In everyday life, a framed painting and a ceiling lamp aren't considered very large.
But when they transformed into bombs, exploding simultaneously less than three meters apart, it was as if space itself had begun to rapidly expand and shatter. The blasts gave Mai Mingle the distinct impression she was about to die. 'Humans are so slow,' she thought. 'The human body is so fragile and heavy.'
The ceiling, the wall with the hanging picture, the exterior wall of the hallway on the other side...
In just a few short moments, it seemed as if everything was exploding and collapsing, crashing down in a thunderous rain of debris.
The three-digit countdown had allowed Mai Mingle to save her life, but that was all she'd managed to save. Amidst the smoke, flames, and crumbling apartment, she stumbled and ran, buffeted by countless shockwaves, only to be struck on the back of the head by a piece of concrete. A sharp pain lanced through her, and she briefly lost consciousness.
