Chapter 6: The Sinking of Tokyo

By noon, the sky had grown even darker. The torrential rain fell harder still.

Through her old neighborhood’s chat group, Su Miao learned that someone had already died where she used to live. Online, there were even more victims. The most terrifying was a video posted by a girl trapped inside a subway station. In the footage, many people were stranded in rising water, unable to escape, forced to wait helplessly for rescue.

Even more frightening were the videos of several buildings collapsing under the onslaught of the floodwaters. The apocalypse had only begun a few hours ago, and already such dreadful floods had struck?

Su Miao watched, heart pounding with fear. Fortunately, she had come here in advance and, for now, didn’t have to worry for her life.

Feeling a touch of hunger, Su Miao took out a serving of dry-fried chicken with rice from her magical space, heated it in the microwave, and ate in silence. Thankfully, she had mastered this magic; her magical space was stocked with enough food to last her over a hundred years, never spoiling.

But for those outside, many who hadn’t stocked up would soon run out of food and water, descending into famine. Especially under these circumstances—even if the rain stopped, floodwaters still raged everywhere. Official rescue and food airdrops would be nearly impossible.

Su Miao recalled the apocalypse novels she’d read before. No matter how comfortably the protagonist lived, they all had one thing in common: when the end came, the population plummeted, and survivors fought bitterly over food—some even losing their humanity entirely, resorting to cannibalism.

Hmm?

Someone tagged everyone in the group chat again. This time, it was the Versailles group for the resort area—the guests renting villas berating the staff. They complained that their meal orders were taking too long, questioning why the resort was dawdling with food delivery.

The staff replied that the wind and rain outside were too fierce, water had risen to nearly fifty centimeters, and food carts were overturned by the wind as soon as they ventured out. They advised guests to come to the restaurant if they wanted to eat.

Naturally, the guests refused, and arguments broke out.

“We’re filing a complaint! We demand to file a complaint!” some guests shouted.

But no matter how much the guests cursed or threatened, the restaurant’s response was always the same: “We advise guests to dine in the restaurant.”

Su Miao glanced out the window; she’d just seen a car swept away by the rain.

In such a deluge, with such flooding, could anyone really make it to the restaurant? People might be swept away themselves.

She could guess what had happened with the restaurant staff. At first, they’d likely tried to deliver meals, but the food carts were overturned by the wind, washed away by the rain, and even the staff themselves had nearly been swept away. That’s why they insisted guests come to the restaurant.

Now, everyone knew how dangerous it was outside, but no one wanted to go out. Most tourists staying in the resort had no food reserves. She couldn’t help but wonder if those guests, who had thrown away the comfort gifts from customer service Xiao Yan, would now dig through the trash to retrieve them.

Su Miao wasn’t good at socializing. Seeing the arguments in the group chat grow more heated, she simply closed the app. She was frightened.

Time slipped by, and it was soon evening. As night fell, the world outside turned pitch-black, as though the earth had been drenched in thick ink, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Yet the torrential rain showed no sign of stopping.

The chat group’s arguments raged on.

Meanwhile, in her old neighborhood’s group, someone tagged her, trying to reach her, asking if she had food, and whether she could house a few neighbors whose homes had been flooded.

Su Miao shivered. If she were still living in her old place and received such a request, she’d be terrified.

When several strangers tried to add her as a friend, she ignored them all and promptly left the neighborhood group. She didn’t live there anymore. She couldn’t bear to witness her neighbors’ misery, nor did she want to see the disasters yet to come.

The next day, the rain continued to pour. In the resort group, the arguments between guests and restaurant staff carried on. Everyone seemed full of energy; barring any surprises, they’d quarrel for another whole day.

Leave their villas? No one would choose that.

Su Miao watched for a while, then lost interest—the constant bickering unsettled her. She had plenty to eat and wouldn’t starve for not going to the restaurant.

Though the news stated that authorities were striving to provide disaster relief, this flood wasn’t limited to one city or province—it was nationwide, even global.

“Due to the catastrophic rain, many islands in Indonesia are submerged, with estimated deaths exceeding 300,000.”

“Breaking news: multiple Pacific island nations have been swallowed by the sea.”

“Why won’t the torrential rain stop? Has the apocalypse truly begun?”

“Multiple magnitude 9.0 earthquakes in Japan have triggered tsunamis; in just one day, Tokyo has been flooded.”

“Record-breaking rainfall in Antarctica is melting glaciers; experts predict a dramatic rise in sea levels.”

“Several governments issue a joint disaster relief statement.”

…

“Even Tokyo has been submerged? This is terrifying!”

Su Miao found several videos: people screaming in terror, skyscrapers collapsing like blocks of tofu, the Tokyo Bay seawall splitting apart, tsunamis towering above the city, hurling cruise ships and massive vessels against buildings.

Many structures that had withstood the earthquake for a few moments were toppled and engulfed by the sea. In the dirty, swirling waters, some people struggled, but before the overwhelming force of nature, humanity seemed as insignificant as ants—after a few seconds, they were lifeless bodies.

How horrifying!

Japan’s oceans had already been heavily polluted by nuclear leaks, and now, with these tsunamis, even if anyone survived, they wouldn’t last long.

On the third day, it was a little brighter outside; visibility had improved, the wind lessened somewhat, but the rain still poured relentlessly.

Su Miao looked out the window—the water wasn’t as deep as the previous days, but the current was still swift. Venturing out would be very dangerous.

In the resort group, the argument between guests and the restaurant escalated again. The villa guests had now gone two days without food; any longer and lives would be at risk.

Yet no matter how angry they grew, the restaurant still refused delivery. If they wanted to eat, they’d have to come themselves.

“@CustomerServiceXiaoYan, isn’t your resort responsible for this?” someone nicknamed DragonBro called out in the group. Unable to deal with the restaurant, they turned their frustration toward the resort company.

“Dear guests, we are truly sorry. We’re actively coordinating meal deliveries,” replied Xiao Yan. “@everyone, we’ve just received word: the road from Panshan Scenic Area to the outside world has been destroyed by floods and landslides. Please, do not attempt to leave under any circumstances.”

“We do not know when the road will be restored. During the disaster, the company will pool all supplies and distribute them as needed. Please conserve both food and drinking water during this time.”

…