Senator Li swallowed as he gazed at the brilliant red aurora outside the window.
The breathtaking sight before him left him feeling as though he were suffocating.
The aurora Lü Yongchang had predicted had appeared. Then there was the red giant phase ten years from now, and the helium flash fifteen years from now...
Senator Li shook his head, not daring to dwell on what the future held.
Xia Country.
Magic City.
Zhao Zijie sat on his balcony, quietly gazing at the bright moon in the sky.
The early summer evening breeze brushed against him, bringing a slight chill.
He took his phone out of his pocket, opened Penguin Group, and deftly found the group where his friends chatted and joked around.
"I'm so bored..."
Zhao Zijie's fingers twitched as he typed a line on his phone.
Then he raised his phone and recorded a video of his surroundings.
"I'm all alone on this open-air balcony. Sigh... so bored!"
Zhao Zijie's humblebrag instantly earned everyone's scorn.
"Holy shit! If I remember right, Zhao lives in Magic City! An open-air balcony that big... I'm so jealous!"
"Tsk! I can practically see the smug look on Zhao's face as he says that!"
"Damn it! Is this what life is like for rich people?! I'm not jealous at all!"
"Boss! How about taking me along as your little sidekick?!"
"..."
A faint smile appeared on Zhao Zijie's face as he watched the teasing messages scroll past.
Just as he was about to type a few replies and banter with his friends, one message caught his attention.
"Zhao, there's something wrong with your video!"
Zhao Zijie's expression stiffened, and a chill instantly ran down his back!
He typed furiously, protesting, "Holy shit! Don't fucking scare me this late at night!"
He would have been better off keeping quiet. The moment he said that, the others who had just posted began chiming in, eager to stir up trouble.
"Zhao, turn on your front-facing camera and look behind you. I think I just saw a face!"
"What do you mean, a face? It was clearly a figure in white!"
Zhao Zijie swallowed.
Although he was an atheist, reading those comments after ten at night still gave him the creeps.
Just as he was about to leave the balcony and return to his room, the person who had first spoken up posted again.
"What nonsense are you all talking about?"
"I watched the video closely. At twenty-eight seconds, the moon you filmed has a faint red glow. Take a look yourself if you don't believe me!"
The Penguin Group fell silent for a few seconds. Then countless messages flooded the screen.
"The blood moon has risen! Chaos is upon us!"
"We're doomed, we're doomed! No more chatting. I'm off to stockpile a few years' worth of food!"
Aside from those stirring up trouble, some people opened the video again out of curiosity.
"Wait! The moon in the video really does look a little red!"
"I saw it too!"
Zhao Zijie frowned at his phone and instinctively opened the video he had just recorded.
As playback reached twenty-eight seconds, his pupils contracted slightly.
He saw it too!
A faint layer of red light seemed to cover the moon's surface!
The next moment, he abruptly raised his head and looked at the sky.
No!
It wasn't the moon giving off red light!
The entire sky was glowing faintly red!
With trembling hands, he raised his phone and recorded another video.
"Look outside! Why is the sky over Magic City starting to glow red?!"
A few seconds after he sent the message, replies appeared.
"Holy shit! It's happening here too! I'm in Hang City!"
"Mountain City too!"
"The sky over Sakura Country is glowing red too!"
"..."
As time passed, the red glow in the sky grew brighter and brighter.
Gradually, a dazzling red "ribbon" appeared before Zhao Zijie's eyes.
Bang!
A deafening noise rang out.
The brightly lit Magic City instantly plunged into darkness.
At the same time, screams rose all around him.
Zhao Zijie hurriedly pulled out his phone.
22:50.
His phone had no signal at all.
That night, Zhao Zijie fell asleep amid fear and unease.
Early the next morning, the moment he opened his eyes, he grabbed the phone beside his bed.
Thank goodness, there was a signal!
He tentatively pressed the switch on his bedside lamp.
The power was back!
He turned on the television while trying to search online for what had happened the night before.
"According to the latest report from the Xia Country Astronomical Observatory, a solar flare suddenly erupted at approximately 22:42 last night, producing an exceptionally powerful solar wind. As a result, auroras of varying intensity appeared across the globe at 22:50..."
"This solar flare caused tremendous losses to Xia Country, beginning with the power grid..."
The presenter's voice rang in Zhao Zijie's ears.
He instinctively opened Penguin Group.
999+ unread messages.
"Holy shit! It was actually an aurora!"
"That makes no sense! Don't auroras only appear at the North and South Poles?!"
"See? You went off herding cattle instead of studying, and now you regret it, don't you? There was a major red aurora event in 1958, though judging by the descriptions, it probably wasn't as extreme as this one!"
"This year shouldn't be a period of high solar activity. How could something like this happen..."
"How would I know? You'll have to ask the scientists at the observatory!"
"..."
As he read through the chat history, Zhao Zijie's panic eased a little.
It had only been a solar wind storm.
But... watching the "expert" on television solemnly explain the cause of the aurora, Zhao Zijie began to feel a little worried.
Was it really just a solar wind storm?
Compared with Xia Country, the United States had undoubtedly suffered greater losses.
It had been daytime in the United States, which was facing the sun.
The immensely powerful solar wind had not only destroyed more than half of the United States' power grid, but had even caused several aircraft to lose contact!
Most of the United States' civilian satellites had been destroyed by the solar wind as well!
Without power or communications equipment...
The United States now seemed to have been sent straight back to the steam age!
Inside Capital City's First Ring Road.
The Head Councillor's office.
Scenes from yesterday's meeting kept flashing through Senator Li's mind.
After the aurora appeared, Senator Li had called for a vote.
Naturally, the vote concerned Lü Yongchang's "prediction" about the sun.
Unsurprisingly, every astronomy and physics professor present had voted in favor.
Senator Li frowned deeply, tapping his knuckles lightly against the solid wood desk.
What could he do to ensure Xia Country survived such a disaster...
"Knock, knock, knock..."
A knock came at the door.
Senator Li paused briefly, then said softly, "Come in!"
The office door slowly opened, and Lü Yongchang appeared in the doorway.
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