Global Flood: I Survive on Duckweed

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: New Materials, Giving Away the Tent

At the system’s prompt, the shipping container, which had been more than halfway submerged, immediately shot out of the water.

SPLASH!

The container wobbled as it emerged, so Ren Yuanyang immediately guided more Round Duckweed underneath it, enhancing them to Level 3.

In truth, the initial patch of Round Duckweed he had placed under the container was already sufficient to support it.

This was just a standard 20-foot container. It weighed about 2.3 tons on its own and could carry 25 tons of cargo. Even fully loaded, its total weight wouldn’t exceed 28 tons.

The initial patch of Round Duckweed at the container’s base measured about 700 square centimeters. After three enhancements, each square centimeter could support 40 kilograms, for a total capacity of 28 tons.

While this was enough to lift it, the emerged container wasn’t stable. Ren Yuanyang had to add more Round Duckweed to secure it and prevent it from sliding back into the water.

Once the container was afloat, Ren Yuanyang could see the location of its bottom edges. He placed the newly enhanced Round Duckweed near the perimeter, completely stabilizing it.

Lu Jiamei, who had already climbed back onto her plank of wood, stared wide-eyed. Seeing that the Duckweed had actually pushed the container out of the water, she sat there, stunned.

Once the container was completely stable, Ren Yuanyang used the bitter grass to pull himself toward one end. The door’s locking mechanism had three lead seals to prevent it from being opened during transit.

He didn’t have any pliers on him; he couldn’t pull the lead seals open with his bare hands.

From her plank in the distance, Lu Jiamei reminded him, "You can shoot the lead seals off with the pistol!"

Evidently, she had seen the lead seals on the container before she went into the water.

Ren Yuanyang gave a slight nod, but he’d never actually fired a gun before. ’What if the bullet hits the container and ricochets back at me?’ he thought. ’That would be a pathetic way to die.’

Seemingly aware of his concern, Lu Jiamei spoke up again. "If you trust me, you can let me break the seals!"

"Fine, come on over. I’ll leave the pistol here!"

With that, Ren Yuanyang left the pistol on a patch of Round Duckweed near the container and retreated to the opposite side. Simultaneously, he directed the creeping stems of the bitter grass to converge near the pistol.

If Lu Jiamei made any suspicious moves, he would immediately entangle her and drag her into the water!

The Level 2 enhanced bitter grass had easily restrained her before. Now, with a Level 3 enhanced plant, it would be no problem at all.

Lu Jiamei felt a little resigned seeing how cautiously Ren Yuanyang avoided her, but she knew that trust had to be built over time.

She approached the container door, picked up the pistol, and twisted the steel wires of the three lead seals together. That way, she wouldn’t waste ammunition; a single shot could sever all three.

BANG!

With the crack of the gun, the steel wires on the three lead seals snapped in unison!

Lu Jiamei placed the pistol and the broken seals on the patch of Round Duckweed. "Boss, it’s done!" she called out. "The gun and seals are at the container door. You can retrieve them now!"

Hearing Lu Jiamei, Ren Yuanyang immediately used the bitter grass to pull over the patch of Duckweed holding the pistol and seals.

After confirming the pistol was there, Ren Yuanyang finally came back from the other side of the container to the door, telling Lu Jiamei to move away as he did.

Reaching the door, Ren Yuanyang wrenched open the container’s locking bars. The contents were finally revealed.

He was a bit disappointed. Inside were just panels of various shapes, no food.

He shook his head and examined the instructions on the outer packaging of the panels.

After a quick read, Ren Yuanyang was surprised.

These panels were a new type of imported building material—lightweight, high-strength, and resistant to fire, water, and salt.

The panels in this container could be assembled into an entire house, plus various pieces of furniture!

On land, these traits would all be advantages, but at sea, lightweight meant instability.

Ren Yuanyang turned and walked out of the container. Instead of immediately moving the panels out to clear space, he focused on reinforcing the Duckweed base. He distributed the majority of the Duckweed evenly across the container’s underside, then used his enhanced bitter grass to secure them in place.

This turned the container into a small boat floating on the ocean. Thanks to its own significant weight, it would be very stable as long as there were no major storms.

Concerned about potential slippage between the container and the Duckweed, Ren Yuanyang distributed the remaining Duckweed evenly around the container’s perimeter. This would give him time to react and make adjustments if he noticed any movement.

However, his supply of Round Duckweed was limited, leaving only a few dozen scattered sparsely around the container.

"I need to find more Duckweed," Ren Yuanyang sighed, then began moving the panels.

"Boss, do you need any help?" Lu Jiamei called out when she saw him carrying panels out of the container.

"Not for now. You keep an eye on our surroundings!" Ren Yuanyang shook his head.

Lu Jiamei had no choice but to remain on her plank and watch the surroundings.

She had hoped to help move the panels, using it as a chance to take shelter from the rain inside the container. She never expected Ren Yuanyang to refuse her so decisively.

She had been adrift for over half a month. Even with a raincoat, being constantly drenched was uncomfortable. What’s more, her clothes were already soaked through from her multiple dives to salvage supplies.

’I’d give anything to get inside that container, even for just a few seconds!’

Ren Yuanyang paid no mind to her thoughts, simply continuing to move the panels on his own.

Soon, he had moved the panels for the house out, leaning them against the side of the container and using six stalks of bitter grass to hold them in place.

He kept the panels for the furniture, however. He planned to use them to build himself a cozy little nest inside the container.

Once he’d cleared some space, Ren Yuanyang moved all the supplies from his tent into the container. Then, he called over to Lu Jiamei, "The tent is yours now. Your plank looks big enough, so just set it up on there!"

Lu Jiamei’s contribution in getting the container out of the water with the Round Duckweed had been indispensable.

As someone who could barely doggy-paddle three meters, Ren Yuanyang would never have dared to dive underneath to adjust the position of the Round Duckweed.

Lu Jiamei, who was observing the surroundings, was stunned when she heard this.

"What, you’ve grown addicted to the rain? Don’t want the tent?" Ren Yuanyang asked with a laugh when she didn’t respond.

"Yes! I do! I want it!" Lu Jiamei instantly snapped out of it and cried.

"Go ahead and pull it over. I have other uses for the Duckweed under it!" Ren Yuanyang had already guided the tent next to her plank and released the bitter grass binding it.

Lu Jiamei easily pulled the tent onto her plank, and Ren Yuanyang used the bitter grass’s entangling ability to help her secure it.

"Thank you!" Lu Jiamei said, filled with gratitude.

Ren Yuanyang waved a hand. "Don’t mention it. As long as you do the tasks I give you, there’ll be plenty more to come."

Although she knew he was making a lofty promise, Lu Jiamei felt it was one she could actually see fulfilled.

Once the tent was secured, Lu Jiamei dove right in. After being soaked by rain for half a month, she was finally out of it!

After enjoying a few moments in the rain-free environment, Lu Jiamei seemed to come to a decision. She called out loudly to Ren Yuanyang, "Boss, I have something to report!"