Chapter 661: Chapter 452: Torrential Rain Like Pillars_2
It certainly can’t compare to the ship obtained through the full strength of Franklin’s family, but at least it’s a large vessel over a thousand tons, and no matter what, this ship belongs to me.
So, no matter what, I won’t give up. If some irresistible accident occurs and I don’t survive the flood, I’ll accept it."
Upon hearing Madeline say this, Yara and Franklin showed admiration on their faces, but deep down they cursed Madeline for being a fool.
After all, the flood is not child’s play. According to the prophecy, this world-ending flood would submerge the land completely.
Although there had been a flood the last time, at most, the water level had only inundated heights of dozens or hundreds of meters; some mountains and high buildings in various regions were not submerged, becoming refuges for many survivors.
But now most of those tall buildings have already collapsed in the earthquakes, and even if they haven’t collapsed, it’s not certain they won’t be submerged.
Therefore, for safety’s sake, the safest bet is definitely to stay on a ship. As long as the ship doesn’t capsize, no matter how high the water rises, it should pose no threat to the passengers on board.
If it were just a flood, Madeline’s choice would actually not be flawed, but the prophecy also mentioned that violent storms would come along with the flood.
You have to understand that the force of a storm at sea and on land is vastly different, as is the danger it poses to the survivors.
At this point, all other things could be abandoned; only life is the most important. Therefore, Madeline’s decision to still choose a small boat when she had the opportunity to board a large ship was looked down upon by them from the bottom of their hearts.
However, on the surface, they praised Madeline for having ideas and did not persuade her to leave with them.
After learning Madeline’s thoughts, Yara and Franklin turned their gaze to Dong Tianyu and Gordon.
Before Gordon could speak, Dong Tianyu interjected, "Count me out. I won’t go with any of you. My superiors have informed me that when the flood comes, the organization will arrange for a ship to rescue me, so I definitely can’t go with you."
Hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Yara and Franklin gave up on inviting Dong Tianyu and focused their attention on Gordon instead.
Seeing the look on Yara and Franklin’s faces, Gordon spread his hands and said to them, "I’ve got quite a few people on my side, dozens of folks, all fellow tribesmen who follow me. Unless there’s really no other way, I won’t abandon them.
I found out that Madeline got herself a ship, so I led my brothers to join Madeline. Not to say that my brothers aren’t talented, but they can certainly be counted on for their strong labor.
We won’t be idle on Madeline’s boat, all the heavy labor can be handed over to them.
Unless you can accept my fellow tribesmen, I won’t consider joining your side at all."
Hearing Gordon’s words, the two frowned. There was no need to mention Yara’s side; even if all the available spots were offered, it still wouldn’t satisfy Gordon.
Franklin, after hearing that Gordon wanted to bring so many people aboard, immediately gave up the invitation. He was clear in his mind that inviting others on board was also to gain some advantage in the future.
As the old saying goes, "Beggars can’t be choosers." Once the flood comes and others board his ship, there will be no turning back, no chance for regrets.
Although Franklin had come prepared for not being able to invite everyone onto the ship, he did not expect to have no success at all in his invitations.
Even though he was slightly annoyed, after hearing Madeline and Gordon’s choices, a feeling of superiority emerged involuntarily in his heart, which diluted the somewhat vexed thoughts deep down.
While the group was chatting idlely, the sky, originally dimmed by the rain, suddenly lit up, and then a deafening sound reached everyone’s ears.
The group of people who had been casually chatting inside the house couldn’t help but walk to the doorway, observing the sudden torrential downpour in silence, exchanging wordless glances.
Then Yara immediately said to the others, "Although it has been raining non-stop for a while, the lightning that just appeared is clearly not normal. I suspect that the catastrophe may have already started. Everyone should get prepared in advance. I need to go first."
Upon hearing Yara’s words, Franklin’s face suddenly turned somewhat awkward. Compared to the others, he needed to take a flight to return quickly. He had planned to wait for a clear day to start his journey back, but the recent incessant rain stopped him from taking the risk of driving through it.
If it really turned out as Yara had said, that would be very bad luck for him.
Hence, Franklin didn’t dare linger and immediately stood up to take his leave as well.
Watching Yara and Franklin leave in a hurry, Dong Tianyu curiously turned to the composed Ye Liuyun and Gordon beside him and asked, "Are you two not in a rush with things like this?"
In response to Dong Tianyu’s question, Ye Liuyun said indifferently, "Have you forgotten what I mentioned last time? There’s a rough stretch of road near my boat that regular cars can barely access.
For that situation, I’ve already towed some small boats over. Right now, I’m just waiting for the flood to hit. Once that area becomes a vast ocean, it will actually become more convenient for me to transport freely."
Hearing what Ye Liuyun said, and noticing the similarly calm expression on Gordon beside him, Dong Tianyu understood that the two must have made thorough preparations already.
However, Ye Liuyun and Gordon didn’t stay long at Dong Tianyu’s place either, and after a short while, both left together.
After seeing off all his friends, Dong Tianyu began transferring all the valuable items in the room into the storage space.
In the dim sky, the rain poured down like the Milky Way, and thankfully, Kyoto had reconstructed its underground drainage pipes after the earthquake. Thus, even though the current rainfall exceeded any that had come before, Kyoto City still hasn’t witnessed massive flooding.
Yet the torrential rain suddenly reminded people of a rumor that many had forgotten: the apocalyptic deluge.
So, at this moment, some clever individuals were not hiding at home to avoid the rain but instead were hurrying along with their families and valuable household items, starting to flee.
Some were frantically heading towards the various transit harbors within Kyoto City.
Others, more wisely, raced toward the larger loading and unloading docks outside of Kyoto City.
A few bold individuals ignored the ports around Kyoto altogether, instead heading straight for the docks at Tianjin.
At first, many ordinary people didn’t realize what was happening, silently waiting at home for the storm to pass. But as they saw more and more people leaving their homes, they gradually came to their senses and began to pack their belongings, preparing to evacuate Kyoto.
With more and more people fleeing outdoors, even the expanded wide roads of Kyoto began to congest.
Before the disaster, those who faced vehicles cutting in line and blocking the road could only wait helplessly for traffic police to resolve the issue. Now, if any vehicles intentionally cut in line and caused a blockage, there was no need to wait for the traffic police. A few martial artists would simply lift the vehicle and decisively throw it to the side path.
Although the streets don’t usually seem too crowded, from a bird’s-eye view, the dense flow of vehicles and people would reveal just how many inhabitants had been living in Kyoto without anyone noticing.
As the flood of people into the streets continued unabated, the ground slowly began to show signs of water accumulation.
Many people, in their haste to escape, paid no attention to the puddles forming on the ground. After all, with the rain pouring so heavily, their shoes were already soaked, so few took notice of the water pooling on the streets.
However, some observant individuals noticed that the water, which should have flowed into the drains, was instead spreading across the roads.
