Finding quality wood was tough. The malls and office buildings were no help, and the museum was already flooded. But there was one more place to try. Phoenix City was famous worldwide as the largest furniture production hub, and the International Furniture Expo Center in Lehaven, a sprawling, 4A-grade landmark, hosted an annual global furniture expo. This year's expo was the 30th anniversary, set to be a grand celebration with ads plastered everywhere for six months in advance. Nadia recalled that the event was supposed to kick off just three days before the typhoon hit and would last two weeks—which meant the expo was still ongoing. The gathering of world-class furniture in one place? That sounded spectacular, though Nadia couldn't care less. Most international pieces hardly used wood; her sights were set on traditional domestic furniture, rich in natural wood. One ad in particular had caught her eye, showing off a hand-carved, millennium-old red sandalwood bed along with an entire suite of antique-style furniture, starting in the nine-figure range. The trend of cultural pride had taken root in recent years, sparking a revival of vintage furniture. To hype the event, the expo center had even managed to borrow a piece of ebony wood as the main exhibit. Not just that—there were valuable woods on display, like silkwood, sandalwood, and dark rosewood, each one brought in to showcase traditional furniture to the world. She needed to make a trip, and it couldn't wait. The expo center was about 25 miles from the city center, nestled in a labyrinth of waterways. It was a gamble, but one worth taking. As Jasmine and two others headed out to gather building supplies, Nadia knocked on the door of Unit 1801. "I'm heading out for a bit," she told them. "Stay safe," they replied without argument.With her inflatable boat strapped in her pack, she made her way downstairs. On the 17th floor, she ran into Maya and Eva Marsh from Unit 1202 coming up together. Maya's eyes were red and watery as she launched into a tearful plea. "Nadia, Ken's hurt! You're the only one who can help him. I'm begging you, please save him!" Nadia gave her a frosty look and stepped past her without a word. But Maya grabbed onto her, refusing to let go. "Nadia, we're schoolmates! You can't just let him die like this!" Her wailing grew louder, drawing curious neighbors to their doors. Nadia had had enough. She whipped out her knife, slashing a clean line through Maya's waist-length hair, which scattered in black wisps to the floor. Maya shrieked, stumbling backward as Nadia followed up with a swift kick, sending her sprawling. She lay there, wide-eyed and stunned, the tears freezing on her cheeks as she looked up at Nadia as if she were staring at an executioner. Nadia planted her foot firmly on Maya's chest. "If you're so eager to die, I'll send you to the underworld." She pressed harder, her eyes as cold as ice. Maya felt her ribs strain under the pressure, her face turning ghostly pale from the pain. Eva took a nervous step back. "Nadia, she just wanted your help. If you don't want to, fine. But did you really have to hurt her?" Nadia turned her steely gaze to Eva. "Are you out of your mind, too, or is it just her? This isn't a hospital, and I'm not a doctor. You have an inflatable boat, don't you? Why didn't you take him to the hospital yourself? Why come to me, who has only studied traditional medicine for a year? Or did you decide I was the only idiot around?" Eva stammered, trying to explain, "But our boat's out of fuel, and it's pouring out there—" "Then, let him die. Why blame me instead?" Nadia shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "It's funny how you call yourselves friends, yet you're too scared to risk yourselves. Instead, you want to dump the responsibility on me?" Her words left Eva stunned. She faltered, realizing just how skewed her assumptions had been. Sure, Nadia had only studied medicine for a year, and it was mostly theory at that, but because of Maya's insistence, she and others had somehow convinced themselves that Nadia could save anyone. And now that she thought about it, they were being incredibly unfair. "Fine… If you won't help, could we at least borrow your boat?" she asked hesitantly. "We'll take Ken ourselves." "You want to play saint? Go ahead," Nadia sneered, stepping up to her. "Just don't try dragging me into your mess because you're in over your head." Eva blanched at the jab, struck dumb, with a complicated look in her eyes. Ignoring her, Nadia continued her descent. She had made it down to the sixth floor when she heard hurried footsteps behind her. "Wait!" Eva called after her. Nadia didn't stop. "Why didn't you warn me earlier?" Eva demanded, her voice shaking with frustration. "You knew they'd throw me under the bus. Why didn't you say anything?" "Who are you to me?" Nadia shot back coolly. "Why should I?" Her gaze was unwavering. "So, you're all heart, are you? Then, tell me why you keep giving food to Wayne while everyone else in the group chat goes hungry. You could've turned him down when he brought people over to sponge meals, but you didn't. Now that you've realized it, you're still hanging out with them? So, what was it—hoping he'd fall in love with you, maybe?" Looking at Eva, Nadia recalled the foolish mistakes she had made in her previous life. Why didn't I warn her? Because it wouldn't have mattered. Eva is no idiot; she has her own agenda.In her previous life, she had also realized this, but she was constrained by her pride and her desire to win his favor. She had pandered to someone unworthy, sacrificing her resources, oblivious to how quickly he had cast her aside with a few empty words. Even if a stranger had warned her about his ulterior motives, saying the apocalypse was coming and they all should skimp on food, she would have defended him. That was how love-struck fools acted. So why should she bother? And here Eva was, still playing along, knowing full well what they were really like. "I wouldn't have shared my food if you'd just warned me," Eva insisted, voice breaking as tears spilled down her face. "Why didn't you just tell me Wayne was a heartless beast?" Nadia arched an eyebrow. "You might want to cry a little louder. Who knows, maybe he's listening right now." Eva froze, clamping a hand over her mouth. Look at that. She's still going to stick to him. Nadia let her be. A person who wants to stay blind to the truth isn't my responsibility. She slipped into her inflatable boat, braving the torrential rain toward the expo center. Bracing herself for any unknown hazards, she donned a life jacket and kept her diving gear at the ready. Undeterred by the currents, she maneuvered skillfully, avoiding several swirling eddies along the way. After over an hour, the grand silhouette of the expo center loomed in the distance—a massive, artful structure rising defiantly from the floodwaters. Built in an area thick with rivers, the center sat at the crossroads of several streams, surrounded by intersecting highways and overpasses. This prime location made for some tricky navigation, but Nadia's gaze was set, her focus unwavering. Ahead lay another cluster of whirlpools. Without hesitation, she accelerated, charging forward into the storm.