RHWHEG – Chapter 10 Heavy Rain Warning

After a night’s rest, Yu Qunqing had spent all the hexagrams he had on hand, only managing to repair the main fountain and a one-meter radius of flowers, trees, and greenery around it. It was obvious that renovating an entire residential area spanning over ten thousand square meters would require an astronomical number of disaster stones.

Oh, right—he had also built a semi-transparent sightseeing elevator that reached directly to the third floor. No buttons were needed; the moment the crocodile crawled in, the elevator would sense it and start running automatically.

Currently, he had cleared Level 145 of the match-three game. He had 2 diamonds left, 3,566 construction materials, and an exploration value of 70.

Yu Qunqing had planned to go further out today to search for weapons, but instead of setting out at daybreak, he first rode his bicycle to a pergola walkway in the complex. The ground there had many glass panels, through which one could see the underground parking lot. A large section of the glass had already shattered, and the damp, foul stench from the garage kept wafting out.

He hadn’t taken the elevator directly down to the parking lot precisely because he feared that the moment the elevator doors opened, the stench would knock him unconscious. The parking lot had been shut down for three months, the air ventilation system wasn’t working, and all exits were tightly sealed. It would be stranger if no toxic gas had accumulated.

Yu Qunqing tied a rope securely around a pillar, fastened himself, and then carefully lowered down through the shattered glass opening.

He first descended one meter, holding a glowing light tube to scan the surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, he dropped another meter. Finally, he landed safely, his feet touching the ground like raindrops falling into a lake.

Nearby stood rows of luxury cars—Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis, Maybachs—lined up here like discarded cabbages. The ceiling of the parking garage had a minimalist industrial style, the pillars were bare black marble, and signs pointed toward different exits. Since Yu Qunqing didn’t feel any discomfort, he began walking forward.

Ahead was a sunken circular café. Its ceiling was made of diamond-shaped glass panels, allowing a direct view of the garden above. He circled the café once before finally finding what he was searching for—advertising flyers.

“Fishing King Tournament, Golf Club, MMA Gym… Found it, Archery Training Class!”

The downside of being stuck in the city center was that finding decent weapons was difficult. The sharpest blades around were kitchen knives, fire axes were unwieldy, and crowbars broke too easily. Over the past few days, Yu Qunqing had already switched through several weapons. He suddenly remembered that during past strolls, he had seen flyers for archery classes, so he came down to search for clues. Fortunately, the flyer clearly listed the location of the class, even including a map.

Without delay, Yu Qunqing set off.

He once again crossed the southern plaza, reached Fashion New City, climbed up an external fire escape, then zipped down a rope to another plaza on Rose Avenue. At last, he arrived at the so-called Archery Experience Hall.

Using a safety hammer, he smashed open the glass door of the hall and ducked inside. In the practice range, he found plenty of training bows used by students. After further searching, he finally discovered some compound bows that were for sale.

Modern compound bows had far more power than traditional ones, with more accessories as well. The pulleys at both ends reduced the draw weight, and they came equipped with multiple dampeners, sights, string stoppers, and other fittings, showcasing the craftsmanship of modern mechanics. Their risers and limbs were decorated with colorful patterns, making them visually striking. Some even came with arrow rests directly attached, with a quiver of ten razor-sharpened arrows ready inside. To someone unfamiliar, these formidable killing machines might look outright illegal.

Compound bows were further divided into subtypes—target bows (larger), hunting bows (smaller), as well as short-axle bows and steel-ball bows of various sizes. Yu Qunqing first tested a hunting bow: with a 32g arrow, it penetrated halfway through a sandbag 100 meters away. Next, he tried a target bow. This time, he made a little modification—he had previously scavenged a batch of children’s phones and already stripped them for parts. Now, he wound wires around the arrow, fixed a copper plate at the tip, added some carbon powder, and let sparks flicker faintly from his fingertips.

Draw… release!

The arrow shot out like a thunderbolt, and when it struck the sandbag, a loud crack resounded. A ring of electricity burst from the arrowhead, a visible purple circle expanding to three meters in diameter, scorching all the surrounding sandbags black.

The greatest advantage of elemental powers was that their wielders could quickly devise applications from daily life experiences. Yu Qunqing thought lightning and bows were the perfect match, and indeed, the result proved highly satisfying. All his effort scavenging materials had not been wasted. The only drawback was that it consumed arrows too quickly.

So, he stripped the entire experience hall of every arrow and every steel-ball bow. As the name suggested, steel-ball bows could fire not only arrows but also steel pellets, though their accuracy was lacking. Yu Qunqing also picked a few hunting bows with camouflage exteriors and one purple target bow, packed them into a bow case, along with the necessary protective gear.

By the time he shouldered the human-sized bow case and stepped outside, a fine drizzle had already begun to fall from the sky.

Seeing the heavy rain was about to come, Yu Qunqing felt more and more that he hadn’t prepared enough supplies. He spent the whole day searching for resources, not even sparing time for his match-three game. When the sky began to dim and drizzle turned into a steady shower, he finally carried back a huge bag of supplies.

“Rumble——”

Thunder cracked, and a massive shadow covered the clouds. For the next seven days, the sun would no longer appear.

At home, Yu Qunqing lit the stove and heated up the wok. The starch sausages he had cut sizzled in the oil, their edges curling outward like carved flowers. Seasonings were much easier to find than food in the apocalypse. He had previously found a whole gift pack of spices, still perfectly sealed. So one sausage he brushed with cumin powder, another with plum powder, and another with cheese powder… Today, he even opened a pack of gluten. The strong bean flavor mixed with the satisfaction of meat made his appetite soar.

Carrying the large bowl to the living room, Yu Qunqing ate while gazing out the window. He hadn’t expected that even in the apocalypse there could still be such leisure. The sky seemed to have sprung a leak, releasing sheets of rain. For now, it was still just the kind of torrential downpour common in Jiangbei City. By tomorrow, however, it would become a rare worldwide flood disaster.

The rain drummed on like war drums. Lost in thought, he forgot the passage of time and didn’t notice when his phone lit up for a moment, only to go dark again as the signal cut out.

Meanwhile, downstream at the shelter, some people carried their supplies, donned raincoats, and ran for higher ground.

Han Shuzhu, also clad in a thick raincoat, loudly scolded the staff in front of him: “I told you long ago it would rain heavily, and not just heavy rain—seven days of torrential downpour without end! You refused to believe me. Now, running at this hour, you’ll only bring doom upon everyone. Can you afford that responsibility?”

“This safety officer, we were just following the regulations,” one staffer said impatiently. “If you really have a way, then why don’t you think of a solution for that eight-legged monster!”

At the mention, someone began to cry: “What even is that thing? So tall you can’t see its head, and not even the instruments Dr. Chen gave us can measure it…”

Yu Yanlan had been half-skeptical of Han Shuzhu’s predictions before, but now he fully believed him. He helped rebuke the shelter staff and said he would also try to persuade those stubborn ones still refusing to leave from halfway up the mountain.

Suddenly, his mother Liang Cai shouted with joy—she had managed to get through to Yu Qunqing on the phone! She had traded food for a power bank, which only had 4% left. But with the poor signal, the call dropped in the next second. Her face turned ashen, yet she refused to give up, dialing again and again.

Another person searching for Yu Qunqing was She Lulang.

He was wrapped in a black raincoat, his expression dark, his eyes occasionally flickering with anxiety. Pushing against the crowd, he scanned every passerby intently.

“Mr. She, please wait!” A bespectacled researcher quickly caught up. “You’re the only Level-2 ability user in our shelter—we can’t afford to lose you. Dr. Chen is developing a new detection device and needs your blood sample. We hope you’ll cooperate, for the future of humanity.”

“Which is more important—saving the people right in front of us, or making your machine?” She Lulang turned, his eyes as cold as iron, like a ghost emerging from the abyss.

The researcher stumbled back several steps, too scared to move as She walked away. Only afterward did he mutter, “Well, it’s not my call anyway…”

She Lulang suddenly realized—the man had said the only Level-2! That was supposed to be impossible. In his past life, someone had shown up early, domineering and arrogant. After becoming a Level-2, he set up a lounge chair at the entrance of the ability hall, sitting there casually as others came and went. Since there was only one Level-2, everyone endured it. Even She Lulang endured it, swearing one day he’d beat that man bloody.

But in this life, She Lulang had become a Level-2 first. He thought Yu Qunqing just didn’t want to stand out, hiding away to keep a low profile. So he deliberately searched for him among the crowd.

Yet on the first day, he couldn’t find him. The second day—still no trace. Now, with the torrential rains imminent, he had practically searched the entire shelter, but Yu Qunqing seemed to have vanished from the world!

At that moment, he truly felt a heart-wrenching pain. Rain poured onto his face and soaked into his clothes—everything was cold.

Only when someone bumped into his shoulder did he snap out of it, his expression even gloomier. His obsession hadn’t lessened; instead, it was carved deeper into his heart like a blade. With hatred and pain, he kept walking.

A few steps later, he brushed past Han Shuzhu. Naturally, he had already set his sights on the man. One day, he swore, he would dig out every secret in Han Shuzhu’s mind and tear him apart piece by piece to quell the hatred in his heart.

Hours passed. Mudslides rushed down the mountain, and the remaining survivors halfway up finally moved, carrying their instruments as they scrambled toward higher ground.

The rain grew heavier, as though the river itself was overturning from the sky, while people lived at the bottom of it. The floodwater surged violently—once it reached past a person’s calves, it would sweep them away. Tying themselves with ropes, gripping their supplies, they climbed desperately upward to survive.

“Rumble rumble rumble——”

This was no thunder, but the sound of skyscrapers collapsing downtown as unstable foundations gave way. The rainwater turned into raging rivers, swallowing everything, while the fallen towers floated and were swept downstream, crashing into other buildings. Some natural pipelines burst, creating whirlpools beneath the flood.

Yu Qunqing hadn’t forgotten he still had a swarm of tree-bound flies waiting for him to deal with. Carrying his bow case and the strange moonlight lantern, he headed downstairs.

By now, the residential garden had already accumulated half a meter of water. The estate had been built on elevated ground, with multiple drainage outlets in the parking lot, which only showed how terrifying the rain truly was. He had already tied batches of inflatable boats at various corners of the garden with hundred-meter-long nylon ropes, preparing to use them once the rains came. Now, those boats were floating. For the moment, though, the flood level was still manageable.

Passing the third floor—the crocodiles were still eating and sleeping happily.

On the second floor, he slid along a rope down to the first inflatable boat, then rushed out of the estate. Outside, the rain struck harder, stinging his skin. Looking up, he noticed that the transparent dome above the estate had weakened part of the storm’s force.

Yu Qunqing pressed against the rain, heading toward the eastern commercial building. The lower the ground, the deeper the water became.

Suddenly, the drainage channel at his feet burst open, and a bloodstained hand shot out!

Then, a mouth pressed against the grate, shouting with a thunderous voice:

“Save us!”