The system’s voice chimed: 【Host, what is your wish?】
Song Yue didn’t hesitate. “I want a city on the water!”
The ground gave way instantly, collapsing with a deafening roar.
Nannan was eating her rations when a sharp cracking sound reached her ears. “Earthquake! Get out!”
She dropped her lunch box and grabbed Sister Mei and their two roommates. The others stared at her, bewildered by the sudden outburst, but Nannan didn’t wait for an explanation.
Fissures spiderwebbed across the gymnasium floor, racing up the walls with terrifying speed. The entire building began to tilt.
Sister Mei’s eyes widened. She gripped Nannan’s hand and spun around to shout at Lin Sheng and Old Man Li. “The gym is collapsing! Run!”
Lin Sheng hoisted his wife onto his back while Old Man Li grabbed his own wife’s hand. They scrambled after Sister Mei’s group, racing for the exit.
The other survivors remained frozen, watching them run with skeptical confusion, unaware that a nightmare had already arrived.
Within seconds, the sky and earth seemed to tear apart. The building buckled, walls snapped, and windows shattered into a rain of glass and flying debris.
Screams and desperate cries for help erupted from inside the stadium.
Sister Mei stared at the half-collapsed structure, her face pale with horror. “Thank god we reacted in time…”
Otherwise, they would have ended up like the people trapped inside.
“What’s wrong with the ground? Why would it suddenly give way?” Lin Sheng frowned. “I didn’t think Laocheng was on a fault line.”
The others shook their heads, equally bewildered.
“Whatever the reason…” Lin Sheng wasn’t an expert and didn’t want to speculate. “It clearly means the foundations in Laocheng are unstable. Other buildings might go too. We need to stay in the open and keep away from the indoors.”
The group murmured their agreement.
But just as they reached a consensus, another wave of destruction struck.
A nearby residential building slumped like soft mud losing its support, crashing down with a deafening roar. An adjacent shopping mall followed immediately, its foundation seemingly hollowed out in an instant as it vanished into the earth with a violent surge of dust and debris.
“It’s another earthquake! Find somewhere to hide!” Sister Mei was the first to react this time. She scanned their surroundings, frantic to find an open space where they could take refuge.
Everywhere they looked, buildings were crumbling. The ground continued to fracture, the expanding fissures swallowing everything that fell into them.
“Everyone, run to the square!”
With nowhere else to go, Sister Mei led the group toward the plaza across from the gymnasium. All around them, the air was thick with the roar of engines and desperate screams for help.
As she ran, Sister Mei glanced around. She realized this didn’t feel like an earthquake. During a quake, buildings swayed and people struggled to keep their footing, yet she hadn’t felt the ground shake once.
If there was no earthquake, why were the buildings collapsing?
“Watch out!”
A voice barked a warning, and a hand suddenly yanked her back.
Sister Mei stumbled, her eyes wide as she stared at the ground barely inches from her toes. A jagged crack had ripped through the pavement. If she hadn’t been pulled back, she would have stepped right into the void.
“Thank you,” she said, turning to Lin Sheng.
“Don’t mention it,” Lin Sheng replied, his brow furrowed. “Look down there.”
The group crowded around the fissure and peered into the darkness. A collective gasp went up.
“God, what is that? Water?” Nannan cried.
At the bottom of the gap, a murky, brownish liquid surged back and forth.
“How could there be that much water under the city?” the other two roommates asked, their eyes wide with shock.
Standing beside them, Sister Mei clenched her fists. It definitely wasn’t an earthquake. The entire city was sinking.
If that was the case, then…
She met the eyes of Lin Sheng and Huang Xin. She could see they had reached the same conclusion.
“The whole city is going down.”
“Mommy, it hurts… Mommy!”
A little girl with a ponytail sobbed on the side of the road. Her lower body was trapped in the ground; a mixture of blood and filthy water seeped from her waist, quickly pooling around her.
Her mother knelt beside her, searching frantically for any way to save her daughter. But it was impossible. The road had suddenly split open, the crack just wide enough for the fleeing girl to fall through.
The woman didn’t dare pull her daughter upward because the child screamed in pain at every touch. Yet she couldn’t just leave her. The blood continued to flow; at this rate, she didn’t have much time left.
The mother refused to voice the thought, her heart twisting in her chest. If she could, she would have traded places with her daughter in an instant.
Overcome with a sense of helpless, soul-crushing despair, the woman held her daughter and wept.
“Dad! Give me your hand! Quick!”
In a nearby park, a man lay flat on the ground, his eyes bloodshot. He didn’t understand what was happening. He had been walking with his parents when the earth suddenly split beneath them.
He hadn’t been fast enough to catch his mother. She had vanished into the chasm instantly. He had lunged for his father instead, managing to snag the back of the older man’s collar at the very last second.
He never imagined that a torrential current surged beneath the crevice. The water pounded against his father, and the elderly man, far too weak to lift his arms, could only drift deeper into the channel as his body began to slip away.
“Dad, hold your breath! Don’t let the water in! Give me your hand! Quickly!” the man wailed, sprawled over the edge of the gap in a desperate, tearless sob.
But the old man had already swallowed water during the fall. Shivering in the freezing current, his body temperature plummeted, and his face turned a ghostly white. Driven by madness, the man tried to crawl into the rift, frantic to haul his father back up.
He had already lost his mother. He couldn’t lose his father too.
It was his fault. All of it.
Knowing how dangerous it was outside, why had he insisted on bringing his parents out to stock up on supplies? Regret poisoned his heart, spreading through him like a bitter, suffocating venom.
Just before she hit the ground, Song Yue noticed the world around her shift abruptly. The falling rocks vanished, replaced by a lush landscape of trees and thick grass.
She landed with a dull thud. The soft earth provided a perfect cushion, breaking her fall. Song Yue scrambled to her feet and scanned her surroundings.
She saw coconut trees, bamboo groves, thickets of shrubs, and rolling green meadows. There was even a small wooden cabin.
“Is this… Water City?”
She hadn’t expected it to look like this. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t even had time to draft a layout.
She had clung to a final shred of hope, praying the Omnipotent Prop could save her and the others. She never expected the Cocktail to actually deliver.
[Host, as your current level is low, the Water City will not provide modern buildings or facilities at this time.
The Water City covers a total area of 10,000 square meters, featuring ten coconut trees, three bamboo groves, ten shrubberies, three plots of farmland, and three log cabins.
Resources are limited. Please use them wisely before the Instance concludes.]
With that, the system’s voice receded from her mind.
“What… what is this?!”
Chu Xinghe stared at their surroundings, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Song Yue didn’t have time for a detailed explanation. “Tell you later,” she snapped, gesturing for him to help.
Outside the Water City, the world was still disintegrating. The ground shattered into jagged fragments, and countless people tumbled into the water, vanishing beneath the currents after only a brief struggle.
A floating panel drifted before Song Yue’s eyes, displaying the Water City’s basic stats and control interface. She pressed a button, and the massive structure surged forward like a giant cruise ship toward those struggling in the water.
“Here, let me!”
Standing at the edge of the Water City, she spotted a young girl pinned in a crevice. Under Chu Xinghe’s astonished gaze, Song Yue pulled a sledgehammer from her space and smashed through the stone slabs in a few swift strikes.
The girl was pulled free, sobbing as she threw herself into her mother’s arms.
“Thank you… thank you so much!” the woman sobbed, gazing at Song Yue with profound gratitude.
Song Yue didn’t waste time and helped the woman onto the shore. “This is Water City. It’s safe here. Find a place to rest for a moment. Chu Xinghe, please look after them.”
Chu Xinghe opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. Everything that had just happened—from the fall to their survival and the discovery of this small island—had far exceeded his understanding of reality.
Realizing now wasn’t the time for questions, he took a deep breath, pushed his curiosity aside, and led the pair toward the center of the island as instructed.
Song Yue turned her attention back to the rescue. She hadn’t possessed the means to help before and hadn’t overextended herself, choosing instead to stay within her limits. But now that she suddenly had this sizable Water City at her disposal, she couldn’t simply watch people drown.
Water City continued to drift, eventually reaching a patch of ruins where the original landscape was no longer recognizable. Groundwater surged relentlessly from the cracks. A man floated near one of the fissures, soaked to the bone and drifting in and out of consciousness. His hand hung limp at his side, though his fingers remained tightly clenched around an elderly man’s collar.
The old man bobbed in the water, no longer struggling.
Song Yue’s heart sank. She quickly pulled a lifebuoy from her space and tossed it toward the man. “Put it on! Quickly!”
The man heard her voice and choked on a mouthful of water, his eyes snapping open as he regained clarity.
The lifebuoy was right in front of him, and he reached for it instinctively.
Then he remembered his father. His eyes widened, and he scrambled to turn around. His face went deathly pale.
“Dad…!”
A sob tore from his chest as the man broke into tears. Only after Song Yue’s urgent persuasion did he finally force himself to let go. His father’s body drifted away instantly.
With bloodshot eyes, the man pulled himself into the lifebuoy and began paddling toward the shore.
At that moment, a notification chimed in Song Yue’s mind.
Congratulations, Host. Optional task successfully completed.
“Sister Mei, look! What’s that?” Nannan called out.
Nannan felt her only real talent was having sharper senses than those around her. She had been the one to hear footsteps on the sightseeing boat and the first to notice the walls cracking at the stadium. Now, even as the city lay submerged and everyone struggled to survive, she was the first to spot something unusual. For once, she felt she wasn’t just a burden to the group.
Following her lead, everyone noticed a small island in the distance.
“Are there islands in Laocheng?” Lin Sheng asked, staring toward it with suspicion.
Old Man Li shook his head. “No. Laocheng borders the sea, but there are no islands within the city limits.”
“Then how could…”
His wife, Huang Xin, pulled on his hand. “Don’t overthink it right now,” she said weakly. “Staying alive is all that matters.”
“That’s true,” Lin Sheng muttered, swallowing hard. “If even the Qianhe Lake District can be submerged, nothing is impossible anymore.”
“Let’s go. We need to move toward that island,” he urged.
They weren’t the only ones. More and more people were noticing the strange island that had appeared without warning, drifting through the ruins of Laocheng. But with the city collapsing into the depths, they had no other choice.
Everyone with a makeshift vessel—basins, buckets, or anything that floated—began paddling desperately toward the floating landmass.
Song Yue steered the edges of her Water City toward those struggling in the flood. Once they scrambled aboard, she manipulated her control panel to move toward the next group of survivors. As she pulled person after person from the water, a system notification suddenly flashed before her eyes.
Congratulations, Host. Mandatory Mission 2 has been successfully completed.
Song Yue blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected to find her target here.
At that moment, two voices called out in unison.
“Song Yue?!”
“How are you here?!”
Zheng Yuexi and Jing Xiao approached from the other side of the deck. Zheng Yuexi’s arm was hooked firmly through Jing Xiao’s in an intimate gesture. Upon seeing Song Yue, Jing Xiao’s immediate reaction was to try and pull away, but Zheng Yuexi tightened her grip, refusing to let him go.
Trapped, Jing Xiao could only manage an awkward wave with his free hand. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Song Yue ignored their little movements, her expression flat. “Yes, it is.”
Jing Xiao had expected a bit of sentimentality at the meeting of two schoolmates, but Song Yue showed no interest in reminiscing. He stood rooted to the spot, his smile growing increasingly strained.
Seeing the awkwardness, Zheng Yuexi stepped forward with a bright grin. “You have no idea how hard our journey has been, Xiao Yue. I wouldn’t have survived without Senior Brother Jing taking such good care of me. That’s why he’s so happy to see a fellow student.”
She emphasized the words “care of me,” her expression turning triumphant.
To her frustration, Song Yue remained cold and detached, offering no reaction at all. It felt like punching a bale of cotton—no impact, just a dull sense of stifled resentment.
Still, Zheng Yuexi consoled herself. The thought that she had spent the last few days by Jing Xiao’s side while Song Yue had been all alone was enough to make her heart swell with smug satisfaction.
Song Yue saw right through her, but she couldn’t be bothered to call her out. As far as she was concerned, Jing Xiao was just a task objective for a Instance. Now that the objective was complete, he was irrelevant.
Just then, Chu Xingha ran up to her. “The rooms in the cabin are all full. Is it alright if I have the others sleep on the grass?”
Just then, Chu Xinghe hurried over to her. “The cabins are all full. Is it alright if I have the rest of the people sleep on the grass?”
Song Yue nodded. “That’s fine.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “You can just use your own judgment on things like this from now on.”
She would have to leave this Instance sooner or later, and there was no telling what would become of Water City once she was gone. Since Chu Xinghe was capable and honest, she decided to start letting him take the reins.
As he left to carry out the instructions, Jing Xiao asked curiously, “Who is he?”
“A prominent researcher,” Song Yue replied.
Zheng Yuexi let out a soft exclamation, her face lighting up with gossip. “What’s the story with you two?”
Song Yue didn’t particularly dislike Zheng Yuexi, but seeing her preoccupied with such nonsense made her frown. “If you have so much free time, go help out.”
“I’m not part of the rescue team. Why should I help?”
“Then suit yourself.” Song Yue looked at her coldly. “Just don’t get in my way.”
She turned and walked away, leaving Zheng Yuexi staring after her with wide eyes.
“Senior Brother Jing, look at how she talks! I told you she had a spoiled princess attitude, but you wouldn’t believe me.”
Zheng Yuexi watched Song Yue’s retreating back, gritting her teeth in frustration.
Once she was far enough away, Zheng Yuexi rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Who does she think she is? Still the campus belle at the Academy of Fine Arts? She needs to check where she is before acting like such a diva.”
“Zheng Yuexi.” Jing Xiao didn’t appreciate the way she described Song Yue. He cut her off. “I stayed out of your business because I thought you and Song Yue were close, but you’re crossing a line.”
Zheng Yuexi’s eyes widened, her expression one of utter disbelief. “Senior Brother Jing, that’s so unfair… Haven’t I been the one by your side this entire journey?”
“By my side?” Jing Xiao let out a sharp, frustrated laugh. “Back at the Lakeside Hotel, if you hadn’t stolen from the kitchen and injured their staff behind my back, would I have even needed to steal a boat to get you out of there?”
He continued, his voice cold. “And from Thousand Crane Lake to Laocheng, how many times did you actually help? Every time I asked you to do something, you just bossed around the other girls from the academy. What, you’re the only one with an injury? Your hands are too delicate to work, so they have to labor like pack animals? Have some self-awareness, Zheng Yuexi. If it weren’t for your friendship with Song Yue, I wouldn’t have given you the time of day.”
“You…!” Zheng Yuexi’s face flushed a deep, furious red. “Song Yue, Song Yue, Song Yue! That’s all any of you care about! What is she even worth? You all have your eyes glued to her!”
“She just has a bit of family money, doesn’t she? If I had that kind of cash, I’d be a hundred times prettier than her! No, ten thousand times!”
With enough money, what couldn’t she achieve? Her nose, her eyes, her lips, her chest—she would change anything she wasn’t satisfied with. When that day came, would any guy still spare a glance for a used-up rag like Song Yue? She sneered at the thought.
Zheng Yuexi was filled with righteous indignation, her eyes bloodshot with envy.
“Give it a rest, Zheng Yuexi!”
A woman’s voice abruptly cut through her rage. Zheng Yuexi spun around to find Sister Mei and Nannan standing there.
“Zheng Yuexi, don’t you have any shame? You’ve been running around the college spreading rumors that Song Yue had plastic surgery, but I think you’re just jealous of her natural beauty!”
“Ugh, I can’t believe I actually fell for your lies!”
“Song Yue’s personality is ten times better than yours. She’s never said a single bad word about you. But look at you—you’re two-faced and disgusting!”
Zheng Yuexi froze.
She couldn’t understand why Sister Mei and the other three girls, who had always detested Song Yue, were suddenly leaping to her defense.
“What are you all… doing here?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
Sister Mei wasn’t biting. From the moment she had spotted Zheng Yuexi in the distance, she had been determined to come over and set the record straight for Song Yue’s sake.
“It’s none of your business where we are! We’re done with you, Zheng Yuexi. Don’t you dare spread any more rumors about Song Yue. If anyone in Room 404 hears a whisper of it, you’ll have to answer to my fists!”
As the leader of her dorm, Sister Mei knew how to throw her weight around. She wouldn’t have much of a reputation if she couldn’t command a room.
She finished her threat with a venomous glare at Jing Xiao. It was strange—she used to think Song Yue was the ungrateful troublemaker, but now, the more she looked at Jing Xiao, the more he irritated her. He was like a localized eyesore she couldn’t wait to scrub away.
“Let’s go, girls. Don’t waste your time on people like this.”
Sister Mei turned on her heel with an exaggerated flourish, nearly making Huang Xin burst out laughing.
“Sister Mei is hilarious,” Huang Xin said with a weak smile.
Lin Sheng nodded, supporting her as they walked. “I didn’t realize she was so good at trash-talking. It must have been hard for her to keep all that bottled up during the trip.”
Old Li and Granny Li watched the exchange in silence. Though they didn’t know the exact history between Song Yue and the girl throwing a tantrum, Sister Mei’s outburst had given them the gist of it.
They had seen exactly what kind of person Song Yue was during their time together: brave, intelligent, capable, and kind. So what if she had money? Her parents had worked hard for it. Song Yue wasn’t spoiled or arrogant, yet she was being vilified just for having a comfortable background.
The elderly couple said nothing, but they both shook their heads inwardly at Zheng Yuexi.
Zheng Yuexi’s face flushed as the weight of the surrounding stares grew. Feeling the sting of public humiliation, she feigned an expression of deep grievance, wiped at the back of her hand, and hurried away.
“Tsk, still acting,” Sister Mei scoffed. “The Beijing Film Academy has nothing on her.”
The run-in with Zheng Yuexi and Jing Xiao had been a total accident. Once the drama subsided, Sister Mei shook the water from her clothes and turned to the old woman.
“Granny Li, thank you so much. Without those buoyancy packs you made, us non-swimmers would have drowned for sure.”
Without kayaks, they had been forced to row to the island themselves. Since none of them knew how to swim, they had relied entirely on the buoyancy packs Granny Li fashioned while they were still aboard the sightseeing boat.
Granny Li waved off the praise the moment she heard it. “Why thank me? I just provided the labor. If you’re going to thank anyone, thank Huang Xin. She’s the one who taught me the technique; I just followed her lead.”
Huang Xin shook her head weakly. “No… don’t thank me. I’m a patient… I didn’t do any of the work. It was all Granny Li. She learned the needlework so quickly… we’re the ones who should be thanking her.”
“Alright, let’s stop the mutual flattery,” Nannan said, stepping in to play the peacemaker. “Everyone contributed on this journey; every one of us was essential. Brother Lin and Song Yue took turns at the helm, Old Man Li guided the way, Sister Xin taught the needlework, and Granny Li made the packs. The four of us handled the chores. You see? No one was idle.”
The group shared a lighthearted laugh, each of them feeling fortunate to be part of such a team.
In the wake of a disaster, the human heart was an unpredictable thing. If even spouses could turn on one another, what could be expected from a group of strangers brought together by chance?
Yet they were incredibly fortunate to have joined such a harmonious team. No one harbored hidden agendas; everyone shared the same goal and worked toward it together. It was that collective drive that had pulled them through one crisis after another, eventually leading them to this island.
“It’s a pity Song Yue isn’t with us…” Sister Mei murmured, her eyes downcast.
Back at the gymnasium, she had stepped out to check on the situation. In that brief window, disaster struck Laocheng, forcing the two groups apart.
“Yeah, if only Xiao Yue were here…” Huang Xin leaned back into Lin Sheng’s arms. She coughed a few times, her voice heavy with regret.
The others bowed their heads, a sense of shared grief settling over them.
Then, a figure appeared before them.
“Sister Mei? Nannan? Sister Xin!”
Everyone’s heads snapped up, their eyes lighting up in an instant.
“Song Yue!”
“Xiao Yue!”
“You’re okay! Thank god, you scared us to death!” Nannan, the group’s crybaby, pouted as her eyes immediately welled with tears.
“Do you have any idea how worried we were?”
Song Yue pulled her into a hug before scanning the group one by one. Once she confirmed everyone was unhurt, she finally let out a breath of relief. “I’m just glad I found you.”
As soon as the Water City appeared, she had steered it straight toward the gymnasium.
She had initially thought the higher elevation might buy them some time, but the stadium had not been spared. The entire structure had collapsed into the water, leaving only the semi-circular roof visible—a lonely landmark that allowed her to identify what the building had once been.
Since then, Song Yue had been searching. It was only now that she finally allowed herself a sigh of relief.
“Come on,” she said, leading the way without hesitation. “There’s still room in the wooden cabin. I’ll take you there to rest.”
The group followed, watching her back with a silent understanding. They had noticed her peculiarities long ago—the kayak that vanished whenever they weren’t looking, and the backpack that seemed far too small for the amount of food she pulled from it.
Some things were better left unsaid. To press her for answers would have been a breach of etiquette.
Even after they entered the cabin, no one mentioned the Water City. Song Yue, for her part, maintained the pretense.
And so their life on the water began. Having completed every objective except the first, Song Yue felt the pressure lift. She spent the next few days sequestered in her room, content to enjoy herself.
It had been days since she’d had a decent meal. After locking the doors and windows, she settled in to indulge.
A spicy dry pot, a bowl of clam soup, and a cold cola. And for dessert, a mango pancake…
“One spicy dry pot, one bowl of seafood clam soup, and a glass of cold cola.
And a mango pancake… no, I can’t eat another bite.”
Belch!
Rubbing her rounded belly, Song Yue lamented the size of her stomach. The time she spent enjoying such delicacies always felt far too short.
Three days passed in peace and harmony. Song Yue had begun to think the Instance would end this way, but on the fourth day, a fierce argument broke out outside the wooden house.
“Why do they get to stay in the rooms while we’re stuck outside? It’s not fair!”
“This island belongs to everyone! Everyone deserves a share!”
“Exactly! You say your wife is injured, but my mother-in-law isn’t feeling well either! Why can’t she go in? You owe us an explanation!”
“If you don’t explain yourself, we’re just going to force our way in. There’s no one in charge anyway—it belongs to whoever can take it!”
Chu Xinghe was frantic. As a mere representative, he had no real authority, and the owner of Water City had no interest in managing daily affairs. His head had been throbbing for days.
Then he remembered how Song Yue had encouraged him to find his courage and expose Laocheng’s facade of inaction. She was the one who had provided this stable sanctuary. Thinking of that, he decided the hardship was worth it.
As he struggled to find a way to calm the crowd, a cold voice suddenly cut through the air.
“Who dares to try?”
“I will ensure they never set foot in this city again.”
The crowd fell into a sudden, heavy silence.
Song Yue’s gaze swept over the agitators gathered in front of the building before she turned to Chu Xinghe. “Tell them who is permitted to stay in the wooden houses.”
With someone backing him up, Chu Xinghe found his confidence. He cleared his throat and announced, “There are currently three wooden houses, each with three rooms. Houses one and two are reserved for the critically injured. House three is occupied by those who have been helping clear the bamboo and tilling the soil.”
He pointedly omitted the fact that Song Yue occupied one of the rooms herself. As the owner of the Water City, her right to a private room was beyond question, but he knew explaining that to this crowd would be difficult. It was easier to leave it out.
The others didn’t notice the omission, listening in silence.
“You heard him,” Song Yue said, her expression unchanging. “Option one: be critically injured. Option two: put in the work. If any of you meet those requirements, feel free to apply.”
As soon as she finished, a burly man lunged forward.
“Who do you think you are? Why should we listen to you?”
“Exactly! A slip of a girl thinking she can boss us around!”
No one took her words seriously.
Song Yue sighed inwardly. She truly didn’t want to reveal the secrets of the Water City, but if this dragged on any longer, she would lose control completely. She blamed the authorities; if they had already sent someone to Laocheng, she wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.
Three days had passed since the broadcast, yet there was still no movement from the outside world.
Song Yue frowned. She opened her control panel and steered Water City through the ruins of Laocheng, sending the island into a series of sharp S-turns across the floodwaters.
The group of survivors stared in disbelief.
After a final sharp maneuver, Song Yue pulled back. “Do you understand now? Do you understand why you listen to me?” she asked, her voice cold. “If I catch you bickering again, I won’t hesitate to throw you out one by one.”
It wasn’t an empty threat. She had the backend access to physically remove anyone from the island. Though she preferred to stay low-profile and quietly survive her remaining time, their behavior had forced her hand.
She turned and walked away, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.
What had they just witnessed? This girl could actually control the entire island. Was it magic? Some kind of sorcery?
Until then, they had assumed the island was a freak of nature—just another anomaly like the overflowing Thousand Crane Lake or the collapse of Laocheng. It had never occurred to them that the island actually belonged to her.
From that day on, no one dared to cause trouble. Even those who desperately wanted to move into the small cottages lacked the courage to speak up. No one was crazy enough to risk being cast back into the dark waters.
Life on the island settled into a quiet, peaceful routine.
***
On the fourteenth day of the trial, the official rescue teams finally reached Laocheng.
On the fourteenth day of the Instance, an official rescue team finally arrived in Laocheng.