Forecasting Natural Disasters for Novel Natives - Chapter 21 Part 2

Even for the deadbeat, womanizing male protagonist of the first novel, although she disliked him, she didn’t specifically target him personally; she just revealed his system.

After all, in that acid rain world, without the acid-resistant city created by his system, it would have been a total wipeout.

Moreover, according to HR, if the protagonist of a novel met their end, the impact was significant. So she had to ensure the video wouldn’t be rejected for overly targeting the female lead.

Another point was that she felt the female lead would likely dislike the video, which might lead to the video being blocked again. So she had to include all the information in one video.

Didn’t that require more thought?

And after thinking and thinking, it got late.

Xiao Yuan made her coffee while saying, “Aren’t the higher-ups supposed to visit today?”

Wei Yuexin held her coffee with both hands, leaning against the counter. She took a slow sip, held it in her mouth, her eyes drooping. Suddenly remembering coffee could stain teeth, she quickly swallowed.

“Should be. The team leader mentioned it last week.”

“It’s almost lunchtime. They probably aren’t coming. Good if they don’t—we’d have to force ourselves to be energetic to deal with them.”

No sooner had she spoken than a colleague rushed in. “You two are here! Hurry up, the big boss is here. They’re already in the elevator.”

Wei Yuexin’s eyes widened. She pointed at Xiao Yuan—see, some things just shouldn’t be said!.

Xiao Yuan slapped her own mouth. “My jinxed mouth!”

Wei Yuexin quickly downed her coffee, gulped two mouthfuls of water to rinse, ensuring no residue remained, then rushed out.

She had just tidied her workstation when Manager Zhang walked in, leading a group of people.

Xiao Yuan stood next to Wei Yuexin, muttering under her breath, “Look at Old Zhang, his face is practically splitting from smiling so wide.”

Wei Yuexin maintained a perfect smile on her face, her lips barely moving. “Old Zhang has it tough too. We’re all just workers.”

However, as she looked at the woman in the white suit dress surrounded by Manager Zhang and others, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind. This person…why does she seem somewhat familiar?

Xiao Yuan gasped softly. “A strong, mature woman! What a top-tier beauty! But isn’t our big boss a man?”

Wei Yuexin said absently, “I don’t know. Maybe they changed bosses?”

She felt she had seen this woman somewhere before but couldn’t recall.

Manager Zhang said, “This is Xuanle Culture’s new president, Ms. Qiao. Let’s welcome her!”

The employees hurriedly applauded enthusiastically.

Wei Yuexin also joined in the applause.

That Ms. Qiao wore a faint smile. Her entire demeanor exuded an elegant and distinguished aura, making her seem like someone who belonged not in this small company but at elite, high-society galas.

Qiao Ruochu’s gaze swept over the employees one by one, finally resting on Wei Yuexin.

Their eyes met.

It had been five years. Apart from recently seeing a photo, this was Qiao Ruochu’s first time laying eyes on her daughter in person.

Perhaps due to recent worries about Wei Qingli, her cheeks had thinned, losing their former baby fat. Her features had also matured slightly. Other than that, she was almost no different from when she had just turned eighteen five years ago.

Still that same youthful immaturity, eyes so clear you could see right through them, dark hair tied into a ponytail, no jewelry on her person. Her clothes didn’t look cheap, but they were understated, appearing neat and appropriate.

Clean, simple, pretty, pure—like a sunflower blooming brightly on a windowsill, radiant and unbridled, showing no traces of being worn down by society.

Clearly, she had been well protected.

Otherwise, a pretty girl with no parents would never have such innocent eyes.

Qiao Ruochu remembered Wei Xianglan’s harsh demands and strict teachings from back then, a faint discomfort rising in her heart. Could the same person’s teaching methods really be so vastly different?

She didn’t let any of it show on her face, merely looking at Wei Yuexin, waiting to see what expression would appear once she recognized her.

Would it be shock, excitement, or resentment, aloofness?

But it was none of those. There was nothing.

Wei Yuexin seemed only somewhat puzzled, then quickly averted her gaze, staring intently at her own workstation as if a flower had bloomed there.

The smile on Qiao Ruochu’s face nearly froze.

She couldn’t believe it.

She didn’t recognize her? She actually didn’t recognize her?!

Five years ago, when she visited her, they had clearly met.

And when she was little, she had also come back to see her.

Even if she forgot all that, hadn’t she ever seen a photo of her?

Shouldn’t she be particularly attentive to this mother who was absent from her life?

Shouldn’t she recognize her at a glance?

But she actually didn’t know who she was?!

Meanwhile, Wei Yuexin’s internal monologue was: Why is this boss staring at me? Does she want me to speak?

No, please don’t call on me! Don’t see me, don’t see me!

She stared fixedly at the desktop, as if back in class during roll call, desperately wishing the desk would sprout flowers, not daring to meet the teacher’s eyes.

Manager Zhang and the others, seeing the president continuously staring at Wei Yuexin, were also puzzled. Manager Zhang, being considerate, introduced her: “This is Wei Yuexin from our company. Her professional skills are quite good.”

Wei Yuexin inwardly sighed. She looked up with a smile. “Hello, President Qiao. You can call me Xiao Wei.”

Qiao Ruochu: “Young people, so full of vitality. It’s truly enviable.”

Wei Yuexin: She’s definitely mocking my lethargic state.

She could only force an even more artificial smile and say dryly, “Thank you for the compliment, President Qiao.”

Qiao Ruochu: “…”

She completely lost the desire to speak. She felt that deliberately buying this company and coming here to test Wei Yuexin was a complete waste of time.

Qiao Ruochu: “Everyone, continue with your work. We’ll just look around.”

And so they did, making a round and then leaving without even calling a meeting.

Everyone was baffled.

“What was the president here for?”

“Just…to look?”

“…” What could they possibly see just by looking?

Everyone looked at Wei Yuexin, the only one who had spoken with the boss.

Wei Yuexin felt very uneasy. “Why are you looking at me? I don’t know anything either.”

Could it be that my listless state drove the boss away?

She only dwelled on it for a moment before putting it aside and continuing with her work.
Soon, it was time to get off work. With a three-hour lunch break, she bought food and returned to her rented apartment.

Since the company was a half-hour commute from home, her grandmother had rented an apartment for her in a complex behind the company, giving her a place to rest at noon. She could also stay there after work if she didn’t feel like taking the bus home.

The rent was paid for a year. When she was desperate for money, she had considered canceling the lease but couldn’t reach the landlord, so she continued living there.

Now she used it for lunch breaks and stayed at the hospital at night.

The apartment wasn’t large but had all the essentials and was comfortably furnished by her grandmother.

Upon entering the rental, she put down her bag, called the caregiver to check on her grandmother’s condition (everything was normal), then opened her laptop and started working on the video while eating.

The script was ready, the materials selected; all that remained was editing, adding music, and voice-over. The lunch break was enough to finish the video.

But thinking of something, she still sent a message to HR.

Wei Yuexin: 「This novel starts six months before the apocalypse. At what point should I set the video’s entry?」

HR replied quickly: 「Basically, any time within three days before the apocalypse starts is fine. After all, the game generally starts around that time.」

Wei Yuexin nodded. That matched her thoughts.

On the other end, HR put down her phone. “See, as soon as Qiao Ruochu appears, she gets motivated to earn money. Isn’t she being proactive now?”

Someone nearby said, “Qiao Ruochu seems to be having people investigate who released the previous few videos.”

HR sneered. “She can try, but she won’t find out. Having Wei Yuexin post on Doudou was just to humor her. Those videos are actually transmitted to the novel worlds through the Divine Key in her phone.”

She didn’t want Wei Yuexin to detect the Divine Key’s existence, so she merged its interface with the Doudou backend interface.

“Since the two zombie videos were locked by the platform for being too graphic, and she didn’t suspect anything, future videos don’t need to be displayed on Doudou’s public front end. Also, create some similar videos and post them to create confusion.”

“Understood.”

*

“OK, done!”

By 1:30 PM, Wei Yuexin had finished the video.

She took a sip of milk and watched the video herself.

Thinking about it, her female lead (the elder sister) should be imprisoned at this point and would need some effort to see the Sky Screen.

So she added a dozen or so seconds at the beginning of the video, recording a few extra, somewhat meaningless lines.

Well, that’ll give people more time to react.

Everything else was fine. She uploaded it to the Doudou backend and released it.

She waited a few minutes, then went to the Doudou search bar to look for the video but found nothing.

Blocked again?

It really was strange.

She bit the straw flat, grinding it between her front teeth, pondered for a while, then closed the laptop.

“Whatever, never mind. Time for work!”

*
「Colorful Fog World」

Ye Cheng stood by the window, looking outside through a narrow crack.

Faint twilight seeped in; the entire room was dim and cold.

The window was nailed shut. Ever since she and Xuanxuan were caught trying to escape last time, that scumbag Zhang Wenye had locked them in here and nailed all the windows shut, leaving only a small opening at the door for meals.

Normally, only when that good sister of hers, Ye Bingbing, came to visit, or when Zhang Wenye needed to take her to see Ye Bingbing, could she gain a brief moment of freedom.

She let out a scornful laugh.

Their once happy family had fallen apart due to her husband and sister’s affair. Not only that, she and her son had lost their freedom, living like prisoners.

And yet Zhang Wenye claimed it was for her own good, saying the world was about to change, and keeping her at home was Ye Bingbing’s kind way of protecting her; otherwise, he certainly wouldn’t bother with her.

Ye Cheng’s nails dug into her palms.

So I’m supposed to be grateful to Ye Bingbing?

What a pair of scumbags!

Unfortunately, Ye Bingbing had somehow connected with several men, including some mafia crown prince and a young master with a red background.

When she was fighting for the divorce, those men had already taught her a lesson, saying she had hurt Ye Bingbing.

Rubbing her right wrist, which had been fractured and still ached faintly, Ye Cheng’s eyes darkened with intense bitterness, followed by a bitter smile.

Against them, she had no power to resist.

Suddenly, a small voice called, “Mommy.”

Ye Cheng hurried to the bed. Her son, just awake, rubbed his eyes and reached out his little arms for a hug. “Mommy, hungry.”

Ye Cheng hugged her son’s thin little body, her heart aching. “Okay, Mommy will get Xuanxuan some food.”

She pressed a bell. After a moment, a servant’s voice, laced with impatience, came from outside the door. “What is it?”

Ye Cheng was used to this attitude; those without freedom had no dignity.

She said, “When will dinner be delivered today?”

The servant: “Mr. Zhang said no dinner today.”

Ye Cheng’s face changed. “You only gave us half portions for lunch!”

The servant grew more impatient. “That’s Mr. Zhang’s order. If you have a problem, take it up with him.”

With that, she left.

Ye Cheng’s expression was extremely grim. Who knows what anger Zhang Wenye had suffered from Ye Bingbing this time.

It was always like this. Whenever he was upset, especially if it stemmed from Ye Bingbing, he would take it out on her and her son.

Cutting off water and food was common. Sometimes he would bang on the door late at night, or suddenly set off firecrackers outside while they were asleep, scaring her son into wailing.

He said their very existence made Ye Bingbing hold a grudge against him.

As if their presence was a stain on his purity.

From initial disbelief and incomprehension, Ye Cheng now felt no surprise—only found it utterly ridiculous.

If he felt so “dirty,” why didn’t he just castrate himself?

Then Ye Bingbing definitely wouldn’t disdain him anymore; maybe they could even become close sisters.

Still, every time Zhang Wenye went crazy, she couldn’t help the rage boiling up inside her, wishing she had an axe to chop him into eighteen pieces and feed him to the dogs!

A small hand touched hers. “Mommy, don’t be angry. Xuanxuan isn’t hungry.”

Ye Cheng looked at her son’s face, so thin his cheeks had hollowed in, nearly crying from heartache

Such a young child, at a critical growth stage, hadn’t had a full meal in two months, and she could do nothing about it.

At this moment, her hatred for Zhang Wenye, Ye Bingbing, and the men behind Ye Bingbing almost reached its peak.

“It’s okay, Xuanxuan. Mommy hid some tasty food.”

She took out half a steamed bun wrapped in tissue from under the table—left over from her unfinished breakfast.

Because their meals were often withheld, she had developed the habit of hiding food.
Unfortunately, with the hot weather recently, food didn’t keep long.

Xuanxuan’s eyes lit up. “Wow, a bun!”

He immediately lowered his voice, wide-eyed, looking around as if afraid of being discovered.

Ye Cheng felt even more heartbroken. “Eat up.”

“Mommy eat too.”

“Mommy isn’t hungry. Xuanxuan eat.”

Watching her son nibble carefully, treasuring the dry bun, even picking up a fallen crumb to pop into his mouth, then grinning happily at her…

Ye Cheng felt her heart ache so much she could barely breathe. She covered her mouth and turned away.

When will this kind of life end?

What can I do to save my child?

Suddenly, cheerful music came from outside, followed by a lively young woman’s voice.

[Ding ding ding ding! Hello, people of the Colorful Fog World!]

Ye Cheng was stunned. What was that sound?

This villa was usually deserted; Zhang Wenye didn’t allow anyone near. The servants were always quiet. Sometimes she felt like she was living in a haunted house, eerily silent.

But this voice was unfamiliar, loud, cheerful, and seemed to come from the sky.

She went to the window, peering through the narrow crack, looking outside.

The servants’ surprised voices rang out.

“What’s that in the sky?”

“Why is there a picture in the sky?”

The sky?

Ye Cheng quickly looked up, but from her angle, she couldn’t see anything. Even if the window were open, her view was blocked by the alloy shutter outside.

[I know you must be wondering who I am and what this video is for. Don’t worry, I’ll explain right away~]

The woman’s voice continued. Ye Cheng paced anxiously, trying to find a way to see what was happening in the sky.

[First, let me explain why I’m calling your world the Colorful Fog World. Colorful Fog means seven-colored fog, which is the type of disaster your world is about to face.]

[Alright, let’s get to the point. I am a Natural Disaster Forecaster. You can call me Weizi. In this episode, we’ll talk about the colorful fog disaster that will soon occur in your world.]

Ye Cheng shuddered.

Natural Disaster!

Zhang Wenye had said the world was about to change, but she didn’t know how.

He had been very busy lately, seemingly stockpiling supplies for what was to come.

Ye Bingbing and those men also seemed busy preparing for something. During her few meetings with Ye Bingbing, she vaguely heard mentions of an “apocalypse.”

Could it be this disaster?

Ye Cheng’s heart raced wildly.

The secret known only to a few like Ye Bingbing—could I now know it too?

She became even more desperate to see what was happening in the sky.

After looking around, she picked up a chair, went into the bathroom, and smashed it hard against the mirror.

The mirror shattered.

Wrapping her hand in a towel, she picked out a relatively large shard, returned to the window, extended the mirror shard through the crack, adjusted the angle, and finally saw the scene in the sky.

The next moment, her jaw dropped in astonishment.

It was a massive image in the sky, as if a video was playing up there.

No wonder the servants were so panicked.

This—this was simply supernatural!

*

In the suburbs of the city, at a base under construction, a handsome man with a wicked gaze had his feet propped on the desk, reviewing reports submitted by his subordinates.

Everything was almost ready. Bingbing said the Fog would arrive tomorrow, followed by the apocalypse.

The apocalypse! What a perfect opportunity to dominate the world!

Thanks for the gift from heaven!

Also, wasn’t the big toad in Bingbing’s hands about to give birth to little toads? The little toads could absorb the Fog and condense essences, and the big toad had even greater uses.

He wanted them all!

Long Kun smiled with determination. Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from outside.

He frowned. Who was making noise?

Then came the sound of people stirring.

Annoyed, he went to the window, about to shout reprimands, when he looked up and saw a huge, moving image in the sky!

[…we’ll talk about the colorful fog disaster that will soon occur in your world.]

Long Kun’s face changed dramatically.

What is this thing? How does it also know about the impending apocalypse?

No, she couldn’t be allowed to continue. If everyone knew, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore! How could he gain the advantage?

He said in a deep voice: “Who’s playing tricks! Turn off that image immediately!”