The rescue team finally arrived. After several days of nonstop rain, the water level had reached nearly 30 feet, completely flooding the third floor. Once they'd finished rescuing people stranded outside, the rescue teams started evacuating the residents on the lower floors of the condo building. Everyone from the second to the fourth floors was moved to high-rise hotels and office towers. But just as the rescue workers were about to leave, more residents came pouring down the stairs, surrounding them. "Hey! When's the rain gonna stop? It's not gonna reach my floor, right?" "I saw online that it's pouring all over the world. Is this the end of days? Do you guys have any official news?" "Can you bring us some food? We're almost out at home.""Bring it to my place first—my kid needs fresh milk every day." "My parents won't eat pasta. Can you bring some whole grains for them?" "What's going on outside? Do you have any spare kayaks or rafts we could borrow?" More and more people joined in, their voices rising with panic. One of the rescue workers, eyes red from exhaustion, finally said, "We don't know either. The rain came too fast. Our headquarters got flooded. "My wife was swept away by the water. We still haven't found her. "We've been out there for days, saving people nonstop. None of us has slept." The crowd fell silent. Taking the opportunity, the rescue team quickly evacuated the lower-floor residents. A heavy, oppressive tension filled the air. ...Two more days passed. The rain still didn't stop. Now, the water had reached the fifth floor. There was no sign of a second wave of rescue teams. The fifth-floor residents were now in the same position the second-floor residents had been days before—begging the upper floors for shelter. But this time, no one responded. Food was running low for everyone. "All I've got left is pasta," someone posted in the building's group chat. "Any neighbors willing to trade some vegetables?" "You're lucky," someone replied. "I've only got two eggs left. I'd be happy just to get some instant noodles." That message got a response fast. "I've got instant noodles," someone replied. "I'll sell you a pack for 300 dollars." That set off an uproar. "Are you serious? That's a three-dollar item!""How can you ask something like that of your neighbors?" "Yeah, what kind of person price-gouges during a crisis? It's not the actual end of the world. The rain will stop eventually!" The criticism poured in. Then, suddenly, a new message popped up—from the heavyset guy from unit 1302, right below Natalie's place. "If they don't want it, I do. How many packs do you have? I'll buy them all." That stirred up even more outrage. "Are you nuts?" Even the guy from across the hall—Natalie had seen him before, with the buzz cut—chimed in. "Didn't you just butcher half a pig a few nights ago? We heard you chopping all night. Why are you paying premium prices for instant noodles now?" "I've got money, and I can spend it how I like!" the man from 1302 replied. "Anyone who's got extra food—I'm buying. Name your price." Natalie stared at the messages, her expression unreadable. That wasn't reckless spending—that was awareness. The guy from 1302 was smart. He had done the same thing in her past life, stocking up early and fasting. But he was also dangerous. He loved stirring up trouble, playing people against each other for his gain. People like him—manipulators—were more dangerous than looters. The group chat was still full of angry messages about price gouging, but the man from 1302 had already gone downstairs and picked up his noodles. The seller, thrilled, thought to himself, I just made thousands of dollars from a few packs of instant noodles! He had no idea how badly he'd regret this moment later.But that wasn't Natalie's problem. Right now, she was busy putting up privacy film and blackout curtains on all her windows. The power grid would fail soon. She had a generator, but that would only draw unwanted attention from nosy neighbors in the nearby buildings. With the windows sealed, no one would be able to see what was going on inside. Next, she mixed up some concrete from cement and gravel, then used it to seal off every floor drain in the apartment. That would keep out floodwater—and the stench. After a storm like this, the heat would come next. And with it? Rats, bugs, snakes. If she didn't seal the pipes, they'd crawl right up into her home. Once everything was secure, she turned her attention to her storage space—specifically, the little villa she had stashed inside. It had power, water, and gas—but no containers or furniture. Natalie wanted to get it organized now, so that if she ever had to hide out or cook in there, she wouldn't waste time cleaning up. Just as she was about to enter the villa, she caught a glimpse of Lucky gnawing on a bone nearby. She scooped him up and brought him along. The moment they entered, Lucky froze, stunned by the sudden change in scenery. Once he realized it was safe, he began sniffing around excitedly, exploring the villa. Natalie used her mind to pull in furniture from her storage—couches, a king-size bed, a dining table and chairs, a fridge, a washing machine ... All this stuff was taking up space outside anyway—might as well move it in here. She even decorated the second-floor room to look like the boss's office from earlier. She really liked that style.Paintings, antique vases, a tea set ... all the non-perishable items got placed there. Lastly, she gave the bathroom a deep clean. That would be the room she used the most. Once the city's plumbing was fully clogged, showering would become a nightmare. But the villa's utilities worked for one hour a day. If she didn't use the full hour during the day, she'd come in just before midnight to take a shower and use up the remaining time. She didn't believe in wasting anything. Just as she finished tidying up, the one-hour limit ran out, and Natalie and Lucky were kicked out of the villa space. That hour flew by. Lucky, still busy exploring, was caught off guard. She tumbled out and landed on her back, legs flailing in the air. He scrambled up, looking around in confusion. "Woof! Woof! Woof!"Natalie! What just happened? Where'd the villa go? Natalie picked him up and chuckled. "It's still there." ... Just like that, another two days passed. Then, suddenly, a breaking news alert spread online. Borduria had been swallowed by seawater. It was completely gone. Genosha, Victoria, and others descended into chaos soon after. Drakoria had always been united—whenever one region struggled, others would rush in to help. But this time, everyone was struggling. No one had any help to give. All of Planet Terra was drowning under this unending storm. In just over a week, every city had become an ocean.People were running out of food. Desperate, they called every emergency number they could—but even the phone lines were underwater now. And then, finally, the power grid failed. All lights went dark. The internet went down. "Wooooooooo ... " An air raid siren howled across the city, like the last scream of a dying civilization. And then, silence. One by one, tall buildings became isolated islands in a vast sea. Natalie stood by her window, watching the water outside, her eyes heavy. The new era of the apocalypse had begun. From this moment on, Terra would descend into chaos.