[BREAKING NEWS: 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Capital City and Surrounding Areas.]
[A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck the Capital City and nearby urban centers, sending shockwaves through the region. The earthquake hit around 7:15 AM local time, with tremors felt across hundreds of miles. Authorities are calling this one of the most significant quakes to affect the area in decades.]
[Initial reports indicate widespread structural damage in the Capital City’s central districts. Many older buildings have partially or fully collapsed, while several newer high-rise buildings have sustained significant cracks and damage. Emergency services are mobilizing, with the city’s hospitals preparing to receive an influx of injured residents.]
[In neighboring towns and cities, reports are emerging of landslides, road collapses, and power outages. Communications have been disrupted in several areas, making it difficult to assess the full scope of the damage. Authorities are working to restore phone and internet service as quickly as possible.]
Grace stared at the TV screen in shock. The last thing she expected was to hear such a shocking news the moment she landed in Sunspire City.
"Boss, is it the disaster you were talking about? Or a part of it?" Jasper asked in a soft whisper as he too stared at the TV screen setup in the waiting area of the airport.
Grace turned her attention away from the TV and looked at the man before she slowly nodded her head. "It’s here." She whispered before she resumed walking and Jasper followed behind her.
They walked out of the airport and hailed a cab, heading toward Greenstone Residential Area where their new apartments were awaiting. While in the cab, Grace contacted 2025 through the mindlink she shared with it.
"What’s going on? There was no earthquake in the previous timeline until three months from the arrival of rain. Why it’s different now?" She tried to keep her voice calm, but there was no hiding the anxiety she was experiencing after seeing the news of the earthquake.
2025 immediately replied, its voice carrying a heaviness in it that was not a usual occurrence. "If I have to give you a reason, I can only think of butterfly effect. Your rebirth might have brought these changes."
Grace was silent for a moment as she took in the response before she finally asked another question. "Do you think the future will be unpredictable this time because of these changes? What about the Shadow Rain then? Will it not appear?"
The thought of no Shadow Rain didn’t sit right with her. Just like hoarding unlimited supplies was an important process of her making sure that she and her close ones would stand a chance to survive the apocalypse, the Shadow Rain was another such important factor that would make their survival easier.
"Though things might change in this timeline, I don’t think they will completely change the happenings of previous timeline. The timings might change, and so can frequencies, size, and such things, but that should be the extent of these changes. Let’s not worry too much." 2025 replied.
Grace took in a deep breath and tried to follow the instruction. She needed to stay calm to handle the pending work. She no longer asked any further questions and stayed silent for the rest of the ride. Forty minutes later, they finally arrived at their location.
She and Japser climbed out of the cab and headed inside the twenty-two storey building. When they arrived on the 21st floor, the others were already waiting for them.
The moment she noticed the changes that had been made on the floor and within the apartments, Grace was impressed by her team’s work. Though she was the one who gave the instructions, they still carried out the tasks diligently.
They had installed solid metal doors in their apartments, adding deadbolt locks. They had also strengthened the door frame with metal strike plates, installed metal bars and metal grates on all the windows, and had reinforced interior metal sheets on the walls.
They had also stocked up food and other necessary supplies in all the apartments that could last them for at least two months without any issues.
"If only we could have that one apartment to ourselves as well." Grace said with a sigh while staring at the apartment next to hers that had been rented out by someone else.
"It’s alright boss. The four of us will be living just a floor below. I’m sure things will go fine." Seth assured her and all Grace could do was to nod. In their current situation, they could only try to make the best out of what they had got.
After she had taken a look at the apartments and was satisfied with their preparation, she headed to the warehouses to collect the remaining supplies. On her way back to the apartment, she stopped by a convenience store and bought several bottles of alcohol.
She also stopped by a restaurant and ordered twenty packed boxes of each of the twenty-three dishes that were available on the menu. It took a while before she received her order and the employees of the restaurant helped her load everything in her car.
Thankfully, she was driving a large SUV so there was enough space to load all the food. She drive away from the restaurant and put away all the boxes inside her space.
By the time she arrived near the Greenstone Residential Area, the sky had finally started showing signs of an upcoming rain. She found a secluded corner where there was no one around and asked 2025 to handle the cameras that were installed nearby.
Once she was in clear, she quickly placed the SUV inside her space and walked the rest of the way into the Residential Area. As she entered the building and headed into the elevator, she met with another resident who was dressed as weirdly with an all-black outfit, a mask, sunglasses, and even a cap.
When she tried to select the floor, she noticed her companion was also heading to the 21st floor.