Chapter 310: Frightening Disaster! The Path of the Legends!
[Record]: 5 seconds until the 4th disaster "The Awakening of the G.o.d of the Sea" is here. All humans, kindly make the necessary preparations.
[Record]: Disaster countdown… 4 seconds…
[Record]: Disaster countdown… 3 seconds…
In the talisman simulation world, Su Mo only had access to the game panel"s basic information. All other functions like the World Channel, the creation function, the trading function, storage s.p.a.ce, and many more were all locked.
As usual, the disaster countdown that would appear on the game panel when a disaster was about to strike was still present.
Su Mo had no idea where the floodwater would come from.
All he could do while he was on the bow was to grasp the guardrails tightly as he looked around anxiously.
Up until the transmigration, there were two theories on how the ocean on Earth was formed. Since both theories had some form of evidence backing them up, they enjoyed varying degrees of support among the populace.
The first theory was the less popular one. According to sources, the theory mentioned that most of the water on earth came from the cl.u.s.ter of asteroids that crashed into Earth about 3900 million years ago.
These asteroids carried large amounts of water, and it was due to this that the oceans were eventually formed on Earth.
When someone heard about this theory for the first time, it would seem to make a lot of sense. However, after the advancements in research and the increase in contrasting findings, it was found that there were too many paradoxes present within this theory, and it had slowly devolved into the equivalent of the "flat Earth" theory, which was a theory supported by only a minority of the populace.
The second theory was the famous theory that claimed that water "emerged" from the ground.
It was said that asteroids, which were made of water-containing minerals, bombarded Earth, and that the kinetic energy from the collision was converted into heat energy.
The radioactive elements in the rocks emitted heat energy as well when they were gathered together, causing the temperature of Earth to increase so much that magma was eventually formed.
Then, all sorts of chemical reactions happened that caused water to seep out of the minerals within the magma and, after Earth"s crust was formed, the water evaporated into the sky in the form of clouds, and oceans were eventually formed after the subsequent rainfall.
In conclusion, oceans were formed from prolonged rainy seasons.
"The water from this ocean disaster did not emerge in the same way as it did during the previous World Extinction Flood."
"Could it be…"
Su Mo looked at the finished countdown, and the surroundings that had remained calm and quiet thus far, and felt a sense of foreboding in his heart.
If the water this time around emerged from the horizon like the previous Punishment Disaster, it would still be okay.
All people needed to do was to survive the first wave, and then they would be able to drive their handmade vessels out into the water and float all the way until they discovered land again.
However, if it were to come like it did in the story of Noah"s ark, where the flood occurred due to the pouring rain…
The transitional disaster would be the ones to end the lives of the wasteland"s living beings this time around!
"Oh no! If the flood is going to be the result of rain, how terrifying must the rain be to be able to create something of this magnitude…"
"Let"s not think about Hope One"s drainage abilities for now. If it really rains and forms new seas and oceans, then everything would depend on the lay of the land."
"When the time comes…"
As Su Mo watched the dark clouds gather in the sky, and the scarlet crescent moon emitting a ghastly glow from within those clouds, he could not help but feel gooseb.u.mps rise.
The humans" fourth disaster: "The Ocean Disaster".
If the flood that would cover about 80% of the entire wasteland were to truly arrive as a result of rain, the saying from Dolly Parton might be true and fitting in this scenario. "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
"No, the disaster and the game should be two individual ent.i.ties!"
"The game has no say about the disaster, and it has no influence over the disaster."
"The purpose of the disaster has always been to destroy every living creature on this wasteland!"
After this sudden revelation, Su Mo, who was in the talisman simulation world, shuddered uncontrollably.
Despite what was happening at that moment, wth a thought, he could escape this terrifying world behind with ease.
However, he could only go back in time seven days…
After seven days, in the real world, all human beings and the living creatures of the wasteland would face this catastrophic disaster!
The rain would fall like a waterfall from above in large volumes.
Those who were on their vessels wanting to set sail from the outset of the disaster…
Those that did not have a cover over their heads as they awaited the incoming disaster…
Both would just be smashed into pulp by the pouring rain!
"F*ck, how could I have forgotten? My radars and the structures on Hope One"s decks have no safety measure against such an onslaught at all!"
"If the rain was going to fall so heavily, it would render them useless and done for immediately the moment they are exposed!"
In less than a minute, the dark clouds above Su Mo"s head had clumped together so thickly that the skies were nearly ink-black.
Without hesitating, he ran towards the bridge.
The greatest concern currently was not whether Hope One could be launched into the sea successfully, but if it could survive and protect its core components in the upcoming soul-shaking rainfall.
If everything on deck was destroyed, even if the vessel could float when the sea level rose, with the help of buoyancy, it would be meaningless.
Su Mo ran frantically.
Very quickly, the bridge was just right before his eyes, and Su Mo ran with all his might toward it!
However, just as he arrived at the bridge, and before he could close the door…
The skies turned bright!
A bolt of lightning that was so majestic it seemed to blind the entire wasteland struck from the southernmost edge all the way to the northernmost edge of the wasteland, illuminating the entire wasteland as it went by.
It was accompanied by thunder so loud that it felt like it could cause eardrums to pop. With a bang, the rain had come!
The first second of rainfall did not seem to be a heavy downpour. It had at most the same intensity as a usual drizzle. It covered the entire wasteland and the droplets were just a little more densely packed than usual.
Alas, this only lasted for… Three seconds!
In three seconds, the drizzle went up a notch in terms of intensity and droplet density.
"Destroyer, turn on all the lights of the entire boat, put the engine on standby mode, activate the radar to start a.n.a.lyzing a 1 km perimeter around the s.h.i.+p. I need the data of all landscape changes within a 1 km perimeter."
"Activate all the real-time image a.n.a.lysis cameras and show me the visuals of each and every corner of Hope One!"
"Record down the degree of impact on the deck and the a.n.a.lysis of the rainfall and drainage. Calculate the data model in real-time and get back to me!"
As the rain continued to increase in intensity, Su Mo, who was at the bridge, did not panic since he knew it was just a simulation. He continued to run the operating system hastily.
After inputting a few commands, the fire-control radar that was on the third floor had already started running.
Electromagnetic waves that could not be seen by the naked eye were constantly being transmitted and received.
All eight spotlights that were on the front, back left and right of Hope One had already started working as well, illuminating the entire boat; especially the areas that were covered by the cameras!
At the same time, as Su Mo anxiously waited, the cameras in charge of the real-time image a.n.a.lysis at the bow and stern of the boat had begun to operate, transmitting the video feed back to Su Mo wirelessly.
In just two minutes, compared to the light rain at the beginning, the current rainfall volume had begun to increase, and it was gradually developing in a direction that was incomprehensible to humans.
The one good thing that Su Mo noticed was that the operating system was not affected by the increasingly daunting surroundings.
The data transmission was calculated based on the degree of impact on the deck per unit of time and the outflow of water of the drainage system.
The rainfall increase was very stable, almost as if someone was manipulating it, but after seeing the calculation model data, Su Mo"s expression finally relaxed.
"Every three seconds, the rain will increase by a notch in intensity."
"If it increases according to this rate, it is expected that by the fifteenth minute, the rainfall would reach the intensity level of a waterfall, and that its duration will be 10 seconds. Even if the rain stops by then, the unprotected fire-control radar will definitely not be able to withstand it based on the current impact model calculations."
"But there is a good chance that the bridge will survive!"
Even though the impact of enduring a waterfall-like rainstorm would be terrifying, the captain"s room on the third floor and the meeting room on the second floor of Hope One were not shoddily constructed.
They were made with various one-meter thick steel plates, and their structures were cleverly designed to disperse force, which should allow them to withstand the continuous bombardment of the waterfall-like rainstorm for ten seconds without problems!
Moreover, according to the real-time image a.n.a.lysis, Su Mo saw hope for human beings to be able to overcome the disaster this time.
The advent of the sea was not just through the rain. This time, through the zoomed in video feed transmitted by the high-definition camera on the bow of the s.h.i.+p, it could be visibly seen that water was also seeping out from the ground.
Although the rate at which the water seepage occurred looked slow at the moment, it was the same as the rain, which upped its intensity level every three seconds.
Under this "double-whammy" method, as long as the "waterfall" above their heads would stop, the sea level would rise sharply to more than five meters in half an hour if it was according to the terrain and topography of the basin area!
By that time, Hope One would then be able to go out to sea, and other humans would also have the possibility of surviving this disaster!
"It"s different from what I expected, but it also shows me the way out to sea."
"All I need to do when I go back to the real world is to dig a deep pit where the stern is and, when the time comes, this pit would provide the perfect conditions for me to reverse Hope One out into the sea!"
"It looks like it won"t be a problem for me to go out to sea manually, even without the system"s a.s.sistance!"
After discovering how the fourth disaster would unfold and the direction in which Hope One could be improved, Su Mo"s expectations for this simulation had been met.
The next thing to do was to try to steer Hope One out to sea in such circ.u.mstances!
If Su Mo managed to achieve this, it would be considered a hugely successful enterprise during this simulation. If Su Mo were to fail, it would also be a valuable, practical experience.
With this thought in mind, Su Mo"s mentality gradually turned optimistic as he carefully adjusted the bearings of the entire s.h.i.+p.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier!
There was also more and more water oozing from the ground!
The drains on Hope One"s main deck gradually reached their maximum capacity, and every time they were drained, they made terrifying whirring sounds.
Sitting at the bridge, Su Mo already had water pooling at his feet past his ankles without him realizing it.
Fortunately, the main unit was set up on a shelf three meters high above the floor, so there was no need to worry about it for the time being.
Su Mo became extremely focused as every second pa.s.sed.
While recording the precious experimental data on the notebook with a pen, Su Mo nervously observed the changes in the outside world and the model diagrams calculated by the operating system.
In the 9th minute, the heavy rain outside began to completely exceed the parameters of any prior human knowledge.
According to the current volume, the rainfall outside would definitely exceed 3,000 mm within 24 hours!
In the 12th minute, before the most terrifying torrent of rain came, the fire-control radar caved in. After sending the final transmission of data to the operating system, it collapsed under the onslaught of the rain!
After smas.h.i.+ng the fire-control radar into pieces, the rain continued unabated as it a.s.saulted the main deck fiercely, making distressing rumbling noises as the radar fell.
13 minutes and 40 seconds in, other than the two modular cameras at the bow and stern, which were taken from the s.h.i.+pyard, all four other cameras purchased from the trading market had stopped working. They were either washed away by the rain or the line had been disconnected.
14 minutes and 25 seconds in, the height of water in the bridge surpa.s.sed Su Mo"s thigh.
In desperation, Su Mo could only put away his record book, stand on the steel plate of the dashboard, raise the monitor used to display the a.n.a.lysis data of the OS high, and continue to memorize the data mentally.
In the 14th minute and 39th second, both the cameras at the bow and stern also announced the completion of their missions one after another after a roar, ending their final video feed transmission.
At this time, Su Mo had no means of observing what was going on outside, because…
The water in the bridge was already close to two meters high!
The main power switch responsible for the entire s.h.i.+p was just two meters away. Due to the protection measures set earlier, the whole s.h.i.+p would start to lose power in ten seconds.
In the 14th minute and 51st second, the s.h.i.+p lost power. With an eardrum-bursting creaking sound, all the lights on Hope One went out. Since there were no backup power reserves, the OS also took a bow, ceasing operations after the main power switch had given way.
Taking advantage of the final second before the power disappeared, Su Mo jumped up frantically and threw the monitor onto a high platform that was three meters above the ground.
In the 14th minute and 57th second, as Su Mo silently counted the time until the most terrifying torrent of rain would arrive, he grasped the handles beside him tightly to secure his footing as he prepared to exit at any time.
"If I exit now, I would"ve just lost an hour of time."
"But if I choose to exit now, I would still have to face the same thing next time. I might as well give it a try!"
There was no electricity, no radar, no data, and no operating system!
The entire Hope One has become a floating wreck, even if it was a legendary one, it seemed extremely small under the onslaught of a natural disaster like this.
Su Mo opened the properties panel of Hope One in the game panel and counted silently. Once the 15th minute arrived, Su Mo would be fully prepared.
However, Su Mo nearly pa.s.sed out from the force of rainfall"s impact!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
As every second pa.s.sed, the sound that emitted from Hope One"s body sounded like the rumbling of drums that had been transmitted directly into his eardrums.
The durability of Hope One on the properties panel was also falling rapidly at a value of almost 1000 points per second.
In just five seconds, the water level that was originally only around Su Mo"s waist rose tremendously and was now past his chest.
Gritting his teeth, his hands that were firmly grasping at the handles to anchor himself had already started bleeding from all the friction. Even so, Su Mo held steadfastly to the steel frame as he tried to keep his body stable.
In the sixth second, there was an ominous crash, announcing the "demise" of the captain"s room on the third floor.
Fortunately, there was still a meeting room one floor above the bridge, which was still standing!
"Hope One, give me all you"ve got and hold on!"
Su Mo roared silently in his heart as he felt Hope One slowly shaking because of the rising sea level and the buoyant force of the water beneath.
The reason legends were remembered was because…
After they were born, everything they would experience were horrors that surpa.s.sed the imagination of ordinary human beings!
It would be the same in the future!
It was the same right now!
The boat was a legend!
And so was the captain of the boat!
Carrying the soul of the entire s.h.i.+p, when the last second was over, and when the 15th-minute and 10th-second"s mark came, Su Mo was already bleeding all over from the vigorous vibrations and shockwaves that had been transmitted into his body while still holding on tightly to the steel frame unwaveringly!
When it was finally 15 minutes 11 seconds into the disaster, just like the operating system predicted, the disaster finally exhausted itself. After dis.h.i.+ng out the final waves of impact of its "fury" and "rage"...
The rain…
Stopped!