Chapter 99
The sudden rain brought hope. Many believed the worst was over—that life would soon return to normal.
Under that fragile optimism, the rain continued.
Three days passed.
The temperature dropped steadily, returning to something almost bearable.
On the fourth day, people began venturing outside again, cautiously testing the world.
But that night... The rain intensified.
Wind howled through the darkness, a low, ominous roar.
Inside, however, Suzy and Leonard remained untouched by the storm.
Tonight, they were having hot pot.
An induction cooker sat on the coffee table, the tomato broth bubbling vigorously, releasing a rich, inviting aroma.
Thin slices of beef, tripe, shrimp paste, and fresh vegetables filled the cart beside them.
Outside—cold rain and raging wind.
Inside—warm light, rising steam, and comfort.
They sat together, dipping slices of meat into the rolling broth, occasionally clinking their glasses of iced drinks with a crisp sound.
"Ah, this is life! Haven’t had hot pot in ages!" Leonard exclaimed.
It was only because of Suzy that he could live like this—even in the apocalypse.
Without her storage space, fresh ingredients like these would be unimaginable.
He’d probably be gnawing on stale bread instead.
Suzy sipped the tomato broth, eyes narrowing in quiet satisfaction.
Good food on nights like these... felt like indulgence.
After the meal, Leonard took it upon himself to clean up.
The trash was neatly collected—and with a flick of Suzy’s hand, it disappeared into her space.
Another advantage.
The space could process waste automatically.
Otherwise, with days of accumulated garbage—in this kind of heat—ugh, she didn’t even want to imagine the smell.
Full and relaxed, the two settled onto the sofa.
Leonard returned to his phone.
The network in A City was surprisingly resilient—still functioning despite everything.
Even after all this time, some people remained connected.
Most of what he knew about the outside world came from there.
Post a question, and replies would come—strangers from across the country sharing updates from their regions.
Meanwhile, Suzy sat opposite him, checking the surveillance feed from the Kale family villa.
She had been monitoring it regularly.
At the moment, the Kale family was doing... relatively well.
Tommy’s girlfriend—though troublesome—hadn’t pushed things to open conflict yet.
Both sides were still "holding back," leaving Suzy with little to watch.
She glanced at the empty living room on the feed, then exited, bored.
Afterward, she sent messages to Derek Martin and Thomas Kim. She had kept in touch with them during this time as well.
Derek conserved battery, so their conversations were brief—just daily check-ins.
Thomas, on the other hand, had power—but no conversational skills.
After a few exchanges, Suzy usually lost the will to continue.
Talking to him felt like talking to a block of wood.
Adam Bennet checked in occasionally, though he was often busy and disappeared for stretches.
Suzy had come to the realization that trying to build relationships through messaging alone was nearly impossible.
If she wanted to make real progress... It would have to be face-to-face.
But under the current circumstances, that wasn’t feasible.
She sighed quietly.
"Suzy, look at this." Leonard suddenly handed his phone over.
"What is it?" she leaned in.
"A friend of mine sent this," he said, opening an image. "His area’s already flooded."
The photo showed murky yellow water swallowing the first floor of a house, leaving only the upper half of the windows visible.
Furniture floated aimlessly on the surface. A bleak, suffocating scene.
Suzy inhaled sharply. "That fast? Where is he?"
"A neighboring city. Low-lying area. It’s been raining nonstop—so it flooded quickly."
Suzy stared at the image for a long moment.
Leonard’s voice broke the silence. "Do you think... A City will be next?"
Suzy nodded slowly, her expression serious.
She didn’t want to admit it, but it was inevitable. The rain wouldn’t stop.
And sooner or later, A City would drown. When that time came, half the city would be submerged beneath the floodwaters.
Only those living on the highest floors would have a chance to survive.
***
A week later, the rain still hadn’t stopped.
At first, people had been thrilled by its arrival.
But after seven straight days of relentless downpour, that excitement began to curdle into unease.
Unlike the blinding sun of the heatwave, the world now lay beneath a dim, oppressive sky. Wind howled day and night, growing stronger with each passing hour.
Trees bent and shuddered under the force, their leaves thrashing wildly, as though they might be torn apart at any moment.
One night, lightning split the sky—jagged streaks of violet illuminating the world as bright as day.
That was when Suzy smelled danger.
The typhoon was coming.
***
For a brief moment, the rain stopped.
After a full week of continuous downpour, the sudden silence felt almost unreal.
Downstairs, people were already celebrating. "It finally stopped!"
Seven days of rain had worn everyone down.
Still, the storm had brought one blessing—no one had to worry about water anymore.
The typhoon arrived at night.
By then, Suzy was already asleep.
She had gone to bed early after dinner.
Thanks to the rain, the temperature had dropped to something almost cool—she no longer had to endure the suffocating heat, and her sleep had been deep and peaceful.
Until... In the middle of the night, a violent rattling jolted her awake.
Her window was shaking wildly.
She shot upright in bed only to realize the window had been blown open.
A blast of icy wind and rain surged into the room, whipping the curtains into a frenzy.
She leapt out of bed and rushed to close it.
Outside, lightning tore through the sky again—purple streaks splitting the darkness, turning night into day for a heartbeat.
In that flash of light, the world beyond revealed itself.
A scene of chaos.
The wind roared, tearing through everything. Her hair lashed wildly around her face as she struggled forward.
It took all her strength to drag the window shut and lock it again.
Breathing hard, she squinted through the rain-streaked glass.
Below, the world had become a nightmare.