Chapter 145

Tsunamis are often triggered by undersea earthquakes, atmospheric changes, and various other factors. The terrain of Longxia is flat and expansive, which means there’s little friction to slow a tsunami’s spread. In the past hundred years, only two minor tsunamis have occurred here.

Globally, there have been over three hundred recorded tsunamis, most of them near the Shuilan Ocean. Longxia has experienced relatively few, with only two documented in the last century. But now, watching the drone footage, people were, for the first time, confronted with the brutal reality of a tsunami—far more terrifying than they had imagined.

This tsunami began at 5:00 PM and ended at 8:20 PM. According to the Shuilan Tsunami Naming Table, it was officially named the Wind Wave Tsunami.

By 8:30 PM, “Wind Wave Tsunami” was trending.

“Feels even scarier than the Longnan torrential rains.”

“My classmate lives on the coast in Ningzhou. Their house got completely flooded.”

“I just visited Ningzhou last month…”

…

Netizens scrolled through the news over and over. Although Longxia’s terrain helped reduce the tsunami’s inland impact, the wave still stretched across a thousand kilometers of coastline, affecting a total area of seventy thousand square kilometers—roughly half the size of a province.

On March 16, the tsunami receded. Overpasses were submerged, villages flooded, homes collapsed… People dug up footage of the torrential rains from three years ago. Different causes, but eerily similar scenes.

By the afternoon of March 16, preliminary estimates reported nearly 700 billion in economic losses, with 1.7 million people affected. The number of casualties was still being confirmed.

“Thank goodness we evacuated in time.”

“I’m in Yuxi City, just three kilometers from the tsunami. The windows shattered from the shock. 【Video】”

…

Netizens shared tsunami videos. Many were shot from high-rise buildings at close range, and through the windows, viewers could feel the urgency and danger as if they were there themselves.

From March 16 to March 20, tsunamis struck multiple locations around the globe. The total number of people affected worldwide reached 230 million. In Longxia alone, 127 people lost their lives.

On March 25, rescue and recovery efforts began in the affected areas. Zheng Taolin made his way home alone. With bridges collapsed and traffic in chaos, it took him two days to finally reach Xiaoyugang Village. The small fishing port had been one of the hardest-hit areas. Now that the seawater had receded, the roads were covered in stagnant pools, and the village looked desolate.

After walking for a while, he arrived at his house. It was a typical two-story rural home. The structure was still standing, but the front door had been warped by the flood. He knocked on it—mold had already started growing on the damp wood. He went inside to take a look. As expected, all the furniture and appliances were destroyed.

Zheng Taolin stood there for a moment, then went up to the second-floor balcony.

“Back already?” a neighbor called out from next door.

“Yeah. How’s your place holding up?” Zheng Taolin asked.

“Furniture’s ruined, but everything else is okay.”

Zheng Taolin was surprised. “Your appliances survived?”

The neighbor looked puzzled. “I used waterproof bags.”

Zheng Taolin smacked his forehead and pulled out his phone to open Longbao. Ever since Longxia had announced the tsunami, Longbao had started selling sealed waterproof bags for furniture and appliances. Each product was tagged with a promotional label: 【Tsunami-Specific】. Monthly sales had reached 8.88 million units.

“I forgot,” Zheng Taolin muttered, frustrated. Back during the Longnan rains, Longbao had released a line of 【Rainstorm-Specific】 waterproof bags. He had thought about buying a couple sets in case of future floods. But this time, it wasn’t a flood—it was a tsunami. And he’d completely forgotten.

After a quick tour of the house, he headed toward the coast.

He owned a small boat, which he had stored in a warehouse at Ningzhou Port before evacuating. Xiaoyugang Village was twenty kilometers from the port. When he arrived, many fishermen were already there, searching for their boats.

Zheng Taolin got out of the car and froze at the sight before him.

The warehouse was still standing, but before, it had been three hundred meters from the shoreline. Now, it was only about fifty meters away. The Ningzhou Port entrance was barely visible, submerged under water.

“This is the port entrance?”

“It’s underwater. Can’t see a thing.”

“Looks like it’s been flooded pretty deep…”

…

More and more fishermen trickled in.

After this tsunami, the area of Ningzhou Port had clearly shrunk.

“Shuilan Alliance: As of March 25, global sea levels have risen 50 centimeters compared to the year 3027. The Shuilan Marl Peninsula and the Sophia Peninsula were among the hardest hit…”

That evening, the Shuilan Alliance released a global sea level report. Following this massive ocean current event, sea levels worldwide had risen, reducing the total landmass. According to preliminary mapping, Longxia had lost about 800 square kilometers of land, now temporarily submerged beneath the sea.