Cave Refuge

Perhaps it was because of the system, but those on the outside looking in could only see darkness and couldn't discern the actual situation inside the cave mansion.

Observing that only Dong Tianyu emerged from the cave, the onlookers outside exchanged glances. Then one of them suddenly said: "Brother, it's inconvenient for us to sleep outside like we did yesterday. Could you lend us a place so we can sleep sheltered from the wind and rain?"

"Exactly, I woke up with aches in my back and legs from sleeping outside. We're all survivors. All we need is a place to sleep."

...

Each with their own inputs, they talked over Dong Tianyu without giving him a chance to respond.

Moreover, while they seemed to engage Dong Tianyu in a dialogue, they gradually inched closer to the cave entrance without waiting for his reply.

Watching their actions, Dong Tianyu moved his hands behind his back, retrieved two handguns from Shadow Space, and fired two shots at their feet.

Seeing Dong Tianyu's swift trigger action startled everyone, making them involuntarily step back.

"Well? Still want to come in and have a look?"

Gazing at Dong Tianyu's guns pointed at them, everyone was taken aback.

Although their gang also possessed weapons, they were mere foot soldiers, and the right to use these weapons never fell to them.

Being sensible, they recognized that retreating at this point meant only a loss of face. But if they were at the front line when conflict erupted, they would certainly be the first to be sacrificed.

They joined the gang at this point just so they could survive. Charging ahead now could potentially trigger a conflict, and those at the front lines would probably be the first to perish.

Observing their horrified expressions, Dong Tianyu gestured with his gun towards the exit from his territory and warned, "This is my domain. This time, consider it a warning. If I see you all here again, my bullets won't be hitting the ground."

Hearing that Dong Tianyu was willing to let them off the hook this time, everyone immediately prepared to flee the site without uttering a single threat.

Watching them leave, Dong Tianyu heaved a sigh of resignation, hoping that this incident would deter them. Otherwise, he would have to rely on his water supply for sustenance.

His cultivation not only improved his personal strength but also honed his willpower.

In a year, the number of survival points in the system had again surpassed the 2000 mark, and Dong Tianyu's cultivation level had reached the eleventh level of Qi training.

Considering no fish appeared in his water supply yet and comparing this situation with his past life's memories, Dong Tianyu estimated that his cultivation could advance to the twelfth level of Qi training before the peak of summer hit. If everything went smoothly, he might succeed in building his foundation before the eternal night fell.

Dong Tianyu, engrossed in his cultivation plans, quickly forgot about the situation with the intruders he'd just chased off.

Since the start of his cultivation, he became less concerned with external matters. Typically, life after a major disaster was no different than in fiction.

Although social order hadn't deteriorated, Dong Tianyu, with his cave mansion, should've made significant progress. Before the construction of the Hall of Longevity and before he began cultivating, Dong Tianyu had followed this approach.

But ever since he started cultivating, aside from completing essential tasks, Dong Tianyu didn't pay much attention to anything else in his cave mansion.

If it weren't for his cultivation relying on two daily sessions, Dong Tianyu would have trained freely on his own. If that were the case, he might be able to practice non-stop for twenty-four hours a day.

Just when the Officials' food supply was dwindling, a fleet leisurely arrived at Pengcheng. Even though the South Command Post was the first to handle this, the 'visitors' were eventually escorted to the East City District, which housed the top-ranking officials.

Since a fleet possessed several large ships, its arrival was quite ostentatious, attracting many spectators who now debated over the fleet's origin.

By the time Dong Tianyu arrived at the West City District skyscraper and learned of the fleet's arrival, it had already departed, and most of the survivors had lost interest in the matter.

However, those who keenly noticed the increasing proportion of food powder in the bricks speculated that Pengcheng now had ample food supplies. Consequently, food prices in the black market stopped skyrocketing and started to slowly decline.

The Dong family's living conditions in the skyscraper gradually blended in with those of the others. Were it not for the persisting flood trapping everybody in the high-rise buildings, life would not have been too different from before.

Due to the incessant rain, mushroom cultivation techniques, which were studied during the Cold Catastrophe, were reintroduced. Having experienced the tragic food crisis, everyone unconsciously started storing food, abandoning their wasteful ways.

Observing his father either watching card games or participating in them, and his mother keeping busy since joining the Singing Troupe, Dong Tianyu reminisced about worldly desires, which lifted his spirits slightly.

Although the floodwaters had yet to recede, this was indeed the most comfortable time survivors had experienced since enduring the severe cold of the Cold Catastrophe.

Seeing the rise of bubbles from underwater, Skelton knew his brother, Evelyn, was probably in danger. He began to haul the life-saving rope he'd tied to Evelyn in an attempt to quickly bring his brother up to the surface.

Ordinary lives don't encounter this many mishaps. In less than thirty seconds, Skelton rescued Evelyn from the water.

Looking at his brother who was gasping and somewhat disoriented, Skelton hurriedly began to resuscitate him. Perhaps Evelyn's luck and destiny were strong, for after coughing up a few mouthfuls of water, although his mind was still a bit muddled, he seemed to be out of danger.

Recognizing that Evelyn was no longer in peril, Skelton jokingly said: "Isn't this our river dragon? How can a river dragon get overturned in the water?"

Hearing Skelton's teasing initially irritated Evelyn, who barely escaped death while his supposed friend scoffed at his predicament.

However, when Evelyn observed the unruly veins on Skelton's arm and the messy rope marks, he instantly understood how anxious Skelton had been.

Underwater salvage was just like a worksite diver retrieving drill bits. The divers' lives were entrusted to the one holding the rope. Had Skelton lost focus or failed to pull Evelyn up, their folks at home would have been preparing for a funeral that night.

Once Evelyn regains his composure somewhat, he turns to Skelton and says somewhat mysteriously, "Do you know why I was in trouble? It's because of something I saw under the water."