Sea Level Rises 8000m: 5000 Credits for Shelter Entry
R0b0t · Completed · 14.0k Words
Introduction
Through years of hard work, I finally bought a house in the city.
I suddenly had a splitting headache, and a blue system interface appeared on my retina, telling me that the sea level would rise by 8,000 meters in 24 hours and that a deep-sea mutated tide would submerge the world.
To survive, I must get 10 people to each transfer $ 5,000 to me before the countdown ends , and I will receive an asylum spot for each transfer I receive.
Chapter 1
The shelter system is now activated.
[Countdown: 24 hours 00 minutes 02]
[Every $5,000 = 1 spot (10 people in total)]
[If the countdown fails to complete: You will perish with the world]
I stared at those words, my palms sweating profusely.
These words appeared directly in my field of vision, a cold, impersonal countdown.
24:00:00.
There was no time to hesitate.
I immediately messaged my girlfriend of five years, Camilla:
"Could you lend me 5000? It's urgent, I need it tonight."
I felt that after so many years of relationship, and now that we've reached the point of marriage, she would definitely lend me the money.
She replied with a question mark instantly. Before I could explain, she sent a screenshot of the message to our shared family group chat.
Immediately afterwards, the group chat exploded.
"He actually came asking for money?"
"5000? What's he planning to do with it, gamble?"
"That's how people in the lower town are; they're poor but they pretend to be in a hurry."
"Hilarious, they must be desperate for money."
My phone kept vibrating, like I was being slapped in the face by a group of people.
Camilla initiated a video call. I answered.
In the video, she sits on a soft sofa, laughing easily, as if she's watching a joke.
"Owen," she said slowly, "are you out of your mind? Asking for five thousand like that."
My throat was dry and sore: "Camilla, I'm really worried. I—"
"Get out of here, you poor wretch from the city."
The call was disconnected.
I stood in the kitchen, my legs suddenly went weak, and I knelt on the floor, my fingers digging into the cracks in the floorboards.
The TV was on. The presenter spoke very quickly, saying that "abnormal tides" had appeared in the coastal waters, but then a government spokesperson appeared on screen shortly afterward.
"The situation is under control; please do not panic."
I didn't sleep all night.
The countdown was etched into my mind like a nail. I ran out into the street and told everyone I met:
"Lend me $5,000! I'll pay you back tomorrow!"
Someone rolled their eyes and said, "Get lost, don't touch me."
Someone even took a picture of me with their phone, captioning it: "The downtown madman has struck again."
I went to the company to see the manager. After listening to my story, the manager only said one thing: "Your performance this month hasn't met the target. Once you do, the company will naturally give you a bonus."
I gritted my teeth and didn't explain. After all, who would believe that the end of the world was really coming? Explaining would be a waste of time.
I returned to my rented room, and the countdown had increased from 24 hours to over 20 hours. I sat on the edge of the bed, with only one thought in my mind: money.
Just then, Camilla messaged me: "Come see me at Uptown Cafe. Now."
My heart felt like it had been yanked.
For a fleeting moment, I even felt a sliver of hope—maybe she finally believed me. After five years of dating, at least a shred of humanity remained.
I rushed to the Uptown Cafe, pushed open the door, and was greeted by a wave of warmth.
Camilla sat by the window, next to a man in a sharp suit.
Everyone around me was looking at me with eyes full of superiority.
I sat down and just started to speak: "Camilla—"
She shoved a document in front of me, her tone like announcing a result: "My dad and I have frozen your joint account."
I was stunned: "What?"
She smiled and said, "I've taken the 300,000 yuan you saved by working three jobs. It's compensation for deceiving me for five years."
"What did you say?" I stared at her. "That's my money."
"You want to cause trouble? Go ahead and sue. Who can the people of the lower town win a lawsuit against?"
Jeffrey gently put his arm around her waist, as if showing me a trophy.
Camilla took out her phone and posted a status update in front of me:
"A new life begins."
The accompanying picture is of her kissing Jeffrey on the cheek.
Someone in the coffee shop burst out laughing.
Camilla put down her cup and delivered the final blow: "Let's break up, Owen. Someone like you deserves to stay in downtown."
I know that when the end of the world comes, all money will just be a string of numbers.
I simply pushed the documents back, my calmness almost alien to myself: "You'll regret this."
Camilla laughed even louder: "Regret? You even had to borrow 5,000 from me, how can you expect me to regret it?"
As I walked out of the coffee shop, the countdown timer with the system logo popped up again.
[Countdown: 18 hours, 7 minutes, and 29 seconds]
I heard another sound mixed in with the hustle and bustle of the city in the distance—a deep, continuous sound, like the roar of the sea.
I stood on the bridge where the upper town and the lower town met, looking into the distance.
The sea level is ridiculously high. The city's coastline seems to have been swallowed up, the water reflects the gray-black sky, and that black wall is even closer than last night, making it hard to breathe.
My phone rang.
Caller ID: Luna.
I answered the phone and heard her voice, almost breaking down in tears: "Owen, the TV says there's going to be a huge tsunami... I... I'm scared. What do we do?"
Hearing her words, I instantly felt at ease.
Yes, I should go back to the lower town; there are people there who trust me.
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
The Billionaire's Surrogate's Secret
“Who said that’s still fucking true? We stopped being just man and surrogate the first time our eyes met.” He walked towards me, boring into my eyes with those eyes of his. “I fucking want you, Vanessa.”
My heart stuttered.
This could not be real.
“But the rules—“
“I made them. I can destroy them. I already destroyed them when I kissed you.” He was dangerously close now, but all I kept getting was danger signals combined with the panic, alarm, lust and above all, the guilt.
It was killing me.
Vanessa Sterling who never liked men because of what her father did to her mother ended up having a drunken one night stand with a stranger and that might end up changing her life forever.
Rodri Darnell who doesn’t want to get married or have kids but is forced to give his father a grand child, decided to use a surrogate.
Vanessa Sterling was supposed to be an ordinary surrogate to Rodri Darnell of the Dolphin Emirates, but he fell in love with her.
Their only problem will be Vanessa's secret.
Faking It With My Worst Enemy On Ice
But on his birthday, everything falls apart when his girlfriend exposes Clare's most humiliating secret in front of the entire team.
Just when Clare is ready to disappear, Rhys Calloway, her worst enemy and the team's arrogant captain, pulls her into his arms and tells everyone she is his girlfriend.
She should have pushed him away, but she kissed him back instead.
Now Clare is locked into a two-month fake relationship with the most infuriating man she has ever met, trying to get over a stepbrother who never cared and survive a captain who makes her forget why she was supposed to hate him.
The problem is that Rhys kisses like he means every single second of it, and just when Clare starts to move on, Zane decides he wants her back.
One girl, two hockey players, and a heart that was never supposed to feel this much. Will she choose the stepbrother who broke her or the enemy who caught her when she fell?
Mission: Steal the Male Lead
But the more Morwenna changes the story, the stranger the world becomes. The heroine seems to know the future, unseen spectators begin commenting on her life, and the gods watching from above grow obsessed with the drama unfolding before them. Trapped in a story where fate has already decided the ending, Morwenna must choose whether to follow the script or rewrite it entirely. But if the world itself was never meant to belong to its characters, can she steal the male lead before fate steals her freedom first?
Fated to the three Alphas of MOONCREST college
Fated to the three alphas of MOONCREST college... book 1
Fated at mooncrest: Stuck with the two alphas.... book 2
A half-blooded girl. Three charismatic Alpha Wolves. And a destiny-bound bond.
Malia Reed always felt she was nothing special except for her bloodline; she only wanted to survive in the shadows.
Until she entered Mooncrest college…everything changed. A destined, inescapable bond bound her to the powerful and handsome Alpha Wolves—Aiden, Cian, and Rowan Moonfall Wolf.
The entire academy was abuzz with excitement; everyone was talking about it.
As her hidden powers awakened, the dark secrets of her parents surfaced. Enemies drew closer. And what about her three destined companions? Their feelings were subtly shifting…
But only one could truly win her heart.
Tango 2 the Alpha's Heart
My gaze snapped to his. He was smiling, causing my heart to skip a painful beat. Before I could respond, the music began, and my body instinctively reacted to the sweet melody.
I found myself molded to Lex's will, my feet irresistibly following the dance steps.
The crowd gasped as Lex pulled me into a more intimate position, his hands roaming over my body in a seductive manner.
The experience was both terrifying and magical, allowing me to feel every longing emotion through the dance.
I soon found myself lost in his arms.
When the music finally stopped, my arms were wrapped around his neck, his hands resting on my back, our noses almost touching. He gazed deeply into my eyes.
The ballroom fell silent.
Was he about to kiss me?
Lilly’s life was never easy; she lost her memory and family in a blazing fire. Angelica found and took her in—only to make her a slave to the household.
Years of torment and abuse left Lilly weak, vulnerable, and believing she was without a wolf, but that didn't mean that all hope was lost.
At night, in her dreams, he would patiently wait for her—the man who brought sunshine into her darkest moments.
They would dance the night away, but as dawn approached, he would vanish into the morning sun.
Lilly had given up hope of finding a mate, having a family, and leading a normal life.
But things are about to drastically change for her...
Secrets, lies, betrayal... and a baby on the way.
What if Lilly wasn't wolf-less? What if it was all a lie?
What if she had a living family? Would she stay and bond with them or make a run for freedom?
Reborn and Unleashed: The Boss Lady Takes No Prisoners
Now reborn, Vivian refuses to hide her strength. She's revealing her true identity, claiming her power, and rewriting her fate. No more submission, no more misunderstandings—this time, she'll take control of her life and her love.
As regretful brothers beg for forgiveness and powerful enemies fall at her feet, Vivian has one goal: to rise without mercy and make the man she once loved fall for her all over again—on her terms.
Accardi
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.
Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
Filled, Owned, and Fucked by My Best Friend’s Father
He was supposed to be off-limits. Untouchable. The kind of man you only fantasize about when you’re alone in the dark with your hand between your thighs.
But the night I caught him eating another woman alive by the pool, I couldn’t look away.
And he knew it.
The moment his dark eyes locked on mine through the glass, I became prey. His filthy smirk promised one thing—he saw me touching myself to him, and he wasn’t about to let me forget it.
Now, every time I’m in his house, I can’t breathe without thinking of his mouth between my legs.
I left my cheating boyfriend behind, only to fall into something even more dangerous:
a man who could ruin me, break me, and make me beg for his cock while his own daughter sleeps in the next room.
He’s too old. Too powerful. Too forbidden.
But Gianni doesn’t ask—he takes.
And I don’t want him to stop.
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
The MC Hacker’s Stolen Princess
She did not come to find out her father had promised her to another man.
As the only daughter of Shane “Rook” Rourke, president of the Lost Coast Renegades MC, Taryn has always known club business comes first. But when Rook signs a treaty with the dangerous president of Iron Mesa, he crosses a line even she never imagined.
Safe passage through Arizona territory comes with a price.
Her.
Kellan Stroud is thirty, powerful, ruthless, and already waiting at Sturgis to meet the woman he expects to marry.
Taryn wants no part of him, no part of the agreement, and definitely no part of a future chosen for her by two men who think a signature is enough to decide where she belongs.
Then she meets Bobby Fuentes.
At twenty, Bobby is one of the youngest fully patched members of the Sons of Doom MC. He is quiet until he has something to say, dangerous when he needs to be, and smart enough to get into places no one else can. Hacking is what he does best.
Until Taryn gives him a new problem to solve.
One reckless connection at Sturgis becomes something neither of them can ignore, and when Bobby realizes exactly what Rook has promised away, walking away stops being an option.
But stealing another president’s future wife is not a misunderstanding.
It is an insult.
A betrayal.
And in the MC world, it can mean war.
Taryn refuses to be anyone’s property.
Bobby has never been good at following rules.
And Kellan Stroud does not forgive what he believes belongs to him.
The road out of Sturgis may cost them everything first.
Everybody is Guilty Here
Middlesbrough's underworld is a dangerous game, and Matthew Smith finds himself right in the middle of it. A once-feared gang leader, he is now forced to be a pawn in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Matthew's only shot at freedom is helping the police bring down Mr. K, the elusive mafia boss of the city. The only problem is that the detective he is forced to work with is the same man who arrested him years ago.
Masahiro Payne is everything Matthew hates: cold, calculating, and relentless. But their only hope for survival is by pretending to be a happy couple, blending in amidst dangerous crime, deceit, and power struggles. The closer they find themselves to taking down Mr. K's empire, the more they are attracted to one another, an affair too potent to turn from.
As their undercover mission spirals into a web of lies and hidden desires, they face a growing threat from all sides. But the greatest risk is the one they can't control-their own feelings. With every touch, every stolen kiss, the line between their fake relationship and real emotions blurs.
In a world of betrayal, trust is a luxury, and falling for each other may be the deadliest mistake of all. Can they survive the deadly mafia games or will their passion be their demise?
