Following the direction pointed by the man, all the sisters-in-law present turned their heads to look.
At first glance, it didn’t seem like much, but upon closer inspection, everyone was shocked to realize—
The sky, which had been clear and blue just moments ago, had darkened without warning.
To the southeast, thick, rolling storm clouds loomed ominously.
The dark clouds were visibly advancing toward the residential compound at an alarming speed.
The sister-in-law who had been complaining about the radar meteorology team just seconds ago turned pale as a sheet.
"Oh no, oh no! The typhoon is really coming!"
Granny Qian frantically slapped her thighs in distress. "How—how could the typhoon arrive so suddenly?"
"I—I just removed the wooden boards from my windows this morning! Is this some kind of cruel joke?"
"Granny Qian, stop pacing in circles and hurry home to secure your things!"
Before she even finished speaking, Auntie Li had already sprung to her feet, sprinting away as if competing in a hundred-meter dash.
The remaining sisters-in-law were now in a panic.
Before anyone could react—
A fierce gale erupted out of nowhere, followed by a torrent of heavy raindrops pelting down without mercy.
Chaos instantly engulfed the scene.
Meanwhile, at the radar meteorology team’s station—
The atmosphere was equally tense.
The leader of the radar team glanced at the display screen. "Current wind speed?"
"Reporting, Team Leader Liu—ten minutes ago, it was 32.1 meters per second. Now, it’s 32.3 meters per second."
32.8 meters per second roughly translated to a Category 11 typhoon.
Typhoon warnings always had a margin of error, with fluctuations of a few levels being normal.
Hearing this, Team Leader Liu’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly for the first time in days.
A Category 11 was already much better than they had anticipated.
But before he could even exhale in relief—
Little Wang suddenly turned to him, panic written all over his face.
"Team Leader, it’s bad! The echo intensity is showing abnormal spikes, and the core wind speed is fluctuating wildly!"
Team Leader Liu barked, "Report the exact numbers!"
"Currently at 32.5 meters per second… 33.4… 34.6!"
In less than a minute, the typhoon had escalated from Category 11 to Category 12.
Even more terrifying—the numbers kept climbing!
The room fell silent as everyone held their breath, eyes locked onto the instrument panel.
Five minutes later, the data officer’s voice rang out again.
"Team Leader, the wind speed has now exceeded 52 meters per second. Estimated to surpass Category 16!"
"What did you say?" Team Leader Liu’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The officer repeated, "Category 16!"
"Run another verification check and confirm the margin of error."
Snapping back to focus, Team Leader Liu added, "Call the provincial meteorological center—ask for the weather balloon data."
"Yes, sir!"
Half an hour later, Team Leader Liu rushed into the command office, clutching the final radar report.
"Reporting to the Division Commander—we’ve confirmed it. This typhoon has exceeded Category 16!"
"At landfall, the projected wind speed is 55 meters per second, with a margin of error of ±2 meters."
"The core is currently southeast of Qionghai, expected to make landfall in four hours."
With that, he handed over the radar report.
"Category 16?!"
Division Commander Yao’s brow furrowed deeply as he snatched the document.
"Is this data reliable? Have you cross-checked with the provincial meteorological center?"
"It's been confirmed, and the meteorological bureau says a Category 16 is already... a conservative estimate."
"They also mentioned this could be the strongest typhoon since the founding of our nation."
"Additionally, the expected rainfall will far exceed historical records, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales, and extreme weather like hail."
The only silver lining was that this wasn’t the typhoon’s primary landing site.
Team Leader Liu added, "The wind force will gradually weaken after the typhoon makes landfall. The landing site is about 200 to 300 kilometers away from the residential compound, giving us a buffer zone."
"By the time the typhoon passes through, the winds might not be as strong. There’s also a chance it could change direction."
Division Commander Yao fell silent for a moment. "But we can’t gamble on that possibility."
Everyone present understood the destructive power of a Category 16 typhoon.
"Old Yao, the residential compound’s old apartment buildings won’t hold up against a typhoon of this magnitude."
As he spoke, Political Commissar Li glanced anxiously out the window.
"I know."
After a brief pause, Division Commander Yao turned to his aide.
"Sound the highest-level typhoon alert immediately!"
"All non-combat personnel, including all family members, must evacuate to the assembly hall at once. Move quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
A piercing air-raid siren blared, followed by an urgent broadcast.
[Emergency alert! Emergency alert! Attention all revolutionary family members!]
[Typhoon 74316 has been confirmed as a Category 16 super typhoon, expected to make landfall in four hours.]
[All personnel hearing this broadcast must evacuate immediately via designated routes to the second floor of the regimental assembly hall for shelter.]
...
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the divisional assembly hall.
Jiang Si had come well-prepared. Her Third Grandpa, having lived by the sea all his life, was no stranger to typhoons.
So long before the rain began, she had calmly gathered her supplies and made her way over.
With her came Teacher Hu, Sister-in-law Xu, and several other wives who had spent years living along the coast.
Of course, Jiang Si wasn’t the type to only care about her own survival.
With so many lives at stake, she couldn’t just stand by.
Before heading to the assembly hall, she had gone to see Director Pan of the residential compound.
By the time she arrived, several other wives were already there, voicing their concerns.
One mentioned seeing what looked like "fire clouds" at dawn—a telltale sign of an approaching typhoon.
Another pointed out the feathery cirrus clouds gathering in the southeast, known in her hometown as "horse-tail clouds," another common precursor to typhoons.
Jiang Si’s observations aligned with theirs, but she added something crucial.
Earlier that morning, Third Grandpa and Uncle Zhong, sensing something amiss, had gone to the shore.
There, they’d noticed unusually strong swells and murky seawater—details Jiang Si relayed to Director Pan.
After compiling the reports, Director Pan immediately notified the military district.
She then went door-to-door, urging everyone to evacuate.
But as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Despite her pleas, most residents treated it like a joke, leisurely chatting on their doorsteps as if nothing were wrong.
The laughter that had filled the air earlier was now replaced by bitter regret.
The rain had grown heavier, and within just an hour, the water in the residential compound had already risen to calf height.
"What's going on? It's been over an hour, and less than a third of the people have evacuated," said Battalion Commander Sun, who was in charge of the evacuation.
Director Pan wore a troubled expression. "We've urged them repeatedly, but everyone's scrambling to gather their belongings. They just won't listen..."
"This is absurd! At a time like this, what matters more—possessions or lives?"
With time running out, Battalion Commander Sun, frustrated, had no choice but to dispatch a small team to assist.
"Hurry, everyone, move faster! Evacuate now!"
The young soldiers knocked on doors while urging the residents to leave.
"Almost done, just a moment!" The more they were pressed, the more frantic the residents became.
Just then, Old Lady Xiang leaned halfway out from next door. "Young comrades!"
