Chapter 153: The Great Catastrophe
Chapter 153: The Great Catastrophe
In Sendai City of the Island Nation.
Takagi Akiko sat on the sofa eating snacks while watching Doraemon on TV, her eyes fixed on the screen.
The intense work had drained her motivation to go out and have fun. Now that she was on holiday at home, she stayed indoors watching TV and eating snacks. This was the ultimate enjoyment for her, as she didn’t have to think about other troubles.
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
A strange sound started, and the TV screen began to flicker, making her feel uneasy. Then, her phone received a message.
“Earthquake?”
The early warning message on her phone made her heart tighten fiercely. Before she could even put down her phone, things in the room began to shake.
Without thinking, Takagi Akiko immediately threw away the snacks in her hand and rushed out of the room, not even wearing shoes.
The shaking, which felt like the end of the world, made her heart clench.
One minute ago, she was immersed in the relaxation of the cartoon; at this moment, her body was dominated by fear.
She had experienced many earthquakes before, and each time they made her feel terrified from the bottom of her heart, as if the Death God was choking her, making her feel like she would suffocate the next second. There was only one thought in her mind: leave the house and go to a safe place.
The moment she rushed out of the house, Takagi Akiko felt the whole world become brighter.
Only after running to the nearest open space did Takagi Akiko collapse to the ground, her face pale, gasping for breath desperately. It felt like she had once again defeated the Death God, but she was completely exhausted.
More and more people gathered in the open space where she was. Everyone’s face was filled with panic and fear.
The sky and earth were shaking, and the sound of collapsing houses filled her mind. In less than half a minute, she experienced a moment of life and death.
Her bare feet were cut by broken stones, but she didn’t even notice. The once bustling area was now in ruins.
Looking at this scene, her gaze became somewhat dull.
Broken walls, painful wails, faces filled with fear, and people crying in the rubble. Sorrow, fear, and despair filled everyone’s hearts.
“Monitoring shows a magnitude 8.9 earthquake occurred in the northeastern sea area, with the epicenter about 150 kilometers from Sendai.”
At the Island Nation’s Meteorological Agency, the staff looked somewhat sorrowful.
After the Legion Ant Company released the earthquake early warning, their Meteorological Agency had been closely monitoring various seismic stations. They aimed to send the earthquake warning to ordinary people as soon as possible, but of course, they also hoped this warning would turn out to be false.
Unexpectedly, the super earthquake still happened.
This location was in the same sea area as the major earthquake from years ago. It was not far from where the magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred last time.
“Issue the earthquake news and tsunami alert,” Kato Masa said, his face extremely grim. He had no choice but to give this order.
This wasn’t the worst situation yet. He only hoped the tsunami wouldn’t happen; otherwise, with this level, the coastal areas would likely suffer again.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the Island Nation’s Meteorological Agency, and the United States Geological Survey almost simultaneously issued tsunami alerts.
The news of the earthquake in the Island Nation instantly attracted the world’s attention.
The tsunami alert had been issued, and people living by the sea in the Island Nation began to panic. Many still remembered the major tsunami from years ago clearly, and now the natural disaster had struck again.
Without thinking too much, some people got in their cars and started heading towards the nearest high ground.
Kishimoto looked at the fish in the box, his face beaming with joy. This voyage was undoubtedly a huge success. Once they docked, he would earn twice the usual amount.
For him, it was a great harvest.
“Captain, we received a tsunami warning,” a crew member ran over just as Kishimoto was feeling happy. “There was a major undersea earthquake 150 kilometers east of Sendai. The Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami alert.”
Hearing this, Kishimoto’s hair stood on end. He could already see the port, and now they were telling him about a tsunami warning?
“Turn around, turn around immediately. Full speed out to sea, do not dock,” Kishimoto didn’t dare hesitate. Thinking about the tsunami disaster from back then sent chills down his spine. “Everyone back to the cabins, now, immediately.”
Without thinking, Kishimoto ran directly to the helm, turned the ship around, and sped out towards the open sea at full speed.
He also had an ominous feeling. The major earthquake from years ago had almost taken his life, and now whenever earthquakes and tsunasers were mentioned, he felt shadowed.
Like him, other ships preparing to dock turned around immediately after receiving the alert.
Ships along the coast had also set sail. The scene of hundreds of ships departing at once appeared at the port, including some large vessels.
What they needed to do now was to take their ships to the open sea to avoid the tsunami.
In Miyagi Prefecture.
Yasui looked at the congested road, despair on his face. He had just escaped from the earthquake, and now there was a tsunami alert.
The epicenter of the earthquake was similar to that of the major earthquake from years ago.
If a major tsunami occurred, their area would be the first target again.
During the last great catastrophe, this area was severely affected. The scene from back then reappeared, and the roads were now blocked by vehicles of people fleeing for their lives.
The mountains in the distance looked so close, but without a car, it was impossible to get there quickly.
People on the road were cursing and abandoning their cars to escape. The traffic jam became even worse, almost impossible to move through.
He somewhat regretted not leaving this place when the Legion Ant Company issued the super earthquake warning. Back then, his friend had advised him to leave together, treating it as a trip.
Now, it was impossible to leave quickly.
Seeing the scene before him, he knew he couldn’t waste any more time. Thinking this, Yasui also got out of his car and started running towards the distant mountains. If someone offered to trade a bicycle for his car now, he would agree without hesitation.
The road was completely blocked. All kinds of people fleeing for their lives were on the road, their faces full of panic, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.
The tsunami was approaching. On the sea surface, the outline of the rising tsunami could already be seen. The moment it entered the harbor, the funnel-shaped bay made the waves grow higher and higher.
On the sea wall, the high waves building up on the sea surface were already visible.
Akashi stood on the mountain, watching the waves approach the shore, his face calm.
Just by looking at these waves, the disaster likely wouldn’t be small. This scene reminded him of the major tsunami from years ago. Having experienced life and death once before, that feeling was still vivid in his memory.
In the face of nature’s disasters, humans were as weak as ants, utterly powerless to resist.
Boom!
Seawater poured in, forming even larger waves that rushed onto the land, unstoppable. The seawater was already spreading across the land. By now, it was too late for those who still wanted to escape.
A large ship was lifted and swept onto land, crashing hard into a house. Then both the house and the ship were submerged in the huge waves.
Parked vehicles on the road were lifted by the waves, drifting with the surge, gathering more and more together, just like nature’s trash.
Looking at his home turned into a vast ocean, Akashi’s face showed no expression. This was a kind of indifference to death and disaster.
The major tsunami had arrived. He could clearly see vehicles that couldn’t escape in time being swallowed by the seawater and disappearing.
With him were many others. Screams and cries echoed throughout the mountain.
Their homes, where they lived and survived, were once again submerged by seawater. Panic, confusion, and helplessness couldn’t stop it. They could only hope that in heaven, there were no disasters.