The words "Tsunami Emergency Drill" pierced Ao Yu's eardrums like three ice-cold blades. If Assistant Wu Feng remembered nothing, why were they drilling for a tsunami?And—The time when the tsunami should have struck had already passed. He stood frozen, his blood feeling as if it had solidified completely, making even breathing difficult.The sharp screech of the assembly whistle tore through the air. Ao Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the helplessness rising in his throat, and stood up. These bizarre inconsistencies forced him to move with the caution of someone navigating a minefield.On the training ground, the sunlight was harsh, the air dry. The students lined up, their shadows huddled on the scorching ground. Wu Feng stood before the formation, the roster in her hand, her ponytail impeccably neat, reflecting the light. Her voice was steady, reciting regulations."Au Yu!" "Here!""Xiao Yi?" No one answered.
Her brows furrowed, her gaze sweeping over the ranks, sharp as a probe. "Where is Xiao Yi?"The line fell into silence. Ao Yu's heart sank violently!The bumpy speedboat, the overwhelming wave, her own earth-shattering words—"It was as if it was pushed!"Xiao Yi's absence. Wu Feng's hint of "human causation." These two threads intertwined in Ao Yu's mind! A surge of excitement crept up his spine."Reporting, Assistant," Ao Yu stepped forward, keeping his voice level, laced with just the right amount of concern. "Xiao Yi might be… unwell. Should I check the dorm?" He met Wu Feng's gaze, his true intentions carefully hidden.Wu Feng assessed him for a second, her eyes purely professional. "Quickly," she uttered, crisp and efficient. "Return immediately if you can't find him. The drill cannot be delayed." Order and procedure were her only anchors."Yes! Madam!" Ao Yu turned and strode swiftly toward the island's west side—Xiao Sha Tou. The place where he remembered seeing light.He sped past, then doubled back—Number 37 XiaoShaTou, the island's only gift shop. The interior was exquisitely decorated: snow-white floor paint, rooms filled with green plants, cloud-like decorative lights hanging from the ceiling. A breeze made the clouds drift, creating an atmosphere both relaxed and romantic.Xiao Yi sat cross-legged on the white floor, his back to the door, head bowed. He held a tool carefully, polishing a seashell. A few strands of sunlight fell, casting shifting spots of light on his focused profile. A near-devout silence enveloped him, broken only by the soft scratching sound and his slightly off-key humming.Ao Yu moved closer. He saw it clearly—a seashell wind chime taking shape between Xiao Yi's fingers. A shy smile played on the boy's lips, his eyes shining with an intense light, as if the weight of the entire world rested on this tiny shell.So that was it. Ao Yu's tense nerves relaxed slightly, followed by a wave of profound helplessness. Suspecting a kid hiding away to make crafts? He was truly being driven mad by death. His earlier "concern" felt like a clumsy joke."Xiao Yi?" Ao Yu spoke softly, yet his voice landed like a stone in still water."Ah!" Xiao Yi jumped, the seashell falling from his hands. He spun around, his face flushing crimson when he saw Ao Yu. He scrambled to his feet, his words stumbling. "A-Ao Yu? You… how… Is it assembly?" His eyes darted nervously, pure embarrassment written all over him.Ao Yu walked over, his gaze sweeping over the object Xiao Yi tried to hide, then over the shop's romantic decor. His tone held a 'buddy' kind of teasing. "Been looking for you. Roll call. What's this secret project hidden away in this corner? Not afraid the tide will sweep you
away?"" It's… it's nothing…" Xiao Yi said, somewhat sheepishly. "Just… just wanted to make a little birthday gift for Sister Wu Feng…" He flashed the half-finished chime before Ao Yu's eyes, then snatched it back behind him as if handling fragile treasure. "Wanted… to surprise her… I'll go right now! Ao Yu, please… please don't tell her I'm here…" He looked up, his eyes full of naked pleading.They walked out of the shop as they talked. Ao Yu looked at the peaceful sea view and the innocent boy beside him. His last trace of doubt evaporated. He tried to force an understanding, slightly mocking smile. "Alright, fine. For the sake of your 'sincerity.' But…"Woooo————!!!Ao Yu's words were cut off abruptly!An indescribable, terrifying roar, as if from the depths of the earth, capable of crushing everything, exploded without warning! It instantly drowned out the waves, the wind, like an invisible sledgehammer smashing into eardrums and chests! The rocks outside vibrated with a hum! Sand trickled down in streams!The color drained from Ao Yu and Xiao Yi's faces instantly! Their bodies stiffened like puppets! They snapped their heads up—At the edge of their vision, the horizon was gone!A suffocating wall of grey-blue, connecting sea and sky, loomed terrifyingly close, carrying the stench of all-devouring death! It was so vast it blotted out half the sky, moving with the speed of a teleport! Icy wind, heavy with moisture and despair, slammed into them, making it hard to keep their eyes open!Escape? Absolutely impossible! Death had opened its maw!Extreme fear gripped his heart, but a near-mad calm erupted in Ao Yu's eyes! Since the end was certain, he would use these last moments to pierce the fog of death and get closer to the truth!He stood rooted like a nail, his gaze sharp, stabbing directly into the heart of the towering wave's vortex!A black banner!Churning wildly within the maelstrom! On its surface, blood-red, distorted characters of theDoom-Scorned Kingdomwrithed like boiling venomous insects, madly squirming, flashing, and extinguishing! And... a pulsating symbol, finally settling on 'zero'.This is... a countdown!!Ao Yu's pupils contracted, his eyes bulging with veins from extreme focus, his mental energy burning to its limit, until death's shadow completely enveloped him.In the final instant before the icy seawater utterly swallowed his consciousness, Ao Yu saw
that light again, flickering!The loop reset.Bone-chilling cold once more.Briny water flooded his mouth and nose again, his lungs screaming with explosive pain under the immense pressure. His body was crushed by an invisible hand, dragged toward the abyss. The last image before his consciousness faded was the 'zero' rune at the banner's core, extinguishing completely like a closing, cold eye..."Gah—!"Ao Yu jolted upright in bed, his heart hammering against his ribs painfully. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back, the fabric clinging unpleasantly to his skin, bringing waves of chill. He gasped, greedily gulping the stale dormitory air, each breath a spasm of post-survival shock.Not a dream.The cold finality of that extinguished rune was etched onto his retina as if carved there.He shook his head, dispelling the phantom sensations of drowning, forcing himself to think.The black banner. The countdown. The Doom-Scorned Kingdom script...Could it be! —Coach Bai, the only person on the island with any connection to the Doom-Scorned Kingdom?!The shadow of death clung like damp moss. Ao Yu wiped his face, his fingertips cold.Recalling Coach Bai's aged yet stern expression, Ao Yu shook his head. He couldn't afford to charge around blindly again!!He pulled on his clothes and checked his watch. At this hour, Coach Bai should be in the back kitchen, pottering around with Granny Bao.The morning birdsong, the enticing kitchen aromas, the sizzle of frying from behind the door—all seeped into the corridor.Suddenly, an argument pierced the peace."... What good is a pretty package!" Granny Bao's loud voice grated like a dull knife on tin. "This powder's color is downright gaudy! Smells like disinfectant! I won't eat any pancake fried with this!" Her voice dripped with undisguised disgust.Ao Yu's hand, poised to push the door, stilled."... Imported. Premium grade." Coach Bai's voice was low, hoarse, like the grating of a rusty anchor chain. "The packaging... costs money too. Don't waste it." The rustle of a plastic bag sounded, carrying a careful, almost miserly tone.Ao Yu pushed the door open.The smell of cooking oil, mixed with Granny Bao's displeasure, hit him. Granny Bao stood
hands on hips, apron tied, glaring at a pile of brightly packaged, garish-looking concentrated ingredients. Coach Bai had his back to the door, carefully pouring packets of powder into a glass jar. His movements held an almost reverent... stinginess."Coach Bai—no, Granddad Bao," Ao Yu began, keeping his voice as steady as possible. But his eyes scanned like probes, sweeping over Coach Bai's tense back, the bizarre ingredients, finally fixing on Granny Bao's face. "I'm craving a sweet fried dough pancake. Can you fry one for me?"Ao Yu followed up with a silly, almost coaxing grin directed at Granny Bao."Fine! We'll make our own dough separately, none of their sponsored 'premium' stuff! Wait here, I'll make it now!"Granny Bao snatched up a bag of the powder, almost jabbing it under the old man's nose. "Look at this! This ghastly color! Normal? This smell! Enough to choke you! Can anything fried with this be edible?" She slammed the bag back onto the countertop. Powder puffed into the air.Coach Bai turned. His tall frame, his silent face carved with the grooves of a life at sea. He glanced at Ao Yu, his eyes deep and unreadable as a still well, then returned his gaze to the ingredients. "Not spoiled." His voice was stubborn. He picked up the glass jar now filled with powder, his knuckles white with the force of his grip, and carefully screwed on the lid. "Waste is wrong."Coach Bai's eyes swept past the window, his brows locking tight. "This weather... truly sinister.""Sinister indeed!" Granny Bao was immediately sidetracked. "Clear one moment, now so stifling it feels like a weight on my chest! This wind..." Before she could finish—Woooo————!!!An unprecedented, terrifying roar, as if the earth's core were being torn apart, exploded around them! The kitchen shook violently! Pots and pans rattled madly on their racks! Dust rained down from the walls!"Damn it!" Ao Yu's face turned ashen. The timing was wrong! Too fast!BOOM——!!!A dull, crushing impact! The shattering of glass! Then the furious roar of raging water!"Heavens—!" Granny Bao screamed!The kitchen's back window—facing the coast—was smashed to pieces by a turbid torrent laden with splintered wood and foam! Icy, brine-filled seawater, like a savage beast unleashed, poured violently inside! The force swept everything off the counters! Water flooded over their ankles in an instant, rising with terrifying speed!"Granny Bao!" Ao Yu yelled over the shaking and roaring.
Chaos in the kitchen!The floodwaters scattered the three of them! Ao Yu was slammed against a cold wall by the force of the wave, choking on a mouthful of foul saltwater. Struggling to find his footing, he wiped the grime from his eyes. His gaze, sharp as a poisoned dagger, locked onto Coach Bai, who was also stumbling in the current!Was it him?! If it was him...He saw the coach's tall frame brace suddenly in the waist-deep, murky flood. He wasn't looking at Ao Yu, nor at his "precious" ingredients! His eyes, like hot branding irons, were welded to the other side of the kitchen!Granny Bao! Trapped in the corner by the back-flow and overturned debris! A heavy storage shelf, rocked loose by the water, was teetering, poised to crash down right on top of her!"Old woman—!!!" The coach let out a ragged, desperate roar! He summoned terrifying strength, fighting against the violent current like a wounded sea beast lunging for its prey, throwing himself recklessly towards Granny Bao! Murky spray exploded around him!BANG!The heavy shelf was slammed aside by his shoulder, crashing into the water and sending up a wall of filthy spray! His thick arms clamped vise-like around Granny Bao's arm, and with all his brute force, he hauled her bodily out of the pile of debris and the rising, dirty water, practically flinging her towards the slightly higher doorway leading to the inner rooms!"Go—! Run—!!" The coach's voice was shredded by the water and the roar, but that pure, life-risking protectiveness burned into Ao Yu's vision like a red-hot brand! Coach Bai himself was caught by a surging backwash, choking violently, his body struggling and flailing in the water, his eyes filled only with frantic fear for his wife!In that moment of absolute chaos, as Ao Yu was shoved by the current, his gaze swept over the churning, filthy water—The rolling pin Granny Bao had dropped in her struggle tumbled in the icy, dirty water. That unremarkable piece of wood, its shaft now faintly revealed a strange, vein-like glow! Faint, yet stubbornly piercing the murk, outlining a vague, ancient pattern!Ao Yu strained to keep his eyes open, but the next second, an even more violent surge of water, carrying a broken plank like a battering ram, smashed hard into his temple!Cold.Darkness.Suffocation.Reset