Chapter 182
Just as Zhang Ming finished wrapping the last piece of broken wood with wire, the shed's frame suddenly creaked open.
This was a makeshift shed he had built over three months in the low-lying area of the west of the city, pieced together from salvaged scrap wood and waterproof tarpaulins. It could barely keep out the torrential rain, but now it swayed in the vibrations in his palm.
Just as he was about to find another wire to reinforce the structure, a loud "boom" suddenly came from afar, as if countless boulders were rolling down from the mountaintop. The water on the ground trembled and rippled.
"Dad! The ground is shaking!" His daughter, Yaya, clung to his trouser leg, her little face filled with fear. His wife, Li Mei, also ran out of the shed, clutching a half-eaten bag of compressed biscuits. "I just saw someone on the communicator say 'the waves are coming,' is it a tsunami?"
Zhang Ming's heart tightened, and he immediately climbed onto the abandoned utility pole next to the shed—the pole was only half-built, and he could just see the western coastline.
In the distance, a white wall of water suddenly rose up on the gray horizon, higher than the previous highest flood, like a moving wall of water rushing toward the low-lying area. The abandoned factories along the way were instantly swallowed up by the waves, leaving no trace.
"It's a tsunami! Quickly pack your things and run to the hill to the east!" He jumped down, picked up Ya Ya, and Li Mei quickly stuffed the compressed biscuits into her backpack. Before they could even run two steps, the first wave had already arrived.
The waves were higher than the shacks, and the murky seawater, carrying pebbles and discarded plastic, slammed down like the claws of a ferocious beast.
Zhang Ming felt a hard impact on his back, and he was instantly thrown out. He almost dropped Ya Ya from his arms, but he held on tightly to his daughter as he fell into the icy seawater.
In the instant he choked on the water, he saw his shed being torn apart by the waves, like pieces of paper. Waterproof cloth and wooden planks were scattered on the water's surface. Li Mei was hit on the back by a plank, and her scream of pain was swallowed by the sound of the waves.
"Li Mei!" Zhang Ming struggled to swim towards his wife. The seawater was full of floating debris. His arm was cut by a wire, and blood seeped out instantly, but he felt no pain at all.
When they were still two meters away from Li Mei, the second wave came—this wave was higher and more powerful than the first, lifting people high off the surface of the water. Zhang Ming watched helplessly as Li Mei was swept away by the wave. She reached out to grab something, but only managed to grab a torn piece of waterproof cloth before disappearing into the murky seawater.
"Mom!" Ya Ya cried so hard in his arms, unable to catch her breath. Zhang Ming gritted his teeth and clung to a floating steel pipe with all his might.
This was part of a previously abandoned scaffolding, thick and sturdy enough. He placed Yaya on the steel pipe, had his daughter hold on tightly, and then lay down beside her, using his legs to paddle and try to float as high as possible.
The screams and cries for help rose and fell all around, but were quickly drowned out by the sound of the waves.
Zhang Ming looked up and saw that the entire low-lying area in the west of the city had been turned into a swamp. The densely packed temporary shacks had all disappeared, and various debris was floating on the water: broken furniture, discarded cell phones, and even human corpses.
He saw Old Wang, the retail investor who had picked up manganese crystals with him before, struggling while clinging to a wooden plank. His grandson was also lying on the plank. But before Zhang Ming could call him, a small wave overturned the plank, and Old Wang and the child sank down together and never resurfaced.
"Don't sleep! Yaya, don't sleep!" Zhang Ming patted his daughter's face. Yaya's lips had turned purple, and her hands, clutching the steel pipe, began to tremble. He looked around, trying to find a larger floating object, but then he saw a familiar figure to the east—
It was Liu San, who had previously complained about the unfairness of the "God of Wealth." He was lying on an inflatable mattress, with his wife and children sitting on it. Liu San was gesturing with a fruit knife at the people around him: "Don't come any closer! This is ours! I'll stab anyone who comes near!"
A man who had fallen into the water tried to swim over to find a place to rest. Just as he got close to the mattress, Liu San actually slashed him with a knife. The man's arm was cut open, and blood spread in the seawater. The man screamed in pain and was quickly swept away by a wave.
Zhang Ming felt a chill in his heart, but he also understood Liu San's thoughts—in this water, a piece of floating material that can carry people is life itself, and no one would easily give it up to someone else.
He lowered his head and continued paddling, trying to stay as far away from Liu San's mattress as possible, while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
Suddenly, he felt something hit the steel pipe in his hand. Looking down, he saw a piece of corrugated iron roof from a shed, big enough for two people to lie on.
He quickly helped Ya Ya onto the roof, and then climbed up himself. Although the sheet metal swayed, it was much more stable than the steel pipes.
Just then, the third wave arrived—this wave, though not as high as the first two, carried a stronger undercurrent, which tossed the floating objects on the water's surface wildly.
Zhang Ming gripped the edge of the sheet metal tightly and saw a woman holding a baby not far away being swept towards him by the undercurrent. The woman's face was full of despair as she cried out, "Save the child!"
Zhang Ming tried to reach out and pull her, but as soon as he did, a current swept the woman to the other side, and the baby in her arms fell out. Zhang Ming tried to catch it, but only managed to grab a handful of seawater. The baby quickly disappeared into the murky water.
Ya Ya was so frightened she couldn't cry out, clinging tightly to Zhang Ming's arm. Looking at the horrific scene before him, Zhang Ming felt a pang of pain and utter helplessness.
He wanted to save more people, but he could barely protect his own daughter. He looked up into the distance; Liu San's inflatable mattress was still there, but several more people had gathered around. Some were holding steel pipes and trying to drive Liu San off the mattress. The two sides had started pushing and shoving each other; clearly, a struggle for survival had begun.
The tin roof was being pushed eastward by the undercurrent, and Zhang Ming could see the distant highlands—
The elevation there is about 40 meters, and it hasn't been submerged by the sea yet. Several people have already climbed up and are shouting to those on the surface of the water, "Swim over here! You can still stand here!"
Zhang Ming was overjoyed and quickly adjusted his direction, using his legs to paddle towards higher ground.
Before he could get close, another small wave crashed in, sending the tin roof spinning. He saw several rafts moving on the water beside the high ground—
They were made of discarded wooden planks. Several people stood on each raft, some holding machetes and others holding iron bars, clearly guarding the rafts.
Zhang Ming knew that a fiercer struggle was about to begin in order to get on the raft and survive. He had to find a safe place with his daughter as soon as possible, otherwise, they might be the next ones swept away by the waves.
The sea was still rising, and the waves in the distance continued to surge. Zhang Ming held Ya Ya and lay on the tin roof, with only one thought in his mind: to survive, to survive with his daughter, no matter how much struggle or danger lay ahead, he had to hold on until they could reach higher ground.
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