Chapter 211: Underwater Resource Hunt (Third Update)

Today marked the first day of salvage operations, and it was bustling with activity. Some people couldn’t understand the need to salvage now, thinking it would be easier once the floodwaters receded. But as long as they were fed, they were content to follow the government's orders. What they didn’t know was that the authorities had already predicted that the floodwaters wouldn’t recede for at least half a year. This is why they pushed for urgent salvage operations—anything left submerged too long would be ruined and become worthless.

The salvage workers had to surface every minute or two, each time pulling up various items attached to their ropes.

Meanwhile, many people in life vests were floating on the water, hoping to fish out something they could exchange for virtual coins. Even if they couldn’t trade it, they could always take it home for personal use.

Floating on the water were various pieces of debris and usable items. Things like plastic basins, hangers, and boxes weren’t worth virtual coins, but they were still useful. Larger items like floating cabinets and doors could be exchanged for a small amount of virtual coins.

In short, the 1 virtual coin for renting a life vest was definitely worth it. If they provided life vests for free, who would get them first? If they got damaged or people kept them, how would the government track them down with so many people involved? Charging a rental fee avoided all those issues.

People tend to be more careful with things they pay for.

That said, with half the city submerged, there was a wealth of items waiting to be salvaged. Displaced people viewed everything as useful—even a cup could be valuable, allowing them to drink water without having to stick their heads out into the rain.

When Jing Shu saw the scene, with so many people floating on the water salvaging items, it was even more spectacular than the Titanic sinking. People were gathering whatever they could, like scavengers. In her previous life, she had started searching for materials too late.

By then, most valuable items had already been salvaged.

The Shark submarine naturally attracted attention as it moved through the water. Jing Shu, now fully equipped with her diving gear and personal survival equipment, piloted the submarine below the surface.

She turned on the floodlights, navigating slowly underwater. This was the city center, a bustling area, so she had to be careful not to crash into any buildings.

She wasn’t necessarily searching for anything in particular—there was so much material out there, something useful was bound to turn up. Jing Shu steered the Shark toward one of the largest nearby buildings. Given the size of the submarine, smaller areas were inaccessible.

In her previous life, when the floodwaters claimed her home, she had dreamed of diving for materials underwater, taking whatever she needed without worry. She never imagined that in this life, she would fulfill that dream.

Jing Shu was both excited and thrilled.

She couldn’t help but recall the various rewards posted in the big data system—many parties had posted bounties.

It wasn’t just the government that had lost valuable items in the flood; many wealthy individuals hadn’t had time to relocate their possessions either.

As for food reserves, those were safely stored in secret granaries located in disaster-proof areas, so there was no need to worry about them.

If possible, she could also complete some of the bounty tasks while she was at it.

Jing Shu entered the building through a window with her Shark submarine. It didn’t seem like an office building, nor was it a commercial or residential complex.

The underwater visibility was poor, limiting her view. Fortunately, the building was large enough for the submarine to navigate freely.

Before the flood, this building had been occupied, with many items left behind when the water surged in. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much worth putting into her space cube just yet.

As she explored further, Jing Shu discovered what appeared to be a private office belonging to a high-ranking official. There was a storage room connected to a wall, with a hidden compartment built in.

It wouldn’t have been noticeable without careful inspection, but the flood had displaced some items, revealing the compartment to Jing Shu.

"Could there be treasure inside? Gold? Cash?"

Jing Shu didn’t need to force the lock open. Using her special ability, she simply transferred everything inside the hidden compartment into her space cube for later inspection.

When she checked, her eyes widened—along with pots and bowls, there were several cases of solid fuel alcohol, packed in metal containers.

Her mind was blown. She had expected something more valuable, but instead, the safe was filled with fuel cans. Still, she couldn’t complain—this stuff was useful. Solid fuel alcohol was handy, particularly for cooking on the go. It was convenient and efficient, and Jing Shu was always in need of more fuel resources.

She tossed the other random items aside and kept the fuel alcohol, continuing her treasure hunt with renewed enthusiasm.

There was something deeply satisfying about being able to take whatever you wanted from an entire city.

As she explored further, Jing Shu found many useful household items, and she diligently stored everything in her space cube to avoid waste.

Just as she was about to finish exploring this floor, she came across a large suite. After hesitating briefly, she decided to check it out—who knew what valuable items might be hidden inside?

After a quick tour, she didn’t find anything worth taking, but the yellow bed in the suite looked oddly familiar.

Taking out her phone, she checked the big data system and found it: this was the bed listed in the reward board at number seven, offering 1,000 virtual coins for its retrieval.

The note in the listing read: "Been sleeping on this bed for 30 years. Can't sleep without it."

The 1,000 virtual coins didn’t matter much to Jing Shu—she just enjoyed helping others.

With that thought, she stored the mustard-yellow bed in her space cube. When she turned in the bounty, she would simply pull the bed out from the back of the submarine.

Having found little else of value in the building, Jing Shu set course for her next destination: the government building, which was rumored to have many valuable materials left inside.

The government building comprised three high-rise towers, and at this moment, a dozen salvage boats were already operating there, making it a busy area.

"Hey, you in the Shark submarine! No private salvage boats allowed here! Go somewhere else!" someone shouted through a megaphone from one of the salvage boats.

Jing Shu glanced around, seeing the area crowded with people salvaging all sorts of items. Why were they singling her out?

Suddenly, the shouts turned to chaos.

"Someone’s dead! Lots of people have died! Three people got tangled up and can’t get out!"

The situation immediately became chaotic.

"Hurry, get down there and save them!"

"I can’t! It’s too deep! I tried going down, but I couldn’t pull them out, and I couldn’t cut them free. They’re all tangled up. I’m not going back down."

"So what do we do?"

Several people turned their eyes toward the slowly descending Shark submarine.

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––– Side Note –––

Three updates tomorrow as well.