The fish were almost all caught, and fewer and fewer floated up. Harrison and the others had hauled in nearly three thousand pounds. Right then, the fish-catching device ran out of power. The wind picked up, pushing the rubber rafts away. Nadia's inflatable boat stayed in place, weighed down by a hefty pile of fish, but standing on it had become unsteady as it rocked back and forth. Those in the rubber rafts, lacking any weight to anchor them, were helpless against the headwind. They drifted farther and farther away with the current. Nadia frowned, sensing something odd about the flow of the water. It felt like a pull as if it was drawing toward the dam's gate. Harrison noticed it too and instinctively looked over at Nadia.Their eyes met, and they both recognized the danger reflected in each other's gaze. "Go!" "Go!" They shouted in unison, grabbing the starter rope of the boat's engine. "Levi, hang on tight!" Nadia quickly started the inflatable boat, steering away from the dam gate. Levi and Marilyn, who were on the rubber raft, nearly got thrown off, clinging desperately to the tethered rope. Harrison was no exception. Austin and his father clutched the sacks of fish tightly. Both inflatable boats sped across the reservoir like they were in a race. "Boss, they're making a run for it! Let's chase them!" one of the lackeys shouted. "Quick! Don't let them get away! After them!"No sooner had he spoken than a deafening crash sounded from the distance. It was like a tear had ripped open the sky, and a torrent of water burst forth, flooding everything in its path. Nadia didn't look back. She raced against the surging waters, steering in the opposite direction. Levi couldn't help but glance back. The horizon was split open, with endless floodwaters rushing through, powerful enough to destroy everything in their path. The water level dropped as the inflatable boats sliced through the waves. At last, they safely reached the farthest shore. They kept the motor running to resist the pull of the floodwaters. Seizing the moment, Levi leaped out, scrambling up the bank and tying the boat's rope around a tree with a few tight loops. Austin and his father did the same, securing their ropes to trees. Together, they all worked to drag both the inflatable and rubber rafts ashore. Nadia climbed onto land, pulling out binoculars to scan the distance. The dam had burst, and the floodwaters from the reservoir poured out with relentless force. Like an invisible monster with suction-cup arms, it drew everything in its reach toward the broken dam. The tattooed men took too long to react. Frantically, they managed to start their engine, but the overwhelming pull of the flood was too strong, tossing them around like fish flopping on a cutting board. Not just them, but everyone trapped in the flood's path seemed small and powerless against nature's wrath. No matter how hard they fought, they were swiftly swallowed by the relentless waters. Marilyn stood there, pale and trembling, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she watched the water level drop. The struggling figures grew smaller and smaller in the distance, fading into tiny black dots before vanishing completely.Over twenty people were gone in an instant. If not for Nadia and Harrison's quick reflexes, they all would have faced the same fate today. Her heart pounded with lingering fear. Will this disaster ever really end? Why does surviving have to be so hard? Nadia said nothing. She sat down on the grass nearby and pulled out some chocolate to restore her energy. Her dog came over, staring at her with eager eyes full of hope. Share some with me, please! "Sorry, buddy, this is toxic—you can't eat it," Nadia warned, holding the chocolate near his nose. "Take a sniff and remember—you're never eating this, got it?" It was no joke. Chocolate could kill a dog. Denied the treat, the dog sulked, turning his head away in frustration.Nadia pulled a bread roll from her bag and stuffed it into his mouth instead. Levi, though shaken, was grateful to be alive. In his relief, he pulled out his phone, snapping photos and recording videos to share with his girlfriend later. Harrison's expression was unreadable as he stared at the receding waterline. Two hours later, the water finally settled, and the water level had dropped by more than thirty feet. Levi climbed a tree and scanned the distance with binoculars. "Dang, the reservoir's now connected to the outside!" Harrison hiked up to a high point and assessed the surrounding terrain. "The ground's lower around the collapsed dam area. The water's following the mountain slope and flowing all the way to the outer highway." Nadia thought about it for a moment. "Maybe we can follow the water out instead of hauling all this fish over the mountains?"In theory, it could work. With over three thousand pounds of fish, hauling them over the mountain would be backbreaking. Everyone agreed to give it a try. The slope was gentle, and they worked together to push the inflatable boat into the water, letting the current guide them downstream. After about fifteen minutes, they saw the massive gap in the reservoir, about fifty meters wide. The sky was growing darker, and the visibility was fading fast. Nadia kept an eye on their surroundings, but there was no sign of the previous group. Maybe they'd been swallowed by the floodwaters, or maybe they'd survived and left. Either way, she hadn't seen them. They reached the delivery spot, but it was still early for the exchange, so they anchored the boat in a calm area and tied it to a tree. They turned off the lights and sat down to rest. Roughly an hour later, faint lights appeared in the distance. Colby's ears perked up, and he barked with alertness. "Woof!" Nadia quickly covered his mouth and pulled out her night-vision binoculars. The view wasn't too clear, but she made out Andy's figure, with the same number of people as last night. The boat was loaded and covered with waterproof tarps. They waited about fifteen minutes, watching to make sure no one else had followed. Then Nadia switched on the high-beam flashlight, rotating it five times clockwise to signal them over. Andy had thought they hadn't shown up, and his guard was up. The thought of being double-crossed crossed his mind… But the memory of last night's delicious feast of braised fish, boiled fish, grilled fish, and fish in sour soup made his mouth water after months of nothing but dog food. They wasted no time, powering their boat toward the rendezvous. Trading one pound of dog food for three pounds of fish was a great deal. They'd gathered over thirty thousand pounds of dog food, plus hundreds of cases of canned pet food. Some residents even asked if they could stock up on extra fish for storage, to alternate between fish and dog food. Seeing the sacks of fish on the boat, Andy finally relaxed. The exchange went smoothly: 3,000 pounds of fish for 1,000 pounds of dog food, with about 200 pounds of fish left over for their own stash, as they might not get another chance to catch fish. "George, we don't need any for the next couple of days. I'll reach out if we need more later." Each household would get a fair share of fish, enough for a few days. They couldn't just gorge themselves all at once, after all.They'd nearly lost their lives for these fish. George figured that even if Andy wanted more, they couldn't get any. "Alright, reach out if you need us." They knew well enough to trust no one completely. If the others realized this was the last trade, who knew if they'd try to rob them instead? After Andy left, Nadia and the others divided up the supplies. The Hadids received a fifth of everything, including dog food and fresh fish. Nadia ended up with nearly two hundred pounds of dog food and eight fish. Stocking up on dog food for Colby wasn't easy. After two trades, she'd managed less than three hundred pounds, but it should last a while. Back at her place on the 18th floor, Nadia scrubbed herself with body wash for ages to get rid of the fishy smell. Colby, as if he knew the drill, sprawled out in the bathtub and nudged the bottle of body wash toward her. Come on, time to give me a scrub too! Nadia's lips twitched. Have I adopted a dog, or have I brought home a pampered prince? Go ahead. Scrub away! Who needs dignity anyway? I'm the real boss here!