The Windmill finally started moving.
Without any warning, this 2,000-kilometer-diameter wind suddenly split into two. One remained stationary, while the other, like its shadow, detached itself from the body and moved northward along the 150° west longitude line. It first passed through the Northern Cook Islands and the Marquesas Islands, and then struck the Bastak Islands, showing a tendency to cross the equator.
This has stumped experts worldwide. It can no longer be explained by a secret weapons test or an alien spacecraft crash.
United States were the first to get restless, because according to the Shadow Windmill's route, Hawaii would be the first place it would reach after crossing the equator. It is the world's most famous seaside resort, where more than a million United States citizens live, and countless wealthy people have bought villas and yachts on the island, making it their favorite vacation spot.
Those armchair experts no longer appear on television spouting nonsense about weapons and aliens; instead, real meteorologists and geologists are telling everyone there's no need to panic because cyclones can't cross the equator.
Because the Coriolis force deflects the Earth in opposite directions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the tropical cyclones that form them also rotate in opposite directions. Typhoons and hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere rotate counterclockwise, while cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere rotate clockwise.
For Shadow Windmill to cross the equator, it would mean completely changing the direction of its spin, which is impossible.
Of course, some people have countered this, saying that normal tropical cyclones move towards higher latitudes because the higher the latitude, the greater the Coriolis force, while the Coriolis force near the equator is almost zero. But the Shadow Windmill is currently moving northward without showing any signs of weakening, making it impossible to analyze using conventional physics and atmospheric theories.
As these people have said, extraordinary events cannot be judged by ordinary standards.
The Shadow Windmill suddenly disappeared when it entered the 5°S latitude line.
Of course, this large wind mass, covering an area of over three million square kilometers, did not disappear all at once. Instead, as it moved northward, it gradually disappeared behind the 5° south latitude line, as if there was an invisible large box that contained it.
That morning, the entire Shadow Windmill could be seen on the satellite cloud image, but by noon, only half of it could be seen, resembling a white steamed bun that had been cut in half.
The Hawaiians finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it would disappear completely into the sea near the equator.
However, that very evening, some strange cloud formations appeared north of the 5° North latitude line, and strong winds began to blow over the southern waters of the Hawaii Islands.
Satellite cloud images show that the tail of the Shadow Windmill is still south of 5°S latitude, while its front has crossed the 5°N latitude line and appeared in the North Pacific Ocean. The center of the entire wind mass disappears near the equator, as if there is an invisible band in the middle, and only calm seawater can be seen.
Even more remarkably, the Windmill appearing in the Northern Hemisphere changed their rotation direction from clockwise to counterclockwise.
The United States Weather Bureau issued a super hurricane warning for State of Hawaii, urging all residents to evacuate immediately.
Spoiled by tourists from all over the world, the Hawaiians finally woke up to the fact that this paradise known for its sun and beaches was about to turn into a hellish battlefield. People began to flee, but how easy was it for more than a million people to escape the center of the Pacific Ocean in a single day? The wealthy had all left in their private jets and yachts, leaving the rest crammed into airports and docks awaiting rescue. Their mood, like the sky above, grew increasingly dark.
The United States government mobilized almost all its resources, launching an unprecedented rescue operation. The entire Pacific Ocean Fleet was deployed, including aircraft carriers, warships, large transport planes, helicopters, and even fighter jets—all available forces were used. In a televised address, the president declared, "We will never abandon the life of any United States citizen!"
Of course, people read another message in the president's impassioned expression: I will never give up a single vote!
But the televised address had an effect. The evacuation proceeded smoothly, with soldiers risking their lives and civilians donating money and supplies. With the support of the nation's strong resources, the Hawaiians were finally all safely evacuated before the Shadow Windmill arrived.
While the world's attention was drawn to a superpower's massive rescue operation and cheered for its ultimate success, in the South Pacific, in the places where Windmill are formed, along their routes— the Bass Islands, Tubuai Islands, Tuamotu Islands, Cook Islands, Marquesas Islands, Bastak Islands —where there was no uninhabited territory before, it has now become uninhabited.
The total population of all those islands might not even reach 100,000, but they are all living, breathing people!
It's just that they don't have a powerful country backing them, no aircraft carriers or planes to rescue them, and no president to speak on television.
Their president and people knelt together on the land where they had lived for generations, praying. When the gale-force winds and giant waves came crashing in, they could only hold their children in their arms, husbands embrace their wives, helplessly watching and waiting for fate to deliver its final judgment.
The Shadow Windmill did not stop in Hawaii, nor did they continue north. Instead, they made a sharp turn near 150°W, 30°N and headed straight west.
Meanwhile, the Windmill that were originally stationary in the South Pacific also began to move, but they were moving eastward along the 30° South latitude line.
They are like twins in a mirror, one in the Southern Hemisphere and one in the Northern Hemisphere, one rotating clockwise and one counterclockwise, one moving east along the 30°S latitude line and the other west along the 30°N latitude line.
This has caused a global uproar. No one knows where this calamity will go next, or when it will end.
Based on its current trajectory, Cyclone Windmill will make landfall in Coquimbo, Chile; while Typhoon Windmill will pass through southern Japan and enter the China's East China Sea, making landfall in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Mei Ziqing gently knocked on the professor's office door, and a green light quickly illuminated, indicating that she could enter. She had barely opened the door a crack when she smelled a strong odor of smoke.
"Professor, you're not turning on the air purification system again!" Mei Ziqing complained.
"Oh, anyway, there's no one else here," the professor said.
"That won't do!" Mei Ziqing said while turning on the air purification system, "Smoking is bad for your health to begin with, and secondhand smoke is even worse. You're exposing yourself to both firsthand and secondhand smoke!"
Mei Yiqiu laughed and said, "I'm already this old, I won't live many more years! I'll enjoy every day I can!"
Mei Ziqing said, "What nonsense are you talking about! A scientist like you is at the peak of your career at this age!"
The smoke in the air quickly dissipated, revealing the professor's slightly tired, but always stern and wise face.
He sighed softly and asked, "Is it windy outside?"
Mei Ziqing nodded and said, "It's a bit too big! The Windmill is expected to make landfall in Shenzhou the day after tomorrow at noon. Professor, we should prepare early. Some outdoor equipment needs to be taken back, and we also need to consider personnel safety."
The professor replied, "Don't worry, the Windmill can't reach here."
"Why?" Mei Ziqing asked, somewhat puzzled. "This is the strongest typhoon in decades!"
"Don't just look at it, look at its twin," the professor said. " The Andes Mountains are like a wall, blocking the Windmill from the west coast of Chile. The winds that can reach Argentina will be very, very weak. As long as Argentina doesn't get any wind, we're safe here."