As dawn broke, cracks still crawled up the wall on the platform, like a dried-up riverbed. Chen Hao moved his shoulders; his wet clothes clung to his back, feeling cold. He sat up and touched the compressed biscuits in his backpack; there was still more than half a pack left.
“We can’t wait any longer,” he said. “If we stay any longer, this place will collapse and there won’t even be anyone to collect the bodies.”
Carl lay against the wall, eyes open, clearly not having slept well. He glanced at Chen Hao. "Where do you want to go?"
“There’s a high slope to the north where containers used to be stored.” Chen Hao stood up and patted his pants. “Nana mentioned it before; it’s higher up there, so we might be able to find a foothold there.”
Carl didn't move, just stared at the water. The water had stopped rising, but it hadn't receded either; the downstairs corridor was submerged, with only a few door frames visible.
“You said yesterday that you were fat and that’s why you sink slowly,” Carl said. “What’s this sudden change of heart? You want to be a hero today?”
“I don’t want to be a hero.” Chen Hao tied the waterproof tarp to his leg. “I’m afraid of dying. Staying here is waiting to die, going out is finding a way to survive. Both paths are difficult, but I’d rather choose the one that’s easier.”
Carl sighed, stood up and stretched his arms and legs. "Then you have to promise me one thing."
"you say."
"If I get swept away, don't save me. Run by yourself."
“Okay.” Chen Hao nodded. “I won’t save you, but when I burn paper money for you, I’ll write a couple of extra typos so you won’t be able to understand it in your next life.”
Carl rolled his eyes, grabbed the other end of the leash, and tied it around his waist.
The two entered the water from the gentle slope on the east side. The water was just above their knees and icy cold. Chen Hao walked ahead, one hand on the wall, counting his steps. There was an emergency exit sign every ten meters; although the lettering was blurry, the color was still legible.
"Stick close to the wall," he said. "Don't go to the middle. The water's deep over there, and there are pits at the bottom."
Carl followed behind, stepping on a loose tile and slipping. He reached out to brace himself against the wall, his palm brushing against something slippery.
"What is this?" He shook his hand.
"Mold," Chen Hao said, turning around. "Or algae. Just don't eat them."
They bypassed a collapsed section of foundation and found themselves in an open area. What used to be a cluster of warehouses now consisted of only a few broken walls protruding from the water, resembling reefs.
"The storage area is just ahead," Chen Hao said, pointing to a corrugated iron roof in the distance. "The emergency warehouse is nearby; let's go take a look."
“You’re being too vague with the word ‘nearby,’” Carl said. “Last time you said ‘nearby,’ you ended up walking two hundred meters.”
“This time it’s really not far.” Chen Hao walked forward. “And I remember the way.”
"You said you remembered where the cafeteria was last time, but you ended up leading us into the restroom."
"That was an accident."
The water gradually became swift, pushing him backward. Chen Hao slowed his pace, using his arms to paddle and maintain his balance. Suddenly, he stopped.
"What's wrong?" Carl asked.
"The water flow has changed." Chen Hao stared ahead. "It was slow just now, but now it's strong."
He looked up towards the upstream direction. A steel beam was wedged between the two walls, piled high with planks, plastic buckets, and broken chairs, resembling a makeshift dam.
“That thing can’t hold up,” he said.
The words had barely left his mouth when a muffled thud came from upstream. The debris at the dam shuddered violently, then the entire pile began to loosen. A broken billboard support was lifted by the current, slammed diagonally against the adjacent wall, and bounced back, crashing directly into the center of the floating debris.
With a loud crash, the entire interception structure collapsed.
A large amount of floating debris was swept up by the current and rushed straight down the main channel. A metal plate flew past the wall, scraping off a large section of the plaster.
"Quick!" Chen Hao grabbed the tow rope and pulled it sharply to the right.
The two were led to a recessed corner. Chen Hao shielded Karl with his body, curling up against the wall.
The first wave of debris swept past. A plastic bucket shattered against the wall, shards flying everywhere. Next came a sharp-edged plank that grazed just above my head.
It's not over yet.
Something bigger is coming.
A huge billboard wreckage, propelled by the current like a runaway boat, hurtled head-on towards where they had just been standing. It carried the weight of the current as it crashed into the underwater steps, its front end rising almost vertically, before crashing down with a deafening roar.
Chen Hao caught a glimpse of a dark figure approaching out of the corner of his eye, and immediately ducked and covered his head.
The billboards swept past their hiding place, the resulting spray hitting their faces. A piece of plastic grazed Chen Hao's left arm, stinging painfully.
More debris floated on the water after the impact. The billboard, stuck to the opposite wall, was still swaying.
Chen Hao took a breath and slowly raised his head.
"Are you still alive?" he asked Carl.
“Alive.” Carl’s voice trembled slightly. “But I suspect my heart stopped for three seconds.”
"Three seconds is enough to do a lot of things." Chen Hao touched his arm, his hand stained with a little blood. "It's bleeding, but it's not serious."
He pulled a piece of waterproof cloth from his backpack, tore it into strips, wrapped it around the wound, and tied a knot.
“If we hadn’t dodged that attack, we would be meeting up downstream by now,” Carl said.
"That's why I told you to stick to the wall." Chen Hao straightened up. "You can't force your way through places like this. You have to watch the water flow, the obstacles, and your luck."
Where are we going now?
“We’re not going to the emergency warehouse.” Chen Hao looked upstream. “That road is blocked. Further ahead is the main river channel. Anyone who goes there will be swept away.”
What about the north slope?
“Change course.” Chen Hao pointed to the right. “Go around to the west alley and cross to the high ground. There are a few old buildings there with deep foundations; you might even be able to stand in them.”
Carl glanced at his watch. "The battery is at sixty percent full."
"Use it sparingly." Chen Hao tightened the tow rope again. "Only turn on the traffic lights briefly when turning, don't leave them on all the time."
They continued on, taking a different route. Here, the walls were more intact, and the water was relatively calm. Occasionally, small pieces of debris would drift by, which they brushed aside with their hands.
Halfway there, Chen Hao suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Carl asked.
"There's something on the ground." Chen Hao squatted down, reached into the water, and felt a piece of metal. "It's a lid."
He pulled it out; it was heavily rusted, but you could still make out the words printed on it.
“Storage unit B-7,” he read aloud. “This number belongs to the North District underground garage.”
"Can it still be used down there?"
"I don't know." Chen Hao stuffed the lid into his bag. "But at least it means that someone has managed this road, and it's not completely abandoned."
They quickened their pace. Ahead lay a stepped ascent, flanked by concrete embankments, where the water became noticeably shallower.
"Let's go up and take a look." Chen Hao stepped onto the first step.
The steps were stable and showed no signs of loosening. They climbed step by step until the water level dropped below their ankles.
The top is a flat area surrounded by a low wall. In the corner stands a rusty sign, crooked, but the words are still legible: **Temporary Supply Distribution Point on the North Slope**.
"We've arrived," Chen Hao said.
Carl looked around. "Nobody here, and no way."
"The door might have been washed away." Chen Hao walked towards the innermost wall. There was a metal door frame there, but the door was gone, with only the hinges hanging half a piece of sheet metal.
He took out a signal light and shone it inside.
It wasn't very big inside, about ten square meters. There were a few shelves against the wall, two of which had fallen over, the rest were still standing. There was some water on the floor, but not much.
“Someone has been here,” Carl said, pointing to the ground. “Footprints.”
There were indeed a few fresh marks left on the water's surface, not yet smoothed out by the current.
“It wasn’t just one person.” Chen Hao squatted down. “The sole patterns on their shoes were different.”
As he was speaking, a soft sound came from above his head.
The two looked up at the same time.
There's a crack in the ceiling, and dust is falling down. Not much, but it's constant.
“This house isn’t very sturdy either,” Carl said in a low voice.
“None of the houses are sturdy,” Chen Hao said as he walked in. “But we have to take a look.”
He shone his flashlight on the shelf in the corner. The top shelf was empty, the middle shelf had several boxes of sealing tape, and the bottom shelf was a toolbox, locked.
“Tools are useful,” he said. “It’s always better to fix things than to do them empty-handed.”
He was about to reach for it when his foot suddenly slipped.
The ground was slippery, and he lost his balance, falling backward. Carl reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back.
"Thanks." Chen Hao steadied himself.
“You almost knocked yourself out,” Carl said. “I’ll have to carry you back.”
"Then you can sing to relieve your boredom on the way."
Chen Hao approached the shelf again, this time more carefully. He reached down and took the toolbox, weighing it in his hand; it was quite heavy.
"Can you open it?" Carl asked.
"Try it." Chen Hao took out a wire from his pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and gently twisted it.
Click.
The lock is open.
He lifted the lid.
Inside were a pair of multi-tool pliers, two AA batteries, a small roll of copper wire, and a foldable water purifier filter cartridge.
“I made a profit,” he said. “This thing can filter rainwater.”
He packed everything into his backpack and then grabbed the box of tape.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard the sound of water outside.
It looked like something had hit the embankment.
The two exchanged a glance.
Chen Hao turned off the traffic lights.
In the darkness, only the sound of water could be heard.
One after another.
Getting closer and closer.
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