“Tsushima?!!” The boss was stunned and quickly pulled out his phone to check the news.
“Wow! It’s actually real!!”
Shen Zhao didn’t have time to respond; he glanced at the thank-you message from Zhang Zixin and sent him his location.
“Here’s the address, hurry up!”
Shen Zhao ran all the way home, weighed down by common exercise weights and sandbags, holding a kayak and an air pump. Even with all this weight, he was almost blown away on the way.
The wind outside was so strong it made parked cars sway, and the trees along the greenbelt danced wildly in the gusts, occasionally snapping thick branches.
On his way back, he narrowly avoided falling flowerpots, loose advertising boards, and other dangerous debris.
The thin boy struggled against the iron gate downstairs and finally managed to lock it, dripping with cold sweat.
As soon as he got home, he was met with a heavy whack from a broom by Comrade Li Li.
“How dare you go outside in such a big typhoon! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You little rascal! Just wait till I deal with you!”
Comrade Li Li didn’t hold back; when she struck, it really hurt.
Shen Zhao, covered in various obstacles, appeared clumsy and awkward against the broomstick, having to plead for mercy while trying to explain.
“Mom! Let me explain!…”
“Go ahead! I’m listening!” The broom didn’t stop, and Shen Zhao yelped once before quickly giving a simplified rundown.
“Tsushima?!” Li Li finally stopped swinging the broomstick. She dashed into the bedroom to grab her phone, which only had 5% battery left, to check the news. Sure enough, she found a text alert about the major disaster.
“…”
The living room was left with the sound of Shen Zhao’s breathing. He took off his gear and prepared to inflate the kayak but worried that, when disaster struck, it might get punctured by something else. After some thought, he decided to inflate it later; there would still be time.
Provided he could remain safe from the tsunami.
Their house was built in the 90s and was quite old; he had no idea if it could withstand the impact.
However, he reasoned it shouldn’t be a problem as long as they weren’t too close to the shoreline—the impact wouldn’t be too severe; the only concern was whether they were too low in the building.
After calming the frightened Comrade Li Li, he returned to his room to check his phone. Although there was a power outage, thankfully, the mobile network was still functional.
The online news was flooded with reports about the tsunami in Jincheng, but those quickly faded as headlines about major earthquakes in multiple locations took over.
Natural disasters were happening across the country—water and power outages and internet disruptions were becoming the norm in many cities.
Suddenly, doomsday theories were spreading like wildfire online.
“An earthquake happened in the neighboring city. We felt it here too, but luckily it wasn’t severe, and our internet is still working. But it was too scary! Is this really the end of the world?! Earthquakes, typhoons, and flooding are all happening at once.”
“I truly believe it might really be the end of the world; this is just too terrifying. I’m from Jincheng, and we’re already waiting for the flood to hit. The typhoon swept away a household on the floor above us—they didn’t have anti-theft windows, and with a large glass door, it was blown away. Thank goodness I have a fear of heights and didn’t install any!”
“This typhoon is unprecedented; it has no equal! I’ve already seen at least a dozen incidents reported locally where windows were blown away due to poor installation. All I can say is, thankfully, our apartment is on a low floor.”
“Didn’t someone mention the possibility of a tsunami hitting the city? You’re on a low floor, but even if the typhoon doesn’t blow it away, you’ll still be flooded.”
“Help! There was an earthquake here, and the police station collapsed! When will the government come to rescue us?!”
“Rescue seems tough; earthquakes are occurring all over. There’s no instant help, so I suggest you take care of yourself.”
“This really feels like the end of the world. I checked online, and many places abroad are experiencing earthquakes, not only that but tsunamis and volcanic eruptions too.”
“…There’s no escape; we’re done for. Just wait to die.”
“Why is this happening? My baby was just born! I don’t mind dying, but what will happen to my child?!”
“If this is really the end of the world, take me with you. Living is just too exhausting.”
“The end of the world wouldn’t be too bad; after all, I’ve long wanted to end it!”
“What are you saying? If you don’t want to live, then fine—but others want to!”
“I want to live! I want to enjoy more delicious food! Travel to other places and admire beautiful scenery! And most importantly, I haven’t even experienced love yet! God! I don’t want to die!”
“…”
Watching the cries of despair on the internet, Shen Zhao allowed his eyelids to droop. He didn’t want to die either.
Who wishes to die when they can live? Unless life is unhappy, no one wants death.
Even if school is bothersome and games are challenging, living is quite nice.
Shen Zhao glanced at the swaying window and sighed in relief.
Fortunately, most apartments in their complex had installed anti-theft windows. Unless the wind could blow the entire building down, they wouldn’t be blown away.
Only those tall buildings might face calamity. With high floors and large glass doors lacking safety bars, if the glass broke, people would be swept out.
If the glass was of good quality, that might be okay. But one fears that some renovation companies might use subpar glass without the owners knowing.
Outside, the rain began to pour violently, hitting the windows like hail, a series of thuds echoing.
By afternoon, the rain intensified, truly embodying the phrase ‘torrential rain’; the runoff from the roads couldn’t keep up and was gradually accumulating, soon rising to ankle height.
At this rate, it seemed they wouldn’t even have to wait for the tsunami—the accumulated water would soon flood the first floor within just a day.
The drainage in older complexes was already poor, and with such heavy rain continuing into the night, the residents on the first floor had begun moving important items to higher floors and stairwells.