I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 170
Chapter 170: Is a Storm Coming?
On May 18th, in the Nanqi District of Shenzhen City, the average temperature noticeably dropped compared to the previous days. It went from over 30 degrees Celsius to just over 20 degrees Celsius, and it seemed to have a trend of further decline.
Coastal cities are like this, with unpredictable weather. If they say it will rain, it rains. If they say it will cool down, it cools down. The specific weather depends entirely on the sky.
Shenzhen City is not like those massive inland cities. In those cities, due to numerous buildings, sparse vegetation, and low forest coverage, there is a severe heat island effect almost every year. The carbon dioxide and various industrial gases that cannot dissipate concentrate in the urban area, making the city feel like a giant furnace.
Shenzhen City, especially in the Nanqi District, has a complex climate. Rainbow rain can suddenly fall when the sun is scorching, and hailstorms can occur in the sky at 37-38 degrees Celsius, catching people off guard.
“Today’s Shenzhen weather forecast, from today to tomorrow… the highest temperature is 21 degrees Celsius, and the lowest is 27 degrees Celsius. The sun intensity has significantly weakened compared to the previous week, and there may be localized light rain or heavy rain…”
Early in the morning, I, as usual, stumbled out of my room, took a quick shower, and headed to the living room to change clothes. There, I discovered that Lan Jiajia had already prepared breakfast for us. The table was filled with steaming noodles and eggs with milk.
“Good morning, both of you!”
Seeing me and Yin Xiamo, Lan Jiajia, still wearing an apron, gestured towards the breakfast on the table. “Do you have any preferences?”
“We’re not picky eaters.”
I walked over and inspected the noodles on the table. The aroma was enticing, with thin noodles complemented by rich broth, thinly sliced beef, and some lettuce and green onions. It looked very appetizing.
Especially the beef. In my eyes, beef has always been a luxury item. Even during the outbreak of swine flu, when pork prices rose significantly, beef remained much more expensive than pork. So, back when I was living in the tiny apartment, I would only buy a little bit of beef when I received a bonus from work or got reader rewards from my novels, and only when I was in a particularly good mood.
In the realm of cooking, my lacking skill is “knife work.” I wasn’t good at cutting meat even when I was a big guy before, and now, as a petite girl, handling a kitchen knife is even more challenging. So, when I cook at home, I usually ask the aunties and uncles at the market to help me cut the ingredients or just make dishes that don’t require meat cutting.
But Lan Jiajia clearly doesn’t have this “shortcoming.” I know that this beef is what Liu Ye Zi bought from the market yesterday when she came to our house for dinner, and it’s the leftovers she used to make braised beef. The thickness of the sliced meat is just right, falling between the miserly “beef noodles” outside that are as thin as cicada wings and the slices cut by ordinary people. Not only is the thickness moderate, but the size is also just right to be placed on top of the noodles.
Since this beef is still very fresh, when placed in the noodles, rainbow hues even appear on their surface. Fresh beef, due to the fibers inside, scatters light after being cooked, creating a “rainbow” effect. Some people may see the colorful surface of beef in a restaurant and think it’s not fresh, but, in fact, it is a sign of high-quality beef.
A bowl of beef noodles with vegetables contains various vitamins from starch and meat. Adding a versatile boiled egg supplements protein, and then there’s milk to provide calcium and sugars. I would give this breakfast a perfect score.
“Well then, I won’t be polite!”
Looking at the steaming noodles and milk with eggs on the table, I abandoned the idea of going to the balcony to change clothes and sat directly on the chair next to the dining table. “Lan Jiajia, you’re really kind.”
“When I was staying temporarily at my relatives’ house before, their child really didn’t like eggs. He said eggs smell bad, and he didn’t like milk without sugar either.”
Lan Jiajia laughed very gently, wearing a maternal expression, “Has Ai Luodi not gotten up yet?”
“She probably hasn’t slept. Last night, when Nuo’er and I were about to sleep, we could faintly hear the sound of her keyboard,” I replied.
Yin Xiamo sat down beside me, saying, “I suspect she might still be gaming.”
“She’s always been like this. Many of my accounts were played by her, and she doesn’t take care of herself at all.”
Upon hearing Yin Xiamo’s comment, Lan Jiajia stood up and said, “I’ll go call her and ask her to eat something and go to bed soon.”
“Sure.”
Watching Lan Jiajia head towards the second floor of the house, I picked up my chopsticks and shifted my gaze to the television in the living room.
After these days of “living together,” Yin Xiamo, Lan Jiajia, Ai Luodi, and I had more or less reached a state of “harmony.” During our usual workdays, we would help each other out at the café. When we returned home, Ai Luodi, as the “landlady,” primarily took care of various household matters, such as paying utility bills. If she noticed that there wasn’t much toothpaste, face wash, or shower gel left in the bathroom on the first floor, she would proactively buy and bring them home. If the living room ran out of tissues, she would also take care of restocking, almost single-handedly managing all the expenses for our “consumables.”
As for me, I am responsible for the three meals a day here, or rather, I can’t really say “responsible.” Generally, if there’s time, I’ll cook. In the morning, Lan Jiajia or I, whoever wakes up first, will go buy enough breakfast for four people. In the evenings, I might make some desserts, like mung bean congee, shaved ice, or jelly. Occasionally, if I pass by nearby stalls, I’ll buy some fruits. Lan Jiajia’s “job” is quite similar to mine. Whenever there’s time, she cooks dinner and breakfast. If she sees the fridge running low on drinks or ingredients, she goes out to buy them. If the kitchen is running low on eggs, corn, sweet potatoes, or anything else, she also brings some back when she goes grocery shopping.
If neither of us has time, and we’re too hungry to wait, we order takeout or go to nearby fast-food restaurants.
As for Yin Xiamo, she has almost become the “housekeeper” of this room. She takes care of tasks like sweeping and mopping the floor, handling dust, doing laundry, watering plants, and maintaining the balcony. These are all tasks Yin Xiamo takes care of.
The four of us have formed a very harmonious combination. No one keeps track of how much money is spent on groceries, and we don’t calculate things like, “I bought four dishes and a soup today, did you only spend ten yuan on toilet paper tomorrow?” We’ve never brought up such matters, we just live together simply and harmoniously.
“In addition, a strong typhoon named ‘Orchid’ is accelerating towards the southern cities of our country. The typhoon’s wind force is at level 15… According to the current trajectory and speed of Typhoon Orchid, it is expected to arrive in Shenzhen City in about two days. Currently, Shenzhen City has issued an orange warning signal. Citizens, especially those in coastal areas, are advised to take precautions.”
While sitting at the dining table in the living room, eating noodles, I noticed the television broadcasting the weather forecast for Shenzhen City that day.
“A typhoon?”
Curious, I asked while breaking a boiled egg, “What level is a level 15 typhoon?”
“I don’t know.”
Yin Xiamo shrugged. “Didn’t they say it’s still two days away?”
“Two days is still quite dangerous. Jiang Wei’s wedding is this afternoon. If this typhoon suddenly accelerates and passes by, the café…,” I said.
Speaking of it, although the café’s location at the high point of Nanqi District is very attractive, it also comes with a fatal flaw—if there’s any natural disaster, this will be the first place to suffer losses.
After peeling the eggshell, I handed the egg I was holding to Yin Xiamo beside me. Then, I took the egg from her, cracked it open, and picked up my phone while peeling with one hand.
“Typhoons are divided… divided into six categories. The first three categories are tropical depression, tropical storm, and severe tropical storm, with wind forces ranging from level 6 to level 11.”
I read the search results on my phone, saying, “Once it exceeds level 11, it becomes a typhoon. Then, the wind force of a strong typhoon is between levels 14 and 15, and for a super typhoon, it’s level 16 and above… This Typhoon Orchid is approaching super typhoon status.”
Suddenly, Yin Xiamo beside me casually asked, “How does the typhoon here compare to a nuclear bomb?”
“Well… how can you compare those?”
I couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “A nuclear bomb is a kind of… explosion, with nuclear radiation. Moreover, different specifications of nuclear bombs cause different levels of destruction. After it explodes, what remains is nuclear radiation. A typhoon, on the other hand, causes sustained physical damage. But if you really want to compare, a strong typhoon indeed doesn’t have the destructive power of a nuclear bomb. Why do you ask?”
“When I came to this world before, I thought about this question, preparing for the worst. At that time, I was researching… what to do if we were attacked by the world’s most powerful weapons. I even specifically looked up information on Earth’s most powerful weapons.”
“You wouldn’t be thinking…,”
Just as I finished peeling the eggshell and was about to put the egg into my bowl, Yin Xiamo’s words startled me, causing me to shake both hands, “You’re not trying to tell me that you have a way to handle even a nuclear bomb, are you?”
“What do you think, little kitty?”
Yin Xiamo remained noncommittal, saying, “Ordinary Earthlings in my eyes have almost no combat power. Our world is like an advanced and complete version for Earth. Here, nuclear bombs are equivalent to… the highest-level magic? It’s about that level, even stronger than forbidden curses.”
Is it really that exaggerated?
“So, what does it look like when mages from another world fight? Do they throw giant bomb around at each other?”
The thought of that scenario made me feel quite insignificant. “So, does it mean a country’s security can’t be guaranteed at all? If even the highest-level magic is like this, can forbidden curses end the world?”
“In the early stages, it’s more or less like that. If there aren’t enough magical shields to counter it, having an enemy mage throw a highest-level magic would make an entire city disappear. However, by the later stages, the Demon King’s army is mostly eliminated, and human cities are established. Advanced magic then becomes a form of deterrence among human cities, similar to nuclear deterrence here.”
Yin Xiamo continued eating the egg I peeled for her, speaking somewhat unclearly, “As for forbidden curses… most of these magics don’t have attacking attributes, but their value is higher than the highest-level magic.”
Similar to an elixir of immortality or soul magic?
“So, what about me…”
I tentatively asked, “Can I learn magic?”
“If you were in another world, your body would be the most promising magical seedling, but not here,” Yin Xiamo earnestly said. “Earth has no magical energy, so you can’t learn…”
As we were chatting, Lan Jiajia, holding Ai Luodi with obvious dark circles under her eyes, came down from the second floor. “What are you two talking about? Magic?”
“Yeah, we’re discussing whether we can use some magic to send this typhoon away,” I gestured to the typhoon forecast on the screen. “It would be troublesome if it comes straight towards Shenzhen City.”
Speaking of typhoons, Shenzhen City had indeed experienced several instances of “typhoon landfalls” long ago.
The most terrifying typhoon to make landfall was over a decade ago when I was still in high school.
At that time, the city issued a notice—due to the landing of a strong typhoon, all schools and workplaces in the city were closed, requiring everyone to stay at home. As a resident student, I stayed in the student dormitory, watching the wind outside grow stronger, and the water on the ground accumulate. In less than half a day, the first floor of the dormitory was flooded.
Then came power outages and water cuts, with a citywide red warning.
It was said that the situation in Nanqi Harbor during those days was even more devastating than in the city. The typhoon triggered a massive tsunami, causing many fishing boats and ferries to be washed ashore. Shipping containers from the port floated everywhere. The entire city was on the brink of paralysis, with countless economic losses.
It was after that incident that the city intensified its measures for natural disaster prevention, reinforcing many buildings and redesigning the city’s drainage system.
Now, this typhoon is obviously not as strong as the one back then. The mobile phone only received an orange warning, but whenever I think of that time, I still feel a lingering fear. Every time there’s news about a typhoon making landfall, I can’t help but feel nervous.
“Our place is an old house, it can withstand a level 16 typhoon, no problem,” Ai Luodi, with a pair of panda eyes, sat down beside me, picked up the chopsticks, and looked at the beef inside. “Jiajia, why didn’t you add chili?”
“You’re going to sleep soon, still want to eat spicy?” Lan Jiajia looked shocked. “Aren’t you afraid of getting diarrhea in the middle of the night?”
“Not afraid, I’ve never had diarrhea from eating spicy food.”
Ai Luodi complained, “Is there chili sauce in the kitchen?”
“There is a little, but it’s all fresh chili. I bought it from the supermarket last night, haven’t made it into sauce yet.”
Lan Jiajia frowned, “Eating spicy before bed is really not good.”
Ai Luodi raised her head, looking pitiful. “I want to eat.”
Lan Jiajia’s tone was very firm. “No.”
“Please…”
Ai Luodi stood up directly, tiptoed, and grabbed Lan Jiajia’s shoulders with both hands. “Aren’t you my fateful encounter? Can you bear to watch… a cute little poison ivy like me, rolling on the ground in frustration because I can’t eat chili?”
“The probability of you rolling on the ground is smaller than the possibility of Nuo’er tomorrow turning her chest into a B-cup.”
Lan Jiajia gave Ai Luodi a disdainful look. “How do you ask for help properly?”
Pfft…
As I ate noodles and prepared to watch the drama, I felt as if something had pierced through my chest. What do you mean by my chest turning into a B-cup tomorrow? My chest is small, so what!
I unhappily lowered my head and glanced at the pitiful rabbit inside my nightgown. It seems… besides being cute in shape, it really… doesn’t have any advantages.
“Wife!”
Facing Lan Jiajia’s “motherly” gaze, Ai Luodi almost without hesitation said, “Wife, I knew you’re the best! Help me make chili sauce, please!”
“I’ll be going to work with Nuo’er later, and in the afternoon, I have to prepare for Ye Zi’s wedding.”
Hearing this, a touch of tenderness and helplessness appeared on Lan Jiajia’s face. She then sighed, walked towards the kitchen, and said, “Don’t call me later saying your stomach hurts and you need to go to the hospital.”
“No, no, Wife is the best!”
Seeing the other party finally compromise, Ai Luodi returned to her seat, picked up the milk, and then seemed to realize that both I and Yin Xiamo were looking at her. She turned to our direction and said, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m not into girls.”
“Ah, I know,” I nodded. “I didn’t think in that direction.”
“You misunderstood.”
Ai Luodi continued to explain, “Lan Jiajia and I are just in-game soulmates. We often tease each other like this in the game. Our relationship is only that, not what you’re thinking.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
I continued nodding, “Xiao Mo and I also tease each other like this often, right, Xiao Mo?”
“Huh?”
Yin Xiamo showed an “innocent” expression, “Are you explaining something? Or speaking in some kind of code? I didn’t understand.”
“Nothing.”
I quickly turned my face away, “Let’s eat breakfast quickly before it gets cold.”
“……”
After finishing Lan Jiajia’s specially prepared nutritious breakfast, I went to the balcony to retrieve the small vest and café maid-exclusive stockings that Yin Xiamo had helped wash last night. Then, I returned to the room and chose the Lolita summer dress that Yin Xiamo had previously purchased online.
This afternoon is the wedding of Jiang Wei and Ye Zi. I have to work at the café in the morning, and then in the afternoon, I’ll change into casual clothes to attend the wedding. When attending other people’s weddings, according to etiquette, everyone usually wears something they like, or something beautiful, or something a bit more expensive.
Currently, in Ai Luodi’s rental house, the only “expensive and beautiful” outfit for me is this dress. And this kind of little dress is just right to match with the café maid outfit’s white stockings. Since the dress is relatively long, wearing stockings makes it look like I’m wearing pantyhose, fitting the Lolita style.
So, this doesn’t mean I’ve taken a liking to cross-dressing. It’s just… circumstances forced me.
Skilfully slipping on the white stockings, I moved my thighs, calves, knees, and small feet, lightly smoothing the socks with my hands, ensuring they adhere well to the skin. I fastened the suspenders, then put on the little dress. Looking into the mirror, I quickly styled a double ponytail, and for the front bangs, I did a hairstyle similar to a “princess cut.” Observing the lively little Lolita in the mirror, I jumped in place twice, adjusted the hem of the dress a bit, then took my bag containing various small items and left the room.
At that moment, Yin Xiamo from the opposite room had just finished changing as well. She grabbed my hand directly, then planted a kiss on my face, saying, “Today’s Nuo’er is so cute!”
“Later, when I go out, I’ll put on a thick layer of foundation and kiss you to death .”
Complaining, I carried my bunny backpack to the entrance, took the round-toed little leather shoes from here, and unfastened a few buckles to slip in my small feet.
“I finally managed to get this little rascal into bed.”
Lan Jiajia came down from the second floor, seeing me and Yin Xiamo. “Are you leaving? Wait for me for a moment, I’ll go grab my bag.”
A few minutes later, just as I had put on the shoes and stood up, Lan Jiajia came over carrying her small leather bag. “The two of you in these couple outfits are so obvious. Are you going to crash someone else’s wedding?”
“No, Jiang Wei and Ye Zi are truly in love.”
I recalled last night when Ye Zi mentioned “Brother Jiang Wei,” and a happy expression appeared on her face. “They are the happiest couple I’ve seen so far.”
Although, so far, I don’t know many couples or “married” pairs, at most, there are only four or five. For example, Divine’s Pet Pipi and his wife are considered “happy and content,” but based on their complaints during our game sessions and in the editing group, it seems Pipi may not be very “happy.” He and his current wife are more of a “get along well enough to get married” level. However, Pipi really likes his daughter, despite complaining every day that she is like a leaky cotton-padded jacket. When we met at the café before, I could tell he was actually quite happy to have a daughter.
Apart from them, there’s also “Kill Kirito” Cai Jingtong and “Maple” Zhou Lulu, who are a couple that came to the café before. However, both of them are college students, and I can’t say for sure whether they will stay together once they enter society. Then there’s our café manager, Ouyang Xue, and Li Chen. I can’t say for sure whether they will end up together.
“Both of you brought umbrellas, right?”
At the entrance, Lan Jiajia pointed to her backpack. “The typhoon is coming in two days, and it’s likely to be rainy these two days. Bring umbrellas just in case.”
“We brought them, we brought them.”
I nodded. “I consider myself an old resident of Shenzhen City.”
Taking the elevator down, I walked out of the corridor, and immediately a refreshing sea breeze hit me.
“Hu, hu, hu…”
So comfortable.
Honestly, this outfit I’m wearing is really suitable for this kind of autumn-like weather. The stockings from the café maid outfit set are made of a very special material, soft and smooth to the touch, making them very comfortable to wear. Moreover, the dress that Xiamo bought is designed to be very light and airy. In the peak of summer, sweating too much might make clothes feel sticky on the body. However, in this temperature of around twenty degrees, coupled with the occasional sea breeze, it complements this “summer dress” set quite well.
“Even the weather is getting colder.”
Walking on the outside path, Lan Jiajia looked toward the distant point where the sky and sea meet. “I hope this typhoon doesn’t come directly towards Shenzhen City. A 15-level powerful typhoon is too frightening.”
Usually, before a typhoon arrives, Shenzhen City experiences a drop in temperature. In the summer, it can decrease by ten to almost twenty degrees, and in winter, it becomes bone-chilling cold. Coupled with various storms, such pleasant temperatures with the sea breeze can only be enjoyed for a day or two, as it heats up again after the typhoon passes.
Speaking of the typhoon, what should we do about those coconut trees that Xiongxiong sent?
They were just planted not long ago, won’t they be blown down by the typhoon?
“Hey! Nuo’er, and… Xiamo.”
Walking up the small slope with Yin Xiamo and Lan Jiajia, we arrived at the familiar tree-lined road in front of the cafe. What surprised me was that, on this side, I actually saw Xiongxiong, who had been “missing” for several days.
Unlike the first time we met, today Xiongxiong was wearing a “Hawaiian” style oversized shirt, paired with short denim shorts. Her blonde hair was tied up, giving off a bit of a “tomboy” vibe. Most importantly, her skin seemed to have gotten a bit darker, as if she had just returned from a beach vacation.
“Shenzhen is really a good place.”
Seeing me and Yin Xiamo, Xiongxiong, who was happily directing workers to reinforce the supports around the coconut trees, smiled, “The sun is a bit strong, I went to Shenzhen Lake for two days, and my skin got much darker.”
Oh, so you went to Shenzhen Lake, that explains it.
I pondered. Shenzhen Lake is the most famous tourist attraction between the Honor District and Central District in Shenzhen City. It is also the largest underground fountain in Shenzhen City, directly connected to the Shenzhen River, and then connected to another Shenzhen River before finally flowing into the sea.
It can be said that if I have enough money, I can directly rent a small boat from the riverside of the cafe, head north, pass through two Shenzhen bridges, then turn right and reach Shenzhen Lake. Sunbathing at Shenzhen Lake is also amazing, and many people come here just to sunbathe on the beach.
No wonder Xiongxiong looks like she got a bit darker.
“How did you get here?”
Seeing Xiongxiong with Ouyang Xue, I walked up and looked at the large supports near the coconut trees. “Can these withstand a typhoon?”
“It’s hard to say.”
Ouyang Xue shook her head, then turned her gaze to the large banyan tree and some decorative trees behind. “Not to mention these few trees that were just planted, if the typhoon really lands directly on Nanqi District from the coast, these trees are likely to suffer. The buildings under construction on the commercial street may not withstand it.”
Yin Xiamo curiously asked, “Is the power of a typhoon really that great?”
“A typhoon is a natural disaster.”
Ouyang Xue sighed and said, “Our human civilization has only a few thousand years of history, and we’ve only truly entered modernization for a few hundred years. What can we use to resist the power of nature? At the moment, all we can do is pray that the typhoon will weaken in speed by the time it reaches here in two days. The worst-case scenario might be triggering a tsunami, and in the end, even the cafe will be a mess, just like over a decade ago.”
Yin Xiamo, puzzled, asked, “Can’t this house withstand a typhoon?”
“It can, but the nearby power lines and network equipment won’t. With high wind speeds, they won’t hold up. If there’s a power outage, all the devices in the cafe, including the refrigerator, automatic feeder, and automatic water dispenser, will stop working. At that point, the city’s warning level will probably be raised to red. We can only stay at home. If the wind is too strong and it picks up stones or something to smash open the doors and windows, it could be dangerous for the cats inside…”
Ouyang Xue took a deep breath and continued, “Of course, these are more extreme situations. It seems that this typhoon doesn’t have such destructive power.”
Yin Xiamo followed up, “So you mean it could possibly become stronger?”
“It’s possible, but the probability is low. I estimate it will be like previous typhoons, bringing heavy rain and storms.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“I’m getting a weird vibe from your tone.”
Ouyang Xue joked, “It’s like preparing to go on a mission to take down this typhoon.”
“No, no, just asking.”
Yin Xiamo took my hand and said, “Sister Ouyang, we’re going to change clothes.”
“Sure, go ahead, go ahead.”
“……”
When we reached the entrance of the cafe and saw there were no people around, I cautiously approached Yin Xiamo’s ear and asked, “You wouldn’t actually have ideas about that typhoon, right? Coastal cities here experience typhoons almost every year, and they usually aren’t too severe.”
“There’s still a possibility of it becoming more severe, isn’t there?”
Yin Xiamo neither confirmed nor denied, giving me a slight smile.
“Don’t worry, I can handle it.”
“……”
……