Chapter 507: Chapter 333: Crisis Announcement_2
"In my opinion, you are a very rational person, always weighing the pros and cons, never doing anything unnecessary. It’s unlikely you’d save someone just for the sake of saving them. There must be some consideration on your part, and I want to know what it is."
Qi Ling’s words made Su Mo smile: "Qi Ling, here’s a question for you—what kind of people do you think I’ve been saving when doing those seemingly unnecessary things?"
Qi Ling answered without hesitation: "Border people."
Su Mo shook his head, speaking meaningfully: "No, who we save are not just border people, but individual sparks."
"This world is shrouded in the shadow of corporate giants. They set all the rules, and within those rules, we can never defeat them."
"So one day, instead of sitting down to play chess with them, I will overturn the table and throw the board in their faces."
"And when that time comes, we will face unimaginable darkness. We can’t just burn quietly ourselves; we must ignite each spark to its fullest flame."
When the words fell, the atmosphere became subtle, both falling into silent harmony, merging in spirit, even though separated by a hundred thousand meters of rock.
Qi Ling’s side emitted a soft laugh, and her voice became cheerful: "So tell me, what should we do next?"
Su Mo replied slowly: "There’s something you need to handle. Sikinkov couldn’t convince the City Council, and since those bureaucrats don’t want to speak, we’ll make them speak."
...
A new day begins, with life in New Moon City as usual.
The city’s skyline is occupied by skyscrapers, whose glass facades reflect the morning sun. Hovercars shuttle along invisible tracks, leaving streaks of light as their engines shine brightly in the air.
Inside luxury buildings, wealthy elites enjoy the comforts of technology, dressed impeccably in meeting rooms, discussing business deals via holographic devices.
In the dark corners outside bustling streets, addicts cluster on dirty ground, staring vacantly while clutching cheap electronic inhalers, occasionally letting out deep, low coughs.
And then there are the ordinary masses, holding affordable breakfasts, hurrying to the nearest subway entrance, idly scrolling through social platforms or short videos to make the most of the little free time they have.
Regardless of wealth or poverty, everyone in this city has their own life, striving to secure their place in this vast metropolis.
They believe the days will continue to repeat as usual, at least for now...
On the city streets, large screens outside malls cycle through ads for the latest virtual reality games, with expertly cut videos constantly catching the eyes of passersby.
Suddenly, without warning, those screen ads all disappear, replaced by a black screen.
As pedestrians wondered, a video was reinstated, displaying the same footage.
Captured by some aerial reconnaissance device, it showed countless beasts surging across the wasteland, violently attacking the Celestial Gate Patrol Station.
Almost simultaneously, people’s phones rang en masse, their alert tones merging into a long, chaotic melody.
Everyone halted, pulling out their phones, and opened them to see.
Each person received a message from an unknown number containing the same video, accompanied by lines of text:
[Emergency Announcement: The Celestial Gate Patrol Station 348 kilometers from New Moon City was confirmed overrun yesterday. Beasts from the Land of No Master are rapidly approaching New Moon City and are expected to arrive within days]
[To ensure citizen safety, immediately take the following measures]
[1. Stay calm, locate nearby shops, and orderly purchase water, food, and basic medical supplies]
[2. Return home, reinforce doors and windows, and avoid going outside unless necessary]
[3...]
[...]
Phones, computers, TVs, public screens... as soon as the emergency announcement was seen through various channels, it was as if pause was pressed on the entirety of New Moon City.
Vehicles driving on the streets gradually came to a halt, and pedestrians stopped, looking at one another, tentatively asking:
"Hello, did you receive an emergency notification?"
"Yes, did you get it too?"
"Is this for real?"
"I don’t know, it’s from an unknown number, feels like a scam."
"Damn it, obvious prank from some jerk."
"Hey, Mom, have you heard about the beast thing...? Just head home, I’m coming back too."
Voices of all sorts arose around them, with people puzzledly holding their phones, discussing the announcement’s authenticity with those nearby.
Gradually, the paused city resumed activity, some shaking their heads, dismissing it as a hacker’s prank, returning to work.
Others took it seriously, urgency etched on their faces, hurriedly calling their families to return home, and quickly leaving themselves.
On social networks, related topics rapidly soared to trending, filled with comments from various internet users.
[Wow, New Moon City, what are you up to again? ]
[Seriously, why do misfortunes always include us]
[Our quaint New Moon City is just like this, everyone is welcome to visit {dog head}]
[Is it the end of the world? Great, no more overtime, time for destruction, I’m tired]
[The effects are pretty good, looks real. Is AI video this advanced now?]
[As a local, I say it’s definitely fake. So-called emergencies don’t matter to the City Council, so how could they kindly send out evacuation notices {grin}]
[Believe in the border’s fall, or believe I’m Emperor Shining Dawn?]
[Everyone take it seriously. Reverse occurrences in New Moon City are not few, better be safe than sorry, I’m off to buy supplies]
[Stay strong, New Moon City, everyone please be safe QAQ]
For a moment, all kinds of shock, ridicule, panic, confusion, prayers... emotions began to spread, creating a peculiar atmosphere in New Moon City.
...
[City Hall Meeting Room]
Amir, having learned about the information leak, was infuriated: "Who leaked it?! What are you trying to do?!"
Heads of various departments exchanged glances, confusion written across their faces, all insisting they had nothing to do with it.
Amir, somewhat frantic, gripped his hair: "God, Hegemony Company will be out for our throats..."
Someone quietly reminded: "Mr. City Council President, we only received news of the Celestial Gate’s fall earlier, but we didn’t have video of the beasts, thus reasonably deducing it must have leaked from here."
"Along with how the information leaked, it’s likely that a hacker obtained the intel from elsewhere and infiltrated New Moon City’s public safety network."
Amir’s mood grew more restless as he paced the conference room.
After a moment, he firmly said to Sikinkov: "Have your anti-information crime team investigate the hacker! And if there’s a mole, uncover them as well!"
Sikinkov: "Okay."
After agreeing, he coughed lightly and said: "Mr. City Council President, since the matter’s already exposed, should we go ahead and guide the residents to prepare for evacuation?"
Amir quickly replied: "No, have the internet supervision team locate the users who forwarded it most, accuse them of circulating rumors, and arrest them directly, then issue a notice."
Sikinkov froze, questioned heavily: "Border falling is true, yet you want to treat it as a rumor?!"
Amir rebuked: "Even if it’s true, until the City Council makes a determination, it’s all false!"
"If it’s not handled well, Hegemony Company will undoubtedly come for us. Get the net supervision to arrest people, immediately!"
