"Do you think tomorrow's typhoon will flood my house? Please, no. I only just paid off my thirty-year mortgage." The shelter was noisy that night, with people gathered together in animated discussion. Some worried about their newly purchased homes, others about their expensive furniture, and one man looked deathly pale-his family grew orchids.
The orchid-growing family had initially said that, to protect their property, they had hired a designer to design a glasshouse capable of withstanding a force-fifteen typhoon. But now, of all things, the Sarin Typhoon about to make landfall in Fuchsia City had already reached force seventeen, and it might climb even higher. If the highest typhoon classifications weren't force seventeen and above force seventeen, Sarin could probably set a new record for typhoons making landfall in Fuchsia City.
Howling winds swept past. The typhoon had not officially arrived, but the weather had already turned terrible, and torrential rain had even begun to fall. Through the shelter's window, Heath could see nothing but darkness outside. Only the occasional flash of light proved that the city's electricity supply was still struggling to stay operational, like an old man clinging to life in a hospital bed, relying on a ventilator to keep himself alive. But who knew exactly how much longer it could last?
"Ah, if I'd known, I wouldn't have bought a place in Fuchsia City. And just my luck, I bought a basement apartment. I'll probably be able to turn it into a swimming pool when I get back." The woman had a pretty good attitude about it. She spoke cheerfully and even raised her cup toward Heath in a toast from a distance. Heath rather admired her outlook. If he had run into something like this in his previous life, he probably wouldn't have been able to