Chapter 177: with translation of chapter title

The torrential rain continued for a full day and night, as if it wanted to wash the entire heaven and earth clean.

After repelling the night raiders, Guangtan Fortress entered a period of rest and recuperation under high alert.

Although Li Qingxuan's displayed absolute strength steadied people's hearts, the ongoing downpour and the unknown duration of the natural disaster still weighed on everyone's minds like a huge stone.

Finally, as the second dawn arrived, the seemingly endless rain curtain began to show changes.

The raindrops were no longer pouring down like a bucket; they became somewhat sparser. Although it was still heavy rain, at least it was no longer the suffocating violence.

The leaden gray clouds in the sky also seemed to let through a glimmer of light, no longer so thick as to be hopeless.

"The rain is weakening!" Chen Xiulan, on duty, noticed the change immediately, her voice carrying a faint, barely perceptible excitement, and she promptly sent the news to everyone in the fortress via the Control Panel.

This news gave the exhausted crowd a slight lift in spirit.

Li Qingxuan stood on the city wall, letting the rain strike his face, feeling the still-rich but no longer violent water element in the air, confirming Chen Xiulan's judgment was correct.

"Don't let up." He warned, "The heavy rain continues, and inland flooding and landslide risks remain. Feifei, organize personnel to prioritize clearing water accumulation in the fortress's lower levels and the inner city's main thoroughfares. Rong'er, lead a team to inspect damage to the outer city's traps and repair what can be fixed as soon as possible."

With the orders given, everyone sprang into action again, but this time the atmosphere was less oppressive and more hopeful.

Li Feifei, accompanied by Wang Hongmei, Zhao Ling'er, Zhao Shuang'er, as well as the somewhat better-off Jiang Xiu'e, Li Qingge, and Li Xinxin, began clearing the accumulated water and sludge inside the fortress.

This was no easy task; the standing water mixed with mud had nearly submerged half of the lower level, giving off a musty smell.

They used water buckets, basins, and any available tools to scoop out the water from the fortress and clean the sticky sludge; the process was dirty and tiring, yet nobody complained.

Huang Rong, together with Li Jing, re-entered the outer city.

The rain was still considerable, the ground a quagmire, many traps had been rendered ineffective by soaking or washed away by mudflows.

They carefully inspected, maintaining those still usable, and recorded the positions of those completely destroyed for later reinstallation when the weather cleared.

At the same time, they roughly cleared the corpses of the night's attackers, recovering some undamaged weapons and gear, while the bodies were collectively dragged to a location far from the fortress for disposal.

Chen Xiulan continued to hold the watchtower, monitoring the rain and movements around the fortress, especially the direction of the rear mountains.

Li Xinxin also periodically sensed the stability of soil and rock in the rear mountains; the good news was that, as the rain eased, those unstable energy fluctuations seemed to have eased as well.

Li Qingxuan himself re-inspected the city wall, especially the gap repaired the previous night.

The newly repaired wall was unusually solid, even appearing more substantial than the surrounding old walls, which let him relax a little.

He also kept an eye on the condition of the few cubs and demon wolves; Zhao Ling'er's shelter temporarily housed them, and when Li Qingxuan entered, he saw that the Icefield Magic Wolf Pack had suffered considerable losses, leaving only seven or eight, some wounded, needing time to recover.

The three Icefield Demon Bear Cubs, after continuous fighting and injuries, appeared somewhat listless, but their vital signs were steady; they seemed merely fatigued and in need of rest.

By evening, the rain had weakened to a moderate level, the sky's brightness noticeably increased, and the clouds seemed to have thinned somewhat.

The standing water in the inner city had basically been cleared; although everywhere was still damp, at least normal passage was possible.

The fortress's lower level underwent preliminary ventilation and drying, and the musty smell dissipated considerably.

Everyone gathered in the fortress hall; though each was fatigued and speckled with mud, their mental state was much better than before.

"I've done a preliminary tally of the losses." Li Feifei reported, holding a list, her voice a little hoarse: "Some crops in the Greenhouse were waterlogged and damaged, but the main structure and most of the crops survived; food supplies are sufficient, though fresh Vegetable will be affected. Part of the supplies in the Warehouse's lower level got damp and are being aired out; losses are minor. Over sixty percent of the outer city's traps were destroyed. Additionally, we recovered fifteen enemy-issued sabers, eight sets of leather armor, and some miscellaneous items; they bore no markings."

Li Qingxuan nodded; material losses were within acceptable bounds, the biggest loss being the traps.

"Those attackers were well-trained, uniformly equipped, not like bandits." Huang Rong added, having examined the weapons and armor, "They were likely sent by some force we don't know about."

"Moreover, they seemed to know our fog had failed, choosing to strike during the rain night, timing it perfectly." Li Jing also said.

Li Qingxuan lightly tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze deep: "It seems the eyes watching us are more numerous than imagined. The strength we displayed this time should deter some petty scoundrels, but it will also make the real enemy more cautious—or perhaps… send stronger forces."

He looked at Li Feifei: "Any new news on the World Channel?"

Li Feifei immediately replied: "Yes! The heavy rain continues in many places, but areas like ours where it's starting to weaken are also numerous. Flooding is the biggest Natural Disaster; many low-lying camps have been utterly destroyed, with heavy casualties. Now the channel is discussing post-disaster reconstruction and… what the next Natural Disaster will be. Additionally, rumors about our repelling the Lie Claw Clan and the suspected attack last night are circulating, but the accounts differ."

"No need to pay attention." Li Qingxuan waved his hand, "Our top priority now is to use the window of weakening rain to restore the fortress's defenses as quickly as possible, and…" he paused, "I plan to go out once after the rain stops."

"Go out?" Everyone looked at him.

"Hmm." Li Qingxuan explained, "This rainstorm and attack exposed our severe lack of intelligence. We need to proactively gather information about the surroundings—the organization behind Grey Shadow, the origins of last night's attackers, and other potential threats. Moreover, being holed up in the fortress limits our development; we need to find new resource points and channels for obtaining information."

"Too dangerous!" Jiang Xiu'e couldn't help but worry.

"Mom, don't worry." Li Qingxuan reassured, "With my current strength, as long as I don't get trapped in an army siege, I'll be safe. And I won't go far; I'll stay in touch."

He looked at Huang Rong and Li Jing, "This time I'll act alone, with a small target, more flexible. The fortress still needs you to guard it."

Although Huang Rong also wanted to go along, she knew Li Qingxuan's decision was currently the best option, and she nodded: "Be careful."

Li Qingxuan gazed out the window; rain threads drifted in the dimming light, but no longer with their former violence.

"When the rain stops and the ground dries a bit, I'll set out. Before then, we must get the fortress's basic defensive capabilities back up as soon as possible.

The threat of the downpour is fading, but the challenges of apocalyptic survival are endless.

Stepping out proactively to understand the world and face threats is a step Guangtan Fortress must take.

And Li Qingxuan will serve as the fortress's eyes and blade, being the first to step into that post-rain sky fraught with danger yet brimming with opportunity.

(PS: Free of charge, send some love-powered electricity; the author will be more motivated if you like this book, feel free to leave a review, thank you all).