Chapter 146: The First Earthquake Early Warning
Chapter 146: The First Earthquake Early Warning
Outside the Legion Ant Company, there was a temporarily arranged venue.
Many reporters waited eagerly, whispering to each other from time to time. The situation had become very serious. The unknown instrument from the Legion Ant Company had turned into an international incident. However, the Legion Ant Company had not responded to it at all.
There were rumors online that the instrument was a seismograph, and the analysis seemed reasonable. But since the Legion Ant Company had not officially confirmed the news, everyone was still guessing. This press conference by the Legion Ant Company should provide an answer.
Because of the instrument, the Legion Ant Company had been pushed into the spotlight. If they did not give a necessary answer, there would definitely be more trouble in the future.
Amid the anxious waiting of the crowd, Chen Mo soon appeared. His presence immediately became the focus.
All the photographers pointed their cameras at Chen Mo. This young man was the mastermind behind the Legion Ant Company and one of the most talked-about figures at the moment.
Chen Mo stood in front of the microphone, and everyone quieted down, their eyes fixed intently on him.
After scanning the crowd, Chen Mo began to speak. “I am here today to give an official response regarding the Island Nation’s retrieval of our company’s instrument.”
As soon as Chen Mo spoke, many people started whispering among themselves. In that one short sentence, Chen Mo had already admitted that the instrument retrieved by the Island Nation indeed belonged to the Legion Ant Company.
“This instrument is a testing device our company deployed in international waters. The retrieval by the Island Nation government has caused losses to our company. We have contacted the Island Nation embassy to handle this matter. We will announce any specific updates as soon as possible.”
Chen Mo’s words were mild and did not stir strong reactions, leaving all the reporters exchanging puzzled looks.
They were certain that the situation was definitely not that simple. Up to this point, the Legion Ant Company had remained silent about the device. There must be some unknown story behind it.
“I heard that the device was dropped by a research team. Is that true? This incident has caused misunderstandings in the international community and damaged the national image. How does the Legion Ant Company respond to this?”
As soon as the reporter asked this question, the venue became restless. The reporter’s question was malicious.
The reporter who asked the question wore black-framed glasses, had dark skin, and an unremarkable appearance, looking somewhat scholarly. Feeling the eyes of the crowd on him, the reporter avoided eye contact but remained calm, though he did not dare to look directly at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo gave him a deep look.
“Let me say it again. The device was deployed by our Legion Ant Company. We deployed it in international waters, and it was a normal testing device. We were engaged in normal research activities. The Island Nation retrieved our company’s device, so the fault does not lie with us.”
“Online rumors say the device your company deployed is a seismograph. Is that true? Is the Legion Ant Company researching seismographs?” a female reporter took the microphone and asked.
“You all want to know the answer, right?” Chen Mo scanned the room, noticing the intense gazes, and smiled. “It is indeed a seismograph.”
As soon as he said this, the venue became noisy.
The seismograph had always been an online rumor, but now Chen Mo had admitted it openly without evasion. This statement was more official than an official announcement. If the official website posted a message and made a mistake, an intern could take the blame. But since Chen Mo said it himself, the meaning was entirely different.
Chen Mo’s words almost confirmed the online speculation.
Among the many reporters, quite a few had once reported on Chen Mo’s paper about earthquake early warning. When the reports came out back then, the online mockery had flooded major news platforms.
It was almost the biggest case of online bullying in recent years.
Now, Chen Mo once again openly stated that the Legion Ant Company was researching seismographs. If it worked as described in the original paper, everyone owed the Legion Ant Company an apology.
“So, does that mean the seismograph has already been developed? Have you started testing it? What are the test results? Can it really predict earthquakes? The seismograph is now in the hands of the Island Nation. Could the related technology be leaked?”
“Theoretically, it can predict earthquakes, but the technology still needs to be verified. So far, the areas we have tested do not have significant tectonic activity. If there is any news, we will contact the local government as soon as possible. Also, there is no possibility of technology leakage.”
As soon as the press conference ended, various reports appeared online.
Especially the fact that Chen Mo openly admitted to researching seismographs was like a bombshell dropped into a calm lake.
Amid some people’s criticism, the Legion Ant Company had already produced the instrument. Whether it worked or not, at least the Legion Ant Company had made efforts in this area.
With the hype around the seismograph, many people no longer cared about other matters. More people were concerned about whether the seismograph worked and whether some technology would be leaked now that it was in the hands of the Island Nation.
The news soon spread abroad. An instrument claimed to be capable of predicting earthquakes was a huge deal in any country, and the media could not ignore it.
As soon as the news spread, it drew unanimous mockery from foreign media, just like when the paper first came out. They all believed that the Legion Ant Company was using this as a cover for surveillance activities.
Li Lingfeng had a dark expression. He had already been in contact with the Island Nation embassy. Now, the other side was making excuses to delay, clearly unwilling to return the device, at least for the time being.
They were just a company, and there was really nothing they could do about the Island Nation.
“They said the instrument was found in their territorial waters and are now verifying who it belongs to. They will get back to us when there is news. Not only that, but I also applied for a visa to go to the Island Nation to handle the matter, and it was rejected. They believe our company’s personnel might engage in espionage activities.”
Upon hearing Li Lingfeng’s words, both Chen Mo and Zhao Min looked displeased.
The Island Nation wanted to play tricks and not return the device to them. Perhaps they wanted to study the device thoroughly before returning it. Now, they were even using this method to cut off their path to reclaiming it.
“In that case, let’s forget about it. Someday, when the Island Nation comes begging, I will make them understand what true disgust feels like,” Chen Mo responded.
“Are you sure the technology won’t be leaked?” Zhao Min looked at Chen Mo.
“Don’t I know what I’ve researched? Without the core algorithm, the seismograph is just a pile of technology combined into a clump. Many countries have that technology; they just haven’t combined it in this way.
The most important thing is the algorithm in the chip—it’s the soul of the instrument. The chip was destroyed when they forcibly retrieved it.”
Zhao Min did not question Chen Mo’s statement. In matters like this, even ten of her could not compare to Chen Mo.
“We should still try to get it back, even if it’s just for show to the outside world. We have to.”
They both knew the possibility of getting it back was slim.
Even if it did come back, it would take a long time. The barbarism of that country was not unheard of.
If the instrument belonged to a research team, the higher-ups would step in, and it would be resolved in a few days. But they were just an ordinary company. The research team had already done them a favor by deploying the instrument.
“Leave this matter to you. For now, don’t spend too much energy on it. That instrument is already broken. Even if we get it back, we’ll have to repair it. Spending too much time on it is not worth it.”
Zhao Min agreed and left with Li Lingfeng.
While the outside world was arguing about the seismograph, Chen Mo found himself with free time again and no longer paid attention to the matter.
He knew that no matter how hard he tried, there was little hope of getting it back. Spending too much time on a broken device was not worth it.
However, the peaceful days did not last long. A week later, Chen Mo received the first earthquake early warning.
“Brother Mo, the seismograph has sent back information. In the West Pacific Ocean, at 37.5 degrees north latitude and 146.2 degrees east longitude, there is abnormal geomagnetic activity in this area. In two hours, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake may occur. The depth of the epicenter is unknown, and the center of the epicenter is unknown.”
Ink Girl’s voice interrupted Chen Mo, who was in the middle of an experiment. This was the first earthquake early warning since he deployed the seismograph.
When the seismograph detected an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 or above, which could be destructive, it would automatically send back a warning message. Now was the time to test whether the seismograph was useful.