Stella Sterling didn’t have time to think about anything else. She found a pillar and clung to it for dear life.

’If things get really bad,’ she thought, ’I’ll just hide in my space.’

Most of the others were in a similar situation, desperately grabbing onto nearby structures to avoid being swept away by the flood.

But there were only so many things to hold onto. Many people hadn’t even reacted yet and were still running...

It all happened in an instant. The floodwaters had already surged toward them—

Some of the surrounding high-rises were swept away in a moment. The windows of others were battered by the deluge, shattering and exploding with a continuous series of BANGS. Shards of glass flew everywhere...

"AHHHH!"

Screams erupted one after another as several people were caught in the torrent and instantly washed away. It wasn’t just here; residents in the surrounding area were swept off along with their buildings.

Stella Sterling hugged the pillar tightly, refusing to let go. The water slammed against her, and she felt as if her skin was being torn open.

She didn’t dare let her guard down for a second, hugging the pillar with all her might, her mouth and eyes clamped shut!

Luckily, the pillar she was holding onto was sturdy and didn’t get washed away. But the feeling of the water constantly scouring her body was excruciating. The flood was also full of debris, and Stella Sterling had no idea what was scraping past her.

For a moment, she considered entering her space directly. But after a second thought, she abandoned the idea. ’I can still hold on for now. I don’t want to expose my space unless it’s absolutely necessary.’

"Help me..."

A weak cry for help came from nearby. Stella Sterling squinted her eyes and saw someone not far off, their strength failing. One of their hands had already slipped, and they were about to be swept away. Survival instinct made them cry out.

But the moment they opened their mouth, they swallowed a great deal of water. Before anyone around could react, the person was washed away, vanishing from sight, dragged off to who-knows-where by the current.

This wasn’t the only person in such a predicament. Stella Sterling’s hands twitched, but in the end, she kept her death grip on the pillar and didn’t let go.

An unknown amount of time passed before the floodwaters slowly receded, and a semblance of calm returned to the area.

Stella Sterling surveyed her surroundings. Many of the nearby buildings had either collapsed or been washed away completely.

The water was murkier than before, and the amount of trash and various unidentified objects floating on the surface had increased significantly!

THUD.

Someone collapsed onto the ground, their face a mask of relief after surviving the disaster. Others had fainted, sprawled out on the ground.

Stella Sterling was also exhausted. She sat down cross-legged and gasped for air.

The area was now flooded, and trash that had just been washed in was floating everywhere.

She looked around and saw that there were a dozen or so fewer people left than before.

She didn’t have to guess what had happened to them.

The place was a total wreck. Everyone’s belongings had either been washed away or were now smashed to pieces and scattered everywhere.

Everyone stared blankly at their surroundings. No one spoke; the mood was grim.

"Waaah..."

After some time, someone started to cry softly. It was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen. Her brother, who had been with her just moments ago, had been swept away, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

"Why? Why is this happening!"

"It’s already hard enough just to stay alive! Are we really not being given any chance to survive?"

Many people began to complain in low voices. Ever since the apocalypse began, one natural disaster had followed another with no one to help. They were all struggling to survive on their own.

But even so, who knew what would happen next, or how long any of them would live?

The food and fish they had salvaged from the water yesterday were all gone, swept away. Even the tools they needed to survive in this flooded world had been washed away by the torrent.

They were still here, but what were they supposed to do now?

Stella Sterling glanced at them but remained silent. This desperate environment was weighing on everyone.

In the face of natural disasters, human strength seemed so insignificant.

She felt that she had become much stronger, but even she couldn’t say for sure how long she would last.

She looked up at the sky. The drizzling rain pattered against her face, stinging slightly—

A sharp, stinging pain on her face reminded Stella Sterling of the objects that had scraped against her body in the flood. She must have been cut by them, and in more than one place.

A thought struck her, and she quickly pulled a black mask from the backpack she always carried and put it on.

With her space’s current healing abilities, the minor wounds on her face would disappear quickly. She was out in the open, and while most people were still reeling from the disaster, who knew if someone might be watching her.

Grief was temporary. After complaining for a while, everyone quickly regained their fighting spirit and began to search through the garbage-strewn area, hoping to find something useful.

Since they were still alive, life had to go on. They could only do everything in their power to keep on living.

After resting for a while, Stella Sterling stood up. Although the flood had passed and the water level had dropped considerably, the surface current was still flowing rapidly. Trying to travel now would not be a wise move.

’Looks like I’ll have to stay here for a while longer.’

With that thought, Stella Sterling began to search for her tent. It was the one she had asked Mr. Cheney to pull some strings to buy for her. It was made of top-grade materials and was very sturdy. She didn’t have many of them.

’I hope it wasn’t washed away.’

At that moment, the square was full of people rummaging through the trash, and Stella Sterling joined them.

Unlike the others, however, who were mostly looking for shelter from the rain or something to eat, Stella Sterling was only looking for her tent. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

She noticed that she seemed to have attracted the attention of quite a few people. Many furtive glances kept wandering over her, but perhaps out of fear, no one made a move.

But their gazes remained fixed on her with ill intent—or more precisely, on the backpack she was wearing!

"That woman has been carrying that bag the whole time. There must be something important inside, probably food!"

Someone said, their eyes never leaving her.

Since most of their own belongings had been washed away, they had all set their sights on Stella Sterling’s backpack.

If they hadn’t witnessed her ruthless methods last night, they would have already tried to rob her.

Stella Sterling’s expression was calm, as if she hadn’t noticed their stares at all, focused only on finding her missing tent.