Chapter 30: The Second Mate

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“You know how to do so much. Why didn’t you go seek shelter with the Awakened in your neighborhood?” Han Ning asked casually.

“Because... because they aren’t human. They’re beasts! They use their abilities to bully the weak and violate other people’s wives and daughters. I’d rather die than stay with them.” Old Xu hurriedly answered.

“Benefactor, Old Xu can do more than cook. He used to be a second mate, and he knows how to operate a ship. This city is about to be swallowed by the flood. You should understand how valuable someone who knows how to sail will be!”

The tall, thin man beside Old Xu added another sentence.

“Oh?”

Han Ning stopped and turned around.

“You really know how to sail?”

He knew absolutely nothing about navigation. He had no idea whether a second mate could actually operate a ship.

Wasn’t that the captain’s job?

Under Han Ning’s scrutinizing gaze, Old Xu lowered his head and said, “I used to work on large cargo ships. Strictly speaking, most modern cargo ships use autopilot. The second mate mainly monitors the instruments, plots the course, and corrects deviations. Manual steering isn’t usually necessary.”

“But... in the current environment, with energy in such short supply, a large cargo ship certainly can’t be started. And operating one requires the assistance of many people. If you want to travel by water, you’ll have to choose a sailboat.”

Old Xu gritted his teeth.

“As for sailboats... I can operate one.”

Someone who knew how to sail...

Han Ning’s heart stirred. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Wait here.”

...

A short while later, with Snowcake’s help, Han Ning moved all the usable supplies from the first and second floors of the little shop onto the roof.

The shop was small, and it had never contained that many goods to begin with.

Most of the food had been soaked in floodwater for too long and was no longer edible.

What remained was:

A dozen or so bags of potato chips and shrimp crackers whose packaging was still relatively intact.

Several large boxes of chocolates and milk candies individually wrapped in foil or plastic film.

Dozens of bottles of mineral water, carbonated drinks, and sports drinks from various brands.

More than twenty cans of fish and fruit.

And finally, the classic food found in a park snack shop:

Three cases of cup noodles and four cases of instant noodles in bags.

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Five sealed bags of starch sausages, four bags of volcanic-stone-grilled sausages, and two large bags of assorted fish balls and other ingredients for oden.

Han Ning’s gaze settled on Old Xu once more.

In a world that was about to be completely devoured by the flood, someone who knew how to operate a boat was worth far more than the snacks and drinks before him.

At the critical moment when life and death hung in the balance, this man had dared to risk his life to save his companion. For the sake of his daughter, he had been willing to put aside his dignity and kneel. Such responsibility was especially precious in the apocalypse.

Han Ning could not trust him completely yet, but his first impression of the man was favorable.

“Old Xu, come with me. As for these supplies...” He pointed toward a small pile he had set aside.

There were several packets of compressed biscuits, ten bottles of water, some securely sealed candies, one case of cup noodles, one case of instant noodles in bags, and one bag of starch sausages.

“Divide them among the four of you. Make them last, and they should be enough to keep you going for a few days.”

Old Xu and the other three stared at the lifesaving food, intense longing flaring in their eyes.

“Thank you! Thank you, benefactor!”

Old Xu and his companions were so moved that their voices trembled. They bowed repeatedly, but Old Xu soon looked troubled again.

“But... my daughter is still at home. I have to go back for her. I can’t leave her there alone!”

“That’s fine.” Han Ning nodded. He had intended to say that anyway. “Take your share of the supplies and return to Sunshine Garden first.”

“Then wait for me at the main entrance to your neighborhood.”

“I’ll take these supplies back to where I live first, then go find you at the entrance to Sunshine Garden.”

He was also testing Old Xu’s character. If Old Xu took the supplies and fled, it would prove that he could not be trusted.

“Don’t worry, benefactor. I may not be particularly capable, but my word is my bond! Once I’ve picked up my daughter, I’ll wait for you at the neighborhood entrance, even if I have to wait until I die!”

“Good.”

Han Ning said no more and gestured for them to take the supplies he had divided.

The four of them apportioned the goods among themselves, supported one another, and stepped into the murky floodwater. They trudged laboriously toward Sunshine Garden, their feet sinking at uneven depths with every step.

Han Ning watched until they vanished into the curtain of rain. Only after their silhouettes had completely disappeared did he begin packing the remaining supplies on the roof.

Using tough vines, he bound the securely sealed bottles of water and drinks, the canned food, compressed biscuits, and dry snacks into several large bundles. He then tied the bundles to Snowcake’s back with more vines.

Looking at the murky water below, Han Ning circulated the spiritual energy within his body and silently intoned, “Fish Gill Technique.”

In an instant, a faint blue-green radiance spread across his body, and the skin on his cheeks began to twist.

A pair of strange fish gills emerged on either side of his face.

Transparent membranes grew over his pupils, filtering out impurities.

That was not all. Dense blue-green scales spread across his skin. Energy-shaped fins formed along his elbows, while webbed feet made of energy grew from the soles of his feet.

[While the Fish Gill Technique is active, you consume 0.5 points of spiritual energy per minute.]

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“So this is the Fish Gill Technique? Interesting.”

Han Ning looked down at the changes to his hands and feet.

“Snowcake, let’s go.”

He leaped into the water.

With a slight twist of his body, he propelled himself several meters through the water, moving even faster than he could run on land.

...

When he returned to Apartment 803, Han Ning unloaded the heavy supplies. Without even pausing to rest, he immediately began sorting everything and putting it away by category.

Afterward, he instinctively glanced at the wall clock, which had stopped long ago, and estimated the time.

“It’s time to leave.”

He drank several mouthfuls of water, ate a few pieces of chocolate to restore his strength, and put his raincoat back on.

The rain seemed heavier than it had been that morning, and the sky was darker as well.

Murky floodwater surged through the ruins of the city. More debris floated on the surface, and some of the shorter buildings had already been completely submerged.

Sunshine Garden was not particularly far from their neighborhood. Moving at full speed under the Fish Gill Technique, Han Ning saw a relatively dense residential area come into view in less than ten minutes.

The neighborhood gate had long since been swept away by the flood. Only its twisted metal frame remained, half-submerged in the water.

The security booth that had once stood at the entrance had been reduced to a crooked concrete roof, most of it underwater.

Han Ning looked ahead.

On the slick, freezing roof of the security booth, two figures—one large and one small—were huddled together.

They were Old Xu and a little girl wrapped tightly from head to toe.

He held an umbrella in one hand and hugged the girl tightly with the other. A hiking pack was strapped to his back, while a small bundle wrapped in waterproof cloth sat beside him. It evidently contained the small share of supplies he had received.

The wind and rain were fierce, and the umbrella could not keep all the rain from blowing in.

Rainwater pelted him without pause. His face had turned bluish with cold, his lips were dark purple, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

When Han Ning and Snowcake broke through the water near the security booth, Old Xu abruptly raised his head.

Bright light erupted in those exhausted eyes, as though he had finally glimpsed a lighthouse in the depths of despair.

He shielded his daughter with his own body, doing everything he could to keep as little rain as possible from reaching her.

At the same time, he waved toward Han Ning as he swam rapidly closer.

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