Having successfully completed a quest, Eric was elated. She carefully gauged her condition; the fevered blood coursing through her veins—the telltale sign of viral invasion—had subsided to normalcy, and the chaos of uncontrollable disorder had ceased with the conclusion of the mission. Her body now felt utterly devoid of sensation.
She silently thanked fortune—at least this was not like the Beast Fighting Laboratory's trials; otherwise, she would be compelled to purchase a healing kit, which might not even prove effective.
With the Stone Pillar Forest overcrowded, Eric chose not to linger there. After returning to the inn for a meal and brief repose, she made her way back to the task hall to embark upon the day's second quest.
In the blink of an eye, she found herself upon a sunlit stretch of sandy beach.
The air was alive with laughter and mirth. Female NPCs clad in bikinis reclined upon deck chairs applying sunscreen; nearby, some played spirited volleyball matches; children sat on the shore, shaping sandcastles; further out atop the jagged rocks, brides and grooms, adorned in wedding finery, posed for their nuptial portraits; even farther still, swimmers frolicked, their colorful float rings and boards bobbing gently upon the waves.
She was by the seaside.
Eric promptly stepped back, instinctively sidestepping the throng.
The nearest beach hut stood some twenty meters away, a mouthwatering aroma of barbecue wafting through the row of cabins. The summer sun drenched Eric's long-sleeved sportswear and sneakers, swiftly drawing sweat to glisten upon her skin.
Increasing her pace, she soon broke into a run. Nearby, another figure matched her stride—a woman similarly attired, unmistakably a fellow player.
The two exchanged slight nods, neither pausing as their feet devoured the sand and pavement.
This resort bustled with life. Eric traversed the oasis of laughter, past a raucous rock band, leaving the beach huts far behind. The moment her foot touched the asphalt road, the scorching summer breeze seemed to cease altogether.
A strange, eerie roar approached from afar.
Among the beachgoers, the perceptive stilled their smiles, turning their gaze warily toward the sea.
Those swimming sensed the anomaly too, lifting their goggles, eyes scanning the glimmering horizon.
Instinctively, Eric glanced back.
Within moments, the towering shape of a monstrous wave materialized from the haze, rumbling thunderously as it surged closer.
A tsunami!
The farthest travelers on the shore vanished beneath its savage crest. The tsunami roared relentlessly, swiftly closing upon the sands.
Chaos erupted; the beach transformed into pandemonium as all scrambled desperately to escape.
"Ah! Run faster!"
"Xiao Yu, come back!"
"Help! Somebody save me!"
Realizing the dire peril, Eric accelerated her sprint, the female player flanking her matching stride. Both understood the imperative: they must seek refuge in a sturdy, elevated shelter.
The tallest edifice loomed distantly, but the tsunami's sudden onset left too little time. Eric conceded and aimed for a nearer, four-story building—at least constructed of reinforced concrete, far safer than the fragile beach huts.
This four-story structure was a restaurant. Across a road, its occupants remained oblivious for the moment.
"Welcome to—" the doorman's greeting died as Eric darted inside like a gust of wind, eschewing the elevator for the stairs. Clinging to the banister, she ascended two steps at a time.
"Whoa!" An eater descending the stairs hastened aside, startled. "Why run so fast? It's dangerous." He chewed a toothpick and ambled down in flip-flops, watching as the doorman began to close the door.
"What—why close the door now…" The toothpick dropped from his mouth.
Through the glass revolving door, he glimpsed a flood of frantic tourists rushing in, the relentless tsunami rolling behind like a cataclysmic cinematic spectacle.
"My God." His eyes widened.
The seawater leveled every beach cabin, driving the masses toward the road—its arrival imminent.
"Tsunami! A tsunami is coming!" the doorman cried. "Everyone, get upstairs! Fourth floor, now!"
"Don't close the door! Keep it open!"
Despite the protests, the door slammed shut. Those fleeing split like a tide, dispersing in search of sanctuary elsewhere.
On the fourth floor, Eric hurried into a small room facing away from the beach, slamming the door shut with all her strength.
The exertion of full-throttle running left Eric's muscles aching, yet she did not immediately sit down. Instead, she leaned against the wall, resting her knees as she gasped for breath.
"Hey, what are you doing? Who are you?"
"Little miss, are you sure you're in the right room?"
Inside the small private room, diners looked bewildered as an unfamiliar figure suddenly burst in.
"Look outside the window," Eric panted, "The tsunami is coming."
The male host was momentarily stunned before chuckling, "Young lady, what nonsense are you spouting? How could a tsunami possibly occur here? Never heard of such a thing—"
Before he finished, a tremendous impact shook the entire building.
A vast torrent of briny sea water surged fiercely, instantly inundating the four-story structure. The glass windows facing the beach shattered under the assault, and the waves thundered in, flooding every floor with relentless ferocity.
Tables and chairs were swept apart, and the diners too were tossed about without mercy.
Only those within the private room fared marginally better — though only temporarily. Water seeped beneath the tightly closed door, swiftly soaking their feet, then rising to their ankles, knees...
The startled family of four hurriedly lifted their two children onto the table. Eric dragged a chair and stepped upon it, still steady. Surely this building could withstand the initial onslaught of the tsunami.
Gazing out the window, she saw the raging sea cascading down from above the building, crashing toward the opposite structures. Soon, only a shimmering expanse of water was visible; seconds later, even that vanished as the glass trembled violently, and with faint, brittle snaps, shattered completely.
"Ah!" the child screamed in terror.
As the glass fractured, more seawater surged inside, rapidly rising within the room. Eric, balanced atop the chair, remained calm as the flood crept to her feet.
If she could endure the tsunami's most perilous impact, she was confident she would survive. This building was her refuge, solid and steadfast.
Within a minute, the private room was filled to the brim, the family thrashing desperately, each parent clutching a child amidst the churning waters. Eric steeled herself and, drawing a deep breath before the room was fully engulfed, surrendered to the rushing current.
Tables and chairs floated and collided with her relentlessly.
The tsunami's fury lasted an eternity; Eric felt as if caught in a colossal washing machine tumbling ceaselessly, disoriented and dizzy.
The broken window expelled her into the vast torrent—a small vortex subsumed by an immense maelstrom.
Debris drifted everywhere; the water was murky and tangled. A corpse collided with her. She instinctively tried to evade, but the violent surges tossed her about like a leaf, utterly powerless.
Though her mind willed evasive maneuvers, Eric failed to avoid the heavy body, which dragged her down mercilessly. Struggling, she forced it aside, swimming like a nimble fish through the turbulent abyss, seeking a path to safety.
Following the water's chaotic flow, she surged upward, buffeted by countless fragments and encountering several surviving NPCs. At the brink of suffocation, she finally emerged gasping for air.
A torrent hurled her back beneath the waves immediately after, but she clawed to the surface once more. Nearby lay a broken plank, which she grasped tightly, panting and coughing violently.
Surveying the vast expanse, no road or beach or lampposts remained — just endless water. Fortunately, distant skyscrapers still stood, and after discerning their location, Eric swam toward the tallest among them.
Her experience told her the portal lay within that towering structure.
Survivors intermittently surfaced, their cries for help piercing the air.
Eric pressed onward towards the high-rise without hesitation.
Each survivor was bedraggled and battered; Eric could not distinguish player from NPC.
The water teemed with debris; frequent collisions left wounds mangling her skin. This was unavoidable — at least there were no sharks, or so she hoped.
"Ah! Sharks!" an NPC suddenly screamed.
Eric, momentarily skeptical, glanced back—and indeed saw familiar dorsal fins slicing through the water's surface: eighteen, nineteen, nearly twenty sharks!
Though seasoned in shark encounters, her heart tightened with anxiety upon sighting them.
She had no desire to face that menace again.
With renewed urgency, she quickened her pace to flee this perilous domain.
Yet the sharks were swift and relentless. One soon approached her vicinity.
Fortunately, it targeted a male survivor instead, the fin carving through the water with deadly precision.
"Help! Somebody save me!" the man screamed, struggling to escape.
The shark bit into his waist, crimson blood diffusing into the sea, only to frenziedly excite the other predators.
Tensing, Eric drew her kitchen knife from the supermarket she had looted, gripping it firmly. Though she disliked sharks, she did not fear them. If escape was impossible, she would confront them head-on.
As the water's menace neared, she inhaled deeply and dove.
A shark lunged toward her. Clutching her blade, she struck decisively.
Experience guided her movements—she wedged a fragment of wood collected from the surface into the shark's jaws, shifting deftly aside. Her knife targeted its flank.
A tearing rasp echoed.
The shark writhed in agony, snapping viciously at its wooden trap before turning its fierce jaws upon Eric. She circled beneath, slashing opportunely. Not every blow found purchase; the shark's sleek body was a slippery adversary.
Provoked by the game, the shark, now enraged, spun twice, then surged forward with renewed ferocity.
Its speed was overwhelming; surrounded by water's resistance, Eric could hardly maneuver. Her lungs screamed, a sharp sting signaling her limits.
Undeterred, she refrained from evasion. As the beast lunged lightning-fast, she drove her iron implement deep, exploiting the momentum to slide beneath its belly.
The shark seethed in rage, attempting to bite through the iron bar—unaware that this time the bite would inflict grievous pain.