Forecasting Natural Disasters for Novel Natives - Chapter 15

The perspective of this scene was extremely close, as if someone was holding a camera and filming an extreme close-up from less than half a meter away.

The blood splattered directly onto the lens.

For those standing on the ground watching the Sky Screen, this stimulation was even more intense, because from their angle, it looked as if a basin of blood had been poured down from the heavens.

At that moment, people almost instinctively flinched.

But this time, no one cursed. Or rather, everyone almost forgot to breathe, just staring blankly as that person bit into the person on the ground, bite by bite, until the entire face was a bloody, unrecognizable mess.

Meanwhile, other people on the ground gradually began to wake up.

Among those who awakened, some also limped toward others in that same manner, while others were clearly conscious and rational, still bewildered about what had happened. The next moment they saw the scene of people eating people and let out throat-tearing screams.

That scream sealed their fate.

Those limping figures immediately stiffened, then turned their heads in unison to “look” at the screaming person.

The scene cut to another series of close-ups, and people now saw that these cannibalistic creatures had pupils as tiny as pinpoints, exceptionally gaunt cheeks, as if skin was stretched directly over bones, with all the fat and flesh in between drained of moisture, becoming dry and withered.

Dark spots even appeared on their skin.

They stared fixedly at the screaming person, but their eyeballs could no longer move, like blind people.

Yet they clearly locked onto their target accurately. Then they opened their mouths, letting out beast-like roars, their canine-sharp teeth dripping with blood and flesh from their previous victim. When they opened their mouths, bloody saliva dripped down.

The people under the Sky Screen: !!!

Ahhh, did this shot have to be so close and clear? It was a direct critical hit!

“Zombies! These people have turned into zombies!”

“Run! Run quickly!”

But the shouts from the crowd couldn’t be heard by the terrified person in the video. He sat dumbly on the road, surrounded by these eerie figures staring at him, completely frozen.

The next moment, all the zombies pounced on him.

Piercing howls echoed on the road.

And such tragic scenes weren’t limited to just this one place. On roads, in shops, in residential buildings, in green spaces, and inside cars—everywhere displayed such brutal scenes.

Countless people were pounced on and killed by zombies. In just a few minutes, the entire road was stained red with blood. Adults screamed and children cried, like a living hell on earth.

Some escaped from the road, while others fled from elsewhere, essentially running straight into the lion’s den.

[In those brief three to five minutes of unconsciousness, some people turned into zombies. Among these people were elderly, children, men and women, strong and weak—it was almost completely random, depending only on individual luck.]

[Those who became zombies typically woke up slightly earlier than others. This time difference, insignificant under normal circumstances, became the zombies’ hunting hour here, with normal people like lambs to the slaughter, utterly defenseless.]

[Some people woke up to face this cannibalistic carnage directly, others were literally bitten awake, some were smart enough to realize something was wrong and covered their mouths tightly while hiding in dark corners to observe. But no one knew whether the unconscious people lying nearby would be normal when they woke up, or would open their jaws wide and pounce.]

[And worse still, those bitten by zombies would soon become zombies themselves.]

In the Sky Screen, the corpses on the ground that had been bitten to death suddenly twitched, then convulsed violently before getting up one by one. With grotesque faces, twisted joints, and covered in blood, they pursued new prey.

In an instant, the zombies seemed to multiply exponentially.

The panicked and terrified people found themselves even more surrounded, with no escape route.

Someone hid under a car nearby, but the next moment was dragged out by bloody claws.

Someone hid in a house, with zombies pounding on the door outside.

Another group of people was hiding when suddenly someone among them let out a roar and turned into a zombie, followed by a one-sided massacre in the small space.

Others ran injured to the hospital, only to find the hospital had already descended into chaos.

[Not only would being bitten to death turn you into a zombie, but even being scratched by a zombie would cause mutation. Exposed wounds touching zombie blood, or contaminated food and drink, all carried infection risks.]

[People called this the zombie virus. It was extremely contagious, and once infected, the mutation rate was one hundred percent. Due to this characteristic, zombies “reproduced” extremely quickly. On the first day of the apocalypse, over half the population was infected. The entire world plummeted like falling off a cliff, with order completely collapsing.]

In the scene, the city was in complete chaos. In just one day, it seemed like zombies filled every street and alley, while the living could only hide indoors, barely surviving, not even daring to make a sound. Everyone watching felt chilled to the bone.

Even though they loudly told themselves it was fake, all of it was fake, filmed, their hearts still heard a voice saying it all seemed genuinely real.

Everything was too authentic.

“I saw my house.”

“I saw my colleague—she was bitten to death by zombies!”

“Ah, that’s my school, full of zombies! So terrifying, sob sob!”

“This is real, this is fucking real!”

“What date did she say it would start?”

“I think she said August 7th.”

“That’s the day after tomorrow. I’m definitely not leaving home that day. I’ll stay alone inside—it’s too dangerous outside!”

Amid people’s heated discussions, the Sky Screen video was also coming to an end.

[Alright, that’s all for this video. Next time, we’ll discuss zombie weaknesses, evolution, and the emergence of ability users in the apocalypse.]

[If you feel this video can help you, please like and send flowers for support. The more likes, the faster the next episode.]

The Sky Screen gradually dimmed, the night sky returned to its previous state, and small like and flower screens appeared before people.

Although many still didn’t believe in this Sky Screen, thinking that more likes meant faster next episodes, they still gave likes and sent flowers.

The same screen appeared before Tan Feng.

He stood on the balcony watching the entire Sky Screen, his mood somewhat complicated.

Having just been reborn, he had almost looked forward to the apocalypse’s arrival. When social order collapsed, some ugly people would become stray dogs, and he could toy with and take revenge on them like a cat playing with mice.

When the Sky Screen first appeared, he only felt this preview was superfluous and meddlesome.

But the scenes in the Sky Screen were too brutal, the impact too direct.

Too many people’s lives, happiness, hopes for the future, and expectations were all destroyed by this disaster. This was a catastrophe for all humanity.

And now, someone came to tell everyone about all this in advance, so many things could be prevented, and humanity would have a chance to weather this catastrophe with minimal losses.

It seemed like a good thing too.

But…

“Can you really save so many people?”

The fate of the entire world wasn’t so easily reversed. No one could be certain how much change this Sky Screen could bring.

Tan Feng looked at the small screen before him and finally, just before it was about to disappear, gave it a like and lit up the little flower.

A big smiling face appeared on the screen, then the screen vanished.

Standing on the high-rise balcony, it seemed to quiet down suddenly, but looking out revealed that this city was anything but peaceful.

Whether in high-rises or lower residential buildings, lights came on house by house, until most of the city had awakened.

Tan Feng’s neighbors and the floors above and below also stirred with commotion—the sound of heated discussions as people debated whether the Sky Screen could be trusted.

Tan Feng didn’t listen carefully. Instead, he went back inside to change clothes and head out. After his rebirth, he had ordered weapons. Originally, picking them up tomorrow or the day after wouldn’t have been too late, but now it was better to get them back early for safety.

*

“Whether it’s real or not, it’s better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn’t!”

In one household, a middle-aged couple, a young married couple, and a baby all gathered in the living room.

The family patriarch declared decisively: “Tomorrow, everyone ask for leave from work. Then go buy some food to store at home, and prepare some weapons. The day after tomorrow morning, we’ll each stay in separate rooms with all doors and windows locked from the inside.”

“What about the baby?”

The young mother held her baby, asking with red-rimmed eyes.

“Must be isolated too. No one knows if any of us might mutate,” the father-in-law said seriously. “After we wake up and confirm we’re fine, then we’ll go find the baby.”

The mother nodded, reluctant to let go of her baby while her husband comfortingly embraced her.

The scene from the Sky Screen earlier—of the mother unconscious while the baby was submerged in water—was their family.

That image had such a tremendous impact on their family that they felt chilled to the bone. The young mother nearly fainted from shock and hadn’t let go of her baby since, still not having recovered.

It was precisely because of this scene in the Sky Screen that their family was relatively convinced of what the Sky Screen described and took it seriously.

The unfortunate fried chicken cook now slumped on his narrow, cluttered balcony. After a while, feeling cold from the wind, he finally shivered back to awareness.

He quickly touched his face, finding it still intact and not blown apart, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

“Just like a dream, and an absolute nightmare at that!”

He quickly called his boss to quit—immediately quit!

He never wanted to fry chicken again in this lifetime, probably developing a physiological aversion to even seeing oil.

As soon as the call connected, the boss’s voice came through first. “Xiao Ma, was that person you? Our shop will be closed for the next two days, so you don’t need to come in. Even if that person was you, you can’t tell anyone, understand? Otherwise, no one will dare eat our fried chicken anymore.”

Xiao Ma: “…”

Was this really the time to worry about future business? If the apocalypse really came, survival would be the issue—who would think about running a shop!

Xiao Ma hung up speechlessly, then received a call from a friend. “Brother Ma, what are you thinking? Should we do something?”

Xiao Ma looked at his living space. “My parents both live in the countryside, in that old broken house that would collapse with a push. It can’t protect against anything. I’m planning to bring them here.”

His place was small, but the security door was quite solid—it could defend against zombies.

And it had exactly one bedroom, one kitchen, and one bathroom. When the time came, he, his father, and mother could isolate in separate spaces.

His friend said, “But Yongcheng has a dense population. If there really are zombies, we won’t even know where to run. Don’t TV shows always portray it this way? When zombies break out, cities become meat grinders, and everyone flees to the countryside.”

Xiao Ma leaned against the window, touching his still-pounding heart. “About that, I don’t think we need to worry. The government isn’t stupid—they should take some measures. I think cities might actually be safer then. Outside the city, with vast land and few people, if something happens, you’ll cry to heaven and earth with no response. People could kill you and no one would know.”

His friend shuddered. “The more you talk, the scarier it gets. Let me think about whether to bring my family here too.”

“Right, think about it, think carefully. My guess might not be right either.”

Similar discussions were happening in households throughout Yongcheng.

“Ask for leave tomorrow, don’t go to school. Your school was swarming with zombies—too frightening.”

“Mom, that might not happen.”

“Daughter, listen to your mother. If something really happens, school becomes hell. Even adults might not be able to escape, let alone you children.”

*

“Grandpa’s surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. What should we do? We finally got this appointment.”

“Let’s see if the government takes any action, if the hospital makes any adjustments.”

*

“Are we still going on vacation?”

“Let’s postpone that for now.”

*

“Honey, your due date is in these few days. What should we do?”

“I’m not panicking, so why are you? Call the hospital and ask if they can induce labor—give birth tomorrow.”

“Once born, he’ll be a person. What if he mutates the day after tomorrow?”

The woman fell silent. “Then maybe we should wait, get through the day after tomorrow first.”

“But what if he mutates in your belly and bites you?”

The woman fell silent again, then threw an apple core at the man’s head. “Can’t you say something positive? Shut up and get lost!”

*

Not only were people in Yongcheng unable to sleep, but the Sky Screen video spread online, causing explosions in other cities too.

“Is this video real or fake?”

“What video? ‘The video involves gore and has been deleted’?”

“Good thing I had the foresight to download it. It says zombies are coming.”

“Shanshan, why are you packing?”

“I need to go home. My grandmother is alone in Yongcheng, and I’m worried.”

“This seems to be a global event, right? Why can this Sky Screen only be seen in Yongcheng? My great Beijing refuses to accept this!”

“Fake, absolutely fake!”

“Isn’t the end of the world great? As long as you don’t become a zombie, wouldn’t that be awesome? Do whatever you want, never have to work again!”

While people everywhere were either panicking, excited, or speculating, governments at all levels held emergency meetings, studying the video inside and out, yet unable to make decisions.

Even after dawn, the eagerly waiting people of Yongcheng and elsewhere didn’t see any movement from above.

Some local official social media accounts even issued clarifications denying the rumors.

“What does the country mean by this? Just ignoring it? Not doing anything?”

“Isn’t this obvious? It means the video is fake!”

“Then they should issue an official statement to refute the rumors. This is making everyone panic.”

With the government silent, the nervous people of Yongcheng suddenly didn’t know what to do.

Only those who were determined, particularly timid, preferred to believe it existed, or had seen themselves in the Sky Screen quietly began preparing.

They stockpiled food, stored water, bought more kitchen knives, iron rods, hammers, ropes, etc., and reinforced their doors and windows.

There were also those who normally exercised zero and got winded after running two steps, now suddenly energized as if revived from their deathbeds, desperately exercising at the last minute. Yongcheng’s major sporting goods stores saw treadmills and fitness equipment suddenly become hot sellers.

Additionally, Yongcheng’s major markets and supermarkets were nearly bursting with crowds.

Although others were still hesitating and wavering uncertainly, far fewer people went to work or school—at least half the city had called in sick.

This reaction naturally drew mockery from people in other cities.

Tan Feng waited until dawn and finally got his blades properly sharpened.

The boss came out holding a crossbow. “You needed it urgently, so the sharpening was a bit rushed, but it won’t affect usage. Be careful though—these are all controlled items. If you get caught, they’ll confiscate them immediately.”

Tan Feng drew the blade, its bright reflection gleaming on his face. One long blade, one short blade—both of excellent quality. Satisfied, he packed them away and checked the crossbow. “Thanks.”

The boss gestured with his chin. “So you believe in that Sky Screen too?”

Tan Feng carefully wrapped the blades. “Better prepared than sorry.”

“Did you call your family over? Everyone staying together makes it easier to look out for each other. Wait, isn’t your family in Beijing? Are you heading back?”

Mentioning family, Tan Feng’s expression grew cold, though his naturally calm demeanor made it imperceptible.

He asked, “What are your plans?”

The boss said, “Might as well use this opportunity to give myself a vacation and visit relatives in Beijing.”

He lowered his voice. “You might not see the country taking action, but that capital territory has definitely quietly mobilized. I bet Beijing’s entire defense system was upgraded overnight.”

Tan Feng responded noncommittally.

Beijing’s defenses were definitely upgraded. Even in his previous life when there was no preparation, Beijing was the first to react, with troops entering the city to eliminate zombies.

Although they lost the initiative, after rounds of firepower, zombies could only flee for their lives.

Eventually zombies in Beijing were eliminated. Although population losses were severe, it quickly became the destination for survivors nationwide, directly causing population explosion and subsequent food and supply crises.

Later, when he traveled thousands of miles through countless hardships to return to the capital, his parents and his arranged fiancée’s family had already been evicted from their villa, crammed into a small, broken shack, eating only one meal a day of porridge so thin you could wash your face with it, skinny as skeletons.

It was he who enabled them to live well again.

But in the end, they were also the ones who abandoned him.

This time, if he didn’t return, he wondered what kind of life they’d lead.

Then he shook his head mentally. As long as the country had some preparation, Beijing basically wouldn’t fall to his previous life’s state. Both families had foundations—they really wouldn’t suffer too much.

What a pity.

The boss continued chattering. Tan Feng glanced at him and reminded: “If you’re leaving, go early to avoid traffic.”

“Who drives themselves? I’m flying.”

Tan Feng looked at the other controlled items in the shop. You couldn’t bring these on a plane, but seeing the other’s nonchalant attitude, he seemed genuinely just visiting relatives.

At least he wasn’t making the worst-case preparations.

Indeed, without government action, plenty of people couldn’t grasp the severity.

He didn’t offer any reminders. The Sky Screen had already warned them—if people didn’t take it seriously, who else could they blame?

Although the two had some relationship, he’d learned enough lessons from being betrayed by relatives and friends in his previous life and would never bare his heart to anyone again.

*

「Acid Rain World」

Peng Lan sat on the bed, using his laptop to record the Sky Screen content he’d just seen.

The special agent peeled an orange and placed it beside his hand, glancing at the screen. “This world seems much more difficult than ours.”

Peng Lan didn’t look up. “Without acid-resistant cities, we would have died more miserably than them.”

The special agent said awkwardly, “True enough.”

Peng Lan continued, “But if they can control it decisively in the early stages, the entire society could quickly return to normal.”

“Team Leader Peng, do you think they can control it?”

Peng Lan’s fingers paused, then continued typing, “Hard to say. Minimizing losses is simple in theory—just have everyone isolate in separate rooms on the morning of August 7th.”

“Then where’s the difficulty?”

“The difficulty lies in whether it’s possible to achieve this nationwide uniformly.”

Peng Lan explained systematically. “First, objective conditions must allow it. In some backward, poor areas, forget separate rooms—even having a structurally sound house that can resist zombies isn’t easy. Even in prosperous cities, how many students and workers are crammed into dormitories and rental apartments? If even one place fails to manage this, that place can easily lose control. Zombies are like plague—once you fail to cut transmission routes and let them enter the population, the consequences are endless.”

“Second is subjective emotions—whether people are willing to cooperate. If everyone thinks this is ridiculous and won’t cooperate, it becomes very troublesome. Even in our world, if A City hadn’t experienced acid rain, would the entire country immediately unite?”

“Third, even if isolation succeeds, how do you handle the zombies that appear afterward? Ideally, professional teams arrive promptly to eliminate zombies, but where would you get so many personnel? Whether it’s timely detection or timely arrival, both are difficult. It mainly depends on public reporting. But if your loved one became a zombie, knowing that reporting them might lead to their physical elimination, would you be willing to report?”

The special agent fell silent.

Each point was indeed a major problem.

Peng Lan continued, “There’s another important point. When the apocalypse first arrives and everyone’s still figuring out the situation, who can guarantee these zombie-turned people are completely beyond saving? So, from humanitarian considerations, you basically can’t start by destroying zombies.”

“That inevitably requires capturing, transferring, and detaining them. The manpower, resources, and risks involved are enormous. Any mistake in any step could spell doom.”

The special agent said, “Team Leader Peng, hearing you explain it this way, there’s basically no hope. Wasn’t that Sky Screen broadcast in vain?”

“Of course not. First, with her warning, many people can prepare in advance and handle those three minutes of unconsciousness—many unnecessary deaths can be prevented. Second, when zombies appear, people won’t panic as much and can react quickly.”

“There are always some smart, obedient people in the world. Saving these people would be tremendous merit.”

The special agent nodded, “That makes sense.”

Peng Lan looked at his written record. This video was much more bloody and brutal than previous ones. Weizi probably knew that without strong medicine, it would be hard to get attention.

This world wasn’t like the acid rain world with a month’s adaptation period, nor like the torrential rain world where getting rained on for a few extra days wasn’t a big deal.

This world exploded from the start, with over half the population dying immediately.

Weizi probably found it difficult too.

*

Weizi actually didn’t find it difficult to handle—Weizi was just feeling very sick right now.

Wei Yuexin looked at the food before her with no appetite whatsoever, unable to eat a bite.

She hadn’t expected the zombie world video material to be so bloody. She nearly broke herself while editing.

This was workplace injury—very serious workplace injury.

Following the principle that she couldn’t be the only one injured, she held her nose and edited in many close-up shots, committed to equally traumatizing everyone.

Moreover, she’d already edited the second episode in one go.

She planned to release the second episode as soon as the first episode’s revenue came in.

Better to die early and be reborn early—finish editing early and say goodbye to this world early.