Chapter 80 - 73: The Flooded Town

Chapter 80: Chapter 73: The Flooded Town

Inside his room, Xu Mo stared through a peephole at the cataclysm outside, his expression grave. The storm’s ferocity would undoubtedly accelerate the melting snow and push the potential flood risk to its peak.

His shelter, like a lone boat on a stormy sea, was facing its most severe test.

The world outside seemed as if an invisible, giant hand had forcibly plunged it into murky water.

According to his watch, sunset was still several hours away, but the sky had already grown dark. This wasn’t because night had fallen, but because the downpour was so incredibly dense it was ferociously swallowing all light. Visibility dropped to a minimum, the line between day and night blurring before this violent force of nature.

Xu Mo stepped out of his bedroom and stood at the top of the stairs leading to the first floor, his brow furrowed. The beam from the tactical flashlight in his hand cut through the darkness below, and the sight that greeted him made his heart sink.

The rain had only been falling for a short while, but the water on the first floor was already over a foot deep by his estimation. Dead branches, rotten leaves, plastic trash, and other unrecognizable debris floated on the murky surface. The water was still visibly creeping up the staircase, swallowing one step after another.

Other than the ceaseless, deafening roar of the downpour and the occasional clap of thunder that tore across the sky, the only human voice was the one coming from the radio in Xu Mo’s hand—a crackling, static-filled broadcast from the Jiang City Shelter:

"Emergency broadcast! The torrential rain is ongoing. All survivors in low-lying areas must evacuate to higher ground immediately! I repeat, evacuate to higher ground immediately! Be on alert for flash floods and mudslides! Prepare emergency supplies, stockpile drinking water, and stay warm..."

The announcer’s voice cut in and out through the sounds of the storm, but the urgency in it came through loud and clear.

Xu Mo didn’t panic. He just stood silently at the second-floor landing, watching the murky water advance like a living tentacle, slowly but relentlessly devouring the steps leading up to his floor.

The heavy furniture Xu Mo had used to reinforce the first-floor doors and windows from the inside—the old sofa and a few wooden shelves—had long since lost their footing. They now floated and bobbed on the surface like clumsy boats.

A few smaller pieces had already been swept up by the current, drifting out the open front door and disappearing beneath the white curtain of rain and water. It seemed they were off on an impromptu adventure.

The first floor had become a collection point for flotsam. All sorts of junk bobbed with the ripples, creating a scene of utter chaos.

The terrifying downpour lasted until around eight in the evening. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the sound of the rain suddenly diminished and then stopped altogether.

After the downpour ceased, the world was plunged into a strange silence. Only the faint, as-if-reluctant rumble of distant thunder and the omnipresent DRIP... DRIP... of water falling from high places served as proof of the catastrophe that had just unfolded.

Xu Mo shone his flashlight on the stairs again. The water was still rising, just not at a visible rate anymore. It now rested only five steps shy of the second-floor landing.

After observing the first floor, Xu Mo walked to a third-floor window and looked outside. Aided by the faint light filtering through breaks in the clouds and the beam of his flashlight, he could see the orange assault boat he’d secured outside was now floating completely on the water’s surface. The snowpack and frame that had supported it were long submerged or washed away. The hull bobbed gently with the waves, prevented from being swept away only by a few sturdy ropes.

Xu Mo glanced around. The water’s surface was littered with debris, covering the streets as far as he could see. Cyan Pine Ridge Town looked as if it had been transformed into a vast, muddy swamp.

Seeing that the water hadn’t reached the landing and his assault boat was safe, the tension that had gripped Xu Mo finally eased a little. He let out a long sigh of relief.

That night, Xu Mo chose not to sleep on the second floor. Although it hadn’t been flooded, the entire space was filled with damp air, and it was simply too close to the water.

The rain had stopped, but the water level hadn’t. Its rise had only slowed.

Xu Mo had no desire to wake up floating on the water, his supplies already scattered and lost to the current. That would be a truly spectacular disaster.

Xu Mo began moving his supplies. He decided to spend the night on the third floor. Although most of his belongings were already stored in his exclusive space, he still needed to move what was left out: his emergency go-bag, some daily necessities, his weapons, and—most importantly—the anti-theft door with the "Private Storage Room" sign that served as his spatial anchor.

The situation on the third floor wasn’t encouraging. Due to various incidents before and after the Eternal Night, the windows in the rooms were largely broken. Rain had inevitably been driven inside during the storm, leaving several rooms quite damp, with small puddles on the floor.

Fortunately, Xu Mo had had the foresight to shut all the doors to the third-floor rooms before the downpour began, which had kept the main hallway relatively dry.

Xu Mo carefully moved his supplies and the all-important door up to the staircase that led to the roof. It was the highest point in the building, and the landing provided a dry, relatively safe place to store his things.

Finally, in a relatively dry and well-ventilated part of the hallway, Xu Mo unrolled his sleeping bag. The spot on the landing was spartan, but compared to the second floor, which was under constant threat of being flooded, this was a rare haven of stability.

By the time he finished, it was late into the night. Xu Mo crawled into his sleeping bag, feeling the hard floor beneath him and the dampness still clinging to the air. Faintly, he could hear the incessant, muffled thunder in the distance and the sound of water dripping from various parts of the building.

But right now, Xu Mo felt exceptionally calm. There were no important supplies left on the second floor, the assault boat was ready, and he was at a safe elevation. The greatest threat had passed. Reassured, he soon fell into a deep sleep, oblivious to the faint rumbling of the storm outside.

During the night, Xu Mo vaguely heard the sound of rain in his sleep, followed by thunder. But none of it was enough to wake him. Amidst this tapestry of white noise, he slept exceptionally well.