Chapter Summaries

With the earthquake only three days away, Dong Xuebin pushed ahead with preparations at Guangming Street Office despite widespread doubt and complaints. He scheduled the drill for September 25 and prepared to carry out a risky plan to warn the entire city.

• Dong Xuebin expanded earthquake preparedness work across Guangming Street, including promoting safety measures and addressing dangerous buildings.
• District Governor Yuehua approved Dong Xuebin's drill plan and funded it, while Geng Xinke and his faction cooperated in obtaining supplies.
• Leaders from neighboring Street Offices complained about Dong Xuebin's earthquake warnings, but the district took no visible action on their reports.
• Dong Xuebin signed the drill plan and ordered Zhou Yanru to distribute it, setting the exercise for September 25.
• With the Street Office preparations complete and three days remaining, Dong Xuebin prepared to carry out his risky plan to sound an alarm for the entire city.

Dong Xuebin used reports of unusual animal behavior to find a basis for warning the public about the earthquake he knew would strike in two days. The Earthquake Bureau found no signs of an earthquake, leaving Dong Xuebin furious and determined to act anyway.

• Dong Xuebin noticed reports of barking dogs, distressed cats, and Zhou Yanru's fish jumping from its tank, and suspected the earthquake was imminent.
• Dong Xuebin called an emergency meeting and sent Zhou Yanru, Wang Yuling, and Qu Yiqiang to investigate fish, stray animals, and pigeons.
• The cadres found scattered signs of abnormal animal behavior, and Dong Xuebin ordered Zhou Yanru to report it to the district and Wang Yuling to contact the Provincial Earthquake Bureau.
• Dong Xuebin spent the morning drafting an article documenting the animal behavior as evidence for an earthquake warning.
• Wang Yuling reported that the Earthquake Bureau's tests showed no signs of an earthquake, and Dong Xuebin angrily rejected its findings.

With an earthquake feared within two days, Dong Xuebin tried to get his warning published after the Earthquake Bureau dismissed the signs. Su Jia agreed to submit his article, but approval depended on Yang Zhaode, so Dong Xuebin asked his mother to persuade him.

• Zhou Yanru told Dong Xuebin that the district had received his report, the Earthquake Bureau had found nothing, and Secretary Wang had recovered and left the hospital.
• Dong Xuebin brought his earthquake article to Su Jia at the Fenzhou Daily, but she warned that publishing it without approval could be treated as spreading rumors.
• Su Jia offered to submit the article and said Yang Zhaode's support might help it pass review.
• Dong Xuebin called Za Xiaoping, explained his prediction of a major earthquake, and asked her to get Yang Zhaode to help approve the article.
• Za Xiaoping believed her son and promised to speak with Yang Zhaode.

Za Xiaoping persuaded Yang Zhaode to help publish Dong Xuebin’s earthquake warning, and Dong urged her to take their family and relatives to Beijing for safety. The article appeared in Fenzhou Daily the next day and caused an uproar across Fenzhou City.

• Za Xiaoping told Yang Zhaode that Dong Xuebin predicted an earthquake and asked him to get Dong’s article published.
• Yang Zhaode agreed to contact the Propaganda Department and the newspaper after warning that a false prediction could harm Dong’s career.
• Dong Xuebin asked Za Xiaoping to take their family and relatives to Beijing, and she agreed to go.
• Fenzhou Daily published Dong Xuebin’s article, “Be Sure to Prepare for an Earthquake,” on its second page.
• Readers across Fenzhou City reacted with alarm, and the article caused a massive uproar.

Dong Xuebin’s earthquake warning in the Fenzhou City Daily sparked widespread panic and prompted residents to flee, even though the Earthquake Bureau had found no signs of an impending quake. As officials scrambled to respond, the warning thrust Dong Xuebin and Guangming Subdistrict Office into the center of a citywide political crisis.

• The Fenzhou City Daily published Dong Xuebin’s warning that animal behavior indicated a major earthquake might strike within a day or two, and residents across Fenzhou and nearby areas began panicking and evacuating.
• Hu Silian brought the report to Xie Huilan, who learned that residents in Yantai County were already leaving and that the Earthquake Bureau had found no signs of an earthquake.
• As traffic clogged the roads and calls flooded in, Xie Huilan went to an emergency meeting and ordered Hu Silian to investigate the animal abnormalities Dong Xuebin had reported.
• Geng Xinke worried that Dong Xuebin’s newspaper article could bring severe consequences for Guangming Subdistrict Office, while Geng Yuehua reacted grimly to the report.

Dong Xuebin urged people across Fenzhou to evacuate before the predicted earthquake, even as his warning brought scrutiny from State Security and city officials. At an emergency district meeting, Wang Anshi suspended him, and Dong challenged the order and defended reporting the danger.

• Dong Xuebin called colleagues, friends, and family to urge them to leave unsafe buildings or the city before the earthquake expected the next morning.
• Residents began fleeing Fenzhou and setting up tents outdoors after reading Dong Xuebin’s article.
• Secretary Zang summoned Dong Xuebin to a meeting where Wang Anshi and district officials watched news coverage of the uproar over his warning.
• Wang Anshi announced that Dong Xuebin was suspended from all duties, citing rumors and social unrest.
• Dong Xuebin challenged Wang Anshi’s decision and argued that he had a duty to report abnormal signs of an earthquake.

After Wang Anshi ordered measures against Dong Xuebin and the earthquake rumors, Geng Yuehua quietly pushed the district to prepare for a possible disaster. Dong Xuebin told Guangming Street Office staff he could not be certain an earthquake would happen, then announced his personal decision to evacuate residents from old buildings.

• Wang Anshi ordered an investigation of Dong Xuebin, the suppression of earthquake rumors, and increased police presence.
• Wu Liang told Geng Yuehua he believed there was at least a ten percent chance of an earthquake, and she ordered earthquake-prevention broadcasts and preparations across the district.
• Dong Xuebin gathered Guangming Street Office and community workers for an emergency meeting despite his suspension.
• Dong Xuebin admitted he did not know whether an earthquake would occur, but said he would not gamble with residents' safety.
• Dong Xuebin announced that he would evacuate residents from old buildings in his area and take personal responsibility for the decision.

Dong Xuebin persuaded Guangming Street Office staff to help prepare for a possible earthquake despite the risks of acting without authorization. After Geng Yuehua ordered district-wide earthquake precautions, Dong assigned urgent shelter, evacuation, and public-order tasks, leaving the office united and racing against time.

• Dong Xuebin declared that he alone would take responsibility for evacuating residents, and Wang Yuling, Zhou Yanru, Peng Gang, Geng Xinke, and the other staff pledged to help.
• Dong Xuebin received word that the district government had ordered all street offices to prepare for earthquake prevention, a move Geng Yuehua had made despite opposing Wang Anshi.
• Dong Xuebin ordered Geng Xinke to coordinate at the Street Office and directed Zhou Yanru and Wang Yuling to set up emergency shelters at Guangming Garden before morning.
• Dong Xuebin told Yu and Meng to issue evacuation notices for vulnerable residential compounds, factories, and buildings, following the drill plan.
• Dong Xuebin assigned Peng Gang to maintain public order, and the staff dispersed to carry out their tasks.

After the Star Radiance Magic Array transformed Xiang Tian from a baby into a teenager and awakened immense magical power, the Grand Elder arranged for his parents to teach him Druid history while the elders recovered. Xiang Tian challenged the arrangement but pretended to cooperate, and his parents left to settle in the temple.

• The Grand Elder told Xiang Tian to rest in the temple for a week and learn about the Druid clan and the Western Continent.
• The Wolf-headed Druid elder asked the Grand Elder who should train Xiang Tian, and the Grand Elder decided his parents could teach him history and daily knowledge while the elders recovered.
• Xiang Tian asked why he should follow the elders' arrangements and stared defiantly at the Grand Elder.
• Inte agreed to follow the elders' wishes, and he and his wife prepared to move into the temple.
• Xiang Tian watched his parents leave, then sat down to study the General History of the Western Continent.

Dong Xuebin confronted Deputy Director Chu’s team after they arrested a Guangming Street Police Station officer and disrupted the evacuation. He confiscated the officers’ identification and ordered all seven arrested, leaving the standoff in his hands.

• Branch bureau detectives arrested a Guangming Street Police Station officer, prompting Peng Gang and his personnel to block their police car.
• Dong Xuebin arrived and told Peng Gang and the civilians to move aside, then challenged Deputy Director Chu’s team to show their identification.
• Dong Xuebin secretly took the identification and valuables from all seven officers, leaving them unable to prove who they were.
• Dong Xuebin kicked Deputy Director Chu, dislocated his arm, and handcuffed him.
• Peng Gang and the Street Police Station officers cuffed all seven branch bureau officers and took them back to the station on Dong Xuebin’s orders.

Dong Xuebin continued evacuating residents from dangerous buildings in Guangming Street as the earthquake approached. He learned that Xie Huilan had also pushed through an evacuation in Yantai County, and her support renewed his resolve.

• Dong Xuebin and Street Office staff evacuated residents from a vulnerable old residential complex and moved on to other dangerous sites.
• Dong Xuebin called Zhou Yanru and learned that the Street Office was preparing hospitals and shelters while Yantai County had begun evacuating residents.
• Zhou Yanru told Dong Xuebin that Xie Huilan had persuaded the Yantai County Standing Committee to approve the evacuation despite the County Party Secretary's opposition.
• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan, who explained she had supported him because they were soon to marry and she would stand by him amid the controversy.
• Dong Xuebin thanked Xie Huilan and promised that the higher-ups would not punish them, while she joked about their future married life.

Dong Xuebin rushed to evacuate residents who refused to leave a demolition-dispute alley, while district and county officials argued over his actions and Xie Huilan’s earthquake preparations. The evacuation continued under pressure as the predicted earthquake drew near.

• Wang Yuling told Dong Xuebin that residents in the last evacuation area were refusing to leave, and he drove there to help.
• Dong Xuebin promised the residents their homes would not be demolished, but Old Cheng and others still refused to evacuate.
• Dong Xuebin ordered Peng Gang and the officers to move the holdouts by force, and Old Cheng struck him on the head with his cane.
• Despite bleeding and being beaten by resisting residents, Dong Xuebin urged the staff to hurry and helped load people into vehicles for the park shelter.
• At an emergency meeting, Wen Wei and Xue Qingrong condemned Dong Xuebin for detaining police officers, while Wu Liang defended his urgency.
• Xiang Daofa challenged Xie Huilan’s unauthorized evacuation, but privately believed her earthquake warning would prove false.

Dong Xuebin's evacuation efforts were interrupted when a powerful earthquake struck Fenzhou City, while Geng Yuehua and Xie Huilan faced the same disaster during political confrontations. The chapter ended with the quake shaking the city and its leaders scrambling to respond.

• Dong Xuebin urged the Street Office staff to evacuate the remaining residents, but Old Cheng and his family refused to leave their courtyard.
• As Peng Gang's team moved to remove Old Cheng's family, an earthquake shook the alley and a nearby makeshift kitchen collapsed.
• Geng Yuehua defended her evacuation orders at a district committee meeting, and an earthquake struck the building before Wang Anshi could finish challenging her.
• Xiang Daofa criticized Xie Huilan's countywide evacuation decision, but the earthquake hit Yantai County and Xie recognized it immediately.

A powerful earthquake struck Guangming Street, and Dong Xuebin’s evacuation efforts proved to have saved residents from collapsing houses. He rushed into Old Cheng’s crumbling courtyard to rescue the child left inside, while the others fled and the chapter ended with Dong Xuebin entering the East Room.

• A powerful earthquake shook the alley, collapsing houses and confirming that Dong Xuebin had been right to evacuate residents.
• Dong Xuebin and Zhou Yanru urged everyone to flee, but Old Cheng’s family revealed that his grandson was still inside.
• Dong Xuebin stopped Old Cheng from rushing into the collapsing courtyard and ordered Peng Gang to evacuate the residents.
• Dong Xuebin ran into the courtyard despite the danger and told Peng Gang to leave the child to him.
• Dong Xuebin heard the boy crying in the East Room and charged inside to rescue him as Zhou Yanru was dragged away.

After surviving the first earthquake, Dong Xuebin organized the Street Office staff and residents to evacuate and then led a small team west to rescue people. When a trapped man could not be freed by hand, Dong Xuebin rode off to find more help.

• Dong Xuebin told worried Street Office workers they could return to their families before assigning Zhou Yanru to lead the remaining staff and residents to a shelter.
• Several residents volunteered to help, while Dong Xuebin, Peng Gang, and four auxiliary police officers headed west to search for people in danger.
• Dong Xuebin and his team found a woman whose husband, Da Wei, was trapped beneath rubble, but they could not move the heavy wall pinning him down.
• A passing family ignored Dong Xuebin's request for help, so he sent Peng Gang to keep Da Wei conscious and rode an abandoned bicycle to seek reinforcements at the nearby Street Office.

After the earthquake, Dong Xuebin returned to Guangming Park, organized rescue and relief efforts, and checked another shelter. He learned that the District Committee Courtyard was burning with leaders trapped inside, and feared Yuehua might be among them.

• Dong Xuebin and his companions brought injured civilians to Guangming Park, where Geng Xinke reported hundreds injured, scarce supplies, and inadequate rescue resources.
• Dong Xuebin ordered the Street Office to rely on its own people, prioritize saving lives, and organize rescue teams while securing food and water.
• Dong Xuebin went to the Small Square and heard Wang Yuling's report on the shelter's conditions.
• A clerk reported that the District Committee Courtyard was on fire, with leaders and cadres trapped inside and Fire Trucks unable to reach them.
• Dong Xuebin feared Yuehua had stayed behind to rescue people and might be trapped in the fire.

Dong Xuebin rushed to the District Committee Courtyard after learning that Geng Yuehua was trapped in the burning government Office Building. He found her and several others stranded on the roof, with the fire closing in and no apparent way to rescue them.

• Dong Xuebin sent Wang Yuling to organize rescue operations across Nanshan District and hurried toward the District Committee Courtyard.
• Wang Anshi and Shen Fei learned that Geng Yuehua and more than twenty people were trapped inside the partially collapsed, burning government Office Building.
• Dong Xuebin arrived and, after learning Geng Yuehua was inside, used STOP! to freeze the flames and entered the building to search for her.
• Dong Xuebin found the stairs had collapsed, failed to reach the upper floors, and escaped through a window after inhaling smoke.
• People spotted Geng Yuehua and several injured clerks and officials stranded on the roof, calling for help as the fire approached.

Dong Xuebin tried to save District Governor Yuehua and the others trapped on the burning District Government Office Building roof. With the fire closing in and only a thin layer of car seats, mats, and clothes below, a woman fell from the roof, and Dong Xuebin caught her.

• District Governor Yuehua and six officials and staff members became trapped on the roof as the fire spread through the building.
• Dong Xuebin told people to gather anything soft, then tore seats from cars and helped lay them out beneath the building.
• As the flames reached the roof, Dong Xuebin stopped Geng Xinke from rushing into the fire and ordered everyone outside the courtyard.
• Dong Xuebin told the people on the roof to jump and assured District Governor Yuehua that he could save them.
• A female staff member fell from the roof, and Dong Xuebin caught her on the makeshift cushion.

Dong Xuebin repeatedly caught officials jumping from the burning District Government Office Building, using BACK to heal his injuries and continue rescuing them. He saved Geng Yuehua during an explosion and aftershock, then passed out as rescuers rushed to help.

• Dong Xuebin caught the first female clerk with his bare hands and ordered the others to keep jumping.
• He caught a second clerk who was falling headfirst, worsening his injuries, then used BACK to restore his arms.
• Dong Xuebin caught Director Yu and continued rescuing the remaining officials as Geng Yuehua waited until last.
• Geng Yuehua jumped as an explosion and aftershock struck, and Dong Xuebin used BACK to catch her before they hit the ground.
• Dong Xuebin passed out, and Wang Anshi ordered people to rescue him and Geng Yuehua.

After waking in the hospital with fractures from catching people during the earthquake, Dong Xuebin learned that everyone he saved had survived. Geng Yuehua stayed to care for him as the death toll rose, while word of his extraordinary rescue spread across Nanshan District.

• Dong Xuebin woke after seven or eight hours unconscious and learned that his hands were fractured but expected to heal without lasting damage.
• Geng Yuehua and the rescued officials visited Dong Xuebin, and the survivors and their families thanked him for saving them.
• After the visitors left, Geng Yuehua told Dong Xuebin that the earthquake death toll had exceeded ten thousand and fed him porridge before agreeing to wash him an apple.
• As transportation and communications partly recovered, news of Dong Xuebin catching seven or eight people falling from the building spread throughout Nanshan District.