The colossal flood roared down from the heavens like a towering white waterfall, obliterating mountains, rivers, and the very land itself.
"What terrifying, divine power," murmured a nobleman aboard the ark.
"In an instant, the world-ending Flood has descended…"
Onboard the ark, merchants, nobles, peasants, and slaves all stood in awed silence. These survivors—chosen by fate for their kindness and virtue—now witnessed the purification of a sinful world. All the cruel, savage, and lawless would be swept away beneath the relentless waters.
Forever afterward, this day would be remembered as Disaster Day. Under Utanapishtim's leadership, the last remnant of Sumerian civilization boarded Noah's Ark, fleeing from certain annihilation.
In a quiet corner of the vessel, Akkad—the royal scribe charged with chronicling Sumer's history—paused in stunned reverence. Kneeling upon the deck, quill trembling in hand, tears blurred his vision as he stared upward toward the divine being whose power reshaped the world.
"Our world…a round sky above, flat earth below…created in seven days by the Divine," he whispered, voice trembling. Inspired, he began transcribing his vision of the Creator's seven-day work, penning the final verses of the Sumerian epic Genesis:
Day One: God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. He separated light from darkness, calling the light Day and the darkness Night.
Day Two: God said, "Let there be a firmament to divide the waters," thus creating Heaven.
Day Three: God said, "Let the waters under heaven gather into one place so dry land may appear," calling the dry land Earth and the gathered waters Sea.
Day Four: God said, "Let lights appear in the firmament to separate day from night," creating the sun and moon to govern the cycles of fifty years of day and fifty years of night.
Day Five: God said, "Let there be life in the seas and skies," creating all creatures that swim and birds that soar above.
Day Six: God said, "Let there be creatures of the land, and let there be wisdom-bearing beings to rule over all things," thus creating beasts, insects, and humans.
Day Seven: With creation complete, God rested and blessed the previous six days.
In generations to come, Akkad's imagined record would become gospel truth. People believed the Creator had spoken directly to mortals during the Flood, detailing His seven-day creation. From this story arose the sacred concept of a weekly rest day—the holy Sabbath—forever honored by tradition.
With a deafening crash, the Flood descended in full fury. Cities collapsed like children's wooden blocks, and every trace of Sumerian accomplishment was swallowed into the ocean's abyss.
Xu Zhi continued the deluge until every structure was obliterated. Only when nothing remained did he finally shut off the high-pressure water cannon, returning it quietly to the supply shed.
Once more, the sandbox world lay bare, its ecosystem reset. The insect-apes' unchecked slaughter and reproduction had nearly shattered the delicate balance; now, with only a single pair of each species preserved aboard the ark, the natural harmony could gradually recover. Xu Zhi hoped this cataclysm would teach moderation: no more brutal conquest, no more reckless overpopulation.
The hive's secondary brain spoke softly beside him. "Even without your intervention, they would have inevitably collapsed—consuming all life until their own demise. Better to reset the world now and usher in renewal."
Xu Zhi exhaled slowly. "I'm not as fragile as you assume. I don't need comforting. It's just… painful."
The hive mind persisted, gently reminding him that as queen of the hive, he should accept cycles of growth and extinction without sentimentality. Xu Zhi's eyebrow twitched in irritation, and he corrected it firmly: "I am male—not a hive queen."
The secondary brain began to protest, "But these are merely spores you propagated—"
"Enough!" Xu Zhi sharply interrupted. He sat on the wooden bench at the courtyard entrance, absently peeling and eating fresh fruit. "Birth control is important. Tomorrow, buy two pounds of fruit in town. Gastric cancer—I must take care of my stomach."
He opened his black notebook and began to write carefully:
"This era is the Age of Beasts. Initially, I thought of calling it the Beast Cretaceous, paralleling Earth's dinosaur extinction. However, since the Sumerians recorded it as 'Genesis,' I'll adopt their naming. Henceforth, this epoch shall be known as the End of Genesis."
He reflected momentarily on Earth's own Cretaceous extinction event—how a meteor had wiped out the dinosaurs. Now his own world had been cleansed by a divine flood. He penned the next entry in his historical record:
Fourth Era—End of Genesis: With the rise of sapient species, the Ape Clan formed tribal city-states, expelling giant beasts and becoming rulers of the era. Yet their cruelty and barbarism incurred divine wrath. A great Flood descended, eradicating ninety-nine percent of all life—the Third Mass Extinction.
Satisfied, Xu Zhi placed his pen down and retired to bed.
The next morning, he awoke feeling a surge of unfamiliar energy coursing through his body. Startled, he dropped his toothbrush, leaning forward to inspect himself closely in the mirror.
His height had increased by several centimeters, now reaching 1.83 meters. His facial features were sharper, more refined, exuding a newfound air of confidence and dignity. His physique was now sculpted to perfection—muscular yet elegant, like a Greek statue, athletic but not overly bulky.
"My muscles felt perfectly balanced—strong and powerful without ever looking bulky." he murmured appreciatively, muscles rippling with newfound strength comparable to elite athletes.
"This must be the power granted by the Third Mass Extinction," he whispered, clenching his fists experimentally and feeling explosive potential surge through his limbs. "Compared to my previous gains, this improvement is far greater—my physical capabilities have improved beyond all expectations."