Chapter 18
Borrow Water from Heaven.
Feebas's evolution was still a distant prospect. For now, his only plan was to find a way to survive long-term in this apocalypse.
Aside from knowing more about Pokémon than the people of this world, he had no real advantages himself, so he still needed to band together with others to survive.
And to live comfortably, he had to become one of the camp's higher-ups-or at least part of its management.
He had already achieved that goal. Next came developing the camp so that the Survivor Camp could survive for the long haul.
With that in mind, Lu Li began making plans.
Whether it was an apocalypse caused by the arrival of Pokémon or a zombie apocalypse like those in the movies, the core needs were really the same few things.
A safe living environment, food and water, and medicine.
A safe living environment was too much to hope for right now. It was no exaggeration to say that even a single Caterpie could wreak serious havoc if it entered the camp. At present, there was simply no room for improvement on that front.
Being able to scrape by under Mimikyu's protection was good enough for now. There was no point in dwelling on anything beyond that.
Then there was food and water.
The food situation was decent. Jun Shutong had already sent people to clear out the restaurants downstairs, and with all the long-lasting dry rations and frozen meat they had gathered, their reserves were fairly plentiful.
The camp would not need to worry about food in the short term. At two meals a day, their supplies could last another month.
Their water supply, however, had become a potentially fatal weakness.
The water had already been shut off. To fetch any, they would have to go to the Aquarium, but that was hardly an ideal solution. First, they could easily be attacked by Water-type Pokémon. Second, there was a very real chance they would lead those Pokémon back to the camp.
So solving their water problem was the most urgent priority.
There was medicine here.
No one was sick at the moment, so the importance of those medicines was not yet apparent. But in an apocalypse, medicine was just as indispensable to survival.
Lu Li absentmindedly applied whitening cream to Feebas, whose eyes had grown much more lively. Feebas accepted his care without a trace of guilt.
After finishing one treatment, Lu Li put Feebas back into the fish tank.
Then Lu Li went to find Jun Shutong again.
Looking earnestly at Jun Shutong, Lu Li said, "Sister Jun, I have a plan that might need your support."
"Go ahead." Jun Shutong sat up straight. Their roles seemed completely reversed, as though she were the subordinate instead.
"We could go up to the roof tonight and open the water tank's lid. If it rains later, the tank might be able to collect quite a bit of rainwater."
Jun Shutong nodded thoughtfully.
She understood what Lu Li meant. The mall had its own water purification system. Drinking that water regularly might not be very healthy, but this was the apocalypse. Water was more precious than gold. Who could afford to worry about health at a time like this?
Seeing that she was tempted, Lu Li continued, "Going at night would let us avoid the birdlike Magical Beasts that are active during the day. If we're careful, the risk should be fairly low."
Jun Shutong said hesitantly, "But there are flying Magical Beasts at night too. A survivor reported seeing them before. They look a little like bats, and they can suck a person's blood dry."
"But it's still safer than going during the day, isn't it?"
"Besides, this is the apocalypse. Nothing is absolutely safe." Unwavering, Lu Li continued:
"I checked the weather forecast before. It might rain soon, and this could be our only chance to get a large amount of water in the near future."
"Are you sure it's going to rain soon?" Jun Shutong asked, puzzled.
Lu Li nodded with absolute confidence. "Of course."
He was not bluffing. On the very day the apocalypse began, he had specifically checked the forecast for the coming week. It had clearly shown several consecutive days of rain ahead.
"All right!" Jun Shutong gritted her teeth and nodded. "I'll lead the team myself tonight."
"I'll go with you," Lu Li said.
Naturally, he needed to volunteer for a relatively low-risk job like this. Otherwise, people in the camp might find an excuse to accuse him of sitting back and enjoying everyone else's efforts while ordering them around.
Jun Shutong nodded without objection.
After all, Lu Li had proposed the plan. His willingness to take part was a good thing.
Lu Li added, "We don't need too many people. Five will be enough."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Jun Shutong asked.
"Me, you, Fatty Lei, Yellow Hair, and Old Xu."
"Why include Yellow Hair and Old Xu? They're not in very good shape right now," Jun Shutong asked.
Yellow Hair and Old Xu had gone without food for a full day and night and had barely escaped with their lives. Dragging them into another risky job now seemed excessive, no matter how one looked at it.
"Two reasons." Lu Li held up two fingers.
"I'll explain the details after dinner tonight. Let Yellow Hair and Old Xu get some proper rest first."
Jun Shutong sighed. "I can ask them, but if you can't convince them, I won't force them. It really wasn't easy for them to make it back alive."
"No problem." Lu Li had no objection either.
Jun Shutong was not really suited to leading the camp. First, she was too kind. And although she seemed decisive and efficient, she sometimes let her emotions guide her actions and became weak-willed.
But it was precisely those flaws that had earned her the affection of everyone in the camp.
Those flaws were a double-edged sword. Sometimes they could hurt both her and others, but sometimes they could also strengthen the camp's unity.
Before long, it was six in the evening.
Dinner was actually quite substantial, with both meat and vegetables. The survivors, who had gone hungry for a day, all had healthy appetites. Almost no one wasted anything.
Even if someone accidentally dropped a piece of meat on the floor, they would immediately pick it up and eat it.
Lu Li watched an old man at the table opposite pick up a piece of meat from the floor and eat it, and nodded in approval.
The little child had accidentally dropped his meat without noticing. When the old man beside him saw the meat fall from his grandson's bowl, he hurriedly picked it up and ate it.
In this apocalypse, people like them, who could not go out to find food, would certainly be despised by everyone if they wasted it.
Jun Shutong had established a rule that the elderly and children did not need to go out searching for food. In exchange, though, their status was somewhat lower.
Although Jun Shutong had not explicitly divided the camp's people into ranks, some automatically assigned themselves a place in the hierarchy. Some even went out of their way to play along.
There was an especially large amount of meat on Lu Li's plate today, more even than on Fatty Lei's.
He had never specifically asked for it, but the person serving the food had sharp eyes and knew how to act.
He was the deputy Jun Shutong had personally chosen. Even if some people privately resented that, anyone who had managed to land the job of serving food surely understood how to navigate social relationships.
Across from him, Fatty Lei grinned and teased, "Brother Lu, you'll have to look out for your little brother from now on."
"Ah, this damned world. We're all just trying to survive. It's not about looking after anyone. Let's help each other out." Lu Li did not really understand the finer points of social relationships, but he knew that another friend meant another option.
Besides, Fatty Lei was genuinely a good guy. Making a friend like him could only be a good thing.