Chapter 257

Chapter 257

The earthquake and tsunami had a particularly devastating impact on the new harbor. Much of the low-lying areas were flooded, such as the building that God Amongst Men was currently witnessing. The developer had strangely incorporated a sunken design, leaving those who couldn't swim trapped.

Stripping off his restrictive suit jacket to reveal only a white shirt, God Amongst Men scanned his surroundings. He found a pole and rope, looping the rope around the pole for them to grab onto as he pulled them to safety.

The first few adults managed to jump into the water without much difficulty. However, when it came to the children, it posed a challenge. Asking them, some even with infants in their arms, to jump from such a height was too much. Moreover, they needed to swim a distance, and not everyone knew how to swim.

The situation became tense. Looking up at the sky, God Amongst Men noticed it darkening, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. It was clear that more trouble was imminent.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind him. Turning around, he saw Doctor Forse accompanied by a few young men rushing over, carrying an inflatable rubber dinghy.

"Shouldn't you be saving the documents?" God Amongst Men asked, perplexed.

Doctor Forse replied, "No need. You're right. People are always more important than those rigid documents."

Chuckling, he boasted, "Besides, I've already memorized the most crucial names. I can rewrite them anytime, no matter how long it takes."

God Amongst Men didn't say anything further. He just suddenly realized that, thanks to the existence of the Church of the Stars, players had lately been naming their character cards more conventionally.

Otherwise, imagine the NPCs visiting the Church of the Stars to pay respects or Old Foss mentioning these names: "Fried Tomato and Egg, Peach from the Netherworld, Salted Soybean Curd Dies a Horrible Death, I'm Lan's Dog..."

The deity on earth turned his head swiftly, covering his mouth, barely holding back laughter.

With Foss and the few young men he brought along, they managed to rescue everyone before the downpour began. The deity hurriedly drove the group towards the university. By the time they reached the shelter, they were all drenched.

At least, everyone was safe.

The players who remained on the surface trembled with fear, hiding in secure spots while still managing to stream the catastrophic scene unfolding above them.

Despite it being daytime, it was darker than night now. White lightning snakes darted through the dark, stormy clouds, accompanied by gales and torrential rain that felt no different from a typhoon. Skyscrapers swayed in the wind, and if this were reality, one wouldn't be able to appreciate the view, let alone live in high-rise buildings without shaking in terror. But in the game, it didn't matter. Some players even chose to stay outside, streaming the event.

"Fancy that, this is way more intense than a real-life typhoon."

"Nonsense. If the winds were this strong in reality, you'd be thinking about writing your will, not admiring the scenery."

"Tsk, look down there! The trees have been uprooted... Damn, did a building just collapse?"

"What a spectacle! 'Dark clouds press upon the city, threatening to crush it.' There's no phrase that fits this scene better. A screenshot of this would make for an incredible wallpaper."

"Whoa... Look there in the distance! Is that a tsunami??"

"Holy sh*t! Holy sh*t! It must be over 500 meters high, right?!"

The viewers in the live stream were utterly captivated, and indeed, the scene was breathtaking. They had thought the previous storm was more intense than any typhoon they'd seen, but compared to the approaching tsunami, it was mere child's play.

The highest recorded tsunami in human history was around 500 meters, but most people had never witnessed such a cataclysmic event. Even watching it unfold on screen sent a chill down their spines; being in its direct path would be unimaginable.

Most players still in the city were swept away by the deluge without a chance to fight back, carried away by the immense force.

The commotion was so great that even those hiding in Bicester University's underground shelter could feel it. They clung to their loved ones, faces filled with fear, while some already whispered their last words.

The young held onto their phones, now effectively useless bricks as the tsunami had destroyed communication towers. Virtually all electronic devices were without signal.

The player community, however, remained relatively calm, using this time to exchange information on forums.

Druid: "Here, the earthquake has knocked out our signals too."

Beauty is Justice: More or less, it's the same for us. It was due to meteor showers and earthquakes. I heard that some regions even had volcanic eruptions.

Insane: Hmm, so now the NPCs in the game can't access the internet?

Black Cat: Probably, from what I saw on the news earlier, the natural disasters affected the entire world. The signals will fade gradually.

Druid: Truly terrifying.

The reason players could remain so relaxed was because apart from being in a game, their communication with other players wasn't disrupted. No matter what happened to the external signal towers, they could still communicate through the game forums or channels.

Ultimately, humans needed to live in groups. The internet, or the information age, served its greatest purpose by connecting people worldwide through small screens. Regardless of where they were, as long as they turned on their phones or computers to access the web, it was akin to linking their minds with the rest of humanity. This was a sense of security that people often overlooked but was actually quite significant.

If such connections were severed and they were in the midst of a disaster, the psychological turmoil would be unimaginable.

In the current situation, within Orland's refuge, someone huddled in a corner, numbly asking, "Can we still survive?"

No one answered him, but the question reverberated in everyone's hearts.

Gradually, other voices emerged.

"I wonder how things are outside."

"My cousin mentioned going for an outing today. I hope he managed to escape the calamity."

"Sigh, how tragic. Is God truly cleansing humanity?"

Whispers of sobbing could be heard, as those present had all heard whispers of God's appearance and the surreal phenomena in the sky. A peculiar atmosphere began to spread within the sanctuary.

It is only in the depths of despair that faith blossoms in the mud.

And isn't this the perfect moment for a widespread surge of devotion?

"Don't worry, everyone. God won't harm His brave and innocent lambs," a believer reassured softly. "He will save us. Let us pray to God together."

This was not unique to Orlandu; the same occurred in other shelters. Many were already praying to God under the guidance of religious figures, seeking safety for themselves and their loved ones.

The players were powerless against such actions. They could cover people's mouths, but not their hearts. Once these initially skeptical individuals started to believe in God, Bader would have achieved his goal.

Even Odds: Frustrated, so many here are praying, and they're the ones I saved (going crazy)! I didn't save them to strengthen the boss! This was supposed to be God's doing! Why are they praying to God?!!

Yeye: It's the same here. MAD has truly gone mad. These believers clearly recognize this as an apocalyptic scene straight from the Book of Revelation. Isn't it all identical? These calamities are God's doing! How can they still pray to God?

Uninsane: Haha, that's because it says so in Revelation. In the end, only non-believers will die, while martyrs ascend to paradise. Believers will be resurrected and live with God and angels in a city without class differences. The more reality aligns with Revelation, the better it is to become a believer. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

Aron: Sigh, there's nothing to say. We save them, but they turn to pray to the enemy? It really hurts.

Aron: @God on Earth @Black Cat, isn't there any other solution?

God on Earth: No...

Black Cat: In front of a disaster like this, we individuals are too insignificant.

To be honest, Aron wasn't the only one feeling frustrated; other players felt the same. They could only watch helplessly as the survivors or NPCs they rescued desperately prayed to God.

In the face of such disasters, even the most imaginative player tricks proved powerless and weak. Now, even players were confined to shelters, with those still outside essentially conceding defeat but capturing stunning photos and footage before their demise, broadcasting the horrors of the disaster to those sheltered indoors.

Before true power, humanity is reminded of its vulnerability. It's understandable why NPCs resort to praying to God, for they can do nothing else. However, players still found it distressing, not just because their rescued became part of the boss's strength, but also due to their own helplessness against such an adversary.

The situation was slightly better in Arkham and New Port's shelters, as one was the heartland of Lance, and the other had experienced a unique Black Death incident.

In Blythechester University's shelter, someone was now sobbing softly, with others comforting her, "It'll be alright. Jim must have been taken to another shelter by someone."

Jim was the weeping woman's younger brother who had been camping on the other side of the city when the disaster struck. The woman couldn't help but cry out, "God bless him, my poor Jim. God wouldn't take him away."

"God? Pfft." Fors curled her lips. "God doesn't save the people of New Port."

"Well, Doctor Fors, she just needs some comfort," someone said.

"I know that, but I'm just speaking the truth," Fors stood up. "Guess what? That missionary who approached us earlier, I saw on the way here that he was crushed to death by a fallen tree. It seems his god didn't protect him either. Gods don't bless anyone; only people can save others."

As she spoke, Fors stared directly at God Amongst Men, who seemed puzzled.

"It's better to find something to do than pray here and worry… How's the water and food supply in this shelter? I noticed the water source was contaminated earlier. Where does this shelter's water system come from? Is there a chance it's contaminated?"

God Amongst Men snapped back to reality. "I'll check."

Upon hearing the crucial matters of water and food, those worried about the outside world shifted their attention. God Amongst Men, accompanied by a few players and NPCs, went to inspect the shelter's water reserve system, and her expression turned grim.

The water here had turned red as well, identical to what they'd seen outside.

A Blood Acolyte took a sip and immediately felt his lips go numb. He frowned and spat it out. "It's poisonous and bitter."

This matched the third trumpet's scenario: a massive meteorite had landed, with its toxic plants contaminating all water sources.

Obviously, such water was undrinkable. The expressions of those present, especially the NPCs, turned grim. "What if the calamity outside persists for a long time? What then?"

The players fell silent. They hadn't considered such detailed issues before. Mainly, they didn't treat this place as an actual disaster zone; they were still thinking in terms of a dungeon. Thanks to Foris' reminder, they realized that the current situation was far more dire than they had imagined.

Survival was always the paramount issue. Without water, how many days could these people last?

"Are we going to be trapped here and starve to death?" someone murmured despairingly.

Milk Tea Dog said optimistically, "On the bright side, according to the Revelations, the water contamination is global. So even if we do manage to get out, it won't make much difference... Waaah."

Before he could finish, the Taxman swiftly covered his mouth. It was too late to stop the fool from voicing even more despairing words. Though this wasn't the players' concern, was it necessary to exacerbate the situation at a time like this? It could easily lead to conflict.

God Among Men squatted down to examine the machinery but found it irrelevant to his expertise. No matter how persuasive he might be, he couldn't change the water storage system's mind. Resigned, he stood up. "We should have prepared bottled water, right? How much do we have?"

"Not even fifty cases."

Divine Being on Earth did the math. With this amount of water, they wouldn't last a day with the current population, let alone three days without extreme rationing. Chaos would erupt by then.

The tax collector sighed and decided to report the situation on the player forums, warning players in other shelters to be cautious.

This revelation stirred up many players. After all, most shelters or bomb shelters across cities relied on groundwater or well water; bottled water was a minority choice. Players had discovered that even underground rivers were becoming toxic in many places.

This discovery only worsened their situation. People couldn't survive without water! They wouldn't last long with insufficient supplies!

Divine Being on Earth's heart sank. If all water sources were contaminated like in the Apocalypse, would non-believers truly have no choice but to die?

Black Cat: Don't panic. There might be ways to purify the water.

Tax Collector: You have a solution?

Black Cat: To be precise, a professor from the Potions Department has a way. It's his expertise.

In the shelter beneath the University of Michigan, Professor Rakin licked a drop of water from his finger, squinting as he analyzed its components.

Nuo Feng looked at him anxiously. "So, how is it?"

Lakin remained silent for a long while. Under the increasingly tense expressions of the surrounding players, he finally harrumphed. "It's not too much of a challenge."

Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Water was crucial; without water, everything would be futile.

"I can prepare a purification potion, but I'll need a few herbs."

"Mi Da should have enough herbs," the Druid said calmly. Mi Da had been the first to receive news and had stored many essential supplies in the Shelter, including a good stock of herbs. However, the issue was how they could gather the necessary purification resources from elsewhere.

Oh, wait. They did seem to have enough resources.

Black Cat suddenly remembered something and quickly glanced at his backpack. It was filled with glittering magical potions, herbs, and items that could blind someone with their abundance.

So, this was how the resources from the Dream World were used! ?