Yang Yang’s ’badly damaged’ might be a significant understatement.

Regardless, she had initially considered making a quick trip to the port to drive it back herself, wondering how much time that would waste. Thankfully, Yang Yang had already arranged for the RV to be transported back, saving her a lot of trouble.