Black water surged toward them from a short distance away. The surrounding mountains began to sink, and the ground collapsed over a vast area. There was no escape.

Ronan Kendrick glanced back, still running forward with Evelyn Ford on his back. But no matter how fast he ran, he was only on foot, and the water was already upon them.

"Ronan Kendrick, put me down! I’ll get the assault boat."

Evelyn Ford took out an assault boat and life jackets, then pulled a raincoat on over everything.

Evelyn Ford had seen rivers rise before, but this was a hundred thousand times more terrifying.

Even from a distance, Evelyn Ford could smell the foul stench wafting from the black water. She glanced back again in disbelief.

"The sea is flooding inland."

The assault boat was brand new, and Ronan Kendrick had already filled it with gas. Evelyn Ford took off her helmet and pulled out two gas masks. In just a few seconds, the black water was on them. A massive wave swept them and the boat into the flood, and the ground where they had just stood collapsed in an instant.

Evelyn Ford struggled to control the assault boat while Ronan Kendrick held her tightly from his seat behind her.

Massive waves crashed behind them, one after another. The water was filled with all sorts of debris—white plastic bags, clothing, rebar, even cars and tires.

The earthquake triggered a tsunami, and the tsunami turned into a deluge flooding the land...

Evelyn Ford’s backpack was now in Ronan Kendrick’s hands. Just then, another huge wave slammed into them, capsizing the boat and throwing them both into the black water.

Evelyn Ford held her breath, keeping her mouth clamped shut to avoid swallowing the black water. But it still forced its way into her nose and ears. It felt like it shot straight to her brain, and an unbearable, splitting headache instantly erupted.

Ronan Kendrick swam to Evelyn Ford’s side and quickly pulled her up. Once they broke the surface, Evelyn Ford pounded on her chest and squeezed her throat, trying to force out the water she’d inhaled.

"The boat is gone."

"It’s up ahead."

"I don’t know how Mina and Lola are doing."

The backpack had been submerged, meaning the two little ones had been as well.

"Don’t worry." Ronan Kendrick swam over and grabbed the boat, and Evelyn Ford scrambled back aboard.

The waves were relentless, giving them no time to catch their breath. Evelyn Ford was so cold her teeth were chattering.

Ronan Kendrick took control of the boat while Evelyn Ford emptied the water from her backpack. The two little creatures were still conscious, but they were shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Evelyn Ford let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Night had fallen completely. Evelyn Ford put on her goggles. As far as she could see, all the mountains had vanished. The sea had swallowed the earth, leaving not a single patch of solid ground.

Thrown into the water time and time again, and time and time again struggling back out, Evelyn Ford clutched her chest, gasping for air.

’I’ve survived again.’

The surface of the water began to calm, and the hail stopped. Only a light, drizzling rain continued to fall.

The wind was light, but it carried a putrid, fishy stench that assaulted them. Her eyes began to sting, and large tears streamed down her face.

Her clothes and shoes were completely soaked. To avoid getting sick, she had to change into clean, thick clothes immediately.

Her wet clothes clung to her skin, making them difficult to take off. The sound of the fabric rubbing against her was loud, and it chafed her skin raw.

Her skin was pale and waterlogged. Grime clung to her, and the fishy, foul smell persisted. The palms of her hands and the soles of her feet were completely wrinkled.

After changing, Evelyn Ford stuck a heat patch to the sole of her shoe.

She put on two raincoats, pulled on her life jacket, then moved to the front of the boat so Ronan Kendrick could go to the back and change.

She took out a bottle of water and rinsed her mouth, finally managing to suppress the nausea rising in her throat.

"The polar day is over."

Evelyn Ford had just checked the time. It was 10:30 PM, and it was dark.

After Ronan Kendrick changed, he got Mina and Lola out and carefully dried their fur.

"I wonder if the sun will come out tomorrow."

Evelyn Ford pursed her lips and gazed at the sky. Clearly, the same thought had occurred to her.

She strapped a flashlight to her head, which brightened her surroundings a little. Evelyn Ford sighed.

"I wonder how everyone else is doing."

"Should we go back and look for them?"

Evelyn Ford was silent for a long time before shaking her head. "We can barely save ourselves."

"Your leg needs to be set. Let’s stop for a moment. I’ll take a look at your injuries."

While the water was calm, Evelyn Ford also wanted to re-dress her wounds.

Both of her legs were broken. Evelyn Ford gritted her teeth as Ronan Kendrick set the bones. Her right leg also had a gash from where a rock had struck it.

Her chest and ribs ached too. ’I think my ribs are broken,’ Evelyn Ford suspected.

"If it hurts, cry out. Don’t hold it in."

Evelyn Ford shook her head. "It doesn’t hurt."

Seeing her being so stubborn, Ronan Kendrick’s eyes filled with pain for her, but his hands didn’t stop. With a sickening CRACK, he snapped the bone back into place.

Once her injuries were treated, Ronan Kendrick took the helm of the assault boat again. Evelyn Ford took out a compass to find south, and without stopping to rest, they sped off once more into the night.

The calm was short-lived. Soon, the wind picked up and the water grew choppy again.

Dark clouds churned in the sky as a light rain went PITTER-PATTER.

A large wave slammed into them from the left. They quickly dropped flat. Thankfully, the wave only washed over them and didn’t drag them into the water.

The assault boat was fast, but after three hours, they still hadn’t found any land.

The world, it seemed, had become a boundless ocean.

Tremors began to emanate from beneath the water, and whirlpools started to form on the surface. All the debris was sucked into them. The pull was incredibly strong; the assault boat struggled for more than ten meters before finally breaking free.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick were now in a desperate situation. Whirlpools appeared one after another, accompanied by massive waves and hurricane-force winds, all seemingly bent on swallowing them whole. Evelyn Ford could only hunker down in the back of the boat, gripping the sides with both hands, doing everything she could to keep from being thrown off.

The black water had a sickeningly foul, fishy stench. Inhaling it for too long caused dizziness and nausea. Even with their gas masks on, they could still smell it.

Evelyn Ford then saw a skull floating on the water’s surface. Its empty eye sockets seemed to be staring right at her, and her heart skipped a beat in terror.

At 2:30 AM, Evelyn Ford patted Ronan Kendrick on the back and shouted, "Let me take over! You get in the back and rest for a bit."

Ronan Kendrick shook his head and patted her shoulder.

"I’m not tired."

The wind was so strong over the water that they had to shout to be heard.

Evelyn Ford took a thermos from her space, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to Ronan Kendrick. He pulled off his mask and quickly drank some of the hot water.

’If we can’t find land soon, how are we supposed to live out here on the water?’

’Even going to the bathroom is a huge problem!’

Finally, the wind died down again. The whirlpools vanished and the hurricane-force gusts moved on. Evelyn Ford was utterly exhausted. She could ignore the physical pain, but the mental torment was driving her mad.

Ronan Kendrick stopped the boat. He moved to the back seat and pulled Evelyn Ford into his arms.

"Are you cold?"

Evelyn Ford shook her head. She then took some food from her space and handed it to Ronan Kendrick, before giving Mina and Lola some water and crushed rice.

Evelyn Ford released three kayaks and over twenty life preservers onto the water. She didn’t know if they would reach anyone else, or if it was even in time to help. But it was the only thing that made her feel a little better.