Early morning.
At the exit of a subway station somewhere in Shanghai.
A man in a suit took out his phone, intending to book a ride to his office. But when he opened the app, he was surprised to find that there wasn't a single car nearby.
"That's strange. Where did all the cars go?"
Were that many people booking rides today?
Hearing his remark, the person standing beside him said with a smile.
"Haven't you heard? There's a big conference these next few days. They've closed pretty much all the main roads inside the Second Ring Road."
"They closed the roads? How come I didn't know?"
"They must have sent a text notification. You probably missed it. But speaking of which, haven't you noticed there isn't a single car on the road?"
At those words, the man in the suit looked up and froze in surprise.
"Holy shit, you're right! Not a single car?!"
"What did you expect? Just wait for the bus these next few days."
Hearing their conversation, an elderly man standing nearby joined in out of curiosity.
"Young man, what conference is this? How come I haven't heard of it?"
"The Century Physics Conference... People have been discussing it on Weibo and in Tencent groups these past few days. How long has it been since you went online, sir?"
"The Century Physics Conference? Hah, I don't study physics. Why would I follow that... Besides, however big a deal it is, can it be bigger than the Nobel Prize award ceremony?"
"Heh, even ten Nobel Prize award ceremonies might not match it! Do you know what this conference means? Over a hundred thousand physicists from all over the world are coming to Shanghai! Besides discussing the world's most cutting-edge physics topics, they'll also announce a hundred physics