Global Flood: I Survive on Duckweed

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Container House, Clever Use of Duckweed

"Based on its shape, it probably isn’t a living thing. The corners are too sharp, and it’s rectangular!" Lu Jiamei immediately described what she’d spotted, then added, "It’s still a bit far away, though. Should we get closer to check it out?"

Ren Yuanyang paused to think, then replied, "Wait. I’ll use the bitter grass’s runners to go check it out."

Lu Jiamei was taken aback. "Can the bitter grass’s runners even reach that far?"

Ren Yuanyang didn’t answer her. Instead, he began to enhance the already twice-enhanced bitter grass.

’System, continue enhancing one stalk of bitter grass (+2).’

[Enhancement Successful!]

[Bitter Grass (+3): Its runners’ binding ability has been enhanced three times. All parameters, such as length and hardness, have been doubled...]

The runners of the twice-enhanced bitter grass were only twenty meters long. After the third enhancement, they were now forty meters.

He immediately directed the runners of the thrice-enhanced bitter grass to extend toward the unknown object Lu Jiamei had spotted.

Soon, the runners touched the unknown object, but it didn’t react at all. That basically confirmed it wasn’t a living thing!

Since it was just an object, Ren Yuanyang didn’t hesitate. He immediately had the runners wrap around it and try to pull it over.

In the next instant, he was shocked to find his Duckweed platform being pulled toward the object instead.

This meant the object Lu Jiamei had found was very heavy.

At this point, Lu Jiamei also noticed they were getting closer to the object. She asked anxiously, "Boss, what’s happening?"

"Don’t worry, the bitter grass is pulling us there!" Ren Yuanyang reassured her, then gazed ahead. ’What could it be?’

Soon, Ren Yuanyang and his companion were pulled close to the object. They were stunned to find it was a shipping container.

Lu Jiamei cried out in delight, "This is great! The container hasn’t sunk, which means it must have a good seal. It might be full of supplies we need!"

Ren Yuanyang nodded.

"Want me to get on top and open it?" Lu Jiamei asked, pointing to the end that was above the water.

Ren Yuanyang looked at the container, pondering for a moment before shaking his head. "If we open it, we’ll break the seal. In a downpour this heavy, it’ll fill with water and sink in no time."

Lu Jiamei faltered, then threw up her hands in resignation. "Then what’s the plan? Are we just going to stare at it? Let’s just open it and grab what we can!"

Ren Yuanyang stared at the container, a sudden smile on his face. "It’s not every day we find a house. We can’t just give up on it, right?"

Lu Jiamei was taken aback again. "You mean you want to pull the container onto the Duckweed platform?"

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly.

"But... the bitter grass can’t pull it, can it? And can the Duckweed platform even hold a shipping container?" Lu Jiamei felt it was highly unlikely.

Instead of answering, Ren Yuanyang asked, "You know how to swim, right?"

Lu Jiamei paused, then replied proudly, "Of course. I was the swimming champion on the police force!"

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Then get ready to get in the water!"

"Huh? You don’t actually expect me to push the container up, do you?" Lu Jiamei’s lips twitched.

"Are you that strong?" Ren Yuanyang rolled his eyes. "I just need you to go under and confirm a few positions. I’ll use the Round Duckweed to push it to the surface!"

His plan was to send ordinary Round Duckweed under the container, enhance them via the connected runners, and then use their increased buoyancy to push the container to the surface.

The container’s weight was obviously distributed unevenly, which meant the placement of the Round Duckweed was critical. If they weren’t distributed properly, the container could tip over or slide back into the water.

Ren Yuanyang had a limited supply of Round Duckweed. Once enhanced, their buoyancy would make it very difficult to get them under the container again. That’s why he needed someone in the water to confirm their positions, increasing the chance of success.

He had already planned to use the bitter grass runners to guide the ordinary Round Duckweed under the container, but he couldn’t control their placement precisely.

This was related to his Mental Energy. His Mental Energy wasn’t strong enough for him to perceive his surroundings through the runners. It was like the parable of the blind men and an elephant; he could get a rough sense of what he was touching, but couldn’t grasp the bigger picture.

It had been the same situation when Ren Yuanyang had used the runners to find Lu Jiamei earlier.

But his Mental Energy wasn’t going to increase overnight, so his only option was to send the swimming champion, Lu Jiamei, into the water.

Lu Jiamei paused, then asked with confusion, "It’ll be difficult to push *these* Round Duckweed under the surface, won’t it?"

"These would be, but those are doable!" Ren Yuanyang said, pointing to the ordinary Round Duckweed they had harvested that morning.

Lu Jiamei froze again before it clicked. ’It’s confirmed,’ she thought, ’Ren Yuanyang has definitely awakened a special ability!’

’He can turn ordinary Duckweed into super-buoyant Duckweed!’

’No wonder he said this Duckweed was his!’ Lu Jiamei thought. She was both thrilled and astounded. ’If he can find enough Duckweed, couldn’t he build an entire floating landmass on the ocean?’

At the same time, Lu Jiamei felt another surge of relief. ’Following someone like him... the possibilities are endless!’

"Any problems?" Ren Yuanyang asked, seeing she hadn’t responded.

"No problem!" Lu Jiamei snapped back to reality and answered at once.

Ren Yuanyang nodded and continued, "I’ll control the runners to guide the Duckweed under the container. Once you’re down there, help me adjust their placement. The end that’s submerged deeper needs more of them..."

"Got it!" Lu Jiamei nodded.

Ren Yuanyang immediately had the bitter grass runners wrap around the Round Duckweed and guide them underneath the container.

"I’m sending the Duckweed down now. Be careful when you go under. Adjust their positions, then surface immediately," Ren Yuanyang instructed. "Make sure the Duckweed don’t break away from the runners, and don’t untie the runner that’s wrapped around you!"

"Right!" Lu Jiamei acknowledged. Then she took a deep breath and dove straight into the water.

Seeing how decisively Lu Jiamei entered the water, Ren Yuanyang felt she had changed somehow.

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but her obedience and efficiency were excellent. That was enough for him.

Lu Jiamei surfaced twice to catch her breath before diving back down. The third time she came up, she gave Ren Yuanyang an "OK" sign with her hand.

Ren Yuanyang immediately began channeling the enhancement through the runners to the Round Duckweed.

He had just used some Mental Energy to create the thrice-enhanced bitter grass, but he still had more than half remaining. At full strength, his Mental Energy could enhance approximately 3.14 square meters of Round Duckweed.

There were only about a hundred pieces of Round Duckweed under the container, with a total area of about seven hundred square centimeters—equivalent to just 0.07 square meters. Although his Mental Energy was somewhat depleted, what he had left was more than enough to enhance all of them!

To ensure they could lift the container, Ren Yuanyang directly enhanced the ordinary Round Duckweed to their third level.

[Enhancement Successful.]

[Round Duckweed (+3): Can support 40 kilograms of weight per square centimeter...]