Chapter 106: A Large Cruise Ship Arrives

For a moment, Jiang Yan thought she was dreaming.

Ever since the power outage in the heatwave began, it had been a long time since she’d heard such loud music in a public place.

Especially since her own home was so well soundproofed.

“As long as your heart is there, your dream is alive. There is still true love in this world. Whether you win or lose, live life boldly—at worst, you just start over again.” The music blared on, deafeningly loud, repeating over and over.

Jiang Yan lay in bed for a few seconds, listening to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, then reached up to rub her eyes and sat up.

It was the second day of her period, but with both a heating pad and a hand warmer, her cramps weren’t as bad.

She glanced out the window. It was just before dawn, the sky not yet fully light, and the torrential rain was still pouring down in sheets.

The fire in the fireplace had long since gone out, and the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees.

She grabbed a thick coat, threw it over her shoulders, jumped out of bed, and headed straight for the master bedroom, which had a view of the central garden in the complex.

She pulled open the blackout curtains in the master bedroom, and her sleepy eyes instantly widened in shock.

Right now, on the water in the central garden outside, there was a huge, all-white cruise ship, flying several official flags.

It was clearly an official vessel.

So, they’d actually come out in this terrible storm!

This was truly beyond Jiang Yan’s expectations.

She wasn’t the only one surprised—so were all the people who had already fallen into despair.

It was a three-deck sightseeing cruise ship, marked with the name of a famous tourist spot in Anming City.

Though it was called three decks, only the bottom two had glass windows and seats; the top deck was an open-air viewing platform.

Normally, tourists would stand up there to enjoy the scenery.

Now, in the pouring rain, there were actually people standing on the top deck.

But it was hard to see clearly from a distance, with the rain coming down in sheets.

Jiang Yan simply willed a pair of binoculars out of her space.

Through the lenses, she could see that the people on the open deck were working in an orderly, well-organized manner.

There were four tall, armed soldiers in rain ponchos, standing ramrod straight at the four corners of the deck.

In the center stood several people of varying heights, all wearing raincoats and rain boots, each holding a navy-blue umbrella.

There was also an armed soldier standing nearby.

Standing at the very center was a short-haired woman, about fifty years old, holding a megaphone. Her face was lined and weary, and the gray hair peeking out from under her rain hood was already soaked and plastered together by the rain.

But she looked calm and composed, standing tall and straight, her eyes bright and piercing.

The blaring music was coming from several large speakers on the ship.

Jiang Yan glanced at the water level on the building opposite—it had already reached past the seventeenth floor.

The sightseeing cruise ship was about ten meters tall, and the top deck was almost level with the twentieth floor of the building, no wonder the music sounded so loud.

The buildings and windows opposite were also packed with people.

Although the official ship had come by yesterday to give advance notice, everyone’s faces were still filled with excitement and anticipation.

After all, the huge hailstorm yesterday afternoon, followed by another round of torrential rain and the ever-rising water level, had changed a lot of people’s minds.

Those who had planned to stay home and be self-sufficient were now wavering.

Everyone wanted to board that ship.

Even those who didn’t meet the official requirements were itching to try their luck.

But for now, there was nothing they could do—they could only watch eagerly.

The official ship had arrived, but the boarding ladder hadn’t been lowered yet.

There were still several meters between the ship and the buildings.

Some people had rubber boats and life rings, but with armed soldiers on board, no one dared make a move.

Everyone waited anxiously.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the rousing but ear-splitting music stopped.

In the background of the pouring rain, shouts and cheers erupted from the buildings.

Some people were even moved to tears, leading others in singing the national anthem.

The emotions that had been suppressed for so long weren’t dampened by the rain—instead, they flared up like a fire doused with gasoline.

“Hello! Hello!” The short-haired woman tested the megaphone, then swept her sharp gaze over the buildings.

She didn’t speak right away.

She knew time was precious.

But she also knew that everyone needed a moment to vent and release their emotions.

After about half a minute, she raised the megaphone:

“Fellow citizens, brothers and sisters, what I’m about to say is very important! I’ll only say it once! Please quiet down! Please quiet down!”

Even with the megaphone, she was practically shouting at the top of her lungs.

Hearing her words, the excited crowd gradually quieted down.

Some people kept talking, but others shushed them.

Soon, there was silence.

The rain kept pouring down.

“Fellow citizens, brothers and sisters, I am Zhang Xiumei, a representative of the Anming Temporary Base staff. I’m here today to coordinate the evacuation of people from this area. The requirements for boarding were already explained by our colleagues yesterday, so I won’t repeat them here.

What I want to say is: after the heatwave hit, the authorities immediately launched the emergency response. Right now, the first Anming Base capable of withstanding the rain and other disasters is being built at full speed.

The base is now basically ready for residents, but our ships and transport capacity are extremely limited. The people who went to the base earlier were mainly there to help with construction and resource gathering.

So, for now, we are prioritizing healthy, able-bodied young adults for evacuation.

Of course, anyone with special skills in construction, deep-sea fishing, agriculture, or animal husbandry will also be specially considered.

We ask for everyone’s understanding, respect, and support!

We will be running three evacuation trips today.

We’ll be back at noon and again at 6 p.m., so if you don’t get on the ship this time, don’t worry.

After that, we’ll continue to evacuate the remaining people as the base progresses, so please keep faith and be patient!

If you’ve decided to go to the official base with us, please bring your belongings and ID and line up at the windows in the corridor on the 18th floor of your building.

If you have special skills, please declare them honestly. If we discover any false claims after arrival at the base, you will bear the consequences yourself!

Finally, I want to emphasize:

The authorities will never abandon a single citizen!

Let’s unite as one, stand together through wind and rain, and overcome these difficult times!

We have every reason to believe that there is no obstacle in life we cannot overcome!

There is no disaster that humanity cannot defeat!

Man can conquer nature!!”"