Too much had happened in a single day.
At 4 a.m., Jing Shu couldn't sleep because the smell of roasted red nematodes clung to everything. At 6 a.m., she was ambushed with grenades. If she hadn't reacted fast, the whole family might have been wiped out. They still lost half a month's worth of painstakingly quarried boulders. The arrival of the RV had lifted her mood a little, but by noon they were being extorted.
Just when she thought the day was done and she and her father had finally finished clearing the drains so they could go inside the villa and rest, the gate and the surrounding area were packed with people, a crowd as far as the eye could see.
Her first thought was of that young man who had just thrown out threats. He must have brought people to stir up trouble. Otherwise, why so many?
Then Wu You'ai squeezed through the crowd, rolling up in that flashy shark submarine. Her second thought was that these must be the new residents assigned under Wu You'ai.
But why were they all rushing at her house? No, their target was the shark submarine.
"So this is the shark submarine from the video. It really is cool."
"Wow, I can't believe someone that awesome is in our community. Look, she even lives in the villa area."
Shi Jiuyou was so excited she started livestreaming on her phone.
"Hi everyone, I'm the lucky Shi Jiuyou. Today during placement I was assigned to Banana Community, and guess what, the owner of the shark submarine who saved a thousand people during the floods is here too. I'm so happy!"
The shark submarine eased to a stop at the gate. With a series of clicks, a man carrying a waterproof camera and a female reporter jumped out.
"Hello everyone, welcome to Wu City News. The hottest video on the short-video app these past two days shows the shark submarine that saved over a thousand people during the flood, and this is it. We have tailed it for a long time and it finally stopped. Now, let's interview the mysterious person involved. Excuse me, how did you come up with the idea to rescue so many people?"
Jing Shu started to understand.
Wu You'ai climbed down from the shark submarine, lowered the clear visor, and quietly slipped the keys into Jing Shu's unnoticed hand. She looked helpless and told the reporter, "I honestly don't know what's going on. If you have questions, ask the person in charge."
Then she turned to Jing Shu. "I only went to take over a batch of newly assigned residents today. I didn't expect this many people to follow me back."
Only then did the reporter and the onlookers realize where to look. "So you're the owner of the shark submarine who saved so many people that day?"
Jing Shu nodded, then shook her head. "What is going on? How did you figure out it was this shark submarine?"
The reporter looked amazed. "You don't know you're trending? Look at this video."
Jing Shu tapped it open. "This shark submarine is so cool, and it's driven by a girl. Too bad she's only here to pick up her relatives. There's no way she can save all of us…"
"Oh my god, this girl says she'll evacuate us. How is she going to move more than a thousand people?"
When the clip ended, Jing Shu's expression had gone dark. Thankfully she had kept a raincoat on and never showed her face.
In the crowd, Shi Jiuyou was buzzing with excitement. She wanted to rush out and bow in thanks, but Jing Shu said, "Who recorded this? If they want to meet me, the next time I see them I'll beat them to death."
Shi Jiuyou whimpered, "So scary. I'm not going out." The livestream chat exploded with 666s, screen after screen. "My fierce goddess is badass."
"Hehe, looks like our mystery savior doesn't want to reveal her identity. Then we'll keep it simple. How did you come up with that rescue plan? Most people would have no idea what to do in that situation."
Jing Shu said, "Wild imagination."
The female reporter: "…"
She forced herself to continue. "You said you were picking up relatives. Why did you decide to save so many others?"
Jing Shu thought for a moment. "Convenience."
Seeing the reporter's face freeze, Jing Shu hurried to add, "Cut the front part. Cough. People always say to do what you can within your ability. Since I had the ability, I couldn't just watch so many people die. As long as I could save them, I would."
The crowd: We're not deaf. We heard the first part.
"Hehe, and why would someone carry that many climbing ropes in a submarine?"
Jing Shu said, "To go climbing, of course."
Climbing in this downpour? Great timing.
The reporter kept smiling through gritted teeth. "When you made that risky decision, did you consider what would happen if it failed?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
The reporter was about to give up. This person only told blunt truths. Couldn't she say something noble and inspiring?
"Alright then, did you buy this cool shark submarine as a hobby? Did you ever imagine it would be so useful one day?"
Jing Shu pondered for a while. Just when the reporter thought she had finally hit the mark, Jing Shu said, "I traded for it two months ago. Someone else didn't want it."
"What did you trade?"
"A few sprigs of honeysuckle."
The reporter: "…"
Either the trader was a fool, or they thought the audience was.
"Alright, thank you for your time. Please remember, this unnamed mystery person rescued over a thousand people. Let's hope the next time they're in trouble, others will help them too."
The reporter grabbed the cameraman and ran. She was afraid she would have a heart attack if she stayed. She was also annoyed about today's segment. Should she air it or not? Air it. Why not? The mystery person's identity was still hidden anyway.
After the reporters left, the crowd got even more enthusiastic, phones raised for photos with Jing Shu and the submarine.
Jing Shu's head throbbed. Thank goodness she wore a fully sealed raincoat and never exposed her face. Otherwise, she would have become a post-apocalypse celebrity. After all, once people were fed and had a little energy, there wasn't much entertainment or gossip left.
What Jing Shu hadn't expected was that she'd stumbled into a wave of fame. Saving that many people with a single small submarine was perfect publicity in the apocalypse. Even the government was boosting those videos to spread positive energy.
Wu You'ai shouted, "Alright, show's over. Newly assigned folks, follow me. Everyone else, find your own Consolation and Counseling Specialist. If you don't, you won't eat tonight."
Mention food and people moved. The melon-eaters scattered fast, vanishing down the street.
That night, when Wu City News aired the segment, the whole family sat in front of the TV in shock. Grandparents had never heard the details.
Besides Jing Shu's family, the most stunned were her high school classmates. Everyone knew she was the one who traded for that shark submarine.