"All shelters are now connected..."
Zhang Tianyuan's voice rang out from inside the car.
Professor Rapson, holding the bottle of wine, sat nervously on the bench by the car door.
Their journey back to the shelter was not smooth.
The heavy snow, which had been falling all day, intensified again. Looking out the car window, all you could see were snowflakes; visibility was so poor it was hard to say if it was even a meter.
In addition, civilian navigation was not well-developed at that time, and drivers could only rely on paper maps to drive. In this kind of weather, it was natural that they would get lost.
After flooring the accelerator and crashing into a large gate, the front of the vehicle slammed into a room, and the entire crew felt they couldn't go any further.
So they stayed put and waited for news.
The elderly man watched the convoy members operate the futuristic control panel, his expression visibly relaxing. He couldn't help but ask, "Have we made contact with the others yet?"
He doesn't understand Chinese; this is purely speculation.
The driver in front nodded and said, "Yes, Professor."
"We have established a connection with the space station as an independent unit, so there's nothing to worry about now."
"Next, if we encounter an emergency, we can immediately upload the signal to the space station, and then we will gain access to a Spacetime Tunnel..."
The driver smiled, turned on the music player, and played a soothing piece of music he often heard in the dungeon. Then, he poured himself a drink with great interest and slowly savored it...
Professor Rapson didn't quite understand, but he felt much more at ease. He smiled and said, "Perhaps a twelve-year-old whisky is more worth savoring than a beverage?"
Both crew members glanced back, hesitated for a moment, then shook their heads. The driver nodded his own head.
"It was a very tempting offer, but you can't drink and drive. Besides, we're on a mission right now, and we need to keep our minds clear, so we're already quite satisfied with just a drink."
After saying that, he picked up his glass, smiled, and made a toasting gesture with the three of them, including Rapson.
As they said, they were quite content with just a drink.
This time and space left a very good impression on them.
While on their mission here, they have a constant supply of snacks and drinks they've never tasted before, and even now that they're trapped, the supplies in the train carriage are still plentiful.
They usually eat all sorts of delicacies that they had only seen in textbooks before...
In their time, when resources were scarce and everyone was eating dried earthworms, where would they have ever had such an experience?
In just over half a month, the food and drinks they consumed alone made their trip worthwhile.
Besides Professor Rapson and his group, there are many other units trapped in Europe.
Zhang Tianyuan could see this clearly from the space station.
Currently, there are 2,874 vehicles in Europe equipped with winter gear, of which 894 are stranded in cities or rural areas due to snow and ice, and no vehicles have yet requested assistance.
On the space station, astronauts operated the system and marked all the stranded units on the global map; more than 800 vehicles filled almost half of Europe.
The situation is quite worrying.
As for Asia, things are better; there aren't many vehicles stuck.
The main reason is that the storm in Siberia has only just formed and has not yet begun to exert its full power, so many rescue vehicles have taken advantage of this time to return to the shelter.
Zhang Tianyuan frowned and asked, "These vehicles must have carried ample supplies, right?"
He was talking to Wang Lei on the ground. After the communication connection was established, he made contact with the ground.
Wang Lei immediately replied, "Yes, each vehicle has at least a month's worth of supplies... if the crew doesn't steal food from each other."
He scratched his head, unsure whether any crews had stolen emergency supplies. After all, such a small matter couldn't be completely controlled in the current emergency, but he figured that even if they had, the problem shouldn't be too serious.
After all, these crew members are usually well-fed and cared for in shelters around the world, so they shouldn't be so greedy as to steal compressed biscuits, right?
Surely... no way?
Faced with Wang Lei's uncertain answer, Zhang Tianyuan paused for a moment, then said, "Never mind, report any emergencies immediately. Also, send the locations of these vehicles to the shelters they need to go to and keep their information updated."
"Clear."
"President, Carl, a member of the Mutual Aid Society First Branch, requests a call," the communications officer suddenly turned around and reported.
Zhang Tianyuan nodded. "Connect."
Soon, a sound came from inside.
"Mr. President, this is Carl."
How's the situation over there? When do you plan to come back?
"I'm still in Washington, and I can clearly feel the panic starting here. Becker and his team are wavering; they've already foreseen that they'll lose everything at this gambling table..."
Although he kept saying that Becker and his team were going to lose, Carl didn't seem happy at all, and his voice was lifeless.
"I have a feeling Becker will come looking for us soon. A political animal like him doesn't care about saving face; he only cares about gains and losses, and then acts in the way that yields the greatest benefit."
"Seeking our help now is the best remedy for them to stop their losses."
"It's just a pity for these people..."
Zhang Tianyuan raised an eyebrow. Carl's seemingly nonsensical words were clearly a lie.
Although it may seem like nagging, it's actually a way of "cleansing" Becker.
If he remembered correctly, he was considered a moderate hawk in Carl's eyes.
Therefore, Carl's words imply that Becker's previous actions were not malicious, but purely driven by self-interest, which is why he acted that way.
To put it bluntly, the fat man hoped that he wouldn't refuse Becker's next request for help because of Becker's previous lack of cooperation.
That fat guy really has had a tough time.
He used to be Becker's punching bag, and now he has to come to him to beg for mercy.
Zhang Tianyuan felt a little sorry for him.
But he completely ignored Becker from beginning to end. Even if that guy acted recklessly, it wouldn't bother him, nor would it harm the Mutual Aid Society's interests...
Shaking his head, Zhang Tianyuan said directly, "No need to beat around the bush, I've never cared about his stupidity."
I can accept Becker's next request for help, but since they are not currently members of the Mutual Aid Society, they must bear full responsibility for all the manpower and resources consumed in this rescue effort.
"Furthermore, after the rescue operation, they should pay the Mutual Aid Society headquarters and all participating branches a full amount of compensation in the form of goods or mineral resources in one lump sum."
"You'll need to negotiate the specific amount with them. I hope you can reach a result that satisfies everyone in the Mutual Aid Society. Remember to keep all the evidence..."
Carl's heart skipped a beat. Was this an early payment reminder?
No time or spacetime has ever enjoyed such treatment before.
You still don't care about this?
Chairman, are you kidding me?
Carl hesitated several times before finally speaking, "Okay, alright!" only after Zhang Tianyuan finished.
A result that satisfies everyone in the Mutual Aid Society...
Doesn't this just emphasize that Becker and his friends aren't members of the Mutual Aid Society?
After Zhang Tianyuan hung up the phone, Carl stroked his chin thoughtfully, feeling that he understood!
office.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window, and torrential rain poured down, making the air unbearably humid.
Becker was listening to the latest news brought to him by his secretary.
"The space agency has confirmed the mysterious appearance of a massive space station in the previously requested orbit. We speculate that it possesses rotational gravity and a large reserve of satellites."
"Just recently, the Navigator space station launched more than ten communication satellites, forming a global communication network..."
Becker listened to the report in a daze, holding in his hand a blurry photo of the Navigator Space Station, obtained by the International Space Station from external surveillance footage.
Although only a general outline can be seen, just by looking at its shape, it's clear that its technology is from a completely different era than that of the International Space Station.
"... Currently, experts from the space agency have advised us to proactively engage in communication with this space station."
The secretary finished reading the document in her hand, and seeing that Becker still didn't react, she began reading the next document:
"Based on the latest meteorological seminar, experts have deduced that the current cold air front is likely moving towards the Arctic, which could create a massive storm, and... the expert group specifically pointed out that this is consistent with previous warnings we received..."
"What would happen if a storm formed?" Becker suddenly asked.
The secretary was clearly stunned, quickly flipping through the report before finding the answer after a dozen seconds, "Our temperature will drop sharply, followed by heavy rain and snow, and some areas will also experience tornadoes..."
"Like California "
A tornado?
"Hmm... it says it's possible, and the scope might be even wider."
I'm so tired!
The mess in California is still a mystery.
Is another tornado coming?
A few days ago, even if God had said this, he wouldn't have believed it. But now, with this precedent, he dares not disbelieve it.
Frustrated and exasperated, Becker waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Go and arrange the disaster relief work in California."
After the secretary left, he sat still in his seat.
Until a flash of purple light pierced through the air, followed by a crackling sound, like the sky breaking apart—
boom!!!
A sudden clap of thunder startled him and woke him up.
I got up and walked to the window, looking at the thick, mountain-like dark clouds outside. It was daytime, but there was no light at all. People relied on streetlights or flashlights, and even with umbrellas, they had to wear raincoats and coats to walk on the road.
The weather is indeed getting colder.
Becker shivered as he opened the window; it was indeed colder than October outside, the rain chilling to the bone.
He returned to his desk.
"Connect me to my secretary and tell her I want to see that Mr. Carl from before..."
New York.
Soaked to the bone, the three competitors finally returned to JD's luxurious apartment. After a quick wash, the three reunited in the spacious living room.
Brian looked out the window at the thunderstorm and felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.
He turned to Sam and said, "Hey, turn the radio back on, maybe there'll be other news."
Sam unwrapped the layers of plastic bags, revealing the radio inside, and said, "Did any of you decipher the meaning of what was said in the car just now?"
Laura and JD both shook their heads.
"That could be an emergency broadcast from the International Space Station? But it's hard to explain why they would be associated with a Mutual Aid Society organization."
"And it seems like they're directing something behind the scenes?"
Thanks to Becker's tight control, news about the Navigator Space Station has never been released in North America. Even the astronauts on the International Space Station were unaware of it, let alone high school students like Sam.
Although they didn't know, Sam and Brian were very interested in the radio broadcast they had just heard in the car.
"That broadcast took over all the frequencies we could listen to, it's unbelievable! I bet what it contained was extremely important!"
The four men sat in a circle, watching Sam press the switch on the radio, and then a slightly mechanical voice came out:
"This is the Navigator Space Station. Global weather conditions are currently severe and deteriorating rapidly. We are here to provide self-rescue tips to people in various regions around the world who have not yet been evacuated."
"First, please find a safe location on higher ground..."
Sam listened attentively while taking notes with paper and pen, and the other three listened intently as well.
Even JD, who had just seemed quite nonchalant, now looked serious.
He was starting to believe it too.
The broadcast was played on a loop, and the four of them quickly finished listening to it. Looking at the large amount of key points they had written down, Laura couldn't help but ask:
Are you familiar with this Mutual Aid Society association?
"I've only ever seen them perform at the climate conference... well, maybe magic?"
Brian was the first to answer.
Sam was reminded of his father who had been "persecuted," but unfortunately, this experience couldn't help him break through Becker's information blockade.
So he shook his head. "Me too, I just watched their video from the climate conference, and... took a few of their leaflets."
JD raised his hand and said, "My dad once said that they seemed to have gained the trust of most Europe countries in a short time. He and my stepmother were skiing in Europe at the time, and then those countries started preparing for refuge."
Brian sensed things weren't going well, but he still asked, "What happened next? Where did your dad go?"
JD said, "He didn't return to China, but he also refused to enter the shelter, so he should still be in the villa."
"I hope nothing bad happened to him..."
The four of them remained silent until Sam turned on the television, and the first person he saw was an old acquaintance.
"Why is it this TV talk show again?" Sam frowned and picked up the remote to change the channel.
Brian squinted and raised his hand to stop him. "Wait a minute, this speech seems different from the previous ones!"