Chapter 208: Chapter 208

Today was the first day of work, and it was bustling with activity. Some people couldn’t understand why, thinking that once the flood receded, there would be no need for salvage. However, the government provided food, so they did what was asked. What they didn’t know was that the higher-ups had predicted the floodwaters wouldn’t recede for at least six months. That was why emergency salvage operations were underway; anything submerged for longer would be damaged and rendered worthless.

Salvage Workers surfaced every one to two minutes, each time pulling up various items with their ropes.

There were many people floating in life jackets on the water’s surface. These were individuals hoping to scavenge anything they could to exchange for Virtual Coins. Even if they couldn’t make an exchange, they could still take the items for personal use.

The water surface was cluttered with both trash and usable items. For example, plastic basins, clothes hangers, and boxes couldn’t be exchanged for Virtual Coins but were still useful. Floating items like wooden cabinets and door panels, however, could be exchanged for a small number of Virtual Coins.

After all, renting a life jacket for 1 Virtual Coin was definitely worth it. If they were free, who would get to use them first? If one were damaged after use or hoarded, how could anyone be held accountable with so many people around? To avoid unnecessary trouble, charging a rental fee was simpler.

Expensive items were always handled with care.

Reflecting on it, half the city was submerged. Imagine how much stuff was there! These displaced people found everything useful. Even a cup had great utility, allowing them to drink water normally instead of sticking their heads out and opening their mouths to drink directly from the floodwaters.

Jing Shu saw so many people floating on the water, a sight even more spectacular in scale than the sinking of the Titanic. Everyone was picking up whatever they could use, scavenging like rag-pickers. In her past life, she had only started searching for supplies much later.

Regrettably, by that time, most of the valuables had already been salvaged.

The Shark Submarine certainly drew attention as it moved across the water’s surface. After Jing Shu changed into her diving gear and self-rescue equipment, she piloted the submarine beneath the waves.

Turning on the floodlights, she moved slowly through the murky depths. She had reached the city center, a once-bustling area, and had to be careful not to collide with any submerged structures.

She didn’t necessarily need to find anything specific. With so much material around, surely there is something useful? So, Jing Shu headed directly to the largest building nearby, as the Shark Submarine was quite large and couldn’t enter smaller spaces.

In her past life, the flood had taken her home. She had often dreamed of scavenging supplies underwater , taking whatever she liked or found useful. She never imagined that in this life, she would actually fulfill that dream.

Jing Shu was both excited and thrilled.

She also recalled the bounties offered on the public data network, posted by various parties.

It wasn’t just the government that had many items left in the city, unmoved in time; many wealthy individuals also hadn’t managed to evacuate their possessions.

As for food supplies, those were stored in secret reserves, whose locations had been carefully selected to avoid floods, earthquakes, and other disasters, so there was no need to worry on that front.

If possible, I can also take on some bounty missions.

Jing Shu piloted the Shark Submarine through a window into a large building. It didn’t seem like an office building, a commercial tower, or a residential complex.

Underwater, Jing Shu’s visibility was poor, so she couldn’t see very clearly. Fortunately, the building was large enough for the Shark Submarine to navigate freely inside.

Before the flood, people had occupied this place, and many items had been left behind. Unfortunately, there was currently nothing worth storing in her Magic Cube Space.

As she explored, she found what appeared to be a high-ranking leader’s private office. Connected to it was a storage room, cleverly designed as a hidden compartment in the wall.

She wouldn’t have noticed it if the floodwaters hadn’t dislodged some items, revealing the hidden space.

Could there be treasure? Gold? A lot of money? Jing Shu thought. She didn’t need to break any locks; she simply used her touch-transfer ability to move the contents into her Magic Cube Space to see what was there.

The contents of the storage room were immediately transferred to Jing Shu’s Magic Cube Space. Her eyes widened. Beyond numerous pots and bowls, she was astonished to find a whole set of metal containers filled with solid alcohol, stacked box upon box.

Her mind reeled with disbelief. I thought it would be something valuable! I can’t believe a secure compartment just held these things! This... this is just too... ordinary!

Jing Shu opened one of the sealed containers of solid alcohol. Although it had been submerged for a few days, it should still be usable since it was sealed. This type of Fuel was actually quite good: convenient and practical. It was especially suitable for cooking with various pots while traveling. Overall, Fuel resources were what Jing Shu lacked most, so finding this usable item was a decent discovery.

Jing Shu disposed of the other useless clutter, kept only the solid alcohol, and then continued her treasure hunt.

This feeling of having the entire city’s resources for the taking is actually quite nice.

Jing Shu found many small, useful everyday items within the building and, adhering to the principle of not wasting, stored them all in her Magic Cube Space.

As she was about to finish exploring this floor, she encountered a large suite. Jing Shu hesitated for a moment. I wonder if there might be something good inside? Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel fire.net

After looking around the suite and finding nothing worth taking, she noticed that the yellow bed there looked increasingly familiar.

She pulled out her phone and checked the public data network. Isn’t this the bed listed seventh on the bounty board, with an offer of 1,000 Virtual Coins for a bed from a specific building?

When Jing Shu first saw this bounty, she had been utterly puzzled. Only after seeing the note did she understand: "Thirty years of love for this bed; I can’t sleep without it."

The 1,000 Virtual Coins didn’t really matter to Jing Shu; she simply enjoyed helping people.

With that thought, she stored the earth-yellow bed in her Magic Cube Space. When it was time to leave the building and claim the reward, she could simply tow the bed behind the Shark Submarine.

Jing Shu moved on. This building had been too unrewarding. Her next stop was the government building complex, which reportedly held many items. She wanted to see if there were any valuable materials there.

The government complex consisted of three tall towers. At that moment, dozens of Salvage Ships were urgently working on the surface above, surrounded by many people.

"Hey, you in the Shark Submarine!" a voice boomed from a loudspeaker on one of the Salvage Ships, its operator pointing at Jing Shu. "Private Salvage Ships aren’t allowed here! Go somewhere else!"

Jing Shu looked at the bustling scene, people everywhere salvaging various items. Why am I specifically not allowed to? she wondered.

Just then, a cacophony of shouts erupted. "People are dead! A lot of people have died! Three are trapped by something underwater and can’t surface!"

The scene instantly became chaotic.

"Quick, go down and rescue them!"

"No way, it’s too deep! I tried. It’s impossible to pull them free, and I can’t cut whatever’s holding them. They’re all tangled up. I’m not going down there again!"

"So, what do we do now?"

Some people’s eyes turned towards the slowly submerging Shark Submarine.