Chapter 560

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Crash—

The cave interior was filled with stockpiled supplies — some were food, some were firewood for kindling, and some were life-saving means ready to be appropriated at any moment.

The bamboo raft was simple; even though the raft the two of them had to build was fairly large, how long could it take to lay flat one bamboo stalk after another, each wrist-thick?

Moreover, these bamboo rafts had no covering components; they were chosen by Shen Yao and the other person solely because they could float on water.

"The rain is getting heavier. When do we leave?"

Time had already arrived at the morning of the eighth day. Having just experienced a beast siege, the two were drenched in sweat. Fortunately, the temperature inside the cave was not high, and they had a car that could be summoned and dismissed at will; otherwise, they would not be able to sit so easily at the cave entrance right now.

However, the rain outside fell like a broken string of pearls, pattering all over the ground. Judging by the lake area they had discovered earlier, it was only a matter of time before this cave entrance was submerged.

"Let's wait a bit more," Xu Ningchen withdrew his gaze. At this moment, he was processing the beast hides he had cut off. There was no time to carefully treat them, so he could only do a simple preliminary treatment to let them serve as wind-and-rain barriers.

Regardless, they had to grit their teeth and survive this increasingly heavy rain first. As for other matters, the tools in hand were already in the final stages; they only waited for everything to be ready, and even if they took root in the rain, they would have a way to survive.

Shen Yao propped her chin, watching the hides held in Xu Ningchen's hand, and simply moved over to help together.

Shen Yao had no experience treating these things, but simple stitching she could still do.

Although their tools were rather scarce right now, all of this could be made do with.

Busy and bustling, time continued to move forward.

The rain outside grew louder and louder, while the supplies in the cave grew fewer and fewer.

This was not because Shen Yao or Xu Ningchen were lazy, but because going out was difficult — only outflow, no inflow. No matter how many supplies they had stockpiled, they could not withstand such consumption.

Closing her eyes, Shen Yao was pondering in her mind the arrangements for after waking early tomorrow.

Who knew the system, originally quiet and motionless, would suddenly jump out to give a reminder.

The beasts that had passed just two days ago gathered again outside the cave. Their target was naturally this warm, safe-looking spot. They were beasts, not stupid people; with water vapor spreading and their fur soaked through, they also wanted to find a dry place to shelter.

This cave's original location was not obvious, but who asked that, under the boundless rain, this place had an exceptionally strong sense of presence in the entire wilderness?

Shen Yao opened her eyes, then pushed awake Xu Ningchen lying beside her.

The two looked toward the cave exterior with calm gazes. In about five minutes, darkness descended, and pairs of green-glowing eyes appeared, exceptionally scary.

Having experienced this once before, neither Shen Yao nor Xu Ningchen felt afraid now.

The originally bound car was once again thrown out as a hammer.

This was also thanks to the blessings of the previous two instance clearances; otherwise, Xu Ningchen truly could not use this car at will. One must assume that after smoothly entering the Infinite World, the rewards they obtained would become increasingly abundant.

Bang!

The car was thrown out and smashed a swath of beasts. Wails rose with the rain. At the same time, Shen Yao seized the opportunity, aiming her machete at those fish that slipped through the net, uncrushed.

With the car's road assistance, this group of beasts did not pose any danger to the two.

Only the car, after this battle, became even more battered. Fortunately, once the two cleared the novice mission, the car would return to its original state.

Braving the rain with heads down, they retrieved the fallen beasts outside one by one for processing. Xu Ningchen believed wind-and-rain barriers should be made in greater numbers as a precaution.

And the pelts could provide warmth. With their two frail bodies, they had to pay extra attention. How could they discard such a useful raw material?

Another round of stitching, patching, deleting, and revising — though the main processor was Xu Ningchen, Shen Yao could only help out on the side, unable to do anything else.

The rain outside suddenly slowed on the tenth day. Without any warning, but Shen Yao detected an unusual scent.

She called Xu Ningchen over and pointed at the damp earth around them. "My nose smells a fishy water odor."

This was not groundless; rather, the lake not far away had swollen and spread. Their position halfway up the mountain would likely not hold.

Xu Ningchen glanced at the supplies eaten down to a mere remainder and other things, and decisively decided they must run toward the mountain top.

The bamboo raft absolutely could not be abandoned. Xu Ningchen carried it; Shen Yao was only responsible for some food and the finished pelts. To free her arms, Shen Yao did not forget to directly wear the simply stitched pelts on her own body.

Although her figure became a size larger, Shen Yao felt that as long as it did not delay escape, changes in appearance could be accepted.

Going out, walking toward the mountain top, the fishy water scent in the air grew increasingly strong. Shen Yao constantly looked back, hoping to spot some sign.

Unfortunately, by the time they climbed all the way to the mountain top, even though the stopped rain poured down again in full force, the distant lake had not caught up to them.

Above their heads were the treated beast pelts; beneath them lay the flat-laid bamboo raft. Some food supplies were simply covered with pelts.

The clothes on their bodies were temporarily not wet, but waiting outside like this was not a long-term plan.

The bound car was taken out again by Xu Ningchen, to serve as a temporary foothold for the two of them.

After all, although the car's interior space was small, it still allowed them to rest simply. Moreover, the car's space was relatively sealed and leak-proof; sleeping there at night, they need not worry about catching cold or attracting unnecessary trouble.

"Look at the distance!"

Shen Yao pointed at a white expanse in the distance — that was the lake with spreading waters, which had already submerged more than half of the green forest. Only the water depth needed to progress gradually; it had not yet caught up to their steps.

"Let's stay on the mountain top. Take turns keeping watch at night."

Those beasts hiding in the forest will all run out. Survival is impossible to keep enduring.

Shen Yao sighed. "We left early enough. Look, beasts are running out in groups not far away." Only their direction was not toward the mountain top, but toward other higher-elevation places nearby that still had food.

Actually, the two of them could go there too, but the back-and-forth hassle was inferior to a one-step solution. Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen still preferred to wait by the tree stump for the rabbit.

The water vapor in the air grew denser. Shen Yao lowered her eyes to look down, seeing only white mist. Other buildings were vaguely obscured.

Perhaps the cave they left has already been filled with other owners. Just unknown when the cave will be flooded, and when they will leave on the bamboo raft.

…………

Time arrived at the early morning of the twelfth day.

Shen Yao opened her eyes, raised her hand to open the car door, and walked out from the car.

The outside air carried a trace of coldness, making Shen Yao shrink along with it.

Fortunately, the fur she picked up at hand could still block the wind, and the rain was getting smaller and smaller, negligible; Shen Yao quickly came to a cliff edge and looked toward the water level that had already arrived beneath her feet.

Hu—

Who would have thought, in just a few short days, the water had already risen to a place they could see.

Fortunately, they ran out of the cave relatively quickly before; otherwise, they would only have been submerged by the flood and returned to the Infinite Hotel to clear the instance again.

"Three days left, how to endure?" It seemed the bamboo raft was indispensable, but for safety's sake, they still had to delay until they could delay no longer before getting on the bamboo raft.

"Host, the river currents here are rapid; a stable place must be found to put the bamboo raft in the water."

The system reminded the Host they could not just jump down boldly; they were all landlubbers, and if they failed this time, the ten-odd days before would have been endured in vain.

Besides, they had already eaten the bitterness; there was no need to do it all over again just because they couldn't clear the instance—who knew what the Servants' novice mission would be? They couldn't gamble on the Infinite Hotel's conscience.

"Go left; it's all flat ground there, and when the time comes, the bamboo raft won't be swept away by the current when it enters the water." They only needed to sit on the bamboo raft to have a shred of confidence drifting on the water; by then, no matter where the raft drifted, as long as they endured fifteen days and let their mission clear, it would all seem trivial.

While speaking, Shen Yao led the system to glance at the makeshift wharf they had set their sights on, although there wasn't even a hair there.

Xu Ningchen came out of the car and, by the way, stored away the obstructive car.

He held in his hand the meat and several handfuls of wild vegetables they were about to eat into their bellies, all from previous stores; the meat was still relatively fresh, the wild vegetables just average.

Shen Yao did not pick and choose; with a flat expression, she ate it all into her belly, one mouthful of meat, one mouthful of wild vegetables; afterward, she mentioned the water surging up from the mountain bottom—their final outcome would most probably be relying on the bamboo raft, hoping the bamboo raft would hold up a bit and buy them time.

Time arrived at the fourteenth day afternoon.

Because of a group of medium and large wild beasts that waded through the water, Shen Yao and Xu Ningchen were forced to live days of killing and fighting that were not at all peaceful.

The weapons in their hands were all stained with the smell of blood, especially the fur Shen Yao wore on her body; she could only discard one piece after another.

There were no cleaning supplies here; fortunately, the clothes all had a layer of fur on the outside, preserving their only shred of dignity; otherwise, Shen Yao wouldn't have known what to do.

The sky overhead was still gloomy; who knew if it would continue to rain, but the water surging toward the mountain top did not wait for them a single bit; they feared they couldn't drag it out until the fifteenth day ended.

"Prepare first; put the bamboo raft in the water." Xu Ningchen took out the bamboo raft he had long since made and used tough rattan strips to bind it.

One side thrown in the water, one side placed on the shore—both saving them time and preventing the raft from being carried away by the water and affecting their own escape.

Shen Yao moved the meat and wild vegetables placed outside and put them respectively on the bamboo raft and on her own body.

After all, this kind of thing couldn't be piled together; if something happened, wouldn't they have to starve?

"No sleeping tonight; hold on a bit longer, wait until we get through this novice mission." Not only would they be able to enter the Infinite World, but they would also understand more inside information.

Xu Ningchen patted Shen Yao's shoulder and, by the way, directed his gaze at Shen Yao's abdomen. Although Xu Ningchen wasn't the type to constantly mention Shen Yao's body, they were both clear about the pregnancy; what they relied on now was nothing but the miraculous points; as long as they cleared safely, her body would recover as before.

When night fell, the wind rose outside.

They didn't take out the car again; the two just sat in positions beside the bamboo raft, ears listening to the wind sounds coming from not far away, and the sounds of water slapping against the shore one after another.

Rising water is a scary thing; it's just that the problem before them now is that they no longer have any land to set foot on.

The fifteen-day red line is drawn there; no matter what, they can only grit their teeth and endure past it.

Shen Yao took out her mobile phone, turned it on, and by the flashlight's bright light observed the water level constantly rising upward.

Silently calculating in her heart the time they would get on the bamboo raft, Shen Yao propped her chin and chatted idly with the system in a babble.

Far from the internet, far from human habitation, two people just lived slowly in the wilderness like this; whoever saw would admire them endlessly in their heart.

"Host, you'd better get on the bamboo raft quickly." Once the water submerges the land here, it won't be as convenient for them to leave as it is now.

"No rush; dawn is almost here."

The season here is a bit strange; whether it's the temperature or the water situation, it's as if an accelerator was installed.

In their expectations, the danger might be the moment of leaving this instance; who would have thought it would actually be a whole day.

When the sky was faintly bright, Xu Ningchen pulled Shen Yao onto the bamboo raft.

The rattan strip used to tie the bamboo raft was cut along with the momentum, and simultaneously, the bamboo raft drifted slowly away from the not-far patch of land with the current.

The two of them each had a wooden board to use as an oar for rowing; therefore, they weren't worried the raft would bump back and affect their escape to a distant place.

"Where do we go?"

Shen Yao was rather curious about Xu Ningchen's plan; they couldn't just spin in circles in an expanse of ocean.

"Forward."

Water all around front, back, left, and right, but before it was submerged, Xu Ningchen had once observed the surrounding situation.

Considering they still had one day to clear safely, they would definitely run toward a safe place.

The position he chose had nothing special—at most, more plains, gentler currents; let's just deal with the problems before our eyes first.

Shen Yao gave an "oh" and didn't continue to ask anything, but rowed the oars one on the left, one on the right together with Xu Ningchen, taking the bamboo raft forward all the way.

Soon, the distant sun slowly rose, dyeing the entire horizon a golden yellow.

Shen Yao took out their breakfast again from the remaining meat and wild vegetables, simply eating a bit to fill their bellies.

The bitter, dry wild vegetables were truly unpalatable; the meat still had a bit of flavor, but it didn't even compare to the Infinite Hotel's free meals—showing just what miserable things they had experienced in the wilderness for half a month.

Rustle—

The water under the bamboo raft kept pushing the raft to drift; the two people, because they were eating, hadn't attended to rowing the oars, causing the raft to sway left and right, as if drifting with the wind.

"Host, that patch of land has disappeared."

Just as they strove forward, it was submerged by the water from all directions, so that the entire wilderness lived up to its name in reverse, directly becoming a water domain.

"Oh, we have less than a day left to clear."

Shen Yao didn't care about land or no land; what she cared about was the reward points about to be cleared and the Infinite World about to be gone to.

What on earth does it look like? Very similar to the Infinite Hotel, or like modern society? Or just like the scenes described in novels—highly developed technology yet filled with all kinds of dangers.