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Chapter 208 - Hunting for Supplies Underwater

It was the first day of the salvage operation, and the place was buzzing. Some people could not understand why they did not just wait for the flood to recede, since then there would be no need to salvage at all. But if showing up meant a hot meal, they would do whatever the government said. What they did not know was that the authorities had already projected the water would not fall for at least half a year. That was why they rushed to salvage now. Soaking any longer would ruin everything and make it worthless.

Each salvage worker surfaced every one or two minutes, ropes hauling up all kinds of things every time.

All over the water, people in life jackets floated and bobbed. They had come to pick up whatever they could, then trade it for virtual coins. Even if they could not trade it, they could still take it home and use it.

There was plenty of floating trash and still-usable odds and ends. Plastic basins, clothes hangers, and boxes could not be exchanged for coins, but they were handy at home. Floating wardrobes or door panels could be traded for a small amount.

In short, renting a life jacket for 1 coin was not a loss. If life jackets were free, who would get one first? If someone broke one or stashed it away, how would you hold anyone accountable in a crowd? To avoid trouble, better to charge rent.

When things are expensive, people use them carefully.

Half a city had been swallowed by water. How much stuff was down there? The displaced saw value in everything. Even a cup mattered, since you could fill it instead of sticking your head out in the rain to drink.

The spectacle of so many people bobbing on the surface was even grander than the sinking of the Titanic. Everyone picked through the water for anything useful, like scavengers. In her previous life, Jing Shu had only started searching later.

By then, most of the good things were already gone.

The amphibious shark submarine drew attention as it nosed across the surface. Once Jing Shu had changed into a dive suit and fitted her rescue gear, she guided the sub beneath the water.

She flicked on the floodlights and crept forward. This was the city center, a prosperous zone. She had to be careful not to clip any buildings.

She did not need to target anything specific. With this much material, there had to be something useful. She steered toward the largest building nearby. The amphibious shark submarine was bulky, so small places were off limits.

Before the flood, when she lost her home, Jing Shu had dreamed of searching underwater like this, taking whatever she liked or needed. She had never imagined she would realize that wish in this life.

Her heart raced with excitement.

She thought of the bounties posted on the big data list. Many rewards had been offered by different parties. It was not just the government that had left things in the city. Plenty of wealthy people had failed to move their property in time.

As for grain, that was stored in secret depots. Those locations were carefully chosen to avoid floods, earthquakes, and other disasters. No problem there.

If she could, she would take a bounty or two along the way.

Jing Shu slipped the amphibious shark submarine through a window into a high-rise. It did not look like an office, or a mall, or a residence.

Visibility was poor underwater, but the building was big enough for her to roam with ease.

People had been here before the flood. There were many things left behind, but so far nothing worth placing in the Rubik's Cube Space.

As she cruised, she found what seemed to be a senior official's private office. A storage room shared a wall with it, and there was a hidden compartment.

You would not spot it without looking for it. The flood had knocked some things loose, which was how she noticed it.

"Could there be treasure? Gold? Cash?"

Jing Shu did not bother picking the lock. She touched the panel and shifted everything inside directly into the Rubik's Cube Space to see what it was.

An instant later, the whole storage room's contents were in the Rubik's Cube Space. She blinked. Besides a rain of pots and bowls, there were stacks of sealed metal cans of solid alcohol fuel, packed by the box.

She stared, incredulous. She had expected something special, but Nima, the[[[[' safe was stuffed with this. That was… well…

She cracked a can. It had been soaked a few days, but sealed, so it should still work. Solid fuel was actually very useful, quick and convenient, perfect for cooking with pots on the go. More than anything, fuel was what she lacked. Finding a first practical score was not bad at all.

She tossed the useless odds and ends and kept only the fuel, then resumed the hunt. There was a certain thrill to taking what the whole city had left behind.

She found a lot of little household items too, and following the principle of no waste, she stored them all. Near the end of the floor, a huge suite appeared. She hesitated. Maybe there was something good.

After a quick sweep, nothing stood out. But the yellow bed looked more and more familiar. She pulled out her phone and checked the big data list. There it was, seventh on the bounty board. A thousand virtual coins, seeking a bed from a certain tower.

She had been baffled when she first saw it. Then she noticed the note: "Thirty years on this bed. I cannot sleep without it."

A thousand coins did not matter. Jing Shu liked helping people.

So she swept the sand-colored bed into the Rubik's Cube Space. When it was time to claim the bounty, she would tow it behind the amphibious shark submarine.

She changed locations. This tower was too stingy, not much of value. Her next stop was the government complex. Rumor said there was plenty inside. Maybe there would be supplies worth taking.

There were three towers at the government complex. A dozen salvage boats were already there, working fast. People crowded the area.

"Hey, you in the amphibious shark submarine. No private salvage boats here. Move along!" someone on a salvage boat shouted through a loudhailer, pointing at Jing Shu.

She looked around at the sea of heads and the feverish salvage. Why was she the only one barred?

Then a roar of voices broke out. "People down! Three of them got tangled and cannot surface!"

The scene dissolved into chaos.

"Hurry, get down there!"

"No good. It is too deep. I tried. Could not pull them up. Could not cut them free. They are all tangled. I am not going back down."

"What do we do?"

Several pairs of eyes swung toward the amphibious shark submarine, which was already easing beneath the surface.

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