Chapter 57: Did Apocalypse Really Arrive?
Chapter 57: Did Apocalypse Really Arrive?
“Cough, cough…”
“Hasn’t the weather been a bit off lately?”
Inside a residential area in Lingchuan City, a middle-aged man who was resting at home coughed violently.
He listened to the fading sirens of the firetruck traveling away outside the community, and to the distant, unseen dark smoke billowing into the sky.
He couldn’t help but say to his wife,
“How many times is this our city has had a fire this month? Does this place catch fire so easily? It shouldn’t be like that, right?”
“It really does feel a bit strange,” the wife walked onto the balcony, also gazing outwards, frowning slightly.
“It seems like we hear about another one every couple of days.”
“Right?… Cough, cough…”
The middle-aged man coughed violently again for a while, and his wife beside him quickly reached out to rub his back.
When he finally recovered, he lifted his head again to look towards the source of the distant dark smoke.
The man let out a sigh and shook his head.
He didn’t know if he was just coughing from a regular cold,
or if it was because of the weird climate changes recently coupled with fires starting easily all over the city.
He kept smelling smoke, and it was irritating his upper respiratory tract.
After all, his upper respiratory tract had always been pretty sensitive.
“…I saw many media outlets reporting it too, saying that recently there have been some unusual atmospheric environmental shifts. They said it seems to be caused by ecosystem changes.”
His wife beside him took out her phone and scrolled through recent news.
Stories about climate change, atmospheric shifts, and ecological changes were popping up more and more frequently.
Some self-media reports sounded quite sensational.
The couple could sense something wasn’t right right now,
but just like the vast majority of people at that moment,
they didn’t quite understand these changes,
not until disaster truly struck them personally.
Or perhaps, people accustomed to peaceful lives simply didn’t know how to react at that time.
…
“Severe and Unusual Changes on Earth: Scientific Research Team Detects Atmospheric Environment with 34% Oxygen Content in Natural Setting Exceeding 1 Square Kilometer, Located Within a South American Continent Rainforest!”
“Multiple scholars from several research teams state that the spread of such atmospheric environments could trigger unpredictable enormous risks worldwide!”
“Could Climate Anomalies Trigger Ecological Abnormalities? Just How Large is the Ecosystem’s Impact on our Planet’s Environment?”
“Breaking News: Related research teams have likewise monitored a similar high-oxygen ratio atmospheric environment on an island in the Pacific Ocean! Earth’s atmospheric system appears to be undergoing massive changes globally in a very short period.”
“East Coast of Atlantic Witnesses Massive Fish Gatherings Exhibiting Hyperactivity, Creating Spectacular Scenes… Simultaneously, Massive Quantities of Various Fish Species Found Dead Along Multiple Sections of the Atlantic Coast…”
“Is an Ecological Disaster Occurring Without Our Foresight?”
Right now, online, various related reports were flooding in.
Each report focused on different aspects and had varying styles.
However, they were all conveying the same message to people:
It seemed Earth’s atmospheric system was facing a huge problem.
At the same time, the three most important parts within the HCC (Human Coalition)
had not completely banned their mainstream media from reporting on this matter.
They primarily focused on reporting objectively observed phenomena,
without releasing any official announcements.
This was likely to provide a buffer time for the populace to digest the news before a formal declaration.
“Holy crap, why does it feel like the world’s about to end? I’ve seen several news stories like this just today!”
“Might it be possible that it’s not just a feeling, but that the world really is ending?”
“Can anyone explain what these reported abnormal atmospheric changes mean? What would it signify if the atmosphere really reached 34% oxygen globally?”
“Honestly, it’s hard to say exactly what it would mean. If atmospheric oxygen hit 34%, the human body might still adapt? But the respiratory system could get irritated, making lung diseases more common? Because of oxidation, things might decay faster, people might age quicker, insects and plants might grow bigger… But if the oxygen level keeps rising, a lot becomes unpredictable?”
“The oxygen level in the atmosphere doesn’t just suddenly spike for no reason, there has to be a cause, right? Could oxygen from somewhere else be pooling in certain areas for some reason? That would be disastrous!”
“The situation you described, well, I don’t actually find that scary… If it gathered, we could probably ‘disperse’ it again. But if the overall oxygen content increased, what could we do? Work hard to produce CO2?”
“Holy crap, is the apocalypse really happening? What you guys are saying is making me too anxious to sleep… If this is really happening, what can we even do? Should I go stock up on food first, take a few days off work and just lock myself inside to see how this plays out?”
“If this really is the case… it’s pointless. Nothing helps. Just wait to die. Forget other things; can you just stop breathing? Even if you could somehow constantly adjust the oxygen levels inside your house, the chain reactions caused by this atmospheric shift would kill you anyway.”
Online, right now, many people were discussing these recent news stories.
On this day, news about the abnormal atmospheric changes rocketed to the top of trending lists on numerous social media platforms within Huaxia Nation and across the globe.
This meant people’s focus on this issue had reached a new level.
At this moment, the vast majority of people felt a mix of anxiety and confusion about changes that defied everyday experience.
While feeling like they should be anxious, that anxiety had no clear outlet.
In other words, people were still somewhat stunned by this sudden, colossal shift.
…
Over the next half a month or so,
worldwide, the frequency with which people actively sought out news about these abnormal atmospheric changes gradually increased.
Many people developed a kind of ‘allergy’ to news about phenomena related to the atmospheric anomaly.
While not necessarily the absolute top story every single day, related reports still appeared on platform trending lists practically every other day.
More importantly, the related topics consistently remained high on the platforms’ hot topic charts almost continuously.
As people realized this news about a massive crisis wasn’t fading away silently like most such stories did after the initial buzz died down, but was instead getting more intense,
most people’s feeling of vague unease turned into agitation.
Because it was only then that many people started to truly register in their subconscious minds that something very bad really was happening, and it might pose a threat to them, and to everyone.
The way people reacted during this period could be summarized like this:
“Another end-of-the-world rumor?”
“Ugh, why do I keep seeing this scary sensationalist stuff?”
“How come it feels like something actually is wrong?”
“Holy crap, could the apocalypse really be happening?”
“Wait… might something really be about to happen?”
“…”
“Huh?!”
Of course, during this same period,
more observable phenomena caused by the rapid spread of the 236 Algae became increasingly visible to ordinary people.
First, while it was true that the “greening phenomenon” affecting large bodies of water mostly came later during the 236 Algae’s proliferation phase,
it wasn’t possible for every single body of water across the world to turn green at the exact same time.
By this time, in many small bodies of water across the world where 236 Algae had multiplied densely, clusters of the algae had clearly appeared.
The most obvious thing regular people noticed was this: waters they knew well turned strangely green in a very short time.
Even though these green waters appeared in distant, scattered places, the internet shattered the limits of distance for spreading such news.
Plus, for anyone who knew just a little about biology or Life Science, finding 236 Algae was very easy.
By now, many people were already linking the spread of 236 Algae to recent strange air changes in some areas.
What’s more, as research groups and teams detected unusual, sudden shifts in oxygen levels over wider areas, and as places with too much oxygen—shown again and again in the news—moved closer to lands people knew and called home, how could anyone stay calm?
And by now, especially since we still hadn’t found a way to deal with 236 Algae, and it felt like research might take forever, keeping the algae a secret was impossible. And really, why hide it anymore?
So finally, on this day—when many people had already guessed something was coming—the three main members of the HCC (Human Coalition): Huaxia Nation, North Bear Nation, and Moon Nation, all around the same hour, went live on TV.
They announced: the Human Civilization’s Doomsday Crisis had arrived.
They told the world about the 236 Algae Spread Crisis.
…
“… Fellow people. Friends. Everyone on Earth.”
“As you have seen and learned now, all Human Civilization faces a dangerous moment.”
“About 50 days ago, our country’s researchers found a new, unusual kind of algae. It has taken over almost everywhere on Earth, pushing out other algae types in this battle to survive.”
“When we found it, it was already spread wide—in the oceans, seas, lakes… in all kinds of water across Earth.”
“These researchers quickly knew the risks hiding behind this fast-spreading algae—we called it 236 Algae back then.”
“But sadly, our tech today just can’t kill all of 236 Algae across such vast waters.”
A certain Senior Leader, who had once visited the Negentropy Research Institute because of the algae, spoke on live TV.
He shared the truth about 236 Algae.
Right then, across Earth, the quiet felt heavy. Because the HCC’s three main powers had spoken up together.
“And as many have thought, 236 Algae is why the air on Earth is changing strangely these days.”
“Science tells us: even at the same thickness, 236 Algae can make more oxygen than the other algae or plants that once filled its same spot in Earth’s ecosystem.”
“And algae alone gives off most of Earth’s oxygen.”
“Now, 236 Algae spreads wildly. Our best science warns: if we fail to slow it down, then about 10 months from this moment…”
“The air everywhere on Earth will have way too much oxygen — over 36% on average. Worse, in time, it might go over 40%.”
“When that happens, our Earth’s environment would break down and change. Wild, extreme weather will hit. Fires will rage across the world. Our farming, our factories — all might stop… We might even not survive outside protected air in the long run.”
“So we must face it: a crisis for all Human Civilization has already begun.”
“We did not see it coming earlier. But now, we must fight it.”
“Our way of life might weaken, maybe even shrink through this trial — but I believe! Whether by faith, by science, or by hard facts, Human Civilization will NOT die out in this crisis!”
At that moment, hearing the real truth about the 236 Algae Spread Crisis on TV, everyone felt… dazed.
Yes, they had guessed this already.
But the official word shattered any last bits of hope.
Was the end truly coming?
After that second of pause, fully realizing it was true, most people didn’t feel fear or sorrow first.
Most just felt lost.
Their very first thought was:
Right now — what should I do?
This “Doomsday Crisis” may cause huge fires worldwide.
Maybe make my own house fireproof?
But if whole cities… or forests… start burning, would that help?
In air this rich with oxygen, fires can start anywhere — even on their own.
Stopping them everywhere would be impossible.
Stock up food? Stuff my shelves full?
Then, whatever happens later, at least I’ll have food?
But what about the harm too much oxygen in air will do to my body?
All kinds of thoughts spun wildly in many people’s heads.
Some even thought: should I go to work today? Or tomorrow?
Still, those in charge had clearly thought about this earlier — before telling the world about the algae.
They knew: when a huge, strange danger hits, most of us just freeze — lost.
So after confirming 236 Algae’s threat and dangers, they quickly followed with a very simple, clear goal on live TV.
This would help calm fears — and stop chaos.
“To face this crisis that affects us all, every one of us must act together.”
“I announce it now: we enter emergency status against the 236 Algae Spread Crisis.”
“During this emergency, everyone will fight the algae in their place. Keeping only basic living and vital work going, we will throw nearly all our money, gear, and people at this effort — to find the best chance at beating this threat.”
“I announce: our most urgent step is growing and gathering food for the near future. We’ll plant and harvest every safe inch of land. We need to store as much food as possible — before the algae spreads into rivers or soil that could ruin our fields later.”
Then came specific plans.
And truly, the three HCC members — including Huaxia Nation— all said similar things.
Food came first.
To fight hunger later, gathering every grain mattered most now.
Next step: boost making meds to ease breathing trouble.
Long stays in oxygen-rich air hit the lungs hard, and we knew that. We had to be ready.
And then — prepare for possible global fires.
Building shelters to fight fires, storing fire gear — even inventing new tools for it.