Even though Jing Lai had hoped nothing would go wrong, something did. Yesterday, a group of people had come in drenched from the rain, their heads crawling with red nematodes. Some still had red nematodes clinging to them from before and carried them inside.
On top of that, it was the first day of self-service dining, and the place was packed.
The red nematodes loved to jump around, and this chaos led to a disaster. They tangled themselves around everyone—customers and staff alike—rendering them immobile. The scene was pure chaos. The cafeteria erupted into a mess: people crying as they were stepped on, shrieking as their hair was yanked, and those who tried to help ended up trapped themselves. Women with long hair looked like they were being drawn and quartered, and even Jing Lai felt her scalp tingle in pain at the sight.
Wei Wei was among the victims. Her luscious waves were now tangled into the hair of seven or eight men, each pulling in different directions. She was so angry she could've killed them.
Only Jing Lai stood unharmed in the middle. Her hair was tucked tightly under a rain hat. Wei Wei had laughed at her earlier that morning, but now she was wide-eyed with envy.
"My niece gave me a hair clipper," Jing Lai announced. "I'll shave your heads. In our entire community, everyone's already bald."
"No! I don't want to be bald!" Wei Wei cried on the spot. Would her husband still want her if she looked ugly?
Jing Lai ignored her and got to work, shaving everyone's hair one by one.
The situation was finally brought under control. The director praised Jing Lai for her quick thinking and arranged for over a dozen clippers to be stationed at the entrance. From now on, anyone coming for food would have to shave their heads first.
There was something strangely satisfying about seeing all those shiny bald heads.
The red nematodes on the floor wouldn't go to waste either. Boil them in water, and they could be turned into soup. Since it was everyone's own hair in the pot, surely nobody would mind.
"Let's make sure nothing happens tomorrow!" the director declared.
But today, the flood struck.
People scrambled up the stairs in panic as water surged in, already reaching knee level. The floodwater came with a terrifying force. Outside, everything was pitch-black. Nothing was visible except the shimmer of water reflecting faint light and the roar of rushing waves.
Jing Lai sighed, directing the crowd upstairs while ordering the staff:
"Grab every table and board that can float! If the flood reaches this floor too, we'll need them to stay afloat!"
The armed police blared sirens and mobilized. There was a nearby residential community by an oil base with over ten thousand people, and this sudden flood caught everyone off guard. After all, it had only rained for three days. How could a flood have come so suddenly?
Meanwhile, China issued a red alert. Reports showed sea levels rising at an alarming rate. Coastal residents were ordered to evacuate to higher ground immediately. Many islands were predicted to disappear under the waves.
The Wu City government also issued an emergency evacuation order. Using big data, they sent alerts urging all residents in the city center to evacuate north, regardless of whether their homes were already flooded.
People in higher-altitude areas like the western and northern districts were told to remain where they were but stay prepared to evacuate.
…
[Wang Qiqi]: "@Everyone, the Ai Jia supermarket is completely flooded! The water's heading toward the city center! No idea if it'll reach us, but some neighbors who went to buy food are now trapped in the supermarket. I heard the water's already reached the third floor! It's terrifying!"
Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "Thank goodness we decided to go there in the afternoon instead of this morning!"
[Luo Zhu]: "What if the water comes this way? Where do we even run?"
[Wang Qiqi]: "Head to the roof, obviously. With rain pouring like this, where else can we go?"
Jing Shu stretched lazily. She had already prepared everything she needed. At that moment, she was enjoying a cucumber mask and fried chicken when Wu You'ai came rushing in.
"Jing Shu, my mom is trapped in Ai Jia supermarket! She called me just now. The water's already past the third floor, and rescue teams are overwhelmed! Please, lend me your submarine so I can go get her!"
Jing Shu slapped her forehead. She had remembered that her father's livestock farm was on the west side of the mountain and her mother's agricultural office was also in a development zone, so there was no flooding there.
But she had forgotten that Ai Jia supermarket was exactly where the floodwaters poured in. All of Wu City's floodwater was rushing through that area into the city's basin, turning half the city into a waterlogged ruin.
"Don't panic. I gave your mom an automatic life jacket. Even if the water rises past their floor, she'll be safe for a while. If you try to go yourself, you'll only make things worse. I'll go get her."
Wu You'ai clenched her clothes, her knuckles white. "Just… be careful, okay? Don't push yourself. If something happens to you, Grandma will kill me."
"I'm a coward, remember? I won't take risks. Don't tell Grandma. I'll be back soon."
Jing Shu donned her raincoat and strapped on two automatic life jackets. Then she boarded the shark submarine and set out. Honestly, she owed a huge thank-you to Su Mali. Without this submarine, she wouldn't have known how to handle today's situation.
In her previous life, she'd never shopped at Ai Jia supermarket, so she hadn't realized its role in the city's flooding. Luckily, she had it now.
Within ten kilometers, the shark submarine transitioned smoothly from land to water. But navigating in this weather was a nightmare. The heavy rain and surging flood made visibility poor. The current battered the submarine as it fought its way upstream, creating massive drag. She had to steer carefully to avoid crashing into buildings.
Fortunately, Jing Shu's night vision and steady hands kept her safe. Otherwise, she would have slammed into a utility pole in this darkness.
When she arrived at Ai Jia supermarket, the area was a vast ocean. Even the utility poles were submerged. The only thing visible was the supermarket's rooftop, now crowded with bald-headed survivors.
And the water was still pouring into Wu City. By her estimate, the water downtown was already thigh-deep. In her previous life, this was exactly when the government issued the evacuation order. Her family had fled empty-handed.
What was tragic was that many people had refused to leave, thinking their high-rise apartments would keep them safe. In less than a day, the flood had swallowed entire buildings, submerging rooftops that were dozens of meters high.
Wu City's central basin was so low-lying that even skyscrapers couldn't withstand the flood. Compared to that, mountain foothills were safer. Jing Shu remembered clearly: the entire city center had been submerged without a single rooftop showing. Wu City had turned into Wu Lake.
…
"Jing Lai, can you give me your life jacket? You're a good swimmer. You'll be fine without it. My husband has connections and is sending someone to rescue us soon. We'll take you with us, I promise," Wei Wei pleaded. Her bare scalp and lack of her signature curls made her round face look even bigger.
"Oh."
"So… does that mean yes?"
"No."
"Then why'd you say 'oh'?"
"Oh."
"Jing Lai, please! At least give me your raincoat!"
"Oh."
"I get it now! No wonder your husband divorced you!" Wei Wei snapped, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Smack!
A heavy slap landed on Wei Wei's face. Jing Lai said calmly, "Maybe it's because I hit him too much that he divorced me."
Wei Wei: "…" She burst into tears. Turns out Jing Lai was terrifying.