At this mont, however, a brilliant smile lit up the woman’s eyes. She stood on a large inflatable raft, looking excited. Several other people were on the raft with her.
The woman was forcefully pulling on a rope with both hands, as if trying to haul sothing out of the water. Her companions rushed over to help.
Noticing everyone else staring in their direction, her companions picked up their tools and watched the surrounding people with wary eyes.
"It’s coming up! It’s coming up!"
The woman’s voice grew more excited as she stared at the water. The object below gradually began to surface!
Suddenly, the woman scread!
Everyone saw that what they’d hauled up was no prize. It wasn’t one of the fish that had been washed in earlier, but a corpse!
A bloated corpse that looked like it had been dead for a long ti!
No wonder... no wonder it was so heavy!
The onlookers who had been staring intently all lost interest after seeing what it was and averted their gazes.
So even gloated, jeering at the woman before quickly paddling their wooden tubs away from the area.
Similar scenes were playing out in many places across the water’s surface.
Everyone was using homade tools to scavenge in the water. Perhaps out of mutual caution, people mostly kept to themselves, and conflicts were rare.
Just then, a speedboat zipped past them, drawing envious gazes from many.
Quite a few people had their eyes on that speedboat. In a city completely subrged in water, it was an incredibly valuable asset, both for safety and practicality.
However, the speedboat’s owner seed to have no intention of stopping. Before anyone could get a clear look at the people on board, the vessel had already vanished from sight, too fast to even think about chasing.
"Ms. Sterling, where are we headed? You have to give a destination. I can’t just keep driving aimlessly!"
Stephen Lawrence said, driving the speedboat. He glanced helplessly back at Stella Sterling, who was lounging on the deck behind him, wearing a hat.
Ever since she’d made him take that pill, she had lowered her guard around him significantly. She no longer kept him locked up and even allowed him to move about freely from ti to ti.
From then on, he had stayed by Stella Sterling’s side, handling whatever tasks she had for him.
"Just keep driving. I only ca out for a little spin, to see what the world outside is like now."
Stella Sterling’s eyes were half-closed as she leaned back on the lounge chair she’d brought with her. She looked for all the world like a tourist on vacation.
Except, the world outside was a flood zone. Trash and corpses littered the water’s surface, along with all sorts of unidentifiable floating debris.
A putrid stench hung heavy in the air.
Who would co to a place like this if not to scavenge for food?
Breathing this foul air for too long would surely take a toll on one’s health.
Even if soone was actually on vacation, they would never choose a place like this.
Hearing this excuse, Stephen Lawrence felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
He felt helpless but couldn’t bring himself to argue.
’She seems to be acting more and more unscrupulously,’ he thought. ’She used to be more cautious, but lately...’
He shook his head, his eyes nearly overflowing with wonder.
’Even though I’m always with her, there’s so much I don’t know...’
’But that doesn’t matter. I’m certain now that following Stella Sterling was the best decision I’ve ever made!’
’I don’t have to worry about food and drink, and my safety is largely guaranteed. All I have to do is be her guinea pig and run a few errands. It’s almost too comfortable!’
He nodded. "Alright, alright. You’re the boss, Ms. Sterling. I’ll do whatever you say!"
So, Stephen Lawrence drove the speedboat and actually began giving Stella Sterling a tour across the filthy water.
As Stella Sterling surveyed the scene, a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes.
’I haven’t left that building in almost two years.’
’And in that ti, the world outside has changed so drastically because of the rainstorms.’
For the past two years, she had remained in her building. She lived a life of leisure, occasionally wandering to other floors, but spent the rest of her ti training and studying the Human Potential Developnt Technique.
When the snow lted and the downpours began, she hadn’t bothered to co out and see. After all, she already knew it was going to happen.
Two years ago, when she had just been reborn, Mirefall was still a bustling, prosperous city.
The Mirefall of today was completely unrecognizable from its forr self. Instead, it was slowly beginning to resemble the city of ruins from her mories.
Today, she really had just co out for a look, to get a better sense of the world under the torrential rains.
Once she was done, she told Stephen Lawrence to head back.
A month ago, large schools of fish had been washed into the waters from so unknown place. For people who had been starving for a long ti, they were a delicious source of food.
In addition to fish, there was also food that had been washed out from subrged buildings, though it was now soaked through.
But as long as it was edible, no one was picky.
Many people were out catching fish and scavenging for all kinds of supplies.
Stella Sterling had no such plans for the ti being. In the past, she would have done the sa—getting even a mouthful of food was a struggle.
For now, there were still fish to be caught in the water, allowing people to stock up on provisions.
But she was no longer desperate for that kind of food. ’Who knows how many bacteria are in things soaked in this filthy water. It’s best not to eat it if I don’t have to.’
’However, after we get back, I can have Stephen Lawrence co out and catch fish in his spare ti. I won’t eat them, but I can give them to others. Even if they’re not for eating, they could be used for trade.’
Having made her decision, she told Stephen Lawrence to head back quickly.
"Everyone, stop what you’re doing and head back! It’s getting dark!"
"How is it dark already? I feel like I just got out here!"
"Drop everything and find shelter, now!"
"What are you waiting for, a death wish? Once it’s dark, that terrifying lightning starts. Staying out on the water then is just asking to die. If you want to die, fine, but don’t drag down with you!"
The shouts from the people around them reached Stella Sterling’s ears.
The people who had been busy on the water a mont ago glanced up at the sky, their expressions turning anxious. They imdiately began packing their things, steering their makeshift vessels, and scattering in all directions.
They all moved with a unified, unspoken understanding.
The great rains had been falling for three months now, and many people had started to adapt to surviving in this new environnt.
Compared to the deadly hailstorms before, the torrential rain at least offered a sliver of a chance at survival. People could still venture out to find food.
However, night brought extre danger. Not only did the rain grow heavier and the darkness obscure all hazards, but there was also the terrifyingly abnormal lightning.
The lightning bolts were as thick as an arm, and sotis they would strike relentlessly, as if bombarding the area. Anyone caught outside was in grave danger.
Especially for those on the water, the chance of being electrocuted to death was as high as 99.9%!
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