Get Out Now

Feeling the wave of stifling heat, Su Yang looked up at the sky.

He saw dark clouds drifting from the direction of Mount Fushi in the distance.

But he didn’t pay much attention, because the tour guide girl had said earlier that the typhoon wouldn’t make landfall for another three days.

After all, it was information from the weather bureau, which was generally fairly accurate, with a margin of error no more than half a day.

With at least two and a half days remaining before the typhoon hit, the clouds in the sky were probably just a minor precursor to the storm.

A little rain wouldn’t be a big deal, so Su Yang didn’t bother to look again.

The group wandered into the bustling downtown area, and the girls stopped at an ice cream shop to queue and buy a few scoops.

At 5:50, following the tour guide’s recommendation, they arrived at a restaurant called Matsuya Meat House for dinner.

It was a Japanese barbecue place—not a high-end establishment, but decent enough. The ambiance inside was quite pleasant, and the tour guide said the food was excellent.

Since it was dinner time, the restaurant was quite busy,

but there was no need to wait in line. A few private rooms were still available.

The group followed a young waiter to a private room that could seat fifteen people.

The waiter handed out menus to Su Yang and the others.

Su Yang ordered a plate of Japanese Wagyu steak for everyone, along with a sashimi platter featuring salmon, tuna, sea bream, and sweet Arctic shrimp.

The others ordered various dishes, such as beef tongue, grilled eel, tempura shrimp cakes, cheese-filled crab shells, and octopus with mustard, along with a few bottles of Japanese sake.

After taking their orders, the waiter nodded with a smile and left.

While waiting for the food, Su Yang looked at the two tour guides and two female drivers and said in Japanese, “By the way, we’ve been together for so long, but we still don’t know what to call you four lovely ladies.”

“Yeah, apart from the one riding with us, I haven’t even asked the others for their names yet,” Meng Wenzhou added, glancing at the guide seated diagonally across from him.

The two tour guides smiled at the group. The girl assigned to Su Yang’s car spoke first. “Alright, let us formally introduce ourselves. My name is Chiba Maki.”

“My name is Suzuki Aoi,” followed the guide in Meng Wenzhou’s car.

Su Yang nodded and looked at the more reserved female drivers. “And what about you two?”

One of them said politely, “Hello everyone, my name is Aizawa Arisa.”

The other added, “I’m Watanabe Akemi.”

“Nice, nice. You’re all quite young, aren’t you?”

The guide named Chiba Maki smiled and said, “We’re both 23. These two older sisters are a bit older than us.”

“Ah, so we’re pretty much the same age. We’re all in our twenties, just like you,” Meng Wenzhou said with a laugh.

“That’s right. Meeting like this is kind of a fate. Don’t be shy, everyone—loosen up a little. Especially you two drivers; you’re way too reserved. You hardly said a word all day,” Su Yang said with a smile.

“Yeah, earlier on the way here, I tried to chat with Arisa, but she’s really just too introverted,” Meng Wenzhou said, looking at Aizawa Arisa.

Hearing that, Arisa replied shyly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Meng. I’m a bit of an introvert, but I’m the slow-warming type. Once I get to know everyone, I’ll be more relaxed.”

“Haha, no worries. We’re all easygoing here. Just be yourselves and feel free. Since we’re out having fun together, don’t overthink it. Once you know us, we’re friends.”

“Okay,” the girls replied with a smile.

As they chatted, twenty minutes later, the door to the private room was knocked on, and the waiter pushed a cart carrying the dishes inside.

After placing the various delicacies on the table, he looked at them respectfully and said, “All the dishes you ordered have been served. If you need anything, just press the service bell, and I’ll come right away.”

“Thanks, man,” Su Yang said, nodding toward the waiter.

“You’re welcome. Please enjoy your meal.” The waiter gave a slight nod, pushed the cart, and left the room.

Staring at the table full of exquisite food, Ren Lingxi turned into full foodie mode, fixating on the dishes, drooling without moving.

Liu Bo hadn’t eaten his fill earlier in the afternoon and was now starving. Besides, he couldn’t understand the conversations around him, so he sat there like a loner the whole time, completely silent.

Once Meng Wenzhou had poured the sake, Liu Bo couldn’t help shouting, “Let’s dig in already! I’m starving!”

“Go ahead. And you ladies, don’t be shy—eat up,” Su Yang said to the four Japanese girls.

“Okay.”

An hour later, they finished a hearty dinner.

Since they still had to return to East City, they hadn’t ordered much alcohol tonight—just a few bottles of specialty Japanese sake to taste.

Because they had to drive, the two female drivers only drank juice.

It was 7:30 in the evening. Because the sky was full of dark clouds, what should have remained light until around eight o'clock had already turned pitch black. The temperature was oppressively hot, and from time to time, several streaks of lightning would flash through the air.

After Liu Bo paid the bill, everyone walked out of the barbecue restaurant together.

As soon as they stepped outside, a gust of wind mixed with stifling heat blew across their faces.

"What the hell, why did it suddenly get so stuffy!" Liu Bo looked up at the sky.

"Oh man, it looks like it's gonna rain," Zhuang Mengli also tilted her head and said.

"Huh? I thought the forecast said it wouldn't rain today," said the tour guide girl named Chiba Maki, staring up at the oppressive, dark sky thick with clouds.

Boom! Rumble!

Just as she finished speaking, a thunderclap exploded right above them, making her flinch from the sudden shock.

"Let's go, let's go! It's about to rain, hurry up!" Liu Bo shouted.

Without another word, everyone quickened their pace toward the parking lot, about a kilometer away.

The streets had been crowded earlier, but now there were no pedestrians in sight—only a few cars rushing to get home.

"Are you kidding me? Is the typhoon going to make landfall early?" Liu Bo asked, a little worried.

Meng Wenzhou looked up as he walked. "Probably not. Even if it does, it wouldn't be three days early."

"Chiba, has your country's weather been wrong about typhoon landings before?" Su Yang turned to Chiba Maki, who was walking on his left.

Chiba thought for a moment and replied, "Yes."

"Huh?"

"But such cases are very rare," she quickly added.

"I told you—if we're halfway to the car when this typhoon hits, that's no fun."

"It definitely won't. But judging by this weather, it's probably a sign of the typhoon. I think it'll make full landfall tomorrow night."

"So that's still more than a day early. The weather bureau's predictions are off. Let's get out of here."

Hearing that the typhoon might arrive early, everyone unconsciously sped up into a jog toward the parking lot.

They had just crossed one street, still halfway to their destination, when lightning began to flash more and more rapidly.

The crashing thunder roared endlessly.

The black storm clouds had already engulfed the entire town of Shanli County— lowering, heavy clouds pressing down above their heads.

For a moment, it felt suffocating, like the air itself could barely be breathed.