1 Global Great Evolution
"At 4:27 p.m. Beijing time, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck the Golmud area in Qinghai Province, China, with tremors spreading over hundreds of kilometers..."
"This afternoon, an earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale occurred in the Golmud area of Qinghai Province. The full extent of the earthquake's impact is still uncertain, but the epicenter, situated at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, is devoid of human habitation within a radius of 100 miles..."
Cong Xia quickly skimmed through the continuously emerging earthquake information. The gaming group he had joined was also abuzz with discussions about the earthquake. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed, "Indeed, it's an earthquake. It's astonishing how we can feel it even from such a distance. It even woke me up!"
"Fortunately, it happened in an uninhabited area like Golmud. An earthquake of 8.3 magnitude would devastate any city it struck. It's truly terrifying."
"Yeah, it's a relief that it occurred in an uninhabited area. I felt it even in Beijing."
"I felt it in Yunnan too."
"I felt it in Henan as well..."
As the group discussion intensified, Cong Xia found it difficult to join in. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already past 6 p.m. He had taken a day off yesterday and stayed up late playing Dota. He had only fallen asleep around 4 a.m. and was awakened just now by the earthquake. Since the tremors were mild, he initially thought it might be a hallucination. When he woke up and checked the internet, he discovered that there had indeed been an earthquake.
However, the earthquake seemed to have little relevance to him, so he didn't pay much attention.
Cong Xia tousled his disheveled hair, entered the bathroom for a shower, and then skillfully prepared two dishes and a soup for himself. He sat down to eat while watching the latest episodes of his favorite anime.
Just as he was halfway through his meal, his phone rang. His appetite vanished as he saw that it was a call from his female boss. Typically, her calls at this time never brought good news. He sighed and answered the phone, "Hello, Manager Jiang."
"Xiao Cong, are you at home?"
"No, I'm out with a group of friends."
"Don't lie to me. My ears still work. I can tell from the background noise that you're at home. Besides, you don't have a girlfriend, so why would you go to such a quiet place with a group of friends?"
Cong Xia forced a wry smile and replied, "Manager Jiang, I surrender. I'm heading to the office now."
"Sorry for disturbing you on a Sunday. The client just reported a problem in our website. I need you to fix it."
Cong Xia thought to himself, "Apologies won't make up for it. Pay me overtime, damn it."
Reluctantly, he hung up the phone, changed his clothes, and prepared to go to the office.
Before leaving, he remembered that he wouldn't be the only one working overtime, so he took out the steamed buns he made last night from the refrigerator and reheated a few to take with him.
He rented a house near the company, and it takes him just ten minutes to ride his bike there.
While listening to music, he climbed the stairs. As expected, the office area was brightly lit, but the entrance front desk remained dimly illuminated. However, it didn't hinder his progress. He could navigate this path with his eyes closed and not bump into a wall. But today, as he passed by a potted plant, he suddenly stumbled. His body lost control, and he fell forward, landing on the ground and causing his heat preservation box and phone to tumble out of his pocket.
With a loud noise, everyone in the office rushed out, asking, "Who is it?"
Lying on the ground, Cong Xia cried out, "It's me."
Two colleagues from the company emerged and burst into laughter. "Xiao Cong, what were you doing? You managed to trip over such a flat tile."
Cong Xia got up from the ground. "Something tripped me..."
Before he could finish his sentence, one of the colleagues turned on the light, and the three of them looked behind Cong Xia.
"Huh?" They all exclaimed in surprise.
The bonsai pine tree placed near the front desk of the company had its thick branches extending beyond the flowerpot, and one of the branches even reached the ground. It was that branch that had tripped Cong Xia.
Cong Xia wondered, "How did it grow so fast?"
The company's potted plants were regularly cared for, so it couldn't have grown so unruly. No one had attended to it yet, but the crucial point was that Cong Xia distinctly remembered there had been no anomalies with that bonsai tree just the day before when he left work. If it had suddenly increased in size, it would have been impossible for nobody at the company to notice. Had everyone overlooked it?
The colleague who turned on the light murmured, "Yeah, it has grown this much? Why don't I remember? I didn't notice when I passed by just now."
"I didn't pay attention either. Maybe because it's always been here, so nobody paid it much mind. Let's have someone come to trim it on Monday. Xiao Cong, are you okay? Here's your phone."
"I'm fine." Cong Xia took his phone, straightened his clothes, and glanced at the bonsai pine tree again, feeling a strange sense of unease.
"What's in this?" The colleague picked up the heat preservation box from the ground.
Cong Xia smiled, "Oh, those are the steamed buns I made yesterday. We'll definitely get hungry while we're busy."
"Haha, Xiao Cong, you're the most thrifty person in the whole company. Even the girls can't compete with you." The colleague patted him on the shoulder.
The other colleague chimed in, "That's right. I went to Xiao Cong's place last time, and his room was so clean that I felt guilty stepping inside."
Cong Xia smiled sheepishly, "Let's finish our work quickly so we can go back and sleep."
The three of them turned on their computers and immersed themselves in their tasks.
Cong Xia was a network engineer and had been working at this company for almost three years since graduating. Although the salary wasn't high, and he often had to work overtime, he was content to go with the flow. He had food, shelter, and a peaceful life, so he didn't feel the need to change anything.
The three of them worked tirelessly until late in the evening, fixing the vulnerabilities. After completing their communication with the client, they were ready to head home.
Suddenly, one of their colleagues remembered the steamed buns that Cong Xia had brought. "Hey, let's have Xiao Cong's steamed buns. I'm really hungry."
"Sounds good."
They opened the insulated container, and the steamed buns were still warm. One of the colleagues grabbed one and took a bite. After chewing for a moment, he furrowed his brow. "Xiao Cong, when did you make these steamed buns?"
"Last night."
"Did you refrigerate them?"
"Yes, I did. How could I not refrigerate them on such a hot day? When I took them out, they were just thawed from the fridge. What's wrong?"
"They don't taste very fresh."
"That can't be..." Cong Xia took one of the steamed buns and had a bite. The taste was indeed slightly off. Although they hadn't gone bad yet, they felt like they had been sitting for three days—not very fresh. Cong Xia wondered, "How did this happen? I made them last night and immediately put them in the fridge..."
The colleague quickly responded, "Maybe it's because of the hot weather. It's alright, they're not spoiled. I'll eat this one so it doesn't go to waste."
Cong Xia hurriedly said, "Don't eat it, Liu Ge." He felt a bit embarrassed. "Maybe they spoiled in just a few hours. Don't eat it, or you might end up with an upset stomach." Cong Xia looked at the remaining steamed buns with a sense of regret.
He threw the steamed buns in the trash can, and the three of them chatted as they left the office. They were still hungry, so they decided to go to a nearby street filled with food stalls for some late-night snacks.
A crowd had gathered in front of one of the food stalls, as if there was an ongoing argument. From a distance, they could hear angry shouts.
Curiosity piqued, they walked towards the commotion. Passing by the food stall, they could hear a heated argument between a group of customers and the stall owner.
The customers complained that the seafood at the food stall wasn't fresh, while the owner insisted that it had just arrived in the morning and had been kept on ice, so it couldn't possibly be stale. The argument escalated, and suddenly, one fiery-tempered woman among the customers forcefully pushed the stall owner. In full view of everyone, the owner was sent flying two to three meters and landed directly on the road, narrowly missing Cong Xia.
Not only Cong Xia, but everyone around was stunned.
The stall owner was a tall and stout man, over 1.8 meters in height, while the woman who pushed him was less than 1.6 meters tall and appeared very weak. She shouldn't have been able to push the owner, let alone send him flying that far. Even if it were someone with special training, it would be unlikely for them to exert enough force to propel someone weighing around 70-80 kilograms, who instinctively stabilizes their own body and creates resistance against the force, that far!
The bustling food stall, which had been filled with activity just moments ago, fell into silence.
The female customer herself stood there, stunned, gazing at her own hands in bewilderment.
"Oh my, she's incredibly strong!" exclaimed someone from the crowd. The surrounding people immediately erupted with excitement, asking if the woman had received any training.
The woman's face turned even redder, more flustered than the stall owner. She hastily grabbed her friends and fled.
While the stall owner wasn't severely injured, he was mostly shocked. By the time he regained his composure, the woman had disappeared, leaving him infuriated, stomping his feet in anger.
Following this incident, the three of them selected a different food stall and enjoyed a late-night snack. As they ate, their conversation inevitably turned to the recent earthquake in Qinghai. Cong Xia, who was usually talkative, showed little interest in the topic. He felt that everything around him was starting to change, and numerous details puzzled him, but he couldn't find a direction for his thoughts.
Curiosity had always been a strong trait of his. He possessed a wide range of interests and dedicated considerable effort to researching anything that caught his attention. For example, when he accompanied a friend to select mahogany furniture, he spent two months studying every aspect of mahogany. On another occasion, he visited a mechanical processing factory and became engrossed in assembly line machines, spending six months attempting to design a more efficient and energy-saving machine. The unfinished drawings for that project still resided in his drawer. In short, he was a meticulous and perceptive person who thoroughly enjoyed observing the world around him. Since waking up in the afternoon until now, there had been many inexplicable occurrences that others would likely overlook, yet he sensed that something was different. The feeling was overwhelmingly strong, making him uncomfortable.
It was a sense of anxiety toward the unknown.
Returning home with a heavy heart, Cong Xia turned on his computer and watched a movie to calm himself. He believed that his negative emotions were likely a result of his disrupted sleep schedule from working late without enough rest. A good night's sleep should resolve it.
Due to the sweltering weather, he took another shower and climbed into bed.
In the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened by a piercing scream. The sound was extremely shrill and seemed to originate from just below his apartment.
Cong Xia rented a third-floor apartment facing the street. Although the rent was more affordable, passing cars didn't usually disturb his sleep. However, this scream felt as if it were right beside his ear. Startled, he sat up in bed and drew back the curtains to look downstairs.
Under the dim streetlights, he noticed a woman lying on the ground, engaged in a confrontation with a small creature resembling a cat in size. Cong Xia had nearsightedness, so his vision was limited. He quickly put on his glasses and examined the scene closely, confirming that it was indeed a cat. Its fur was bristling, while the woman retreated in terror, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Cong Xia was astonished. After all, an adult shouldn't be incapable of fending off a cat. Moreover, the woman seemed to be bleeding profusely.
He hastily dressed, slipped on his slippers, and rushed downstairs. As he ran, he heard another scream.
Cong Xia's heart trembled, and he sprinted onto the main street. The sight before him sent chills down his spine.
It was now three or four in the morning, with no pedestrians in sight. Otherwise, everyone would have been terrified by what they witnessed.
The gray-black feral cat pounced on the woman's face, viciously tearing at her head, face, and neck. The woman struggled with all her might, fighting for her life, but she couldn’t get away from the cat no matter what she did. Her screams of terror echoed in the streets while she laid on the ground helplessly.
Cong Xia didn't think much and kicked the feral cat. The cat let out a yowl and was knocked aside but quickly climbed up, glaring at Cong Xia with unnaturally green eyes.
Cong Xia wasn't particularly brave, but he believed that an adult shouldn't fear a cat based on common sense. In his assessment, the woman was probably intoxicated and weak, while the cat appeared deranged.
The feral cat arched its back, opened its mouth, and emitted a disturbing roar. However, despite roaring several times, it didn't dare approach. Cong Xia stomped his foot, causing the cat to turn and run away.
Cong Xia breathed a sigh of relief. Although he wasn't afraid of the cat, getting bitten wouldn't have been pleasant, especially considering the cat was likely sick.
He quickly crouched down to examine the woman's injuries. The woman's face had multiple bite marks that tore both skin and flesh. While the wounds weren't deep, they were disfiguring. The more severe injury was on her neck, where the cat had clawed and bitten, leaving a long and deep bleeding wound. Cong Xia had some knowledge of medicine and could tell that the injury hadn't affected any major arteries. Considering the cat's clawing and biting strength, it was unlikely to have punctured a major artery in a person. However, the sight of the profusely flowing blood was still alarming.
Hurriedly, Cong Xia went back upstairs, called emergency services (120) on the phone, and grabbed some money before heading downstairs. When the ambulance arrived, they took the injured woman to the hospital.
Using the woman's phone, he called her family. Afterward, he paid over two hundred yuan for medical expenses and left. Exhausted, he just wanted to go back to sleep. He felt extremely unlucky today, encountering a series of inexplicable events.
Back at home, sleep eluded him. With over an hour until daybreak, he lay in bed, repeatedly pondering the day's events. The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Was he being oversensitive, or had something truly changed in his surroundings?
He turned over in bed and suddenly remembered leaving the dirty dishes unwashed in the kitchen when he rushed out in the morning. Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to tidy up the kitchen.
When he saw the leftovers from his dinner in the kitchen, a chill ran down his spine.
He had left home around 7 p.m., and now it was four in the morning of the next day. In just nine hours, his dinner had started to grow mold!
Considering the hot weather, some spoilage could be expected if food was left outside, but the normal phenomenon would be fermentation, not such rapid bacterial changes. It didn't align with the laws of science.
He rushed to the cabinet, opened a can of yogurt he had purchased the day before, and an abnormal sour odor hit his nose. Frantically, he took out all the dried goods and long-lasting food items stored in his home, discovering that without exception, they had all spoiled.
Cong Xia was dumbfounded.
He rushed back to his bedroom, turned on the computer, and quickly typed in keywords related to rapid food spoilage in search engines. The results showed numerous new pieces of information, all posted by netizens from various parts of the country, claiming that their food had decayed at an abnormal speed. Cong Xia extracted the IP addresses from these pieces of information and entered them into statistical software, only to find that most of the reports originated from the central and western regions, while dissenting opinions denying any abnormality in food came predominantly from the southeastern areas.
This result surprised Cong Xia. After thinking for a minute, he suddenly recalled the earthquake in the afternoon.
He delved deeper into the analysis and drew a conclusion based on the IP addresses of the information: the closer the location was to Golmud in Qinghai, the more pronounced the acceleration of food spoilage. Conversely, the phenomenon became less severe the farther away from Golmud, to the extent that there were no abnormalities reported in the eastern three provinces and the southeastern coastal areas.
The occurrence of accelerated food spoilage was spreading throughout the country, resembling the ripple effect of an earthquake, with Golmud at its epicenter.
There must be some underlying issue associated with that earthquake!
1 Global Great Evolution
"At 4:27 p.m. Beijing time, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck the Golmud area in Qinghai Province, China, with tremors spreading over hundreds of kilometers..."
"This afternoon, an earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale occurred in the Golmud area of Qinghai Province. The full extent of the earthquake's impact is still uncertain, but the epicenter, situated at an altitude of over 4,000 meters, is devoid of human habitation within a radius of 100 miles..."
Cong Xia quickly skimmed through the continuously emerging earthquake information. The gaming group he had joined was also abuzz with discussions about the earthquake. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed, "Indeed, it's an earthquake. It's astonishing how we can feel it even from such a distance. It even woke me up!"
"Fortunately, it happened in an uninhabited area like Golmud. An earthquake of 8.3 magnitude would devastate any city it struck. It's truly terrifying."
"Yeah, it's a relief that it occurred in an uninhabited area. I felt it even in Beijing."
"I felt it in Yunnan too."
"I felt it in Henan as well..."
As the group discussion intensified, Cong Xia found it difficult to join in. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already past 6 p.m. He had taken a day off yesterday and stayed up late playing Dota. He had only fallen asleep around 4 a.m. and was awakened just now by the earthquake. Since the tremors were mild, he initially thought it might be a hallucination. When he woke up and checked the internet, he discovered that there had indeed been an earthquake.
However, the earthquake seemed to have little relevance to him, so he didn't pay much attention.
Cong Xia tousled his disheveled hair, entered the bathroom for a shower, and then skillfully prepared two dishes and a soup for himself. He sat down to eat while watching the latest episodes of his favorite anime.
Just as he was halfway through his meal, his phone rang. His appetite vanished as he saw that it was a call from his female boss. Typically, her calls at this time never brought good news. He sighed and answered the phone, "Hello, Manager Jiang."
"Xiao Cong, are you at home?"
"No, I'm out with a group of friends."
"Don't lie to me. My ears still work. I can tell from the background noise that you're at home. Besides, you don't have a girlfriend, so why would you go to such a quiet place with a group of friends?"
Cong Xia forced a wry smile and replied, "Manager Jiang, I surrender. I'm heading to the office now."
"Sorry for disturbing you on a Sunday. The client just reported a problem in our website. I need you to fix it."
Cong Xia thought to himself, "Apologies won't make up for it. Pay me overtime, damn it."
Reluctantly, he hung up the phone, changed his clothes, and prepared to go to the office.
Before leaving, he remembered that he wouldn't be the only one working overtime, so he took out the steamed buns he made last night from the refrigerator and reheated a few to take with him.
He rented a house near the company, and it takes him just ten minutes to ride his bike there.
While listening to music, he climbed the stairs. As expected, the office area was brightly lit, but the entrance front desk remained dimly illuminated. However, it didn't hinder his progress. He could navigate this path with his eyes closed and not bump into a wall. But today, as he passed by a potted plant, he suddenly stumbled. His body lost control, and he fell forward, landing on the ground and causing his heat preservation box and phone to tumble out of his pocket.
With a loud noise, everyone in the office rushed out, asking, "Who is it?"
Lying on the ground, Cong Xia cried out, "It's me."
Two colleagues from the company emerged and burst into laughter. "Xiao Cong, what were you doing? You managed to trip over such a flat tile."
Cong Xia got up from the ground. "Something tripped me..."
Before he could finish his sentence, one of the colleagues turned on the light, and the three of them looked behind Cong Xia.
"Huh?" They all exclaimed in surprise.
The bonsai pine tree placed near the front desk of the company had its thick branches extending beyond the flowerpot, and one of the branches even reached the ground. It was that branch that had tripped Cong Xia.
Cong Xia wondered, "How did it grow so fast?"
The company's potted plants were regularly cared for, so it couldn't have grown so unruly. No one had attended to it yet, but the crucial point was that Cong Xia distinctly remembered there had been no anomalies with that bonsai tree just the day before when he left work. If it had suddenly increased in size, it would have been impossible for nobody at the company to notice. Had everyone overlooked it?
The colleague who turned on the light murmured, "Yeah, it has grown this much? Why don't I remember? I didn't notice when I passed by just now."
"I didn't pay attention either. Maybe because it's always been here, so nobody paid it much mind. Let's have someone come to trim it on Monday. Xiao Cong, are you okay? Here's your phone."
"I'm fine." Cong Xia took his phone, straightened his clothes, and glanced at the bonsai pine tree again, feeling a strange sense of unease.
"What's in this?" The colleague picked up the heat preservation box from the ground.
Cong Xia smiled, "Oh, those are the steamed buns I made yesterday. We'll definitely get hungry while we're busy."
"Haha, Xiao Cong, you're the most thrifty person in the whole company. Even the girls can't compete with you." The colleague patted him on the shoulder.
The other colleague chimed in, "That's right. I went to Xiao Cong's place last time, and his room was so clean that I felt guilty stepping inside."
Cong Xia smiled sheepishly, "Let's finish our work quickly so we can go back and sleep."
The three of them turned on their computers and immersed themselves in their tasks.
Cong Xia was a network engineer and had been working at this company for almost three years since graduating. Although the salary wasn't high, and he often had to work overtime, he was content to go with the flow. He had food, shelter, and a peaceful life, so he didn't feel the need to change anything.
The three of them worked tirelessly until late in the evening, fixing the vulnerabilities. After completing their communication with the client, they were ready to head home.
Suddenly, one of their colleagues remembered the steamed buns that Cong Xia had brought. "Hey, let's have Xiao Cong's steamed buns. I'm really hungry."
"Sounds good."
They opened the insulated container, and the steamed buns were still warm. One of the colleagues grabbed one and took a bite. After chewing for a moment, he furrowed his brow. "Xiao Cong, when did you make these steamed buns?"
"Last night."
"Did you refrigerate them?"
"Yes, I did. How could I not refrigerate them on such a hot day? When I took them out, they were just thawed from the fridge. What's wrong?"
"They don't taste very fresh."
"That can't be..." Cong Xia took one of the steamed buns and had a bite. The taste was indeed slightly off. Although they hadn't gone bad yet, they felt like they had been sitting for three days—not very fresh. Cong Xia wondered, "How did this happen? I made them last night and immediately put them in the fridge..."
The colleague quickly responded, "Maybe it's because of the hot weather. It's alright, they're not spoiled. I'll eat this one so it doesn't go to waste."
Cong Xia hurriedly said, "Don't eat it, Liu Ge." He felt a bit embarrassed. "Maybe they spoiled in just a few hours. Don't eat it, or you might end up with an upset stomach." Cong Xia looked at the remaining steamed buns with a sense of regret.
He threw the steamed buns in the trash can, and the three of them chatted as they left the office. They were still hungry, so they decided to go to a nearby street filled with food stalls for some late-night snacks.
A crowd had gathered in front of one of the food stalls, as if there was an ongoing argument. From a distance, they could hear angry shouts.
Curiosity piqued, they walked towards the commotion. Passing by the food stall, they could hear a heated argument between a group of customers and the stall owner.
The customers complained that the seafood at the food stall wasn't fresh, while the owner insisted that it had just arrived in the morning and had been kept on ice, so it couldn't possibly be stale. The argument escalated, and suddenly, one fiery-tempered woman among the customers forcefully pushed the stall owner. In full view of everyone, the owner was sent flying two to three meters and landed directly on the road, narrowly missing Cong Xia.
Not only Cong Xia, but everyone around was stunned.
The stall owner was a tall and stout man, over 1.8 meters in height, while the woman who pushed him was less than 1.6 meters tall and appeared very weak. She shouldn't have been able to push the owner, let alone send him flying that far. Even if it were someone with special training, it would be unlikely for them to exert enough force to propel someone weighing around 70-80 kilograms, who instinctively stabilizes their own body and creates resistance against the force, that far!
The bustling food stall, which had been filled with activity just moments ago, fell into silence.
The female customer herself stood there, stunned, gazing at her own hands in bewilderment.
"Oh my, she's incredibly strong!" exclaimed someone from the crowd. The surrounding people immediately erupted with excitement, asking if the woman had received any training.
The woman's face turned even redder, more flustered than the stall owner. She hastily grabbed her friends and fled.
While the stall owner wasn't severely injured, he was mostly shocked. By the time he regained his composure, the woman had disappeared, leaving him infuriated, stomping his feet in anger.
Following this incident, the three of them selected a different food stall and enjoyed a late-night snack. As they ate, their conversation inevitably turned to the recent earthquake in Qinghai. Cong Xia, who was usually talkative, showed little interest in the topic. He felt that everything around him was starting to change, and numerous details puzzled him, but he couldn't find a direction for his thoughts.
Curiosity had always been a strong trait of his. He possessed a wide range of interests and dedicated considerable effort to researching anything that caught his attention. For example, when he accompanied a friend to select mahogany furniture, he spent two months studying every aspect of mahogany. On another occasion, he visited a mechanical processing factory and became engrossed in assembly line machines, spending six months attempting to design a more efficient and energy-saving machine. The unfinished drawings for that project still resided in his drawer. In short, he was a meticulous and perceptive person who thoroughly enjoyed observing the world around him. Since waking up in the afternoon until now, there had been many inexplicable occurrences that others would likely overlook, yet he sensed that something was different. The feeling was overwhelmingly strong, making him uncomfortable.
It was a sense of anxiety toward the unknown.
Returning home with a heavy heart, Cong Xia turned on his computer and watched a movie to calm himself. He believed that his negative emotions were likely a result of his disrupted sleep schedule from working late without enough rest. A good night's sleep should resolve it.
Due to the sweltering weather, he took another shower and climbed into bed.
In the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened by a piercing scream. The sound was extremely shrill and seemed to originate from just below his apartment.
Cong Xia rented a third-floor apartment facing the street. Although the rent was more affordable, passing cars didn't usually disturb his sleep. However, this scream felt as if it were right beside his ear. Startled, he sat up in bed and drew back the curtains to look downstairs.
Under the dim streetlights, he noticed a woman lying on the ground, engaged in a confrontation with a small creature resembling a cat in size. Cong Xia had nearsightedness, so his vision was limited. He quickly put on his glasses and examined the scene closely, confirming that it was indeed a cat. Its fur was bristling, while the woman retreated in terror, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Cong Xia was astonished. After all, an adult shouldn't be incapable of fending off a cat. Moreover, the woman seemed to be bleeding profusely.
He hastily dressed, slipped on his slippers, and rushed downstairs. As he ran, he heard another scream.
Cong Xia's heart trembled, and he sprinted onto the main street. The sight before him sent chills down his spine.
It was now three or four in the morning, with no pedestrians in sight. Otherwise, everyone would have been terrified by what they witnessed.
The gray-black feral cat pounced on the woman's face, viciously tearing at her head, face, and neck. The woman struggled with all her might, fighting for her life, but she couldn’t get away from the cat no matter what she did. Her screams of terror echoed in the streets while she laid on the ground helplessly.
Cong Xia didn't think much and kicked the feral cat. The cat let out a yowl and was knocked aside but quickly climbed up, glaring at Cong Xia with unnaturally green eyes.
Cong Xia wasn't particularly brave, but he believed that an adult shouldn't fear a cat based on common sense. In his assessment, the woman was probably intoxicated and weak, while the cat appeared deranged.
The feral cat arched its back, opened its mouth, and emitted a disturbing roar. However, despite roaring several times, it didn't dare approach. Cong Xia stomped his foot, causing the cat to turn and run away.
Cong Xia breathed a sigh of relief. Although he wasn't afraid of the cat, getting bitten wouldn't have been pleasant, especially considering the cat was likely sick.
He quickly crouched down to examine the woman's injuries. The woman's face had multiple bite marks that tore both skin and flesh. While the wounds weren't deep, they were disfiguring. The more severe injury was on her neck, where the cat had clawed and bitten, leaving a long and deep bleeding wound. Cong Xia had some knowledge of medicine and could tell that the injury hadn't affected any major arteries. Considering the cat's clawing and biting strength, it was unlikely to have punctured a major artery in a person. However, the sight of the profusely flowing blood was still alarming.
Hurriedly, Cong Xia went back upstairs, called emergency services (120) on the phone, and grabbed some money before heading downstairs. When the ambulance arrived, they took the injured woman to the hospital.
Using the woman's phone, he called her family. Afterward, he paid over two hundred yuan for medical expenses and left. Exhausted, he just wanted to go back to sleep. He felt extremely unlucky today, encountering a series of inexplicable events.
Back at home, sleep eluded him. With over an hour until daybreak, he lay in bed, repeatedly pondering the day's events. The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Was he being oversensitive, or had something truly changed in his surroundings?
He turned over in bed and suddenly remembered leaving the dirty dishes unwashed in the kitchen when he rushed out in the morning. Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to tidy up the kitchen.
When he saw the leftovers from his dinner in the kitchen, a chill ran down his spine.
He had left home around 7 p.m., and now it was four in the morning of the next day. In just nine hours, his dinner had started to grow mold!
Considering the hot weather, some spoilage could be expected if food was left outside, but the normal phenomenon would be fermentation, not such rapid bacterial changes. It didn't align with the laws of science.
He rushed to the cabinet, opened a can of yogurt he had purchased the day before, and an abnormal sour odor hit his nose. Frantically, he took out all the dried goods and long-lasting food items stored in his home, discovering that without exception, they had all spoiled.
Cong Xia was dumbfounded.
He rushed back to his bedroom, turned on the computer, and quickly typed in keywords related to rapid food spoilage in search engines. The results showed numerous new pieces of information, all posted by netizens from various parts of the country, claiming that their food had decayed at an abnormal speed. Cong Xia extracted the IP addresses from these pieces of information and entered them into statistical software, only to find that most of the reports originated from the central and western regions, while dissenting opinions denying any abnormality in food came predominantly from the southeastern areas.
This result surprised Cong Xia. After thinking for a minute, he suddenly recalled the earthquake in the afternoon.
He delved deeper into the analysis and drew a conclusion based on the IP addresses of the information: the closer the location was to Golmud in Qinghai, the more pronounced the acceleration of food spoilage. Conversely, the phenomenon became less severe the farther away from Golmud, to the extent that there were no abnormalities reported in the eastern three provinces and the southeastern coastal areas.
The occurrence of accelerated food spoilage was spreading throughout the country, resembling the ripple effect of an earthquake, with Golmud at its epicenter.
There must be some underlying issue associated with that earthquake!
