NOVPUB
Chapter 560: Chapter 560 Flood 3
Guo Jinnian couldn’t swim, and as the water level rose above her waist, she struggled to keep her footing. Additionally, the rapid water flow made matters worse. She was entirely dependent on Tong Yao. The others were faster and quickly outpaced them.
Both of them were unfamiliar with the area. They could only follow the direction everyone else was moving in, with no idea where it was safer. As flooding surrounded them, Guo Jinnian felt closer to death than ever before. It seemed like a vast ocean. If Tong Yao let her go, she believed it would not be long before she drowned.
Tong Yao also dared not be careless. The water flow was swift, and their unfamiliarity with the area made it dangerous. Even though Tong Yao was a strong swimmer, having Guo Jinnian by her side put them both at considerable risk.
If there were whirlpools in the deep waters, the danger would be even greater. They had to cautiously follow the path others had taken.
As for Si Chen, Tong Yao wasn’t too worried. He’d been here for nearly a year and was presumably more familiar with the area. Moving with the crowd was safer for him. He likely assumed that they were safe on the higher floors of the building, as the floodwaters couldn’t reach that high. Another possibility was that the water was too deep, and he hadn’t managed to return.
Once he realized they weren’t in the house, he’d certainly look for them in safer places. Tong Yao, with two unborn children to protect, felt a dire need to survive.
From time to time, objects were carried away by the water. As Tong Yao led Guo Jinnian forward, they also had to dodge these items, causing their progress to be slow. Suddenly, Guo Jinnian screamed and her hand trembled, startling Tong Yao.
"What’s wrong?"
Guo Jinnian swallowed and stared wide-eyed at a corner in front of them. "Yaoyao, could there be water monsters in here?"
They had just watched a movie about water monsters the night before, a foreign film. Even though she didn’t understand the dialogue, she could follow the plot.
In the murky depths, Guo Jinnian felt no safety. Especially after witnessing what just happened, her calm was totally shattered.
Tong Yao stopped in her tracks, sensing the severity of the situation. "Why do you ask?"
Even though there were no water monsters, Tong Yao guessed Guo Jinnian must have seen something terrifying. Guo Jinnian was not easily frightened, so whatever she’d seen, it must have been quite serious.
Staring at the calm water, Guo Jinnian was unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. "I saw a woman ahead who seemed to slip and fall, then she didn’t get back up, and there was no splash".
Taking this seriously, Tong Yao asked, "Where did that person disappear?"
Guo Jinnian pointed about twenty meters ahead. "Over there, but I might have just been seeing things. How could a person vanish into the water? Even if she drowned, there should have been some struggle."
Despite her talk of water monsters and her fear, Guo Jinnian subconsciously didn’t believe in their existence. When such a strange incident happened in broad daylight, she was sure her eyes had deceived her.
Tong Yao, however, cautioned earnestly, "It’s not your imagination. That woman might have fallen into a storm drain. We need to be careful. If we fall in, we won’t have a chance."
Had it not been for Guo Jinnian’s mention, Tong Yao would have forgotten about that possibility. Given the deep floodwaters, manhole covers might have been swept away or deliberately opened. If they fell in, considering the current water level, their chances of survival would be zero.
Even knowing what likely happened to the woman, she could do nothing. Saving her was impossible. The water in the drain would wash her away.
Frightened, Guo Jinnian exclaimed, "She got washed away by a drain?!"
Tong Yao nodded. "Yes. We need to be careful."
Guo Jinnian was scared out of her wits. She had thought her eyes were deceiving her, but the woman had fallen into a drain. This was terrible. With such deep water, a person could be swallowed up in an instant, washed who-knows-where. Rescue was out of the question.
With this realization, Guo Jinnian urgently pointed at the place where the woman had vanished. "She disappeared over there! I think that entire area is unsafe. We should go around!"
Tong Yao shook her head. "There are storm drains along the road. No matter where we go, it’s not safe. Now that we know where that storm drain is, it’s safer for us to avoid it and move a little toward the center."
Guo Jinnian found Tong Yao’s reasoning sound. As long as she was with Tong Yao, she felt secure. They had been walking for more than half an hour. The water flow had become even fiercer. Water was being channeled into the basements of the roadside buildings, raising the level to Tong Yao’s chest.
Something bumped against her leg, causing severe pain. She presumed it was bleeding, but at the moment, she had no time to check. As the water flow was so rapid, she felt it wasn’t safe to stay close to the buildings. "Jinnian, make sure you keep your visa and passport safe. Even if you lose your money, you mustn’t lose these. We need them to return home."
Guo Jinnian nodded. To lighten the mood, she tried to joke. "Don’t worry! As long as I don’t fall into a drain, I won’t lose these."
Tong Yao laughed. Just as she was about to take Guo Jinnian to the other side, they heard a woman scream for help from a nearby house.
Following the sound, Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian saw a woman desperately crying for help from the window of a house. The water level was almost up to the window sill. A car that had been swept up was blocking the window, preventing her from getting out. She could only stand inside, helplessly pleading for help.
Almost without hesitation, Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian hurried over. Seeing them approach, relief flashed across the woman’s desperate face. "Please help me. I’m trapped, and I can’t get out. The water is about to reach my chest. If it rises any further, I’ll drown in here. I’ve asked for help from many people, but they’ve all ignored me."
In a foreign land, the woman had never felt so helpless. Just a moment ago, she had been thinking that if she had known this would happen, she never would have left her country. The thought of dying here terrified her.
Guo Jinnian found it strange. "If the window is blocked, why don’t you get out through the door?"
Between sobs, the woman explained, "I can’t push the door open. Something outside is blocking it."
Fearing that they would leave her like the others, she pleaded again. "Please save me. My family is rich. I promise to reward you generously. I’ll give you anything you want. Just save me, and I’ll do as I promise."
Having been on the brink of despair, she now saw a glimmer of hope. The thought of being left behind filled her with fear.
Guo Jinnian rolled her eyes. "You’re so annoying. Who do you think you are, trying to bribe us with money? It’s not like you’re the only one with money."
Couldn’t she see that she and Tong Yao were trying to figure out how to move the car?
She had to make those exasperating remarks and get on their nerves. How repulsive.
