Some lucky individuals who can swim might manage to survive and float to the surface, while others will forever sink to the bottom, their faces reflecting vivid despair and fear.
From a distance, Shen Zhao saw the spreading darkness, and thankfully he hadn’t fallen asleep; otherwise, he would have only awakened to discover the situation later. The ocean’s water, originally rushing with urgency, had calmed significantly after being blocked at various levels, diminishing both its speed and impact.
Electric bikes and cars lined the road had faced another round of destruction, as the sea swept them away beyond sight, rendering them useless.
“Open the door! Open the door!”
“Please, let us in! If you don’t open up, we’ll kick it down!”
Shen Zhao pulled his mother into his room, pushed aside the sofa, and opened the door just as the crowd outside surged inside. He frowned but said nothing, heading straight back to lock the door behind him.
“How is it?” Li Li asked anxiously, fearing that the people outside had ulterior motives. They had not lived in this community for long, and with their busy jobs, they hadn’t taken the time to bond with the neighbors, making her uncertain about their characters.
“It’s fine,” Shen Zhao shook his head, not wanting her to worry too much. He suggested instead, “Mom, can you help me inflate this kayak? Let’s distract ourselves.”
“Sure, we can stay here. The government will definitely send someone to rescue us,” Li Li replied, taking the pump and starting to work.
Shen Zhao remained silent, secretly thinking that the government would not prioritize their safety. If they had known a tsunami might occur due to the approaching typhoon, they would have surely organized evacuations in advance.
But there was no sign of that. Up to now, nothing had happened.
The aroma of rice wafted in from outside, and Shen Zhao glanced through the crack in the door, not surprised by what he saw. To avoid disturbing the crowd outside or having them ask for food, he did not bring all the rice to his room but left half in the kitchen. The kitchen had gas, so they could cook if they got hungry.
“Knock knock—” A soft knock came from outside the door.
His mother was sleeping soundly with her headphones on, but Shen Zhao could not bring himself to fully relax. Hearing the knock, he approached the door but did not open it. Instead, he coldly asked, “What’s going on?”
There was a moment of silence outside before a woman spoke up, “We’re really hungry, so we used some rice from the kitchen. We wanted to let you know, and we’ll double it back to you later.”
It was polite of her to tell him afterward, but it also felt somewhat discourteous that they had already taken the rice first.
Shen Zhao didn’t have the energy to argue with them and simply replied that it was unnecessary, and he became more vigilant, blocking the door with the wardrobe.
That night, his sleep remained restless. Besides the sound of his mother snoring, there was a constant commotion from the living room.
When he woke up, two dark circles under his eyes were apparent on his pale face.
The first thing Shen Zhao did upon rising was check the water level outside. The water that had reached the rooftop yesterday had risen further, nearly reaching the fifth-floor stairwell.
Yet it was raining again, heavily pouring down, leading him to believe that the water levels would likely rise even more.
Shen Zhao opened the window and began removing the anti-theft bars from outside.
Once the water rose a bit more, they could put the kayak down and leave. But if he took it outside as it was, it would be robbed for sure.
So, he had to keep the kayak in his room.
Now, all he could do was wait. Wait for the water level to rise. Wait for the rain to stop.
Chapter 63: Evaluation World (Part Four)
After waiting for two days, the rain finally eased.
Shen Zhao had managed to take down the anti-theft window grilles, and the water was only a meter away from the window. As soon as he set the kayak down, they could leave.
Fortunately, his room had an attached bathroom, allowing them to deal with hygiene without stepping outside or having to interact with those people.
The living room and another room housed about seventeen or eighteen people altogether. The tsunami had struck in the dead of night, and many didn’t have time to gather all their food before hurriedly fleeing upstairs. Now, everything was soaked by the seawater; even if they found something, they couldn’t eat it anymore.
Given the circumstances, the little rice that Shen Zhao had saved wouldn’t last those people for long.
As he looked out, the sky remained overcast, and he feared more downpours were on the horizon.
If they didn’t leave now, those people outside might not be as polite as before.
The door was already flimsy and couldn’t withstand a forceful push for long.
That morning, Shen Zhao woke up to see sunlight streaming in through the window. He listened carefully to the noises outside, rousing Li Li, and prepared to grab a bite before setting out.
As the morning progressed, everyone in the living room began waking up.
There were only two households on the sixth floor of this unit, and the group downstairs split into two waves: one group took refuge in Shen Zhao’s home, while the other group found shelter in the other household.
The disaster had just begun, and humanity’s darker nature had not yet emerged. People still hoped for governmental rescue, so they seemed relatively calm.
“What if those two in there haven’t come out for dinner in two days—what’s going on?” A slightly older woman, holding a cast-iron pot and rummaging through a bag of rice, murmured to another woman.
The other woman looked kind but spoke harshly, “Don’t worry about them. They probably have food saved up. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they have come out to eat these past couple of days? Besides, they’ve sealed the door tight to keep others out. I bet they have a good stash.”
“True enough. With so many of us, if we eat the rice for another day or two, it won’t be enough. Who knows when the rescue team will arrive? If we wait ten days or so, we’ll have eaten everything we brought, and we’ll starve.”
The woman gestured towards the closed door and then with her chin towards the group of men sitting in the living room, indicating to the other woman to take a look at them.
She whispered, “Just wait, tomorrow they’ll probably have to let someone in.”