Chapter 140: Prophecy
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When An Bu stepped into the territory of Longteng City, she immediately realized that the disaster was more severe than she had expected.
The entire Longteng City was shrouded in an aura of death. The streets were bustling with people coming and going, seemingly lively and prosperous, but in An Bu’s eyes, it was like a black and white movie, gloomy and oppressive. The concentration of deathly aura was so strong that even vitality aura couldn’t counteract it. With so many people dying at the same time, there was only one possibility.
The city center of Longteng was not the center of the disaster; the most concentrated deathly aura was in Qianzi County, north of Longteng City, where the newest tourist attractions were located. Although it was not the peak tourist season now, the opening of the new attractions would inevitably attract a large number of visitors. When the population gathered, once an earthquake occurred, the casualties would be incalculable.
However, earthquakes were difficult to predict, and the cause of disasters often occurred within seconds or minutes. If only predicting how many earthquakes would occur in a year, it would be meaningless to reduce casualties. Although An Bu knew the timing of the earthquake, she had no authority or credibility. Posting messages online would only be considered rumors. Therefore, she needed to gather some evidence first.
On the bus to Qianzi County, An Bu took out her phone and took pictures of the abnormal phenomena along the way.
There was a damp and cold feeling in the air, and the trees on both sides of the road rustled in the dull wind. A group of birds flew overhead, emitting noisy chirps. Some water sources became turbid, fish floated to the surface, poultry became restless, and groups of rodents migrated… These signs were scattered and widespread. An Bu and Jian Ningxuan spent two days touring the entire Qianzi County before gathering some evidence. Although it was not enough to prove that an earthquake was imminent, it could increase a certain level of credibility.
In the evening, the two returned to the inn they were staying at, ready to issue an earthquake warning.
Earthquake prediction was a global challenge, and the government would not predict an uncertain disaster. Therefore, this prediction was generally left to scientific research experts or organizations. This also provided An Bu with operability. She could analyze and predict the earthquake from a professional perspective. The abnormal phenomena she photographed might not convince experts, but they could gain the trust of the general public to the greatest extent.
On a certain tourism forum in Longteng Scenic Area—
【Red Alert! There may be a major earthquake of magnitude 8 or above in Longteng City within ten days!】
A sensational post suddenly appeared in the forum, and the poster made a preliminary analysis of the potential earthquake, giving a somewhat professional impression. However, after reading it, all the netizens scoffed at it.
【Host, I have little knowledge, but don’t fool me. Can earthquakes also be predicted?】
【I believe earthquakes can be predicted, but there’s absolutely no way to predict accurately. People like Host, predicting an 8-magnitude earthquake within ten days, are obviously fake.】
【Rumors are fun for a while, but they’re nonsense in the end.】
【Admin, why haven’t you deleted such a rumor post? Are you keeping it for the New Year?】
【(Admin) This post is inappropriate and will be deleted.】
【Admin V5!】
…
One minute later, the post was still there.
Three minutes later, the post was still there.
Five minutes later, the post was still there, and it was pinned to the top.
【Admin!!! Are you okay?! Didn’t you say you were going to delete the post? What’s the meaning of pinning it???】
【Is the admin having a spasm?】
【How bad does it have to be for a post slated for deletion to be pinned?】
Ten minutes later, the post was still standing strong on the front page.
Thirty minutes later, the forum announced: 【This forum will undergo system maintenance soon, and services will be temporarily suspended. Please forgive us.】
Netizens: Something feels off…
TianX Community—
【Red Alert! On March 6, 2178, Longteng City will experience a major earthquake of magnitude 8 or above!】
Several hours later, similar posts were published on the largest domestic community forums. This time, the earthquake prediction not only specified a certain day but also included many photos of abnormal phenomena.
【Wow, is this real?】
【These photos don’t show any signs of editing, and the shooting dates are within the last two days. They look genuine.】
【Longteng City has indeed experienced earthquakes before. I remember the most severe one was magnitude 6, occurring in sparsely populated mountainous areas and didn’t cause much damage.】
【Predicting the time so accurately, even the World Seismic Monitoring Center can’t do that, right?】
【I don’t know if you believe it or not, I don’t.】
【Host, if the prediction is wrong, should you livestream yourself eating sh*t?】
【Waiting for Host to eat shit!】
【Waiting, 1】
【Waiting, 2】
【Am I the only one who thinks Host is going to get popular?…】
【(Admin) This post affects social stability, delete it.】
5 minutes later…
【Is it my webpage lagging? Why is this post still here?】
【Indeed, it’s still here.】
【Maybe the admin went to pee. They’ll delete it after they finish.】
10 minutes later, the post was pinned.
【???】
【Did the admin not wash their hands after peeing? Why such a sneaky move?】
30 minutes later, forum system maintenance…
Earthquake Research Website—
【Red Alert! On March 6, 2178, Longteng City will experience a major earthquake of magnitude 8 or above! The epicenter will be in Qianzi County!】
If the previous two posts were just testing the waters, this one was a real warning. It not only announced the exact time and location of the earthquake but also included nearly a hundred photos of turbulent wells, fish and shrimp emerging from water, flashing lights on the ground, and restless animals… A large number of abnormal phenomena, all occurring in Qianzi County.
The post predicted that this earthquake would affect several hundred thousand square kilometers centered on Qianzi County, causing extensive damage. It urged the people of Longteng City, whether they believed it or not, to temporarily leave the city before March 6 to prevent disaster.
【D*mn, I live in Qianzi County, and I’ve seen quite a few abnormal phenomena recently.】
【Magnitude 8 earthquake? Affecting several hundred thousand square kilometers?】
【Can the authorities come out and explain? Is this true?】
【Whether it’s true or not, I’ve decided to leave for a few days.】
【Upstairs +1】
After several rounds of fermentation, this post finally caught the attention of some netizens and was subsequently reposted on Weibo, spreading rapidly at an astonishing speed, causing quite a stir.
Naturally, the relevant departments would not ignore this panic-inducing “rumor.” Especially the official institutions of Longteng City, who promptly issued statements to debunk the rumors and swiftly cleared related posts.
However, these posts were like viruses, cleared in one wave and reappearing in another, spreading like wildfire across various forums and websites.
An Bu couldn’t make everyone believe, so she could only give warnings in the dumbest way possible. With Jian Ningxuan’s technical support, she tried to spread the message as much as possible. But under the official denials, most people doubted the credibility of the forecast and even criticized it widely. Those who had initially planned to leave also began to waver.
To save more people, An Bu pretended to be a seismic expert, going door-to-door to inform every resident of Qianzi County to leave Longteng City before the 6th of March and stay elsewhere for a few days.
As masses of people from Qianzi County began to evacuate, the tourism industry also suffered a huge blow. This quickly caught the attention of local police, who were simultaneously investigating the spread of “rumors” and reassuring residents and tourists not to believe the rumors and to stay calm. Many people were persuaded to abandon their plans to leave.
An Bu could only continue risking arrest and rushing around. Facing others’ doubts, reproaches, indifference, and ridicule, her heart remained calm. She had done everything she could, and whether these people could seize the opportunity depended on their fate.
Outside, heavy rain poured down. Jian Ningxuan was about to go out to find someone when he saw An Bu appear at the door, soaked.
“Mr. Jian, I’m back.” She wiped the water droplets from her face and smiled, “I’ll take a bath first, could you make something to eat for me?”
“Sure.” Jian Ningxuan watched her walk barefoot into the bathroom, then his gaze fell on the muddy shoes at the door.
After a moment of silence, he took out his phone and made a call.
“Dad.” Jian Ningxuan, who had never asked his father for anything, took the initiative to speak to him for the first time, “There’s something I’d like to ask for your help with…”
Half an hour later, An Bu emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed.
Jian Ningxuan had prepared vegetable salad and juice for her, along with an energetic hug.
An Bu leaned against him with satisfaction, enjoying his embrace.
Jian Ningxuan gently held her, his eyes full of tenderness.
“Don’t go out tomorrow, rest well for a day, and return home the day after tomorrow.”
“There are only three days left until the earthquake. I have to make the most of my time.” An Bu sat on his lap, holding the juice and sipping slowly.
“If nothing unexpected happens, there should be a turning point tomorrow.”
“Hmm?” An Bu looked at him puzzled.
Jian Ningxuan didn’t explain, but the next day, the turning point did indeed come.
First, the speed of official post deletions noticeably decreased. Then, some experts appeared one after another, releasing seismic data from the past month and analyzing the causes of earthquakes and various evacuation measures. Although they didn’t directly support An Bu’s prediction, they also didn’t deny the possibility of an earthquake.
At the same time, the police in Qianzi County stopped persuading people to stay and allowed them to decide for themselves whether to leave or stay.
An Bu felt very strange and couldn’t help asking, “What’s going on?”
“I had my father contact several experts,” Jian Ningxuan replied casually. He knew in his heart that his father had taken on considerable political risk for him this time. Although he hadn’t publicly supported earthquake predictions, standing in his position, he should have suppressed “rumors” to maintain social stability rather than going against the grain. If this prediction turned out to be false, it could easily become a pretext for political opponents to attack him.
On March 5th, the earthquake prediction post was almost universally known. Some believed it, some doubted it, some disdained it, some ignored it – reactions varied. But it was undeniable that because of this post, at least four to five hundred thousand people in Longteng City chose to evacuate. However, these people only held a mentality of “better safe than sorry” and didn’t truly realize the horror of the impending disaster.
This unknown earthquake also sparked considerable controversy within relevant departments, with even some foreign experts joining the discussion.
In today’s world, no country has accurately predicted the time and location of earthquakes. The term “accurate” refers to pinpointing it to a specific day and place. Like the prediction on the post, “March 6th, Qianzi County, Longteng City,” was a very precise forecast.
Many experts expressed their opinions online, acknowledging that an earthquake could indeed happen but not accepting that anyone could predict the precise time and location. There was mockery and condemnation towards the poster, especially from some foreign experts who boasted of their technological advancement compared to Z country. How could a country that couldn’t predict something they could, predict this?
M country: [“Earthquake prediction is a very rigorous matter, not a game for sensationalism.”]
E country: [“It’s hard to imagine that Z country would take a post from an internet user as fact. It’s ridiculous.”]
J country: [“If this earthquake prediction really comes true, our country is willing to spend a lot of money to recruit this poster.”]
Y country: [“Hundreds of thousands of people in Longteng City evacuated because of a rumor post, half of the factories closed, tourist attractions suspended operations, and the market deserted. This is probably the biggest farce in Z country this year, worthy of inclusion in the world’s curious sights.”]
Amidst a chorus of ridicule, the predicted date of March 6th finally arrived.
No one expected that a “rumor post” that even the authorities couldn’t eradicate would attract such widespread attention, not only domestically but also from numerous foreign netizens.
With over ten million people in Longteng City, approximately eight hundred thousand eventually chose to leave. In other words, with just one post, An Bu silently relocated eight hundred thousand people, not including those who had planned to travel. The remaining people, although they didn’t leave Longteng City, tried to stay as far away as possible from Qianzi County, which was at the epicenter. With nearly half a million people in Qianzi County, only a quarter did not evacuate, with others either going elsewhere or retreating hundreds of miles away.
At 9:51 a.m. on March 6th, the air was oppressive and gloomy. What used to be a bustling Longteng City now only had sparse pedestrians. Many shops on the streets were closed, giving an unusually desolate vibe.
The attention of the outside world was focused on Longteng City, with helicopters bearing media logos occasionally flying overhead.
Live broadcasts were also underway online, with many people watching with a sense of amusement, waiting to see how this drama would unfold.
As time passed without any incident, people gradually began to make fun, opening up a mode of mockery.
[“I now admire the genius who posted this. Not only was he not censored by the authorities, but he also made hundreds of thousands of people believe it.”]
[“That genius must be a highly skilled hacker. His post forced several forums into system maintenance.”]
[“Hahaha, I can’t help but admire this extraordinary person.”]
[“What’s so funny? Spreading rumors, causing chaos, these people should be caught and punished immediately!”]
[“Strongly agree! People who spread rumors should just die!”]
[“Poor people of Longteng, they’ve been through fear and panic, leaving their homes, and in the end, they won’t even know who to blame.”]
[“If the earthquake doesn’t happen, I’m willing to offer three bottles of child urine as a sacrifice to soothe the traumatized souls of Longteng people…”]
Boom!
A dull roar suddenly emanated from the ground, transmitted through cameras to the ears of everyone watching Longteng City.
At 9:51:00.7 a.m., the earth shook, and disaster struck.
Centered around Qianzi County, it radiated out to hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, affecting half of Z country and causing tremors in dozens of nearby provinces and cities.
In an instant, mountains collapsed, screams filled the air, as if it were doomsday.
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