Global Flood: I Survive on Duckweed

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Magical World, Enhancement System

SPLASH!

"What is... GLUG GLUG GLUG..."

Ren Yuanyang had just tried to open his mouth when it filled with water, forcing him to gulp down several mouthfuls. Water even shot up his nasal cavity.

He quickly held his breath and kicked his legs wildly, trying to find some purchase to steady himself.

But to his horror, he discovered that even at six feet tall, he couldn’t touch the bottom!

’How did I end up in the deep end?!’

Ren Yuanyang panicked. He was a terrible swimmer, barely able to doggy paddle three meters in the shallow end of a pool—and two and a half of those meters were from the initial push off the side!

He clearly remembered playing in the shallow end. How could it be this deep?

Ren Yuanyang flailed his arms, desperately paddling until he finally managed to get his body to the surface.

He quickly raised his head, managing only a single gasp of fresh air before sinking again.

In the instant his head was above water, he caught a glimpse of his surroundings that left him completely stunned.

There was nothing but an endless expanse of water. It was as if he had jumped into the middle of the ocean—not another soul in sight!

Large raindrops, the size of beans, pelted his face, stinging his skin.

’An illusion? A dream?’

He was just at a gym’s swimming pool. How could he have ended up in the ocean?

Sinking back under, Ren Yuanyang choked on another mouthful of water. The agonizing sensation made it clear this was no dream.

Just then, a flood of unfamiliar memories appeared. Ren Yuanyang didn’t have time to process them, but he knew instantly: he had transmigrated!

He was on his own now, so he began to struggle again.

Relying on a doggy paddle that could barely move him half a meter, Ren Yuanyang broke the surface again. He lifted his head, took a breath of fresh air, and sank once more.

GLUG GLUG!

After struggling like this a few more times, Ren Yuanyang’s strength gave out. He could no longer get himself to the surface.

’Am I going to drown right after transmigrating?’

During his brief moments with his head above the water, he had observed his surroundings. He really did seem to be in the middle of the ocean. There was no coastline in sight, just water everywhere.

Even if he were a good swimmer, he’d probably die of exhaustion before reaching shore.

[Ding! Enhancement System activated. Plant Enhancement unlocked...]

The sudden notification stunned Ren Yuanyang for a second, and a spark of hope immediately ignited within him.

A new surge of strength flooded his exhausted body. He clawed desperately at the water, trying to float upward.

[Round Duckweed discovered. Class: Monocotyledon. Order: Arisaema. Family: Duckweed... Enhance?]

The system notification sounded again. Ren Yuanyang immediately screamed in his mind, ’Enhance! Enhance it now!’

He had no idea if enhancing a piece of duckweed would save him, but right now, he had no other choice!

[Select enhancement direction: Buoyancy, Area...]

Ren Yuanyang didn’t even wait for the system to finish its prompt before thinking, ’Enhance buoyancy!’

He instantly felt a slight, sharp pain in his head, as if something had been drawn out of him.

[Enhancement successful. The enhanced Round Duckweed can support 10 kilograms of weight per square centimeter...]

Ren Yuanyang felt something by his hand begin to float upwards. The buoyancy was immense, pulling him toward the surface, and he quickly grabbed on tight!

SPLASH!

Ren Yuanyang burst out of the water. He took huge gasps of fresh air, and after catching his breath for a moment, he realized his hands were pressed against three pieces of duckweed, each about three centimeters in diameter!

In his vision, a system explanation appeared next to the duckweed.

[Round Duckweed (+1): Buoyancy Enhanced. As long as the carrying capacity is not exceeded, it will never sink...]

The system prompt was very detailed, but Ren Yuanyang didn’t care about the other information. When he saw "never sink," combined with the weight capacity per square centimeter, he could finally relax a little.

One Round Duckweed leaf had an area of about 7 square centimeters and could support 70 kilograms. Three of them together could support 210 kilograms. He only weighed 70 kilograms himself; a single leaf could almost bear his entire weight.

And there were three of them here. For now, he wasn’t going to drown!

’What the hell is going on?’

Only now did Ren Yuanyang have a moment to sort through the information that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Six consecutive weeks of high temperatures have led to severe drought in the northern part of our country. All departments must actively prepare and take measures to combat the drought and ensure the harvest..."

"According to satellite cloud imagery, heavy rain is expected nationwide tomorrow, which will help alleviate the drought in the north..."

"Meteorologists believe this heavy rain will last until this weekend at the latest. We ask the public not to panic. The continuous rainfall has caused urban flooding. Please be careful when traveling..."

"Continuous torrential rain has caused flooding disasters across the country. Rest assured, the nation will not abandon anyone..."

"Urgent reminder: All residents, please evacuate to higher ground immediately and await rescue..."

"One-third of the country’s landmass has been submerged. We urge everyone to actively save yourselves, move toward the plateaus, and trust that we can overcome this crisis..."

"Yuanyang, don’t blame me! This boat has limited space, and even more limited food. We have to sacrifice you!"

"I’m the one who found this boat! I worked my ass off to row it to your house, and this is how you treat me?!"

"Daughter, stop wasting your breath on him!"

THWACK!

A wooden club struck Ren Yuanyang hard on the head. Then came a kick, and Ren Yuanyang was knocked into the water.

The memory ended there.

"Global torrential rain? For over three months? That’s insane!" Ren Yuanyang felt this world was surreal.

He shook his head slightly, wiped the rain from his face, and lamented, "It’s true what they say: simps die a dog’s death."

Ren Yuanyang had been clubbed by his girlfriend’s father and then kicked off the boat.

Perhaps because the original owner’s resentment lingered, Ren Yuanyang also felt a bone-deep hatred for his ex-girlfriend’s family. But the problem right now was survival.

He couldn’t just stay soaking in the water forever.

Clinging to such a small piece of duckweed would still continuously drain his strength.

He needed to find more duckweed as soon as possible!

He had struggled for so long that his strength was almost gone. With an empty stomach and the relentless rain, it was a miracle he could even keep himself from sinking.

Ren Yuanyang let out a long breath, tilted his head back, and opened his mouth. He needed to rehydrate.

’At least it’s cleaner than the water I’m soaking in,’ he thought.

After drinking a few mouthfuls of rainwater, he rested for a while longer, then picked a random direction and started swimming.

The Round Duckweed he had enhanced was like a small foam board. By holding onto it, Ren Yuanyang could still swim for some distance.

These Round Duckweeds weren’t large, making them hard to spot from a distance in the heavy rain. Ren Yuanyang had to get close to see if there were any.

After searching like this for an hour, Ren Yuanyang had found nothing.

"Am I really fated to die in this ocean?" Ren Yuanyang felt a sense of helplessness.

Just then, riding the rise and fall of the waves, a large patch of green drifted toward Ren Yuanyang.

Looking at the connected patch of Round Duckweed, at least four square meters in size, Ren Yuanyang’s eyes immediately lit up!