Chapter Twenty-Five: Echoes of the Sea

Meanwhile, at the Meteorological Bureau’s wind disaster monitoring center, they had not received such precise intelligence, yet they were indeed able to observe that Typhoon Ewiniar’s wind power was being mitigated.

At this moment, even Jiang Xiuyuan was somewhat shocked. "Could it be that the emergency system of Shelter 43 has actually worked?"

Mr. Qi Ming, gazing at the volatile imbalance in the storm evolution model on the main console, could not refute it. "Indeed." The expert and academician, who had spent sixty years delving into deep-sea ruins and life sciences, nodded calmly. "We respect the facts, and science must also respect the facts."

At that same moment, the reporter who had taken refuge in a tin house due to the storm’s rapid approach, yet continued to broadcast, said excitedly: "'Storms' have been recorded throughout history as a type of catastrophic weather on Earth. However, it was not until the early nineteenth century that the residents of the Caribbean islands truly began naming hurricanes. On July 26, 1825, Hurricane Santa Anna was etched onto the first page of history. And now, in the late summer of the fifth year of the Origin Century, at the Shelter 43 offshore lighthouse, humanity has once again conquered a disaster once thought unimaginable."

His eyes were brimming with tears. Of course, it was also possible that the storm remained so fierce that one could not distinguish between tears and rain. But this surge of emotion was absolutely genuine.

Because of this, once the audience heard the news, all questioning, cynicism, and denial vanished. What remained was only the pride of civilization.

Su Wen understood very well that this generation of young people, himself included, did not lack material comforts. Yet, correspondingly, their spiritual lives were impoverished, lacking the hope to strive for anything. In a monotonous life, seeing a future that could be glimpsed in a single glance, they gradually began to embrace "lying flat" and "slacking off," falling silent.

But regardless, whether it was the destitution before the century or the world today, there was always a fire burning deep in their hearts. It was the spark of the Chinese civilization, passed down from the darkness of ignorance for hundreds and thousands of years. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, that fire would likely pierce through the haze and ignite the night.

That night, the television station's ratings soared. It was as if the Star Track project had succeeded three years ago, when humanity first landed on Mars and planted the flag belonging to all mankind amidst the gravel. Civilization stood tall once again in the midst of the "storm"!

Su Wen was glad that he had not chosen to stop after merely completing the shelter. He truly understood what the "Time-Space Shuttle" game meant by "will seriously determine the future trajectory." It was just like the lost spaceship heading into the distance three thousand years later after being forced to abandon the mother planet due to the forbidden life zones; or the "Transcendence Act" that determined the actions of superhumans and caused the collapse of human civilization; and now, using the power of science to counter a disaster that was once unbeatable. The centripetal force of civilization had condensed because of this.

"Miss Jiang, while we are touched, I think we can bring out the food that's been keeping warm," he said gently. "If we don't eat now, I'm afraid the remnants of 'Ewiniar' will blow in and everything will go cold."

The beautiful iceberg-like girl listened to his teasing and couldn't help but smile faintly. "I knew you were hungry; don't forget to serve yourself some porridge."

"I certainly won't forget. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, humans are generally smarter when they feel hungry," he replied with humor. Of course, he omitted part of the conclusion from that literature: humans can only have a better appetite when their minds are at ease.

Before long, he began to savor the exquisite cooking of the beautiful girl. Meanwhile, he watched the interview segment of the live broadcast. The reporter was asking questions remotely via a digital screen: "Mr. Jiang Xiuyuan, as a renowned ocean and disaster warning scholar, could you explain the principle behind the hurricane's dissipation?"

Professor Jiang pondered for a moment, then gave a very objective answer: "According to the main console monitoring, Hurricane Ewiniar experienced a field energy imbalance caused by an internal explosion, but the research team has not yet reached a conclusion on how the triggering mechanism operated. Here, I must say, the designer of Shelter 43 is a genius."

Su Wen watched the interview on television and couldn't help but smile at the beautiful girl beside him. "Professor Jiang certainly has a keen eye. I also think the designer who built Shelter 43 is indeed a genius."

Jiang Menghan gave him an elegant roll of her eyes, then said in a cold, melodious voice, "Dummy."

A night passed. Although the impact of Hurricane Ewiniar had not been completely eliminated, at least it could no longer be called a disaster. There were several days of heavy rain ahead, which was likely something the residents of the coastal cities in Jiangnan were already accustomed to.

Su Wen woke up. A prompt marked in azure text appeared on his computer:

[Time-Space Shuttle character attribute increased]
[Due to facing a Tier 5 storm disaster] — [Character gains talent: 'Low-Level Fear Immunity']
[Due to the safe return of the Voyager, the ancient virus 'Ilofinki-Type III' is preserved intact, and Hurricane Ewiniar did not cause massive destruction.]
[Timeline correction:
1. Probability of information pollution event reduced by 50%.
2. 'Slumber in the Deep Sea', the timeline for the revival of deep-sea ruins is pushed back (6 months).
3. The 'Song of Death' event now has a possibility of being averted; current salvage probability: 5%]
[As the storm gradually calms]
['Coastal Dismantler' game officially ends]

The countdown on Su Wen's screen had returned to its original numbers. He stretched. Finally, he didn't have to worry about his old house being destroyed by the hurricane. For Su Wen, this was the last stubborn bit of dignity for a person in poverty.

Downstairs, the fragrance of fried eggs already filled the air. It was Jiang Menghan preparing breakfast. Because yesterday was the critical point of the hurricane and the rain was too heavy, she hadn't gone home and had spent the night at Su Wen's place.

In the next second, the computer screen before his eyes transformed into a field of azure stars. Among the stars, the sea-blue home planet of humanity focused on a scene where a massive white cyclone was gradually dissipating.

The perspective descended. The beach at dawn was quiet and beautiful. Waves from the distant horizon rolled onto the shore in layers, splashing white, crystal-clear spray, gently caressing the fine, soft sand before reluctantly receding, leaving behind silver lines on the beach.

A child searching the beach stepped onto the white sand. She picked up an empty conch shell from the gravel left by the receding tide. She held up the shell happily. Through the sunlight, its translucent luster gently bloomed on the edges of the shell.

"Mom, look at this conch, isn't it beautiful?" she said to her mother as if she had found a treasure.

The mother bent down gently and said to her tenderly, "Xiao Yi, if you put the conch to your ear, you can hear the sound of the ocean."

"Really?" The little girl gently placed the conch to her ear. Then, she said happily, "Mom, the sound of the ocean isn't as scary as it was a week ago. Instead, it's very beautiful."

"Yes," the mother said softly, looking at the vast azure sea in the distance. "It is precisely because we no longer have to be afraid that the echo from the sea sounds so beautiful."