Why the hell was it raining so hard all of a sudden? Braxton glanced at his watch. The meeting time had come and gone, but Natalie still hadn't shown. Still, this was a rare opportunity, and he wasn't about to blow it. He forced himself to wait. Thirty minutes passed. There was no sign of Natalie. As the downpour outside grew heavier, a sliver of unease crept into his chest. He pulled out his phone to call her—still blocked. Left with no choice, he borrowed the restaurant's phone and dialed again. "Hello?" "Natalie? It's me, Braxton. I'm already at Locust Tree Restaurant. Any idea when you'll be here?""Oh, something came up on my end. I'll be a little late. Just hang on a bit, okay?" "Alright, Nat." He hung up. She didn't sound angry, so Braxton relaxed and patiently waited. So long as tonight went according to plan, he'd have her eating out of his hand soon enough—along with all the riches and glory that came with her. A little wait wasn't going to kill him. Outside, the storm raged on. Another hour slipped by. Ding—Buzz— Phones all over the restaurant lit up. Braxton checked his—an emergency weather alert from the weather bureau. Red Alert: Torrential Rainfall. All citizens are advised to remain indoors. Cease outdoor activity and operations immediately. Evacuate dangerous areas to safe shelter."Oh my god! That car's floating!" someone at the next table screamed. Braxton looked out the window at last and froze. The street outside was waist-deep in floodwater. Some small cars were actually drifting. What the hell is going on? Even typhoon rains hadn't hit this hard before. He snatched the restaurant phone again and called Natalie. "Nat, where are you now?" "Who is this?" "It's Braxton." "Braxton? Never heard of you. What a terrible name." Click. He stared at the phone in disbelief. He redialed. This time, only a busy tone. Braxton's face darkened. She was playing him. Inside the restaurant, chaos erupted.Someone's car had been swept away. Someone else got a call from their kid's school to come pick them up immediately. Others were stuck—ride shares weren't accepting any orders. Braxton rushed downstairs, only to find the flooding had gotten worse. Water now reached chest level. Though the front doors were shut, water had already started seeping in. His car out front was completely submerged. There was no chance of driving it now. He was furious. He'd been made a fool of, left sitting here for an hour and a half like a chump, and lost a car in the process. Now, he was trapped, too. The roads were a mess. The rainstorm was fierce, and many people were panicking. Some were stuck in their cars, others had slipped and gotten swept away. A few even tried swimming, only to end up bleeding from god knows what.Meanwhile, Natalie was at home watching TV and enjoying a steaming fondue. The spicy beef tallow bubbled in the pot, sealing off the muggy dampness from outside. Even Lucky, who had been a bit anxious at first, had calmed down and was now curled up at her feet, happily chewing a massive bone. Natalie dipped a slice of tripe into the pot, then rolled it in dipping oil and popped it into her mouth. The fragrant steam filled the entire room. After eating, she tossed the dishes into the dishwasher and opened WhatsApp. The neighborhood chat group had exploded. "What the hell?! The rain's insane! My brand new car is floating away!" "Damn, I feel sorry for you! At least I'm broke and don't own a car." "With all this thunder, I swear some immortal must be transcending the heavens!""When the sky suddenly went dark at noon, I knew something was off. It's like the heavens are leaking!" "This weather's not right ... could it be the end of the world?" Natalie raised an eyebrow. Someone hit the nail on the head. She tapped the profile of the sender. It was the 15th floor guy. "Don't make me laugh. It's just a rainstorm, dude. You've clearly watched too many movies." "Our school just canceled classes! Best Monday ever." "Our office shut down too!" "Neighbors, be careful getting home—I nearly fell into an open drain just now." Natalie closed WhatsApp and opened Instagram. A breaking news headline was trending, "Flooded Subway in Verdant City."The video showed people trapped in submerged train cars, water up to their shoulders, some sobbing and calling loved ones with final words. Natalie's chest tightened. This was just like last time. At first, everyone thought it was just rain. But the disaster didn't stop. And neither did the deaths. Netizens flooded the comment section. CuteWarriorGirl said, "This is heartbreaking! Why is Verdant City flooding, too? Shorerock City is underwater already." SimpleJoy said, "Same here in Northlorn. It's a mess." FoodBeforeAllElse said, "Wait—it's raining like this in the north too? I thought it was just the south." CherryBaby said, "I'm in Victoria and we're getting slammed too. Don't tell me it's raining like this everywhere?!" The tension online was growing by the second. Natalie felt the weight in her chest building. She set her phone down and decided to go find Lucky to shake it off. But Lucky wasn't at her feet. She looked around and found her on the couch, butt raised, paws furiously scratching at the fabric like she was digging for treasure. "Lucky! Don't tear up the house!" She rushed over and scooped him up, only to spot a necklace dangling from her mouth. Wait ... that was the emerald pendant Talia had returned to her yesterday. "You little thief. Where'd you dig that up?" She took the pendant and casually tossed it into her space. Then, she tapped Lucky on the head. "No eating random stuff, you hear me? You'll get sick." Suddenly, a flash of white light burst through her consciousness.She knew that feeling. She immediately checked her space. It had grown again. The original 8,600-square-foot, once jam-packed with supplies, now had an extra 10,760 tacked on. Her small 650-square-foot bungalow? It was upgraded to 1,076 square feet. Natalie was ecstatic. She didn't know that her space could be upgraded! She rummaged around and noticed that the pendant was gone. Clearly, the space had absorbed it. That was the trigger. Her eyes stung. Mom had to be watching over her from above. Not only did she grant her this second life, but she also sent this pendant to help her expand her shelter. And thanks to Talia, she got it back.Inspired, Natalie walked over to her vanity and opened a drawer full of jewelry. She dumped all of it into her space. One emerald ring vanished immediately. Everything else stayed. The space expanded by another 5,382 square feet. Her little bangalow had turned into a two-story one. So, emerald upgrades the space? If only she had more. But in her previous life, she'd always thought emerald jewelry looked too old-fashioned and rarely bought any. Now all she had was the bracelet bound to the space—and that one ring. She looked down at her wrist. The bracelet's quality had improved, too. It had gone from murky emerald to something clearer and richer. She was definitely going to start collecting emeralds. The more, the better.Natalie thought happily about it. The space was now half empty, and that unsettled her. What once looked like a full stockpile now felt insufficient with such a large empty space. It didn't seem like she had stockpiled enough! There were 16,146 new square feet that needed to be filled. There was no question about it. Natalie pulled out the map stored in her space, and a new idea struck her.