However, I think that localized earthquakes and other disasters should not cause freshwater to become salty.

The problem can only be on a larger scale; what might happen is not an ordinary earthquake, but rather continental subsidence caused by the collision of tectonic plates.

Such a massive tectonic movement must have been very intense. The fact that we haven't felt it yet proves that the collision occurred in a very distant area, so distant that the tsunami generated by the seismic waves hasn't even reached us yet.

The fact that large amounts of seawater are now flowing back into our mainland areas is proof of this problem.

But the problem will definitely not end there; this is not the end of the disaster, but the beginning of a much bigger problem.

The calm we feel now is definitely the result of accumulated power before a storm is brewing.

I really don't know how terrifying a tsunami caused by plate tectonics would be, and I dare not even imagine it.

I was just an ordinary creature on Earth, and I had never witnessed the truly destructive power of nature.

How much energy can be generated by plate collisions? It seems that teachers never considered this question when we were in school.

However, one thing is certain: many, many lives will die after this disaster, and many species will become extinct as a result.

This is the truly terrifying power. Compared to these natural forces that can change the world, the original cypress is basically annihilated in the blink of an eye.

It turns out that all we've been doing so far has only been saving ourselves; this land doesn't need our help at all.

Whether we intervene or not, the destruction of those original seaweeds is already inevitable.

Is this the way of Heaven? No matter how much everyone schemes and plots, in the end, they can't defy the laws of Heaven.

I really don't know what to do now. In the face of absolute power, all scheming is futile.

This is like an ant trying to outmaneuver an elephant. No matter how hard it tries, the elephant only needs to stomp on it and the ant will vanish instantly.

We are now like that poor ant, facing an absolute power, all we can do is pray and wait for the judgment of fate.

As I gaze at the fiery red sun rising, my eyes are filled with bitterness. We've waited for you for so long, and you've finally appeared.

Just when we thought you would bring us new hope, you once again pushed us into the abyss of despair.

Nothing in the world is more tragic than this: sometimes, the despair that follows hope is the most heart-wrenching thing.

Su Su watched my expression change repeatedly; this was the first time in all these years that she had seen me look so grim.

Su Su seemed to have already guessed what was going to happen next, but as she looked at the rising sun, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

"Master, we can already be considered family, right?"

Su Su stood facing the sunlight, the golden morning light shining on her face, still so captivating. She stood there quietly, gazing into the distance.

“I came here more than 20 years ago. I have been away from my family for more than 20 years. Here, I have long regarded everyone as my family.”

At that moment, I sighed and relaxed, and answered Su Su's question truthfully.

"Since we are family, whatever the future holds, we will face it together."

Even if we don't survive in the end, at least we tried our best and left a lasting mark on our lives.

"Aren't you right, Master?"

Aren't you afraid of death, afraid of losing all of this?

Su Su smiled and said,

“Master, have you forgotten what you always said? The Great Dao is formless yet substantial; Yin is within Yang, but not opposite to Yang. Life has birth and death, rise and fall.”

Perhaps we are destined to be erased, but new life will begin anew in new land.

Whether I'm afraid or not, there's nothing I can do to change this situation.

Looking at Su Su, I felt that she had seen through the great Dao over the years. To remain so composed in the face of life and death, she hadn't wasted all the years she'd spent with me.

Everyone was still a bit confused, not knowing what Su Su and I were talking about in a daze.

But it's better not to know. Smart people aren't necessarily happy. Sometimes, the more truths people know, the more painful it can be.

Life is about being muddle-headed, and it's a rare and precious thing to be muddle-headed!

…………

"Tell me, Master, this is what we should do next. Even if it's just a last-ditch effort, we're willing to give it a try."

I took a deep breath, looked at Su Su, then at everyone else, and solemnly said,

"Many people may die next, but the creatures on our ark should be the last living beings on land in this world."

We will fight one last time with all our might. Whatever the final outcome, we were once the species that fought to the very end on this ancient continent!

"Now everyone should follow my instructions and implement the highest level of defense. Everyone should enter the interior of the Ark."

Whether we survive or not depends entirely on whether this behemoth, built with twenty years of painstaking effort, can withstand this attack!

The Ark always had enough food to feed its inhabitants for a year, as well as a large quantity of various plant seeds to be used to restart civilization.

These important seeds have remained unchanged for over twenty years. Every year, I have someone replace the old seeds to ensure they germinate in the best possible condition.

I've done everything I could to prepare for the future, to the point where there's not a single flaw left. My dream is to one day return to land and sow the seeds of hope with these seeds.

Now all we need to do is move in some important livestock, which isn't difficult.

Even with livestock, I take into account all sorts of possible scenarios.

They also have their own living space inside the cabin, but not all livestock can be put in.

We must prioritize the needs of the people, and then leave the livestock that can't be accommodated to fate. There's no way we can achieve both.

The movement of people was swift, followed by the movement of livestock, until only a small number of animals remained that could not be moved in.

There was one last layer of protection on the deck: a giant, sealed door ten meters long and one meter wide, made of wooden planks thirty centimeters thick pieced together side by side.

There are fifty such doors on the deck, evenly distributed in a row. They were designed to cope with the possibility of the ship capsizing during a major flood.

Heavy-duty mechanical rails are installed on both sides of the giant sealed door, which can be closed by manually pushing the door overhead and then locking it with mechanical latches.

One reason this ark was designed to be so tall was to cope with the onslaught of giant waves.