Apocalypse Begin!

At precisely eleven o'clock in the evening, Park Doo Shi stood before the towering window of his room, seemingly touching the sky.

Unlike most nights, where many had concluded their day and opted for rest, tonight was an exception. Like the bustle of a shopping carnival, the streets and shopping centers were still teeming with endless crowds.

People often say that showing affection is merely a gateway to sudden death. And indeed, the inevitable reward of karma would soon catch up with us.

Park Doo Shi cast a fleeting glance at his newly acquired mechanical watch, although not a prestigious brand, he was willing to part with his hard-earned money for it.

As the second hand completed its rotation, the minute hand also leaped to the eleven o'clock position.

Without warning, rain poured heavily outside, as if announcing the arrival of destruction.

Yet, the surrounding populace seemed unperturbed, regarding the rain as nothing more than a mundane natural phenomenon unworthy of attention.

Watching the people below scramble for shelter from the raindrops in the shopping center, a sneer crept onto Park Doo Shi's face.

The towering shopping center building, with its five or six floors, might just sink by morning.

The rain continued relentlessly, intensifying with each passing moment. Yet, Park Doo Shi's face remained frozen, devoid of any hint of emotion, be it joy, anger, sadness, or happiness.

An hour quickly passed. Floodwaters rapidly pooled, engulfing everything in its path.

Initially, a few cars were still visible on the streets. But now, they had drowned in the deepening sea.

After observing for a while, Park Doo Shi, already knowing what would unfold, lost interest and yawned as he returned to his comfortable bed.

When he awoke the next morning, the world would have changed drastically.

He didn't know how long he slept. But when Park Doo Shi woke up, darkness still shrouded the outside, with no sign of the rain abating.

He looked out the window, only to find that the city had transformed into a vast ocean.

From his vantage point, all he could see was the roof of the shopping center across the street. The place that was bustling with crowds just yesterday was now a silent sight.

There, tens of thousands of people likely had drowned the night before, trapped in the flooding that ensued.

In the tranquil rhythm of Park Doo Shi's heart, a serenity seldom found amidst chaos prevailed. Amidst the true apocalypse where thousands, even hundreds of thousands, drew their last breath daily, humanity persisted in erecting the City of Tomorrow, seeking the remnants of goodness that lingered.

Yet, a firm knock upon the door shattered the silence, accompanied by heart-wrenching wails.

Despite the impeccable sound insulation of the Presidential Suite, the sounds permeated, unveiling the depths of sorrow beyond.

Through the peephole, the corridor of the 21st floor appeared crowded with a throng, many clad only in pajamas, clutching their phones tightly, as though they had just fled disaster on the floors below.

However, this was merely the onset of the calamity to come. The ascent was driven solely by survival instincts; they had not truly comprehended the horrors of the apocalypse looming ahead.

Within the Presidential Suite, all manner of provisions had been readied. Park Doo Shi ventured into the kitchen, starting to cook rice. That night, electricity, water, and natural gas would cease entirely, so he had to seize this opportunity to cook vegetables and meat until done, while the chance still lingered.

Though cold fare was not as ideal as warm sustenance, it was still preferable to starvation.

Having busied himself with household chores in the morning, Park Doo Shi cooked all the vegetables and meat he had bought yesterday, arranging them neatly on plates. He also reheated the rice prepared earlier.

It was time to dine! The fragrant aroma filled the room, enticing appetites with irresistible allure.

The tumultuous wails outside the door only lingered for a moment before fading into the silence of the night. The incessant cries had shattered the tranquility, adding to the oppressive fatigue that weighed heavily.

For those still able to navigate the virtual world, they seemed to perch atop the lofty steps of social hierarchy, able to spare time for casual chatter.

But soon, reality would come crashing down upon them.

At precisely eleven o'clock, Park Doo Shi had just finished his hot shower and changed into fresh clothes when the entire room was suddenly engulfed in darkness that blanketed everything.

The electrical system had succumbed to its fragile power.

The echoes of cries reverberated once more in the corridors.

Yet, this time, it did not belong to a single individual.

Initially, the faint light of the corridor provided some solace, but now even that had vanished, surrendering to the gripping chaos.

Darkness had always been the steadfast companion of panic.

Without electricity, the virtual world vanished into obscurity. Even some who still possessed phones with charged batteries were astonished to find that they no longer received signals.

Fear and hunger surged within the restless crowd. No one could predict how long this storm would endure.

People began knocking on doors one by one, hoping someone would let them in.

Remaining holed up inside their rooms felt safer than resigning to fate in the cold corridors.

Park Doo Shi's door was not spared from the inevitable knocks.

Yet, Park Doo Shi, captivated by the rain outside the window, did not even shift his gaze. After a while, perhaps because their noise had become disruptive, Park Doo Shi finally retreated back into the room.

The firm closure of the door effectively separated them from the commotion outside.

The morning continued its march, rain persisting relentlessly. The howling wind outside added to the eerie ambiance, as if the universe itself was whispering softly.

As the day turned into night without the presence of food, silence became the only faithful companion, devoid of any echoing cries.

Even if there were any remnants of food, they would have been depleted since the day before.

"Knock knock knock."

The loud knocks pierced through the silence. Yet, Park Doo Shi remained still in his solitude.

"Mr. Park, I know you're in there. I'm the one who opened your room door and left it open for two days."

"We are all one nation, brother. Could you please open the door? The living room in your presidential suite is very spacious. We could even sleep there."

Suddenly, a woman's voice joined in with the door knocking.

She was the girl from the front desk who had opened Park Doo Shi's room door. It turns out, she had also chosen to hide on the top floor.

"You're in there, please open the door now. I'm the boss of Jiancheng Company. If you allow me in, once the rain stops, I'll give you one million, even five million."

A middle-aged man's voice was also heard. However, Park Doo Shi only chuckled sardonically, without giving any response.

"Hey, you in there! If you don't open the door now, don't blame us for this inconvenience."

The knocking grew louder, they even started using additional tools. When the gentle approach failed, they resorted to harsher actions. That's the nature of humans.

Yet, Park Doo Shi remained unyielding. This was a presidential suite, not so easily penetrated.

Moreover, the group had been starving for a full day, it was unlikely they had enough strength to forcefully break down the door.

The proof of truth revealed itself when the knocks eventually subsided after five or six minutes. Park Doo Shi calmly lit the gas stove to cook instant noodles for himself.

"Mm, truly delicious."

After six years of living in starvation, anything he ate now was a pleasure for Park Doo Shi.