NOVGO.NET Chapter 12 Flooding disaster.
Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Flooding disaster.
A gasp tore out of Luna as she stumbled onto the front porch, drenched from head to toe. Luckily for her, the workers had built a barricade around the entrance that prevented the raging water from pouring inside unless someone deliberately opened it.
She managed to get in quickly, but half of her body had already surrendered to the scorching cold water.
The moment she stepped inside, several workers rushed toward her in alarm.
"Miss! What happened? Why are you soaked like this?"
Luna didn’t bother explaining. She simply pointed toward the water below them.
The workers followed her gaze.
Almost immediately, horrified gasps escaped their lips.
"That’s... that’s too much water."
"It’s still rising!"
Although they were nowhere near the upper floors of the mansion and were still standing on the lower ground, fear instantly spread among them.
"What if it reaches us?"
"Don’t worry." One of the workers quickly reassured everyone. "The mansion is built high enough. The water shouldn’t reach this level. Besides, we’ve already installed the protective barrier you requested. If the flood gets too high, we’ll activate it and the entire house will be sealed inside the shield."
It had been the very first thing Luna insisted on installing.
Yet hearing those words didn’t calm her.
She stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened.
The apocalypse...
It had begun.
But it wasn’t supposed to happen yet.
There was supposed to be another month.
A whole month to reinforce the mansion, gather more supplies and finish preparing for everything that was coming.
That was the entire reason she came back.
That was how it was meant to happen.
Not this.
What kind of glitch was this?
Had she been even a few minutes later, she would’ve been caught outside.
She would’ve drowned...
Or perhaps something much worse would’ve happened to her.
"No..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"I can’t survive this alone."
That had always been her original plan.
Trust no one.
Rely on nobody.
But now...
Things were changing too fast.
She needed more support.
Not from the workers.
They would die eventually.
Unlike her, they still believed this flood was nothing more than an unfortunate natural disaster.
They had no idea...
That this water would soon give birth to nightmares.
"Miss..."
A man among the workers hesitated before speaking.
"I don’t think we can leave anymore. Could we stay here until the water goes down?"
Luna slowly looked toward him.
Nicole stood nearby, shivering as she stared at the endless sea swallowing everything below.
The water continued rising at an unbelievable speed.
Buildings were dragged beneath the current.
Cars floated helplessly before disappearing under the waves.
The unfortunate people still trapped on the streets were swept away one after another.
None resurfaced.
Of course...
They were already dead.
Luna swallowed hard.
It was happening again.
"Fuck..."
She clenched her fists.
"I thought I had a system."
Her voice carried obvious frustration.
"How come you didn’t warn me?"
She knew blaming a machine made little sense.
Still...
Wasn’t that what it existed for?
To warn her about critical information.
The cold mechanical voice answered inside her head.
[I apologize, Dear Host. This situation was beyond my calculations. Even I did not anticipate such an unexpected change.]
An unexpected change...
To a System?
Luna’s heart skipped.
If even the System couldn’t predict it...
Then just how badly had this world’s future changed?
This wasn’t following the apocalypse she remembered anymore.
Everything had started far earlier.
Far more violently.
What if...
This world ended in an even worse way than her previous one?
Luna instinctively clutched the necklace around her neck.
But the rising water wasn’t the only disaster.
Without warning...
The rain came.
Not gentle rainfall.
A violent storm exploded across the city.
Powerful winds ripped electric poles straight from the ground before hurling them into the flood.
One after another...
The lights disappeared.
Darkness swallowed the city.
Then came the screams.
Mothers grabbed their children and ran without direction.
Families cried desperately for help.
People begged the heavens for mercy.
The earth suddenly split apart.
Massive cracks opened beneath buildings.
Entire houses collapsed into the darkness below.
A bungalow disappeared in seconds together with the family trapped inside.
Blood mixed with muddy water.
Painful screams echoed endlessly.
Death had officially arrived.
Standing safely above, Luna listened to the horrifying cries below.
She slowly released a tired sigh.
"You people will keep working on this mansion."
Everyone immediately looked toward her.
"No matter what happens."
"If you need food, tell me."
"I’ll provide it."
"But don’t stop reinforcing this place."
Her order echoed through the porch.
The four workers...
Three men and one woman...
Remained silent.
Jessica, however, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Sorry, Miss..."
She hesitated.
"But it looks like you already knew something like this was coming."
She looked around the mansion before meeting Luna’s eyes again.
"You bought all these supplies."
"You prepared for lockdown."
"So... why didn’t you warn everyone else?"
Luna slowly turned toward her.
Then...
She smiled.
Smart people.
She hated dealing with smart people.
They questioned everything.
They observed everything.
And eventually...
They became troublesome.
"What’s your name?"
Luna asked gently.
The woman looked uncertain whether she should answer.
"It’s Jessica, ma’am."
Jessica.
Of course.
That name reminded Luna of more than one backstabbing woman she’d met before.
She wasn’t planning on becoming another victim.
She shifted her attention toward the remaining men.
"And you three?"
The tallest among them stepped forward first.
"I’m Jackson."
He pointed beside himself.
"That’s Michael."
Then toward the quietest one.
"And that’s Miles."
Miles simply nodded.
Luna slowly took another sip of the hot coffee Nicole had handed her.
Then she smiled again.
"This is my rule."
Her voice remained surprisingly calm.
"You four will mind your damn business."
"You’ll finish reinforcing my house."
"I’ll pay every single one of you."
"After that..."
"You can get the fuck out."
Silence.
"If anyone decides to stick their nose where it doesn’t belong..."
Her eyes settled directly on Jessica.
"I’ll personally throw that person into the ocean."
A terrifying smile spread across her lips.
"And Jessica..."
"If that’s you..."
"You won’t live to see the next day."
An icy silence immediately settled over everyone.
Nobody dared respond.
Even Nicole remained quiet.
It was the first time she had ever seen this terrifying side of Luna.
Jackson frowned.
"Miss..."
"That’s not right."
"You can’t threaten us."
"We’re supposed to stay here until this apocalypse is over."
There it was.
Entitlement.
Exactly what Luna hated most.
This...
This was why she never liked helping people.
Save one...
They immediately demanded ten more things.
She hated inconvenience.
She rubbed her forehead.
"You people are making me stand here while I’m freezing."
"I’m already in a terrible mood."
Unfortunately...
Jackson mistook her patience for weakness.
Because he was huge and muscular, he seemed convinced she would back down.
A smug grin stretched across his face as he stepped forward.
"Looks like you forgot something."
He laughed.
"You’re just one girl."
"And you’re all alone."
His grin widened.
"We could throw you out instead."
"Then this mansion becomes ours."
"What do you think?"
Michael immediately stood beside him.
Clearly supporting the idea.
Only Miles looked horrified.
He repeatedly shook his head, silently begging the two idiots to stop.
Don’t do it.
Please don’t.
But neither Jackson nor Michael listened.
Luna finally lost the last bit of patience she had left.
Without another word...
She moved.
Her kick landed with terrifying precision.
Straight between Jackson’s legs.
CRACK!
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
A blood-curdling scream burst from his throat as his massive body collapsed onto the floor.
Before anyone recovered...
Luna calmly pulled a pistol from her pocket.
She pointed it directly at them.
"Who’s next?"
Her voice was frighteningly calm.
"I’d love to make another example."
Michael refused to believe she would actually shoot.
With an angry roar, he charged.
Luna spun gracefully.
Her body flipped through the air in a perfect somersault before her heel crashed against his chest.
BAM!
The impact sent Michael flying backward.
He staggered wildly.
Lost his footing.
Then...
He slipped over the edge of the porch.
"S-Save me!"
He crashed straight into the flood below.
Jackson and Miles rushed toward the edge.
"Michael!"
"Grab something!"
They desperately shouted instructions as Michael fought against the violent current.
But then...
The water suddenly became still.
Something enormous glided beneath the surface.
Too large.
Far too large.
A dark shadow silently circled underneath Michael.
His terrified screams became louder.
"W-What’s beneath me?!"
Nobody answered.
The massive shadow suddenly turned.
Then...
It shot toward him at terrifying speed.