Sensing something was terribly wrong, Su Cheng found herself standing on a sandy beach. The very next second her pupils focused, she looked up and saw towering, monstrous waves rolling across the ocean surface.
Simultaneously, a mechanical voice rang out: 【Welcome to the ordinary dungeon: Tsunami Survival】
【Basic Mission: Survive for 5 days. Completing the mission will reward 300 points and a return to the apartment.】
The ocean waves surged high into the sky, overlooking the ground like giant, deformed monsters. In their eyes, fleeing humans were mere ants, and as they swooped down, they would swallow everything in their path…
Panicking, Su Cheng turned and bolted along with the crowd. Run! Run to higher ground!
Yet, how could a human possibly outrun a tsunami?
It was already too late.
The towering wave braced itself, plunging downward from the heights to tear across the ground!
“Boom—!”
Trees crashed down in an instant; doors and windows shattered into splinters!
Everything in its path collapsed and submerged… The wave was destroying everything, turning the earth into its playground.
As the giant wave rushed toward Su Cheng, she held her breath and wrapped her arms tightly around the nearest coconut tree.
“Swish—!”
The seawater slammed brutally against Su Cheng, pouring into her mouth and nose. The immense impact felt like a ruthless hand attempting to shove her down into the abyss!
Even though she clung tightly to the trunk, she was still dragged down into the churning seawater.
Submerged by the ocean, her ears rang with a deafening buzz, leaving her mind blank and plunged into silence.
Su Cheng curled into a tight ball, only to discover that amidst the rapidly churning waters, she had zero control over her own body.
She was tossed about at the mercy of the currents, spinning and tumbling endlessly underwater like a piece of laundry thrown into a washing machine alongside other items…
At that moment, terror swallowed Su Cheng whole along with the churning seawater.
She could no longer remain calm, instinctively thrashing her limbs in an attempt to escape or grab onto something stable.
Crash!
Something slammed violently against her abdomen, and a dull, agonizing ache sent waves of pain through her.
Gurgle, gurgle…
Seawater rushed frantically into her mouth and nose. Oxygen deprivation forced her brain to halt its thoughts, sending out a final emergency signal: she needed oxygen!
The sensation of suffocation urged Su Cheng to swim toward the surface, but the torrential currents gave her no chance. Another giant wave struck, dragging her back underwater the second she broke the surface…
Compelled to move forward with the rushing flow, she struggled frantically, striving to break the surface in search of air.
After bobbing up and down repeatedly, the jubilant, rampaging currents finally calmed somewhat. As she drifted past a building pillar, Su Cheng grabbed onto it tightly as if seizing a straw of hope.
“Hah… hah—”
Tilting her head back, Su Cheng drew in deep, ragged breaths, every single inhalation trembling.
Her hair was soaked through and plastered against her scalp; her face was marred by cuts of all sizes. Her left eye was bloodshot, perhaps from foreign debris washed inside, and her fingertips gripping the pillar were bleached white from excessive force… She looked utterly disheveled.
Utterly exhausted, Su Cheng rested briefly against the pillar. Setting aside the stinging cuts on her face, a dull, lingering ache in her abdomen reminded her that whatever injury she sustained was no minor matter.
Four words surfaced in her mind:
Surviving a catastrophe.
The flow velocity of the water surface slowed significantly. Damaged cars, trees, wooden planks, piles of mud, and human artifacts of all sizes drifted past Su Cheng.
Lifting her head, she scanned the distance along the current’s direction, finally spotting a few tall trees standing tall and unyielding.
Another massive wave could strike at any moment; she needed to get to higher ground immediately.
Ignoring her drained body, Su Cheng let go and swam toward a floating tree trunk.
Every single movement sent sharp, piercing pains shooting through her abdomen.
Still stuck in the water, Su Cheng had no way to check her injuries. She could only endure the pain, pushing the tree trunk along with the current toward the route she had plotted.
Baking beneath the scorching sun overhead, Su Cheng felt slightly dehydrated. Licking her dry lips, she prayed that the giant waves wouldn’t return…
“Help! Is anyone there?”
It was a girl’s voice, though Su Cheng couldn’t pinpoint the source.
Unable to spare any attention for herself, Su Cheng turned her head.
“Help! Daddy, Mommy… Where are you…”
The girl’s tearful cries rang in Su Cheng’s ears one after another, stirring up certain unpleasant memories.
Once upon a time, Su Cheng had cried out for her parents with that same despair, only to be met with eternal silence…
Su Cheng sighed, unable to harden her heart completely. She responded as loudly as she could, “Where are you?”
“I’m right here!!!”
Following the voice, Su Cheng found the girl resting atop a pile of debris.
The girl looked to be around eleven or twelve years old—elementary-to-middle school age. Crouched on a wooden plank among the debris, she didn’t appear severely injured aside from minor cuts and bruises. Seeing Su Cheng, she was overjoyed.
“Have you seen my daddy and mommy?”
“I don’t know your parents.”
“My dad’s name is Yun Cheng, he wears blue swim trunks, and my mom is very slim, her name is Li Murou, she wears a pretty floral dress…”
The girl began describing them excitedly. Seeing Su Cheng’s expression remain unchanged, her voice quieted down. Biting her lip, she held back her tears hard; it was clear she was someone cherished and pampered by her family.
“Can I come with you?”
Instead of blindly crying or drowning in grief, she tried hard to maintain her composure, which caught Su Cheng slightly off guard.
“Yeah.”
With Su Cheng’s consent, she carefully climbed down from the debris pile and joined Su Cheng in holding onto the tree trunk.
“Thank you, sister. My name is Yun Nian, what’s yours?”
“Su Cheng.”
“Where are we going?”
“To that big tree over there.”
Noticing Su Cheng had no intention of chatting further, Yun Nian gradually fell silent.
As the two walked farther, the water level gradually dropped. When the water only reached up to their calves, the tree trunk was no longer needed.
Numerous house fragments and trees piled together, where stranded marine fish flopped and thrashed about. The water mixed with mud, turning into a foul, turbid yellow.
Su Cheng and Yun Nian reached a patch of reeds.
Past the reeds lay the large tree Su Cheng had targeted.
“Hiss…”
The pain in Su Cheng’s abdomen intensified. Pulling up her shirt, she saw an eye-catching purplish-red bruise on her upper left abdomen!
“Sister, your face looks so pale…”
Worriedly, Yun Nian reached out to steady Su Cheng.
“I’m fine, let’s keep going.”
Su Cheng shook her head and pulled her clothes back down to cover the wound. She didn’t reject Yun Nian’s support; having someone help steady her reduced the strain and the pulling pain in her abdomen when walking.
Her base layer clung damply and stickily to her skin. While it possessed waterproof properties, it couldn’t completely block out prolonged soaking in seawater.
That said, it was worth noting that while the base layer was torn in several places, it hadn’t broken the skin underneath. Regular clothing would likely not have offered such protection.
Parting the reeds, Su Cheng waded forward through the muddy water.
Catching sight of something, Yun Nian let out a short, startled gasp. Looking at Su Cheng with a flustered expression, she said, “Sister, over there…”
Following the direction Yun Nian pointed, Su Cheng saw a person lying face-down in the muddy water, completely motionless and devoid of life.
Crabs were crawling slowly across his muddy back…
“Don’t look.”
Su Cheng covered Yun Nian’s eyes. “Let’s go.”
“…Okay.”
Yun Nian’s face turned slightly pale; the scene from moments ago refused to leave her mind. When all was said and done, she was just an innocent child who hadn’t experienced the world.
Wading through the reeds, the two finally reached the base of the large tree. Coming closer, they realized it was actually a pair of intertwined ancient trees with thick, towering trunks, looking like a century-old pair.
Yun Nian climbed up agilely.
Su Cheng steadied herself against the trunk and exerted a bit of force, but the exertion caused her abdomen to tense, sending a sharp wave of agony through her. She crumpled to the ground instantly, letting out a low, suppressed groan of unbearable pain.
“Ah…”
Su Cheng’s brows creased into a deep frown. She felt as though she were on the verge of suffering full-body spasms from the pain, every breath trembling with agony.
“Sister!”
Anxious, Yun Nian scrambled back down from the tree. “Sister, are you alright…”
Clenched teeth grinding, Su Cheng dragged herself back up. “I’m fine.”
“I’ll help you up.”
Carefully supporting Su Cheng, Yun Nian offered, “Step on my shoulder and climb up into the tree.”
Refusing to be stubborn, Su Cheng nodded. “Okay, thank you.”
Half-squatting to steady her posture, Yun Nian held onto the trunk while Su Cheng grabbed it, using her hands and shoulders for leverage.
The abdominal pain turned Su Cheng’s face ashen white, cold sweat beading on her forehead, but she gritted her teeth and managed to climb into the tree.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Yun Nian climbed up after her, scrambling higher up the trunk. “Sister, give me your hand, we need to climb a bit higher!”
Catching her breath, Su Cheng said, “Alright.”
After scrambling up another two branches, both of them finally exhaled in relief.
Su Cheng half-reclined against the tree trunk to rest, dapples of sunlight filtering down through the gaps in the foliage.
Su Cheng remembered her Smart Pack. The white bag she had worn cross-body vanished the moment she entered the dungeon. Perhaps a mechanical voice had issued a warning while the waves churned, but Su Cheng hadn’t had the spare capacity to pay attention at the time.
Remembering the Smart Pack had a form-shifting function, she wasn’t too worried.
Checking herself, she discovered an extra pocket on her base-layer pants. Slipping her hand inside, she could access the items stored within the 3 storage slots.
Feeling reassured, Su Cheng pulled out a bottle of water, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory pills.
Turning her head, Yun Nian noticed a bottle of water had suddenly appeared in Su Cheng’s hand, causing her to part her mouth slightly in shock. “Is sister a magician?”
Admitting it with a straight face, Su Cheng produced another bottle of water and handed it to Yun Nian. “Here, drink some water.”
Looking as though she had witnessed something miraculous, Yun Nian’s eyes filled with adoration. “Thank you!”
Swallowing the pills and taking a few sips of water, Su Cheng finally felt her throat stop feeling so parched.
She lifted the water bottle again, trickling water bit by bit onto her face to wash away the mud and sand stuck in her cuts. Since she couldn’t see her own face, the operation was quite inconvenient.
Noticing this, Yun Nian volunteered, “Sister, let me help you wash your face.”
“Thanks, but I’m not washing my face—I’m washing the dirt off my wound.”
“Understood!”
Crawling over to sit beside Su Cheng, Yun Nian carefully poured the water, rinsing away the grit from her cuts and around her eyes.
Blowing gently on the skin, she offered soft comfort: “Sister, don’t be scared. My dad is a doctor, he’s helped lots of older sisters become even prettier—you won’t scar from this!”
“Mmh.”
Su Cheng guessed Yun Nian’s father likely worked in plastic surgery or a similar field. Yet compared to scarring, she cared far more about preventing the wound from inflaming and getting infected.
The stinging sensation of water washing over the open cut was minor compared to her abdominal pain.
Perhaps her pain threshold had elevated; throughout the entire process of Yun Nian rinsing her wounds, Su Cheng didn’t even furrow her brows once.
Finishing a simple rinse, Yun Nian crawled back to her original branch, leaving a quarter of the water remaining in the bottle.
Clutching the water bottle, Su Cheng looked out from her high vantage point: the earth had been reduced to a ruin.
The scourged ground was soft and loose, dotted with hollows of all sizes, and items wedged into the soil were twisted past recognition.
Amidst the wreckage stood a withered coconut tree, resembling a defeated battle flag…
Before nature, all living creatures were equal, equally small and powerless. All one could do was struggle stubbornly to survive.
“Sister, how long before we can wait for rescue?”
“I don’t know either. Do you know where this is?”
A look of confusion crossed Yun Nian’s face, but she answered earnestly nonetheless, “This is a resort island in Country W.”
So it’s an island…
Country W didn’t sound like the name of any nation Su Cheng had inhabited previously.
Su Cheng couldn’t verify the local rescue speed, but at most it would take 2 to 3 days. What she had to do was hold on.
Surviving the tsunami was just the first hurdle; next came the risks of wound infection and aggravated abdominal trauma…
The cuts on her face weren’t too deep, carrying a low probability of infection. Her primary concern was the bruise on her abdomen—she prayed it hadn’t damaged her internal organs…
Exhausted, Su Cheng closed her eyes.
This dungeon wasn’t going to be an easy ride either.