A Terrifying Prospect

Fearing an earthquake, 22 residents of the Russian nation evacuated Nikolskoye Island.

Humans have a survival instinct, and the Russians are no exception.

No matter how capable they are in battle, they cannot defeat an earthquake.

Thirty-nine hunters, loggers, and fishermen on Unimak Island, located at the same latitude in the United States, received news that the Russian islanders had evacuated.

The islanders acted swiftly, and under the unified arrangement of the Alaskan government, 39 islanders were evacuated in batches to Juneau, the capital of Alaska, by small jet planes.

The remote Nikolskoye Island and Unimak Island have never been more famous, attracting global attention.

The BBC Science Team, known for its fearlessness, was the first to send members to Unimak Island to report on the mass evacuation of 39 islanders.

This science popularization team has ventured deep into South Pole, the Arctic Ocean, and the Amazon rainforest, producing critically acclaimed science education documentaries such as "Blue Planet" and "Big Cats."

A BBC science commentator, standing on the beach of Unimak Island with his back to the sea and facing the camera, said with concern:

"Fortunately, the four coordinate points predicted by Professor Shen Qi are located in sparsely populated high-latitude regions, and also in the Pacific Ocean."

"The latitude of my location is 55 degrees north. If Professor Shen Qi's predicted latitude were reduced by 10 degrees, the major cities I can think of located on the 45-degree north latitude line are Milan, Venice, Lyon, Zagreb, Minneapolis, and Portland."

"This is an extremely terrifying thing; the spread of panic among humans is more frightening than any actual natural disaster."

"If panic spreads in densely populated big cities, God, I can't even imagine what the consequences would be."

Ou Ye, who was watching TV, finally understood the real reason that had been making her uneasy for two months.

Shen Qi predicted an earthquake would occur in the waters south of Campbell Island, New Zealand, and indeed, an earthquake did occur there.

Shen Qi predicted that an earthquake would occur near the two islands, one American and one Russian, and the residents of the two islands were evacuated.

What if one day, Shen Qi predicted that earthquakes would occur in Milan, Venice, Lyon, Zagreb, Minneapolis, and Portland...?

The relocation and resettlement of millions of residents in major cities is far more complex than simply transferring twenty or thirty islanders to safe havens.

This involves too many aspects, including the mobilization of astronomical amounts of human, material, and financial resources, and various social issues.

Shen Qi simply spoke, and the government was thrown into a panic. This was more terrifying than a natural disaster, more terrifying than war.

"It's already midnight, why aren't you home yet?"

Ou Ye was very worried, so she called Shen Qi.

"The number you dialed cannot be reached..."

Ou Ye's heart skipped a beat, and her face turned deathly pale.

Running all the way, panting, Ou Ye arrived at the mathematics building, only to find that Shen Qi was not in his office; the door was unlocked.

"What should I do? What should I do...?"

Shen Qi's life is very regular: home, office, classroom, and occasional business trips.

Shen Qi's phone is always reachable; even when he's on a business trip to Europe, Ou Ye can still call him.

This morning, Shen Qi walked to his door as usual, kissed Ou Ye, and then went to work.

But now, Ou Ye can't contact Shen Qi, and she doesn't know where he went.

Helpless, Ou Ye slumped against the sofa. She had never considered what she would do if Shen Qi disappeared one day.

"Calm down, calm down, no one dares to lay a hand on a Fields Medal winner."

Ou Ye forced herself to calm down and carefully examined every corner and every detail of Shen Qi's office.

The desk was piled with various documents: mathematics, physics, Inorganic Chemistry, geology, and Ji Xianlin's "The Language Problem of Early Buddhism".

The globe sat there quietly, with the ruler beside it.

As always, mathematical and physical formulas were written on the blackboard; today's package included the Navier-Stokes equations and Nonlinear Dynamics.

Gauss, Euler, Newton, and Archimedes are hanging on the wall, smiling as if to comfort Ou Ye, saying, "It's alright, what's there to be afraid of?"

All indications suggest that no violent fight has taken place in Shen Qi's office; everything remains calm and normal.

As she gradually calmed down, Ou Ye called Yu Lei: "You're still awake, aren't you, Yu Lei?"

Yu Lei: "I'm not asleep yet, Sister Ou! I'm full of energy and writing my thesis!"

Ou Ye: "Has Shen Qi told you where he goes after work?"

Yu Lei: "This... he usually doesn't tell me where he goes. Are you two having a fight?"

Ou Ye: "Did you see Shen Qi today?"

Yu Lei: "Yes, I've met him. Around two or three in the afternoon, I went to Little Brother Qi's office for coffee to discuss math problems. We had just finished talking when someone came in— Butler Professor the University of University of Pennsylvania's Mathematics Department. He said he was there to visit Little Brother Qi. So I left, leaving the two math professors to talk alone."

"Oh, you haven't seen Shen Qi since Butler Professor arrived?" Ou Ye asked, feeling slightly relieved, as at least one person had been confirmed to have been in contact with Shen Qi.

"After leaving Little Brother Qi's office, I've stayed in the graduate student dormitory and haven't gone out... Sister Xiao Ou, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Little Brother Qi?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You should get some rest. Goodnight."

After hanging up the phone, Ou Ye opened Shen Qi's computer and searched for whether there was such a Butler Professor in the University of Pennsylvania's Mathematics Department.

The search results show that there are three Butler Professor in the Mathematics Department of University of Pennsylvania: Tom, George, and Johnny.

The three Butler Professor specialize in functional theory, number theory, and Elliptic Curve.

"Qi, did you and Butler Professor go off to study mathematics?"

Ou Ye hesitated, holding her phone, unsure whether she should call her current mentor Lyndon Strauss, or her former mentor, Gong Changwei.

It's so late, around 1 a. m., the two mentors are probably asleep.

If you can't find your boyfriend, you can't just call 911, can you?

Moreover, given her boyfriend's special status, calling 911 directly might cause unnecessary trouble.

Ou Ye didn't have many friends. Apart from Shen Qi, the only important figures she knew in the United States were Lyndon Strauss and Gong Changwei.

Lyndon Strauss is Fields Medal winner, Gong Changwei is a renowned mathematics professor. Their connections, resources, networks, and information channels in the United States are unmatched by Ou Ye alone.

"Let's ask Professor Gong first."

Ou Ye made up her mind to disturb Gong Changwei first.

Just as Ou Ye was about to dial Gong Changwei's mobile number, the office door was pushed open, and a person walked in— Shen Qi.

"Strange!"

Ou Ye jumped up as if she had been electrocuted, rushed to Shen Qi, hugged him tightly, and tears streamed down her face.

"Where did you go without saying a word? I was so worried!" Ou Ye punched Shen Qi repeatedly with her little fists. After venting her anger, she carefully checked Shen Qi's body for any injuries.

Shen Qi was unharmed. After calming Ou Ye down, he said with a complicated expression, "I only learned today that the US Department of Defense has a secret base at University of Pennsylvania."

The University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, close to Princeton, and both universities are members of the Ivy League.

"You went to the secret base? And what's with Butler Professor?" This was what Ou Ye was most worried about. Shen Qi was being watched by the US government, but thankfully he returned Shen Qi.