Even after seeing Frank and Jason appear before him, Sam still couldn't quite accept this fact.
I only came to New York, why...?
Why are there two more "fathers"?
Oh, no, there are three.
His real father said there was another man named Tom in Washington...
However, despite his inability to accept it, Sam knew that Frank and Jason had traveled all the way back from a parallel universe with his father and then immediately came to find him, so he couldn't say anything more.
Anyone who goes to such lengths for me, regardless of who they are or the outcome, deserves my sincere gratitude.
And then there's Uncle Tom from Washington. Although the whole thing was a big misunderstanding, he genuinely did his job.
So no matter how unacceptable it was, Sam had no choice but to confront Frank and Jason. Once things settled down, he would have to visit Uncle Tom.
Thinking about this, Sam suddenly realized he had forgotten something very important. "Did Mom evacuate too?"
Jack patted him on the back. "Of course we evacuated. She's in Washington; she'll be fine."
He even chuckled as he spoke.
Sam felt a little relieved upon hearing this.
If it weren't for him, they would probably be having a warm family reunion in a house or hotel in Miami right now.
Unfortunately, he has now destroyed all of this with his own hands.
Jack saw through his thoughts, smiled, and put his arm around his shoulder, showing no sign of blaming him whatsoever.
Seeing his father's relieved smile, Sam finally felt a little relieved.
After the father and son finished speaking, Jack was quickly swallowed up by the crowd.
Lund and his group, who had just returned to the library, had already spread the word of Jack's identity throughout the entire library; everyone now knew who Jack was.
I knew he was a meteorologist, and someone who had worked in the Mutual Aid Society before, even participating in research on climate disaster models...
Although Lund and others also said that a super storm would soon hit New York and everyone should stay indoors, and emphasized that this was Jack's statement.
However, most of the people surrounding Jack were still asking if they could find a rescue team now. Having not experienced yesterday's journey across the snowy plains, they had no idea of the hardships outside.
Lund watched Jack struggling to explain to everyone, sighed, and found a place to rest alone to conserve his energy.
Jack then explained the situation to everyone in one go, continuing until nightfall, until everyone basically understood how dangerous the situation was, completely suppressing their desire to actively seek out a rescue team.
The excitement of the hundreds of people in the library gradually subsided.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief, ate something, and sat down by the roaring fire to rest when he suddenly heard people starting to talk again.
"Will our civilization be wiped out after this disaster?" The speaker was an older man wearing glasses. Even though he was wearing a thick wool sweater, he couldn't hide his intellectual and even bookish air. It was obvious that he read a lot of books.
Following this topic, the people around started discussing it enthusiastically. The night was long, and there were so many people; there wasn't much else to do besides chat.
Everyone took turns expressing their opinions. Jack huddled by the fireplace and listened for a while, only to find that what he heard was all pessimistic; everyone thought they were doomed.
Becker and his team did a terrible job this time; most of them have lost faith.
Some people think that Becker and his associates should be taken to court and made accountable for their previous actions.
But the next second, someone thought this estimate was too optimistic, because he doubted whether their country would remain intact after this disaster...
Soon everyone's attention turned to Jack; it was clearly his turn to speak.
Jack hesitated for a moment, then said, "This disaster will not destroy our civilization. Many countries have already implemented evacuation plans in a timely manner in response to the call of the Mutual Aid Society."
Before I returned to Washington, I was in Shelter 1 across the street, where at least two hundred thousand people were gathered. Their lives were orderly, they didn't have to worry about the wind, snow, and low temperatures outside, and they were even showing movies from other time periods...
Jack's words aroused the longing of many people.
They compared the scene Jack described with their own current experiences, and a surge of anger rose within them.
While others are enjoying normal leisure and life in the shelter, they are here...
He was wrapped in a coat and warming himself by the fire, still worried about whether he would have his next meal.
This is truly a miserable experience!
Among those who sought refuge in the library, most had never experienced anything like this before.
So people started cursing Becker again, wishing they could tie the old man's hands and feet, turn their vicious words into sharp knives, and stab him in every corner of his body, making him scream in agony...
This is the only thing that can help everyone relieve stress right now.
Jack was completely helpless against this fanatical and radical situation and could only watch silently from the sidelines.
However, he recalled what he had seen and heard during his time Wandering Spacetime.
Compared to other timelines, the Wandering Spacetime is relatively isolated in terms of information, specifically in the fact that news updates in other timelines are not timely.
However late it was, Jack still managed to learn about the various ideologies and movements that were emerging in different time periods.
One of these is the theory of the inherent flaws of Western civilization, which champions self-reflection.
This argument was put forward by scholars from the Pacific Rim Spacetime Pacific Rim Spacetime after it received slave patients from the Finch Spacetime.
Faced with its lackluster performance across various times and places, this argument quickly sparked widespread discussion, and its influence has grown daily.
Moreover, once communication channels between different times and spaces are established, enabling real-time communication across time and spaces, this argument can be rapidly disseminated to other times and spaces.
Upon hearing this argument, Western scholars across different time periods, filled with grief and despair, felt as if they had found the source of all suffering, the truth itself. Then, this argument began to take root, sprout, develop, and expand upon in their own ways...
Today, this argument is showing signs of becoming a trend that influences the thinking of a generation.
It was under such a silhouette that Jack encountered this trend of thought while Wandering Spacetime, as well as the various new arguments and viewpoints that developed from it in different timelines.
These arguments and evidence greatly challenged his worldview.
Even now, Jack doesn't know whether his "inherent flaws" are right or wrong, so he instinctively avoids the question.
at the same time.
Zhang Tianyuan was discussing aid efforts in North America with someone.
Among those discussing the topic, some were present at the event, some were in North America, and some were in other times and spaces.
In other words, this was a comprehensive conference spanning time and space.
Wang Lei is giving a work report:
"We have just received the latest warning from the weather bureau. The storm in North America will intensify further tomorrow, and its power will continue to increase in the northern region."
"The sub-zero temperatures that have been recorded in Europe are very likely to occur in several parts of North America tomorrow. We have informed all shelters in North America to take precautions..."
Zhang Tianyuan asked, "How many people have the various teams rescued so far? Have there been any casualties?"
"Based on a brief summary from ten minutes ago, the various teams have rescued or established temporary shelters for at least 700,000 civilians."
"Casualties... Our protective suits are bulletproof, and combined with our firepower, they are sufficient to defend against most attacks. However, some rioters possessed heavy firepower such as rocket launchers. Two hours ago, we suffered casualties: five members of Harry Squad, along with hundreds of civilians they had rescued in their vehicle, were all killed..."
"In response, I have ordered all vehicles to remain in formation to prevent giving the rioters an opportunity to act."
Zhang Tianyuan remained silent.
Sun Deyi then whispered in the channel, "They are all good soldiers who responded to the United Government and came to provide support..."
Elder Zhong was also present at the meeting, and other presidents from different time periods also expressed their condolences.
This is a rare sacrifice in the Mutual Aid Society's rescue operations.
But there's nothing anyone can do about it.
Zhang Tianyuan could only sigh and move on from this matter. He didn't need to worry about the aftermath of the five soldiers; he trusted Sun Deyi would handle it properly.
"Let's change our strategy. At the current rate, the storm will hit tomorrow and most people will die. People without heat sources simply can't survive the low temperatures with just blankets."
"So we need to change our strategy from now on. We can no longer contain everyone. Although it's effective, it's too time-consuming."
Zhang Tianyuan paused, signaling Wang Lei to follow his train of thought, before continuing:
"I've already spoken with President Zhou of No. 1 Branch. They have a batch of coal stored in their Spacetime Warehouse. Although it's unprocessed, it's enough to meet some of their heating needs."
"Next, the rescue team will begin moving around the city, distributing coal to residents so they can burn it themselves."
Burn firewood for heating, but pay attention to ventilation. During this process, you can also persuade them to gather together as much as possible...
This solution is certainly not perfect.
After the storm, countless people died from various causes, including freezing to death from burning coal and being poisoned by sulfur dioxide.
But some people will certainly be lucky enough to survive thanks to coal, and hold on until the disaster is over and a larger-scale rescue operation arrives.
Therefore, it all depends on whether the people themselves can grasp it.
However, Zhang Tianyuan had just discussed the matter with the presidents of each branch, and everyone agreed that the plan was feasible.
Although it was a bit cruel, in the end, the number of people who survived by relying on coal mining was probably more than the number of people that the Mutual Aid Society so hard to save.
It was based on this calculation that Zhang Tianyuan decided to carry out the plan.
After listening to the entire plan, Wang Lei did not express any objection and immediately stated that he would work together to implement the new plan.
Zhang Tianyuan didn't waste his time and quickly contacted Bai Xu from the "2012" timeline, who had always been in charge of the Spacetime Warehouse.
Then, under his arrangement, Bai Xu put on a protective suit and quickly appeared in various locations in the Day After Tomorrow Spacetime through the Spacetime Tunnel.
And every time he appeared, he would wave his hand, and a pile of coal would appear on the ground...
Shortly after the meeting ended, Zhang Tianyuan received an urgent telegram from Carl.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Tianyuan asked, taking the phone from his assistant with a puzzled look.
On the other end, Carl immediately exclaimed in a panicked tone, "President, I've lost contact with Becker and the others!"
Um?
Zhang Tianyuan seemed to remember something after hearing what he said.
Meanwhile, Carl kept babbling on, worried that Becker and his superiors would take advantage of the situation and run away, thus shirking the payment owed to the Wandering Spacetime after the rescue was over...
If such a thing were to actually happen, wouldn't those ruthless individuals who Wandering Spacetime surely strap him to the nozzle of Planetary Engine and then blast his ashes into the sky?
The thought of this outcome terrified Carl, so he immediately called Zhang Tianyuan for help.
Although he knew his concern seemed somewhat unnecessary, given Becket thought process, he felt it necessary to express his concern about the matter.
Maybe Becker and his team really do intend to do that?
Nobody can understand that guy's thought process at all...
Just as Carl was rambling on about this, Zhang Tianyuan suddenly asked, "What was Becker and his superior's last move before they disappeared?"
"I heard they're going to evacuate Washington tonight."
Okay, right...
Zhang Tianyuan felt he already knew.
This must be a scene from a movie that has become reality.
The Army One convoy got stuck in the snowstorm and didn't make it through.
The scene in the movie is a very simple little plot point, lasting less than a minute.
I just don't know why Becker would act with his boss.
But perhaps it was he who caused the butterfly effect?
Zhang Tianyuan was also baffled, so he could only ask Elder Zhong to contact the people on the other side and try to get information from them.
One hour ago.
Washington, D. C.
Becker stood by the window of his office, lost in thought.
Outside, the snow had piled up to waist-deep, and snowflakes were still falling from the sky.
Becker sighed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
The secretary came in with a message: "Sir, it's time to get on the bus. We are the last group to evacuate."
Becker stood still for a while before nodding and walking towards his secretary.
After two days of evacuation, although not all residents of Washington, D. C. have been evacuated, the number of people remaining is dwindling. In particular, government officials, apart from Becker and his superiors, have all other important figures evacuated.
That's why the secretary said they were the last batch.
Becker and his secretary braved the heavy snow to reach the convoy. His superior was already waiting for him in the car. The middle-aged man, who looked very upright, nodded calmly, seemingly unaffected by the disaster.
The driver, a former soldier, smiled and said to the others as Becker got into the car, "Now we can set off. After this disaster, I should get married."
Amidst the voices, the convoy, braving the heavy snow, slowly started up in the night, then plunged headlights on into the pitch-black expanse.
No matter how bright and dazzling the lights were, they eventually dimmed and disappeared as the car drove away...