Splash! Splash!
The rain poured, and the river water raged.
The rubble blocking the riverbed shook violently, on the verge of breaking.
The river had filled, overflowing past the blockade.
But was everything as it seemed on the surface?
Deep beneath the water, a broken cubic structure existed.
It revealed a massive sewer pipe.
Several broken cylindrical machines lay scattered—the remains of the old waste-dispensing system.
Now, with the structure around the pipe broken, water invaded the insides of the pipe.
Swim up the pipe long enough, and you would reach where the river water could no longer follow.
The entrance of the sewers.
"BROTHERS!"
A roar tore the air.
A faint, radioactive green light illuminated the sewer's interior.
"The time is ripe,"
A young man in his early twenties stood on an elevated platform.
Beneath him, a horde of men stood in knee-deep sewer water.
But neither seemed to mind the dirty sewer water or the strong, rotten-egg smell assaulting their nostrils.
Their eyes were glued to the young man.
"We planned this for weeks. Everything is ready." The young man's deep blue eyes trembled in excitement.
"If we complete this today, we'll have enough resources to last us years."
Whispers spread among the crowd. Their eyes trembled with excitement.
The thought of not having to go outside, into that hell, burned like fire within them.
The young man's eyes turned sharp.
"Positions,"
The sewer fell silent instantly.
"We stayed hidden for weeks for this. No mistakes now."
His gaze swept across them.
"Sector leads, remember your flow paths. Don't let the current waste energy."
No cheers. No noise.
Only nods.
Silently, a hand rose among the crowd.
"Yes?"
The leader's eyes furrowed.
"S-Sir Veyr, W-what if there are any civilians on the lower stree..."
"The water won't reach the upper levels." Veyr cut them off. "If they reach the piles, they'll survive."
Suddenly, his eyes turned ruthless.
"If not, they can blame their fate. Show no mercy!"
Swooosh!
Winds appeared in the sewers out of nowhere, blowing around Veyr.
His ear-length brown hair, with greenish tips, rose into the air.
"If you hesitate...and cause harm to the operation..."
Two jars behind him rose in the air, drifting towards him.
CRASH!
With a punch, the water jars exploded.
Water coiled, swirling around him like dragons.
"I'll end you myself!"
The crowd shuddered in fear, feeling the immense power Veyr commanded.
They lowered their heads, not daring to look at him, only shooting sharp glares at the timid young man who triggered the leader's rage.
"Am I clear?"
"Yes,"
Veyr only got a silent reply.
Swoosh!
With a wave of his hand, the floating clean water flew towards the men.
But they didn't resist.
In a second, the water wrapped around their heads, forming spheres, and within was air.
Air Spheres. A creation that allowed underwater breathing.
A perfect combination of Veyr's ability.
"Let the Flood Harvest operation begin..."
They moved off.
The sewer pipe, big enough for a grown man to enter freely, acted as a connection to the river.
Through it, they entered the river.
Violent underwater currents crashed on them, threatening to sweep them away.
But with their water-controlling ability, they stabilized on the bottom of the riverbed, unaffected by the currents.
The massive group split.
Half followed Veyr to the surface while the other half remained underwater.
The group remaining underwater repositioned on the riverbed, each person a significant distance away from the others.
A muscular man in his late forties glanced back.
The gazes of the entire group were on him. He was the sector leader.
Swush!
Under his control, an underwater wave swam back, against the current, gently hitting the group members.
In an instant, each person extended their arms forward.
The water before them halted. The currents stopped as if the combined work of the people stopped the river flow entirely.
Sweat immediately appeared on the men's faces.
No single person could do this. They wouldn't even last a second. But with over 20 men, it became possible.
.
.
.
The group jumped out of the river, and a water pillar rose from each person's feet, lifting them in the air.
Thud!
They landed on the side.
Rain poured. The sky thundered. Pure darkness ruled the night.
"Veyr, we are ready,"
The air bubbles around their heads fell.
Veyr glanced at the group, then at the rubble blocking the river.
The water level suddenly started rising rapidly.
A sign that the group underwater had activated their ability.
"START!"
They moved, making a rising motion with their arms.
A huge wave rose in the air.
BOOM!
And slammed into the rubble.
The rubble broke apart.
The section leader's eyes widened underwater.
The others noticed the change. It was time.
"Glaaaghhhh!"
The men pushed up.
The water muffled their screams.
Their bodies tensed, and they exerted force as if moving up a mountain.
...
"Take control of the waterflow!" Veyr roared. "Drain out the whole river!"
BOOM!
The river exploded.
A pillar of water shot into the sky, dozens of meters high.
The men acted.
Under their guidance, the pillar split: left and right.
SPLASH!
The water crashed onto the ground.
"Let's go!"
Veyr jumped onto the water.
A few more followed.
The water raged around, rapidly sweeping the streets.
They rode on the massive waves, guiding the water to flow in the direction they wanted.
Swoosh!
The underwater group emerged from the water, jumping onto the shore.
Now, more than thirty people surrounded the rapidly draining riverbed.
"LET'S GO!"
They united, using their ability to drain the river.
...
BOOM!
An explosion rebounded.
Vincent turned sharply.
"No..."
His eyes widened in terror.
A massive shadow rose in the distance.
A shadow so massive the darkness couldn't hide it.
Vincent's brows furrowed. His thoughts clashed rapidly. He analyzed.
"That direction..."
He remembered the river.
"Don't tell me..."
The realization came only a second later.
For a moment, everything became still.
The raindrops suddenly felt much colder.
Strong tremors came from a distance.
The water devoured everything in its path. Crashing into buildings and rubble.
"RUN!"
Vincent roared.
He jumped on the back of the tentacle demon hound.
Under his will, the demon hound stormed towards the supermarket.
"RUN! ABANDON EVERYTHING!"
His warning rebounded throughout the night.
Gerold and the rest, already on guard and stand-by to run, didn't hesitate.
They stormed away, abandoning everything, only with their weapons in hand.
"What happened?"
Gerold asked hastily as Vincent joined them.
"I'm not certain myself," Vincent shook his head, glancing back. "But I suspect the water in the river overflowed."
Unfortunately, in a few minutes, Vincent's suspicion turned true.
"DAMN!"
A man from the group cursed.
The flood rapidly approached them, towering over them.
Terror filled them.
If the water engulfed them, it would be the end.
The chances of survival were slim.
"KEEP YOUR EYES FORWARD!"
Vincent roared.
"DON'T LOOK BACK!"
Only he had the luxury of looking back, for he didn't run himself but rode on the tentacle demon hound.
He wasn't running at full speed, for he didn't want to abandon his companions.
'That's...'
Once again, Vincent's eyes widened.
The water had already reached them.
But Vincent saw something else. Far more shocking.
A young man riding the wave. Veyr.
'Is that a person?'
His eyes trembled, and his heart shook.
"Hmm?"
Veyr glanced down, his gaze sweeping across the fleeing group.
Their eyes met.
But the tentacle demon hound grabbed Veyr's attention.
"Interesting,"
He muttered, the corner of his lips curling into a smile.
He waved his hand.
The water stopped chasing the group and changed direction, heading directly for the supermarket.
'Did he...control the water?'
Vincent only saw the water avoiding them and the man's retreating figure.
'Does that mean...'
Another realization followed.
'This disaster is man-made?'
His brows furrowed.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown became.
They continued running for a dozen more minutes.
"We escaped danger for now."
Vincent spoke as the group slowed down.
"We must reach the base by morning."
"Vincent, we got nothing out of this trip. We can't return empty-handed. Not when our comrades sacrificed their lives for us to get to the supermarket." A man spoke.
A troubled expression flashed across Vincent's face.
"Liam, I get your point, but..."
He hesitated.
But in the end, Vincent came clean.
He told them what he saw.
"That's urgent news..."
Gerold spoke.
"Someone has to inform the base."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"There is a way..."
Everyone looked at Vincent.
"My demon hound is not undead. It can't get tired."
Those words were enough. The group immediately realized.
"If I use it to run through the night, I can reach the base before dawn," he added.
There was no need for discussion.
They decided immediately.
Vincent set off, storming back through the night to reach the base while the rest of the group stayed to search for resources.