The Storm Approaches

"Yo yo, yo yo," Poliwag obediently finished its fish and didn't rush to train. Instead, it squatted by Yu Hai's feet, waiting.

The wait was too long, and Poliwag was still tired. It let out a big yawn and fell asleep leaning against Yu Hai's feet.

Yu Hai merely laid Poliwag down, letting it rest without disturbing it, and continued to wait quietly for the fish to bite.

But for some reason today, the fishing float remained motionless, and the sea was calm, without a breath of wind.

Until, an enormous shadow enveloped Yu Hai...

Noticing the sudden darkness before him, he abruptly looked up. Only then did he belatedly realize that the sky above was wrong. The blue sky and white clouds were gone, replaced by an endless expanse of dark clouds.

"Clouds? Storm clouds?" Yu Hai looked up at the dark clouds overhead, his gaze sweeping into the distance. It was still dark clouds, endless dark clouds.

The sunny day had vanished, and even the sky had darkened. The gloomy sky felt oppressive and heavy, even affecting his breathing.

Looking at the vast expanse of dark clouds, Yu Hai seemed to recall something, and his expression instantly turned grim. The very thing he dreaded most was about to happen.

But that was just talk. Who didn't like clear skies with not a cloud in sight? Even if it was a bit hot, it was fine, as long as it didn't rain or wind.

Whoosh, whoosh--

Well, the weather had changed, finally. Just as he thought, it happened.

The once calm sea began to churn with waves, and the trend was intensifying.

He quickly reeled in his fishing rod, his fishing trip abruptly terminated. No wonder the float hadn't moved all day; the fish were probably seeking shelter elsewhere.

After putting away his fishing rod, he woke Poliwag. "Poliwag, wake up, it's going to rain..."

"Yo?" Poliwag, fast asleep, was suddenly awakened by Yu Hai.

Seeing it was Yu Hai, Poliwag merely yawned. It didn't quite hear what Yu Hai said, but seeing Yu Hai head back, it followed him to the shelter.

Back at the shelter, Poliwag saw Yu Hai digging a hole and curiously followed, observing his strange actions.

In fact, Yu Hai was digging holes to bury plastic buckets and foam boxes.

He buried them in the sandy ground far from the sea, hoping to collect some rainwater to store after it rained.

The freshwater at the shelter was also buried by him, covered with foam boards weighed down by rocks. He hoped they wouldn't blow away.

After burying the water buckets, Yu Hai dismantled the makeshift shelter. Judging by the scale of the storm clouds, this flimsy shelter definitely wouldn't withstand the impending gale and downpour.

Since it couldn't withstand it, he might as well dismantle it to prevent losing materials. After the heavy rain, he could rebuild the shelter.

To ensure he had dry firewood for a fire after the storm, he used the shelter's awning to wrap some dry wood.

To prevent any accidents, he wrapped several layers of waterproof plastic around it, ensuring the wood in the center wouldn't get wet.

To prevent it from being blown away by the strong winds, he also moved rocks to weigh down the wood, from one end to the other, securing it firmly.

Then, next to the weighed-down wood, he dug another pit and buried his old companion, the fishing rod.

The lighter was also wrapped in waterproof plastic and buried.

And the pack of cigarettes he couldn't bear to smoke, only opening to smell, was also wrapped in waterproof plastic and buried at the bottom of the pit.

Finally, the keychain and folding knife were also buried. The keychain was already rusty, and since it wasn't very useful, rust didn't matter.

The folding knife was stainless steel, so it could be buried directly without waterproof plastic.

The iron cup, frying pan, and the stew pot he found today were also buried in the pit.

The hourglass, hammock, and plastic basin were also buried.

Finally, Yu Hai scanned the area. Everything useful had been buried in the pit. Then he began to cover the soil, placing the salvaged wooden table on top, further weighed down by rocks.

After completing all this, he clapped his hands, intending to sit and rest for a moment.

But his hands couldn't stop moving because the wind had picked up, which was truly rare. It was the first time in many days that a strong wind had blown.

But as he looked up, the dark, ominous storm clouds over the sea had completely covered the deserted island he was on.

Rumble, rumble--

The darkest mass of clouds was drifting towards him, getting closer and closer. The clouds grew darker, and he could see lightning within them, accompanied by the muffled thunder overhead. These were the signs of an approaching storm.

Don't think he was being overly cautious, just a heavy rain, making it seem like he was facing an army, ready to die at any moment.

He couldn't be blamed for being too careful; this downpour was undoubtedly the biggest crisis of his deserted island life.

His solemnity was not unwarranted. After all, this was a storm by the sea, and without any preparation, people could truly die.

As the dark clouds drew nearer, he couldn't stop. He had to utilize everything around him, such as the waterproof plastic and rags.

These items were crucial for his survival, determining whether he would suffer hypothermia during the storm.

Even though he was a novice at survival, he knew what hypothermia was.

He was aware of the danger of hypothermia from continuous exposure to rain.

He didn't know how long the storm would last. Without a place to shelter from the rain, he had to ensure he wouldn't suffer hypothermia in the downpour, an invisible, cold-blooded killer that could also be fatal.

He picked up the rags he had found that day. Instead of using them to reinforce the shelter, he wore them as clothing. He directly wrapped the rags around his body, hands, legs, and feet.

He wrapped as much cloth as he could, until all the rags were used. Then, he tied the rags with thin rope to prevent them from slipping off, twisting them into a rope-like form.

Next, he wrapped himself in the waterproof plastic. The rags were for warmth, and the plastic was for waterproofing.

After tying the rainproof plastic sheeting with rope, he even made a rainproof hood for his head, leaving only his eyes, nostrils, and mouth exposed.

With his entire body now tightly wrapped in the rainproof plastic, his insulation work was complete.

Just as he finished wrapping his body to prevent heat loss, a pattering sound came from the rainproof plastic sheeting...

Drip, drip, drip, drip--

At that very moment, a light rain began to fall from the sky. The raindrops made a dripping sound as they landed on the leaves before hitting the ground.

However, his preparations were not yet finished.

He picked up the lifebuoy beside him and put it on, slung the thick rope he had found that morning over his shoulder, and picked up the hot water he had just boiled in the stew pot, which was poured into a large plastic bottle. The cool boiled water in the bottle would take care of his drinking water needs for now.

Rumble, rumble, rumble--

More thunder. The rain grew heavier, and the thunder grew louder