The World Flooded: A Delivery Rider’s Rise

Within 72 hours, the global sea level surged by more than 500 meters. There was no warning, no explanation. Seawater seemed to pour out of thin air, swallowing 96% of the land and reducing the world’s population of eight billion to fewer than 1.5 billion. Cities sank beneath the waves, civilization became ruins, and the survivors could do nothing but cling to floating wreckage to stay alive. Lu Yuan, a food delivery rider, narrowly escaped the Great Flood by clinging to a battered plank of wood and metal. When he came to, he was alone, adrift on a boundless ocean. All he had was a plank that could fall apart at any moment and a school of mutant fish, grown enormous and bristling with sharp teeth. Just as he was about to despair, something called the “Everything Upgrade System” bound itself to him. The System had just one function: upgrade. It could strengthen any item, one level at a time, but even Lu Yuan had no idea what it would turn into after each upgrade. He dove into sunken cities to scavenge supplies, discovered treasures beyond human technology in underwater ruins, faced terrifying deep-sea beasts head-on, and fought his way through the power struggles of competing factions. He met Shen Yueling, a cool-headed military medic; Ma Jianguo, an old fisherman; Lin Ruoxi, a marine scholar; and Su Qing, a mysterious young woman. Every companion had secrets and strengths of their own. He also faced greedy plunderers, the ambitious warlord Zhou Hai, the “Children of the Abyss,” who worshipped deep-sea monsters, and an ultimate terror from an unknown dimension. This is the story of a man rising from the very bottom of society. He relies neither on talent nor connections, but on sheer stubbornness and the thrill of never knowing what each upgrade will bring. The world has sunk beneath the waves. But those who are still alive have to keep living.