Forecasting Natural Disasters for Novel Natives - Chapter 22 Part 2

He dashed through the rain curtain and reached the girl, taking off his jacket to hold over her head. “Why did you come?”

The girl’s consciousness was already fading. She recited her lines word by word. “I… came to bring… this thing to you. I know it’s… very important to you… Don’t… don’t be angry anymore… okay?”

“Okay, I’m not angry, not angry anymore! Let’s go home!”

The man nearly broke down in tears. He hugged the girl tightly, using his body to shield her from the acid rain, his hand also covering her head. Soon the back of his hand was a bloody mess.

Peng Lan watched the screen. Others waited anxiously, holding their breath.

Only after the two had embraced for five seconds did the task progress on the system page change to “Complete.”

Peng Lan immediately said, “It’s done!”

Several people instantly emerged from both sides of the street, wearing full acid-resistant protective suits. They quickly raised an acid-resistant film and held it over the couple’s heads, blocking the acid rain.

A medical vehicle quickly arrived, stopping right beside them. The rear door opened and several similarly fully equipped personnel jumped out, picked up the semi-conscious girl, and loaded her into the vehicle.

Inside was a pool of medicinal liquid. The girl, clothes and all, was immersed in it, completely submerged. The liquid instantly turned red with her blood.

Someone beside her immediately lifted her head and fitted her with a loose respirator mask. This mask contained system-issued medicine that could release medicated vapor to treat her burned respiratory system.

The water in the pool also had system medicine added, effective in treating corrosive injuries.

The man’s gaze followed his girlfriend intently. He barely noticed being fitted with a respirator mask or being doused with medicinal solution—he still wanted to get in the vehicle.

Others stopped him. “She needs to proceed to the next treatment phase.”

With that, they closed the door and the vehicle sped away.

The next medical vehicle pulled up, taking the man aboard and heading toward the hospital.

After seeing both taken away, Peng Lan checked on the other “extras.”

Learning they were already receiving treatment, he finally exhaled, put down the walkie-talkie, leaned back in his chair, and wearily closed his eyes.

Back at the command center, Peng Lan retrieved the reward from this task.

The expert team members widened their eyes, looking at what floated in his palm—something resembling an upturned glass bowl.

“This is the [Super City Acid-Resistant Shield]?”

Peng Lan said, “This is just the smallest scale version. It can only cover ten thousand square meters.”

Ten thousand square meters—one hectare, roughly 1.4 soccer fields. Such an area was naturally insufficient to accommodate an entire acid-resistant city.

But completing this task had unlocked the Acid-Resistant Shield as an item.

It had been a full eight days since they began undertaking system tasks.

Over these eight days, the command center had issued over two thousand system tasks. Most were successfully completed, yielding numerous acid-resistant supplies.

Peng Lan’s system level had also risen rapidly. His daily point income was substantial, and many items in the system had been unlocked and were now available for purchase.

But only now did he realize that rewards like the Acid-Resistant Shield still needed to be unlocked through specific tasks.

Hence this ridiculous task of “couple has a quarrel, girlfriend reconciles during acid rain, boyfriend deeply moved.”

The expert team discussed how to use this Acid-Resistant Shield and where to deploy it. Peng Lan did not participate in the discussion. He walked aside and suppressed a few coughs.

An assistant came over, offering warm water with concern. “Commander Peng, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Peng Lan took a sip of water. “Has Cheng Xuan arrived?”

Cheng Xuan was the male actor from the task just now, an excellent armed police officer in his own right.

“He’s here, in the small conference room.”

Peng Lan entered the small conference room to find Cheng Xuan with ointment applied to his face and hands.

It was system-issued ointment. Once applied, it naturally formed a protective film, eliminating the need for bandages. After a few hours, it would be fully absorbed, and by then the surface wounds would be mostly healed.

Peng Lan said, “Sit. How are you holding up?”

Cheng Xuan sat down. “I’m alright. Just some superficial injuries.”

“What about Jiang Jiang?” The girl, Cheng Xuan’s girlfriend, was named Jiang Jiang.

“She was injured more seriously, but with the system’s medicine, she’s out of danger now.”

Peng Lan said, “You’ve both worked hard. You’re heroes of the people.”

Cheng Xuan replied, “It’s our duty. I lost my composure earlier and almost ruined the task…”

“Understandable, given the circumstances. Such tasks are indeed difficult for you both.”

Cheng Xuan frowned. “Commander Peng, this system shows far too much malice toward women. Jiang Jiang and I have done quite a few tasks these past days. In almost every one, either the woman is harmed, or she’s portrayed as submissive, shrill and petty, or lacking self-respect—yet the one who reaps all the benefits is always the man.”

Seeing his girlfriend forced to play such problematic roles every time pained him greatly.

Especially this time, it was literally a life-risking struggle, yet the underlying logic was twisted—using this method to move a man’s heart, to seek reconciliation, to gain his deeper love.

The starting point was completely warped.

Peng Lan fell silent for a moment before saying, “I know. But for now, we have no other choice. I’m trying to change the nature and purpose of the tasks, but that’s not something that can be done quickly.”

He changed the subject. “You completed this task, so you should have become a Grade B host of the system.”

Over the past few days, Peng Lan had been studying the system and figured out there were two host grades: A and B.

He himself was Grade A, with greater system permissions. The Grade A host was unique and irreplaceable.

Grade B hosts were upgraded from subordinate task performers and also had certain control permissions over the system.

Cheng Xuan replied, “Yes.”

Peng Lan said, “Good. Then from now on, you can help share some of the workload. You should know that the points earned daily are primarily used to purchase acid-resistant coating and acid-resistant film.”

“I know a bit. It’s because these two items offer the best cost-performance ratio and can deliver maximum value.”

Exactly. The points obtained from daily tasks now amounted to a significant sum. After analysis by the expert team, none of the advanced items were purchased. Instead, all points were used extensively to buy acid-resistant coating.

The acid-resistant coating was very practical. Just a thin layer could resist acid rain, with a shelf life of one month. Most importantly, it was cheap—just 5 points per bucket.

One bucket, used with an improved nano spray gun, could cover the exterior of a six-story building.

The cost-performance ratio was exceptionally high.

Additionally, acid-resistant film worked well in certain situations, though it was slightly more expensive.

Currently, Peng Lan released dozens of shipping containers worth of acid-resistant coating and film from the system daily. Part of these materials stayed in A City, while the majority were shipped nationwide.

Looking around now, one could see that many buildings in A City had turned light green on the exterior—the result of being coated with acid-resistant coating.

Of course, this quantity was still a drop in the bucket compared to the city’s massive demand.

Everyone’s current goal was to coat as many buildings as possible before the one-month deadline arrived, then concentrate people inside these buildings.

Coupled with the nation going all out to produce acid-resistant materials, this would at least provide some ability to withstand the official apocalyptic acid rain when it came.

However, extracting such a massive volume of goods from the system daily was truly overwhelming for Peng Lan.

Each system activation took a tremendous toll on his mental energy.

Every day, his brain and body felt completely drained.

This was precisely why developing Grade B hosts was necessary.

Completing this task today wasn’t just about unlocking the acid-resistant shield; more importantly, he needed someone to help share the burden of this massive daily output.

Otherwise, at this intensity, he would collapse within days. He wasn’t sure whether the system would slack off and shut down without him keeping it in check, or seize the opportunity to cause trouble.

Cheng Xuan looked at the task assigned to him: from now on, he would need to release ten shipping containers worth of goods daily. He solemnly accepted the responsibility.

“Alright, go back and rest well. Work starts tomorrow.”

After Cheng Xuan stood up, he hesitated before asking, “After becoming a Grade B host, I seem to hear some strange noises in my mind, like someone’s exclamations and sinister laughter.”

Peng Lan was silent for a moment. “That’s the system’s voice.”

“The system? But I’m Grade B, I shouldn’t be able to hear the system’s voice.”

Peng Lan maintained a calm expression. “It’s watching movies. Sometimes it emits high-frequency weird noises that reach you. Just ignore it.”

Cheng Xuan was quite surprised. The system needed to watch movies? And those sounds it made felt rather… lewd.

Peng Lan thought to himself: He would absolutely never tell anyone that the system was watching pornographic films in his mind.

There was no other way. Without giving it some benefits, why would it obediently work? Letting it watch movies was the easiest option.

And this was another reason why he couldn’t get proper rest.

He suspected that if there really was a person behind this system, they were definitely a perverted creep.

Just then, they both heard a familiar female voice, though this time it sounded particularly cheerful, even going “ding ding ding ding.”

They simultaneously rushed to the window. Sure enough, the sky screen had appeared in the sky.

Cheng Xuan immediately said, “Director Peng, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll watch it with Jiang Jiang.”

Jiang Jiang could also see the sky screen, but she was severely injured and might not be able to watch it herself. He needed to relay the content to her.

Peng “Single Dog” Lan: “…Go ahead.”

He sat alone in his chair, watching the sky screen through the window. Outside, acid rain continued falling, the sky remained gloomy and gray, yet another scene was unfolding across the heavens.

Peng Lan felt unusually relaxed. At some point, watching the sky screen had become an activity he quietly looked forward to. Even though the subsequent videos were unrelated to this world, he was still happy to watch.

“So this time it’s a Fog apocalypse? colored fog.”

“Her tone… is she trying to scare the people of that world?”

Red Fog filled the entire sky, dyeing the world in an ominous bloody light. Weizi’s voice carried a deliberate eeriness and schadenfreude.

[The red fog represents intense heat, represents scorching. Prolonged skin contact with this red fog will cause dryness, heating, and may even result in low-temperature burns without you realizing.]

[Inhaling the red fog causes coughing, sore throat, and redness and swelling of the mucous membranes. Excessive inhalation will damage respiratory function, even leading to coughing up blood and hemoptysis.]

[And if a person remains exposed to the red fog for too long, their body temperature will rise, their internal organ temperatures will also increase, leading to severe consequences.]

This voice, this tone—it was really quite intimidating, and also rather infuriating. Yet Peng Lan found it oddly amusing.

Was she deliberately scaring people again this time? Just like she did with that zombie world before?

Peng Lan listened while taking notes.

Suddenly, he realized something and stopped writing.

After watching the sky screen, his fatigue had unknowingly eased. His headache had lessened too. His whole body felt lighter, even as if infused with strength.

Did watching the sky screen have such an effect?

He looked up at the sky screen. He hadn’t noticed this so clearly before—was it because he had never been this exhausted previously?

*

「Zombie World」

Tan Feng delivered the final blow, finishing off an evolved first-generation zombie. Having exhausted all his strength, he removed his anti-splash face shield and leaned against a tree, breathing heavily.

A comrade nearby immediately picked up a canteen of special disinfectant and sprayed him down thoroughly.

This was newly developed disinfectant that could, to some extent, suppress the zombie virus.

After each battle, getting splattered with zombie matter was inevitable. Spraying provided a higher degree of safety.

“Finally took care of that zombie. To think an entire village turned into zombies—how tragic. Old Tan, here, eat something to recover your strength.”

Now honorably promoted to “Old Tan,” Tan Feng silently washed his hands with disinfectant and went over to get food.

Since the first day of the apocalypse when he joined the security team to kill zombies, his outstanding performance had seen him transferred from ordinary squads to increasingly elite teams, finally forming a zombie elimination squad with several special forces soldiers.

Wherever troublesome zombies appeared, their squad was among the first deployed.

There were many such squads. Over these ten days, they had practically combed through the towns and villages around Yongcheng, rooting out even the most deeply hidden zombies.

Tan Feng had experienced numerous life-threatening situations, but miraculously survived each time. It was no exaggeration to say he walked on the edge of a blade.

He ate his food slowly. The web of his hand had split open earlier and was hastily bandaged. His hand was still weak from overexertion, trembling even as he held his food.

The squad leader noticed and said, “Muscle fatigue, right? That’s actually a good thing—promotes ability awakening. The zombies in Yongcheng are almost cleared out, but there are still quite a few in other cities. The nation doesn’t advocate using heavy weapons, so we might be dispatched to those places next. Old Tan, will you go?”

Tan Feng swallowed his food. “Yes.”

He had once vowed never to form a team again. But being with these soldiers was actually good.

Each one was an elite selected by the nation, and with superiors in control, there was no need to worry about anyone backstabbing him.

Now he only needed to fight and could relatively safely entrust his back to his comrades. This feeling was good.

Most importantly, it truly honed his abilities.

Just then, a familiar cheerful female voice suddenly came from the sky with “ding ding ding ding” sounds, and the sky screen appeared.

Everyone was startled. “The sky screen is back!”

They immediately focused intently on watching.

Each sky screen appearance brought a wealth of important information. They absolutely had to watch with full concentration, as if attending a lecture. Some even pulled out their phones to record.

But then—

“Why can’t I record it? What I’m recording is just normal sky, not the sky screen!”

Tan Feng frowned. “This sky screen is different from before. It’s not meant for our world!”

“What? Not ‘this’ world—could there be ‘other’ worlds?”

But as they continued listening, it really was true!

“Colored Fog disaster?”

“White fog?”

“This feels even more intense than the zombies we got.”

「Yongcheng City」

After days of chaos and fighting, order had basically been restored in the city. Everyone was still immersed in grief and didn’t dare go out much. The city’s overall atmosphere was subdued.

That afternoon, when the familiar sky screen appeared again, people immediately became excited.

“The sky screen is back!”

“What’s it about this time? Is it about ability users?”

“You can see the sky screen? Why can’t I see it?”

Many people couldn’t see the sky screen. They were extremely frustrated, unable to figure out what was wrong, anxiously jumping around.

Those who could see the sky screen were also confused.

“What does this colored fog mean? Is our world going to have colored fog too?”

“Oh my, why did the fog suddenly turn red? So creepy.”

“What? We have to pay?”

A pop-up window appeared before those who could see it:

[The free preview period has ended. Please pay to continue watching.]

“Why do we have to pay now? Ten thousand yuan? That’s too expensive!”

“I clicked it and it said payment successful… Oh no, ten thousand yuan was deducted from my bank card!”

During the first two sky screen events in Yongcheng, many people had liked and sent virtual flowers. Those who had done both for both events numbered over a million.

This was an enormous figure. Now, among these over one million people, the vast majority were blocked by the ten-thousand-yuan paywall. Those short on funds could only regretfully give up, but many others chose to pay to continue watching.

Tan Feng naturally paid to watch. Among his nearby comrades, four could see it, while one couldn’t. That person hadn’t been in Yongcheng during the first sky screen video and was quite upset about it now.

Among the four who could see, only two paid—the other two didn’t have that much money.

Tan Feng immediately said, “Give me your account numbers. I’ll transfer the money to you. Payment apps should work too—that’s faster. Just scan the code directly.”

“This doesn’t seem appropriate…”

“Less talk, hurry up!”

There was a payment countdown on the pop-up! Only 30 seconds total.

Tan Feng worked at maximum speed, transferring money to his comrades. They managed to pay successfully in the final seconds, so everyone could continue watching the sky screen together.

As they watched, something miraculous happened. Their bodies, drained from battle, seemed to be slowly infused with strength.

Fatigue gradually dissipated, their spirits slowly revived. It felt like they had slept soundly and could immediately jump up to fight another battle.

“This sky screen is so miraculous!”

“It even has a charging function!”

“This ten thousand yuan was well spent!”