Chapter 85 - 78: Flood Peak 1

Chapter 85: Chapter 78: Flood Peak 1

Amidst the chaotic, desperate, and often fleeting distress calls on the radio waves, Xu Mo, in his vigilance and waiting, couldn’t help but turn his gaze inward for some deep introspection.

Xu Mo reflected on his experiences since transmigrating. If not for the "door" he possessed—one he could open every 48 hours to a world where time stood still—he likely would have died from a high fever and lack of supplies in the early days. If he hadn’t relied on this Golden Finger to steadily acquire food, medicine, weapons, and fuel, he never could have established a relatively safe shelter for himself. Nor could he have focused without distraction on cultivating the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training until breaking through to the Cowhide Realm.

’If I didn’t have this ability...’ Xu Mo asked himself, ’what would I be like now?’

The answer wasn’t hard to imagine. The most likely scenario was that after struggling to survive in town during the initial phase, he would have realized the difficulty of being alone and eventually chosen to join a passing group of survivors. He would have followed them, enduring hardships on the way to the Jiang City Shelter. Then, he would have become just another ordinary member among the hundreds of thousands, or possibly even more, of survivors. He’d work every day just for basic survival, live in a crowded dormitory or a simple tent, and abide by the shelter’s strict rules, struggling to get by in an environment that was relatively safe but devoid of most freedoms.

In that life, Xu Mo might have survived, but he would never have had what he had now: an independent residence, abundant supplies, control over his own time, and the opportunity to constantly improve his personal strength. He certainly wouldn’t have the peace of mind to analyze social phenomena or contemplate human nature and order from an isolated building besieged by a flood.

"A full granary teaches etiquette, and ample food and clothing teach honor." The ancient saying held true even in the apocalypse.

If he were living hand-to-mouth, never knowing where his next meal was coming from and struggling daily on the brink of survival, where would he find the time or energy to pay attention to distant conflicts, or to ponder seemingly ethereal concepts like social structures and human choices? All his mental and physical energy would be consumed by the most primal need for survival.

His own "detachment" and "leisure" were built on a foundation of security that far surpassed that of the average survivor. Having figured this out, Xu Mo felt less judgmental and more understanding toward the groups of survivors who seemed "short-sighted" or "passive" on the radio. Under extreme environmental pressure, not everyone had the luxury of choice.

Xu Mo channeled this self-reflection into deeper vigilance. The Golden Finger was his greatest asset, but he couldn’t let it make him arrogant. He had to remain clear-headed and cautious at all times.

During his routine observation of the surrounding waters, Xu Mo noticed some bad signs.

About two or three hundred meters away from his building, in what used to be the town’s commercial district, a dull, continuous rumble sounded. A four-story brick-and-concrete building, which already had visible cracks, finally gave way under the relentless soaking and scouring of the flood. Large chunks of plaster and brick began to peel off the walls, smashing into the water and kicking up huge splashes. Immediately after, the entire building seemed to lose its support, collapsing to one side in a slow but irreversible motion!

"RUUUMBLE—!"

The immense sound reached Xu Mo’s ears clearly. He watched as the building crumbled like a toppled stack of blocks, shattering layer by layer until most of it sank into the water, churning up a massive spray and turbid sludge. Only a few broken steel bars and the wreckage of the highest floor remained precariously above the surface, proof that a building had once stood there.

Xu Mo’s heart grew a little heavier. The building’s collapse was most likely due to a combination of long-term disrepair and the floodwaters softening its foundation. After more than a year of the apocalypse, unmaintained buildings were already fragile.

To Xu Mo’s slight relief, the day-long rain gradually stopped after nightfall. The dark clouds seemed to part a little, and he could even occasionally see a few dim stars twinkling through the gaps. The world seemed to have found a moment of peace after days of clamor.

However, the water level was still rising.

Using the faint starlight and the beam of his flashlight, Xu Mo carefully examined the marks on the second-floor wall. The water had already surpassed the new mark he’d made that afternoon and was still creeping upward at a slow but steady pace.

This continuous rise meant that the massive volume of water from the dam failure farther away was still pouring downstream and was now reaching his area.

This meant the most dangerous moment had perhaps not yet arrived. The real test could come in the next few hours, or within the day.

The night deepened, and the silence after the rain was more unsettling than the storm itself. Xu Mo knew that with the flood crest potentially arriving at any moment, sleeping was tantamount to entrusting his life to fate. He fought off his drowsiness, held his high-powered flashlight, and kept his eyes fixed on the water’s surface, which glinted faintly in the dark.

Every ten minutes or so, Xu Mo would sweep the flashlight beam across the marks on the second-floor wall, precisely tracking each subtle rise in the water level. The murky water was like a living monster, silently and greedily devouring every inch of space it touched.

To prepare for the worst, Xu Mo even put on a life vest. The Cowhide Realm had given him great strength and defense, but it hadn’t granted him the ability to breathe underwater or swim with ease. In the face of nature’s power, an individual’s prowess seemed so insignificant. If he fell into the water, facing undercurrents, debris, and possible aquatic monsters, the life vest could at least offer him a sliver of hope for survival, buying him precious reaction time.

Time crawled by as Xu Mo remained on high alert. Before his unblinking eyes, the water level rose, inch by inch, with unwavering determination.

The turbid, muddy water crept over the steps one by one. Finally, around midnight, the cold surface of the water touched and slowly submerged the landing between the second and third floors.

Xu Mo gripped his weapon tightly, his gaze darting between the dark waters outside the window and the rising flood at his feet.

It was a little after two in the morning, when the night was at its darkest and the body at its most weary.

Suddenly, Xu Mo felt a faint but continuous vibration from the floor beneath his feet. At the same time, the previously calm water outside began to emit a low rumble, like the sound of ten thousand galloping horses. The noise grew from a distant murmur to a deafening roar, as if a massive army was sweeping down from upstream.

The flood crest was here!

In an instant, the speed of the rising water accelerated dramatically! It was no longer the slow creep from before, but as if an invisible giant hand had suddenly shoved it upward.

The turbid flood, thick with mud, sand, and debris, slammed against the building’s walls like a moving rampart.

Xu Mo braced himself, the beam of his flashlight locked on the water at the top of the stairs. He watched as the surface climbed at a visible rate. All sorts of floating debris surged in with it, swirling in the narrow hallway.

In just a matter of minutes, the floodwaters inundated the third floor. The cold, murky water instantly soaked the soles of Xu Mo’s shoes.

After rising another foot or so on the third floor, the flood’s momentum abruptly halted. It then remained at that fixed level, churning inside the room.

After a long while, Xu Mo saw the water at his feet begin to recede, ever so slowly.

"Haaaah~"

Xu Mo let out a long, heavy breath he had been holding in his chest. The flood crest had passed.