Chapter 144

“Master Wang, working the night shift today?”

“Old Chen’s off. I’m covering for him.”

…

On the afternoon of March 7, Wang Baogang arrived at the Jinghe Bus Terminal, dusty and windblown, wearing a protective mask. He was a driver on Jinghe Route 602, which ran between Xining Village Station and Wang Family Courtyard Station. The full route spanned thirty kilometers. Lately, the wind and sand had been intense, and several bus drivers had fallen ill with colds. Wang Baogang, with his strong constitution, had volunteered to cover a shift for a colleague.

At 5 p.m., after clocking in, Wang Baogang boarded the 602 and waited for departure.

“Master Wang.” Ten minutes later, a young man in his twenties boarded. He was the bus conductor.

Wang Baogang opened the door and glanced outside. “Xu Juan’s not coming?” Xu Juan was the regular conductor on Route 602 and his longtime partner.

The young man replied, “Sister Xu’s kid got sick. She took the afternoon off to go to the hospital.”

“What happened?”

“Seems like asthma.”

…

With the worsening air pollution, coughing and asthma had become common ailments in recent years.

Wang Baogang sent Xu Juan a message of concern via Longxin, then drove the bus to Xining Village Station.

It was rush hour, and before long, the bus was packed with passengers.

“Everyone, please wear your masks. Those in the front, move back a bit,” Wang Baogang called out, expertly maintaining order.

“Did you all see the news?”

“Guqia?”

“A town that big, and it just got flooded like that.”

…

Once the passengers boarded, those who knew each other started chatting. Guqia was an island nation that had recently been hit by a massive tsunami in its southern region, triggered by global ocean current shifts. The disaster had affected 270,000 people. News footage showed seawater flooding into Suoya Town in southern Guqia, with over 200,000 mu of land submerged.

Everyone was still reeling from the news when a passenger suddenly shouted, “Check the trending news!”

Wang Baogang, who was driving, nearly slammed on the brakes.

Passengers pulled out their phones and opened Longbo’s trending topics. Just three minutes ago, a breaking story had shot to the top: 【At 5 p.m. on March 7, a massive tsunami struck southeastern Natal. The Doloro Tower suffered severe damage…】

Doloro Tower, located in Doloro City, was a landmark in Natal. Everyone clicked on the video—

The footage showed the Doloro Tower half-submerged by the tsunami. Residents of Doloro floated on rubber boats across a sea that had swallowed rooftops.

“The weather’s been completely out of whack lately.”

“You can barely see the Doloro Tower anymore… just the tip of the spire.”

…

The passengers stared at the news in a daze. They had just been discussing the flooding in Guqia, and now Natal had been hit too.

At first, it seemed like just another international disaster. But by 8 p.m. that evening, Longxia issued a warning: 【At 7 p.m. on March 7, a one-meter tsunami wave was detected at the Ningzhou tide station. Super tsunamis may hit Longnan, Ningzhou, Yunzhou, and other coastal areas. Residents should prepare for evacuation…】

“!!!”

“Everyone, stay safe. Is everyone down south okay?”

“We’re fine. Haven’t noticed anything unusual.”

“Stay alert. Try to head somewhere safe if you can.”

…

Two years ago, people might have brushed off a tsunami warning. But after the Harma Storm, concern for places like Ningzhou and Fuzhou had grown deep.

…

“Today’s catch was pretty good…”

…

While the internet buzzed with talk of the tsunami in the southern provinces, Zheng Taolin and his nephew were out fishing for sea bass on a private boat near Xiaoyugang Village in Ningzhou.

Zheng Taolin was forty-seven, a fisherman from Ningzhou’s small fishing port. He and his second uncle’s family co-owned a fishing boat. Business used to be good, and the two families could split over half a million yuan annually. But global acid rain had devastated the fishing industry in recent years.

By 9:30 p.m., the two had docked their boat.

“How was the haul?” a fellow fisherman called out in the dark.

“Enough to fill two trucks,” Zheng Taolin replied, clearly pleased with the day’s catch.

Since the Harma Storm, 70% of marine life had been contaminated by acid rain. Treated acid rain fish were now used as fertilizer. Ever since the Vitality 01 research breakthrough, fish carcasses had become hot commodities for fertilizer production. Small fishing villages had jumped on the trend, setting up numerous recycling companies.

“You selling?” As soon as they disembarked, a fish recycling agent approached.

“Yeah!”

After some bargaining, they sold 3,000 jin of fish for 5,200 yuan.

Zheng Taolin transferred 2,600 yuan to his nephew.

“The market’s been great lately. The small fish are practically jumping into the boat…” His nephew, Zheng Ran, had just graduated in July last year and was thrilled to make 2,600 yuan in half a day.

As Zheng Taolin packed up the gear, he said, “There might be a tsunami coming.”

As an experienced fisherman, he had noticed the unusual behavior of the sea. But fortune often came with risk. In a year, the small port would see seawater anomalies seven or eight times. They were used to it.

Half an hour later, more and more fishing boats began returning to shore.

“Are we going out again tomorrow?” Zheng Ran asked.

“Yeah. Let’s check the southern waters again,” Zheng Taolin replied. The fish had been abundant these past couple of days. Not going would feel like a loss.

“Toot toot—”

Just as they were chatting, a sharp whistle echoed from the distance.

“Are you trying to get yourselves killed?”

“When did you even go out?!”

…

The brigade leader shouted sternly through a loudspeaker.

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

…

The fishermen were confused.

“Didn’t you see the group message?” the brigade leader yelled.

Zheng Taolin pulled out his phone. Seventeen missed calls.

He opened the group chat. An hour ago, the brigade had issued an emergency notice: 【At 7 p.m. on March 7, a ten-meter tsunami wave was detected at the Ningzhou tide station. All residents of the small fishing port must stay home for roll call. No one is allowed to go out to sea!】

Just as Zheng Taolin finished reading, his nephew Zheng Ran was on the phone nearby. “We just got back. Everything’s fine out on the water…”

It was Zheng Ran’s mother calling. As Zheng Taolin listened, his own phone started ringing.

Caller: Wife.

“The village sent out a notice…” Her voice was tense the moment he picked up.

“I just saw it. Everything’s fine for now,” Zheng Taolin replied briefly, then hung up.

“Everyone, head home now. Pack your things and be ready to evacuate at any moment!” the brigade leader continued shouting.

“What about the boats?” someone asked. Even the cheapest of these small boats cost seventy or eighty thousand yuan.

“You’re worried about boats when your life’s on the line?” the brigade leader snapped.

“Doesn’t feel like anything’s happening…”

“There’s been a lot of fish lately.”

…

The villagers were reluctant. The sea had been acting strangely, but there hadn’t been any real signs of a tsunami.

Still, thoughts were one thing. When it came down to it, they obediently packed up and went home.

As Xiaoyugang Village residents returned and stayed indoors, Longxia issued an official notice: 【Due to tsunami wave activity, all sea vessels are banned from operating in southern Longxia waters starting March 12…】

“Feels a bit over the top.”

“Only a small town in Guqia was affected. Are we overreacting…”

…

Some netizens felt that Longxia’s precautions were a bit excessive, but after two years of back-to-back incidents, people had no choice but to take them seriously.

“Keep the property deed and household registration book safe. It’ll be a hassle to replace them later.”

On the morning of March 12, Zheng Taolin and his wife were packing their luggage.

Yesterday afternoon, the authorities in Xiaoyugang issued an emergency notice requiring a full evacuation of all residents. Not a single person was to remain. The order applied not just to Xiaoyugang Village, but to other nearby villages as well.

“I’ve packed the documents. Should we take the fridge and other appliances?” his wife asked at 9:30, having finished packing. With government notices coming one after another, the atmosphere in the village had grown increasingly tense.

“We don’t have a vehicle, and even if we moved them, there’s nowhere to put them,” Zheng Taolin replied after a glance.

“It’s such a shame…” His wife looked heartbroken.

Two hours later, the couple boarded a vehicle with their elderly parents. Zheng Taolin had been married for seventeen years. Their son, Zheng Rui, was attending high school in Ningzhou City. This time, they planned to take refuge at a relative’s home in Sichuan Province and would pick up their son on the way. Influenced by the news reports, the roads were filled with vehicles heading north to escape. There were small and medium-sized cars, as well as large trucks carrying furniture and appliances.

“It’s like a scene straight out of a disaster movie,” Zheng Taolin said as he looked out the window.

By 3 p.m., they finally arrived at Ningzhou No. 1 High School.

“Dad, Mom.” Their son Zheng Rui stood at the school gate in his uniform, wearing a mask and holding his luggage.

“You’re not wearing the jacket we bought you?” Zheng Taolin asked as he got out of the car.

Ever since Longxia developed isolation suits, the Longxia Academy of Sciences had created a virus-resistant Constant Temperature Jacket based on the same principles. These jackets ranged from three thousand to thirteen thousand yuan. Last Wednesday, Zheng Taolin had gritted his teeth and bought one for 8,500.

“I am wearing it.” Zheng Rui tugged down the zipper of his school uniform, revealing a lightweight black long-sleeve shirt underneath.

“That’s good.” Zheng Taolin let out a long breath of relief.

According to the Longxia Meteorological Station, anomalies had been detected along the coastal waters of Longxia’s Zhongnan region. All residents within a hundred kilometers of the coast were required to evacuate. The designated danger zone covered nearly 120,000 square kilometers. For safety, people were fleeing as far inland as possible.

With the entire nation watching, the hashtag #LongnanCoastalEvacuation shot to the top of the trending list.

“This is more intense than the poison zones in games,” one gamer joked online.

In games, a hundred players flee the poison zone. In real life, it was now millions trying to escape.

Evacuation routes were opened, safety zones established, and extra train services added. Over the next two days, Longxia carried out a full-scale evacuation effort.

…

“This is a huge help,” Zheng Taolin said gratefully to his relative on the morning of March 15, at Zhongtian Hotel in Liunan.

Liunan was 200 kilometers from Ningzhou. Although he had come to seek refuge with relatives the day before, their home was only seventy square meters. There was no way his whole family could squeeze in without being a burden. After some effort, they found a hotel nearby.

After chatting for a bit, the relative said, “Your sister booked a restaurant. We’ll head over for a meal later.”

“I feel bad about all this,” Zheng Taolin said, a little embarrassed.

The relative waved it off. “Don’t mention it.”

They chatted a bit more, and the relative added, “Don’t take the news too seriously. It’s not as dramatic as what they show on TV.”

On the night of March 12, sea levels around MaliCybera rose by three centimeters. The increase in sea level reduced land area and led to a rise in refugee numbers in both regions. This sea-level rise was caused by a combination of factors: melting glaciers, declining marine algae, and increased carbon dioxide levels.

Since the start of 3031, the Hugua Virus, the decline in ocean algae, and rising sea levels had become the three major global crises.

According to the latest report from the Shuilan Alliance, the global oxygen concentration had dropped to 17%. Many regions were already experiencing breathing difficulties due to the thinning air. While Hugua Masks could filter the air, they couldn’t generate oxygen. As marine algae continued to decline, sea levels were rising even faster than they had the previous year.

Zheng Taolin had been glued to the news for days, the dark circles under his eyes growing deeper.

“Try to stay calm,” his relative advised.

“I’m fine,” Zheng Taolin replied with a smile. What he was really thinking about was the front door of their house—the one he had built himself from wood when he first got married. It wasn’t worth much, but after all these years of pushing and pulling it open, he couldn’t help but worry. If a tsunami really hit, what would happen to that door?

As his thoughts wandered, a rumble of thunder rolled in from outside.

Zheng Taolin pulled back the curtain. From the sixteenth floor, he had a clear view of the scene outside: thick, dark clouds loomed overhead, thunder rumbling within them. Before long, rain began pouring down in heavy sheets.

“It’s raining already?” his relative poked his head out to look. The forecast had mentioned rain, but they’d expected it in the evening—not this sudden and intense downpour.

“Should we cancel the dinner reservation?” Zheng Taolin asked, watching the storm. The restaurant was five kilometers away, and outside, the wind was so strong it was toppling utility poles.

The relative hesitated, wanting to be polite, but eventually decided to call his wife.

Ten minutes later, the relative returned, apologizing. “The restaurant just called. With the rain coming down so hard, they asked if we’d be okay canceling the reservation…”

The rain had come on so fiercely that the restaurant was worried about a repeat of the Longnan torrential floods. Staff were already outside stacking sandbags.

Since both sides wanted to cancel, the relative’s wife quickly handled the process. The restaurant, feeling bad, even offered a 300-yuan voucher with a 50-yuan discount for their next visit.

“Sorry about that,” the relative said again.

“No problem at all,” Zheng Taolin replied quickly.

After chatting for a bit longer, the relative headed home, concerned about his own family. Zheng Taolin stood by the window, worried as he looked out… Liunan was an inland city, but with the violent wind and rain outside, he couldn’t stop thinking about their house back in Xiaoyugang.

Zheng Taolin had already imagined the worst-case scenario, but over the next two days, the storm turned out to be even more severe than he had feared.

Footage from Longxia’s drones showed the devastating impact: driven by tsunami waves and the Shuilan ocean currents, the coastal waters of Longnan surged like a towering wall, relentlessly crashing inland. Highways were swept away, buildings collapsed, entire villages were swallowed in an instant…

Watching the video, people were reminded of the block-stacking games they played as children. No matter how carefully the blocks were arranged, a single poke from a child’s finger could bring the whole structure crashing down. The coastal region now looked like one giant block tower, and the tsunami was the finger.

The finger moved, and the blocks fell.

This was nature’s overwhelming force, striking with devastating simplicity.