Chapter 44

"You can get your basic outdoor gear from me, but for water sports equipment, I recommend my friend's shop," the owner said while dialing. "He specializes in that field, is well-known in the industry, and even runs training courses."

"Though I doubt you'll need it, I can get you a few free lessons."

Without a certain level of experience, who would dare take those things out to remote waters? The owner subconsciously assumed Lin Tu was seasoned and had no need for beginner courses. Little did he know, Lin Tu was genuinely a reckless novice with more guts than sense.

Having planned to sign up for lessons anyway, Lin Tu agreed immediately.

In the end, she added the water sports shop owner's contact info and, with both owners' combined recommendations, purchased nearly a full set of rafting, open-water swimming, and diving equipment.

Wearing ordinary clothes in the water can easily impede movement and even cause hypothermia. If the disaster description held true—the entire world flooded by seawater—Lin Tu would need to be prepared for extended periods in the water, possibly even at significant depths. She would need plenty of swimwear and wetsuits for rotation.

First, she bought four inflatable rubber boats. Two were portable life rafts that would auto-inflate within a minute of hitting the water, ideal for emergencies. The other two were four-person reinforced assault boats; though they required manual inflation, they came with a 6-horsepower motor and oars mounted at the stern, allowing for fast travel across the water.

Next came five bright yellow and five light blue swimsuits, along with matching swim caps and waterproof anti-fog goggles. For diving suits, she got four dry suits and four wet suits. The dry suits were airtight and sealed, providing excellent warmth and adaptability across different environments; aside from their hefty price tag and maintenance requirements, they had no real drawbacks—they could even be used in dangerous, unpredictable conditions or under ice. The wet suits were similar to swimsuits suitable for diving, requiring no extra care beyond cleaning, and could serve for everyday submersion. Naturally, both types came with air tanks, masks, dive computers, dive boots, and dive knives.

When operating outdoors, safety was paramount. To guard against accidents in the water, Lin Tu purchased six auto-inflating life jackets, twenty anti-drowning auto-inflating rescue wristbands, twenty auto-inflating emergency belts, and several coils of safety rope.

Given that sea surfaces generally had strong sunlight, Lin Tu also bought five UV-protective rash guards, a case of sunscreen, a few sun hats, and several pairs of sunglasses. On top of that, she picked up some basic gear: three waterproof backpacks, two dry/wet separation bags, four waterproof phone pouches (both neck-hanging and arm-strap styles), a box of quick-dry towels, three underwater flashlights, and a marine sextant, among other items.

All told, the total came to over a hundred thousand yuan. Lin Tu paid for express shipping, and the gear would arrive by tomorrow or the day after.

Following the same protocol as the previous disaster, she placed orders at various markets for rice, flour, cooking oil, meat, and vegetables, restocking what the cottage had consumed. She also bought large quantities of salt, baijiu, Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, aged ginger, dried chilies, and honey. With the strong sea winds, it would be a great spot for air-drying meat, so Lin Tu specially purchased a wooden drying rack for the house, already picturing rows of savory cuts hanging from it.

She also grabbed a grill with accessories—charcoal tongs, basting brushes, and meat tongs—since seaside barbecue seemed like a solid option too.

After hauling everything home, Lin Tu handed Xiao Huang off to the butler's care and caught the fastest flight to the coast. Over the next two days, she absorbed knowledge like a sponge—learning open-water swimming and diving techniques while cramming in marine safety know-how.

She returned to the cottage only on the final day, stopping to buy a batch of shorter-shelf-life meat and leafy greens.

A few hours before departure, Yi Ying finally messaged: "Lin Jie, no worries—I've gotten everything squared away with Black Factory. They absolutely won't bother you over Zhang Jie's and Cai Dui's deaths."

Lin Tu acknowledged, and Yi Ying continued: "Thanks to your heads-up, I turned in the Plant Research Institute staff files and got a promotion qualification. I'm planning to take on a C-rank disaster next. If I make it, I'll be able to lead a squad of my own!"

She forwarded a disaster briefing—emblazoned with the words [Crimson Doomsday].

In contrast to the No-Light Doomsday, this seemed to be a different kind of apocalypse. Lin Tu glanced at the specific disaster name—[Place of Exile].

"Lin Jie, we have access to extra disaster intel. I can also personally offer you four hundred points and two D-rank items. I'd like to invite you to join our squad."

"I need to head into another disaster first. Let's talk later," Lin Tu replied.

"Huh? When are you going in? Maybe you can swing by this one first!" Yi Ying asked.

Lin Tu checked the time: "A few hours."

Yi Ying: "...That soon?"

She quietly cancelled the team-up ticket's teleport, then typed out: "Come back safe."

Lin Tu thanked her.

In the final few hours, she looked at the points she had left and let the plan that had been taking shape in her mind for days—how to use them to clear a C-rank disaster—settle into focus.