Worldwide Chaos
As panic across the world spread like wildfire, governments worldwide struggled to calm down the masses. Instantly, dozens of global powerhouses conjoined, disregarding previous feuds, all with the purpose of not only quelling the worldwide chaos but also deciphering what the hell that wind was.
The United Nations, NATO, BRICS, and all different types of world wide alliances, video-called each other, hoping to brainstorm various solutions.
Sure, during peaceful times, conflicts were constant, and no country was ever truly safe, but during a pandemic of this scale, feuds were pushed to the side, and grudges were forgotten. With the world in chaos, nothing mattered more than attempts to quell it.
Following a few hours of debating among the highest-ranked leaders across the globe, they soon decided to adopt a calm and logical approach to making sure the world didn't devolve into chaos.
Taking control of the news, countries published calming propaganda in hopes of calming down the masses and assuring them that nothing bad happened and that the government would soon figure everything out.
However, very soon, they realized that no matter how rational or calm they could be, mass hysteria was worse. The words that the news channels used were lies, but even if they weren't lies, with how much nonsense was spreading across the internet, they might as well have been.
No matter how right someone was about a subject, if someone told a lie enough times, the entire world believed him. Even if his words were completely illogical, if the public believed him, then his words would be taken as the truth.
And like a domino effect, after one person swore he felt sick, society herded behind him like sheep.
One claimed that he lost feeling in his legs; another said that he couldn't smell anymore; and a third said that his head was as heavy as lead. This nonsense spread all throughout the internet like a plague, and society ate it up.
Followed by a few irrational but loud tin foil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists, and within a matter of hours, the global consensus was that this gust of wind was a biochemical attack from a global terrorist group wanting to make its debut.
And with such a 'threat' baring its fangs, the public soon began to riot. Looting, riots, crimes, and even rebellions soon filled the streets.
Seeing the public adopt such an outlook on the situation, the various leaders of the world's most powerful governments knew that they had to be just as unreasonable to fix it.
The first to react was the United States. Not even bothering with a second attempt to quell the masses, the president instated both a country-wide quarantine and martial law. The mass hysteria was bad, but even worse were the riots.
Within the 12 hours since the Spiritual Qi wave, thousands of stores across the United States had been broken into and either vandalized or picked dry by rioters.
The riots alone had cost various stores across the country millions of dollars in merely half a day. So, wanting to stop both the chaotic streets and to calm down the various store owners, the United States instituted martial law to stop the chaotic and lawless situation before it became severe.
Other economic powerhouses around the globe also adopted such a measure, and before the day ended, almost every family across the world was now stuck inside their homes, both scared for the future and the present.
—
Inside the Colorado farmhouse, Amanda and Eva, watching the world devolve into madness, were stunned.
The situation had unfolded almost exactly as Matthew said!
"Hey Eva, maybe Mat was right about his apocalypse preparation?" Amanda couldn't help but speak up after the quarantine was announced.
Eva nodded absently at her words, but she also had her own observations.
"That's true, but think of all the stuff that Matthew bought. All of that stuff he bought could last us months at the minimum." Eva pointed it out.
"Not only that, but Mat bought a lot of things besides supplies. He bought a van, a pickup truck, and that U-Haul. And I don't think he plans on returning that U-Haul." Amanda followed up.
"Then what do you think he is planning for? That stuff isn't needed for a simple quarantine, but rather an apocalypse." Eva spoke seriously.
Another thing she didn't say, though, was Matthew's offhanded words earlier.
'Just about, actually. Good guess, Eva.'
Matthew clearly said half a year in his words. So, did that mean that this chaos would last for six months?!
However, after her words, both of the women shivered. Such an outcome was something they wouldn't want to face. But thankfully, Matthew stopped them from leaving home like the mindless sheep across the world.
Just as the two women began to feel grateful toward Matthew, the man himself appeared at the previously locked door. Announcing his presence, Matthew looked at the two with a smile that radiated arrogance.
'I told you so.' If expressions could have captions, that would be what his current one said. It infuriated but also calmed the two women.
"So you two see how good I am to you now?" Matthew sarcastically spoke from the hallway.
He had just woken up from the long nap, and now seeing the two women gossip about his actions made him feel proud. But since he still hadn't truly told them what the gust of wind was, Matthew felt slightly bad.
However, Matthew's guilty feelings dissipated after he remembered that they were fated to die soon, and he saved their lives. He was their savior already. How could he feel bad after doing such a selfless act like that?
"Mat! How was your nap? You looked exhausted earlier!" Amanda cheerily spoke, ignoring Matthew's question.
While, yes, Amanda did feel grateful for Matthew's odd preparations, she wouldn't admit to them under any circumstance. She was trying to seduce him. How would she be able to succeed with her mission if she started to act like a puppy who needed to be cared for constantly?
"My nap was okay. I finally managed to catch up on some much-needed sleep. But what about you guys? I know earlier, you two must've thought I had kidnapped you." Matthew asked slightly apologetically.
Since Matthew couldn't outright predict the future earlier, the only way he could convince them he wasn't crazy was to lock them in. But since that was also something only a crazy man would do, Matthew was at a crossroads.
So, instead of trying to convince them with words or force, he used their relationship to convince them. Thankfully, it succeeded, and now both Amanda and Eva were full of gratitude toward Matthew.
"We're fine because of your 'advice.' If not for your warning, we would probably either get arrested or still be in a hospital line." Amanda answered. Just imagining being locked up in a jail cell at this time sent shivers down Amanda's spine.
She was a clean freak. Being stuck in a room with potentially dozens of random and possibly dirty strangers made Amanda tingle with disgust. As such, she was overwhelmingly appreciative of Matthew's previous deeds.
Eva also planned to thank Matthew, but since she had a question that she had yet to forget about, she went to ask it first.
"But Matthew, how did you know that this would happen? It came so suddenly, and there weren't any signs for what I knew." Eva asked as she turned around.
Of all the questions she had about this odd situation the world was in, the one she wanted answered the most was, How did he know? Eva looked at the news almost as much as an old retired couple. And from everything she saw in the weeks leading up to this moment, nothing was out of the ordinary.
Other than the rising inflation, it had been completely normal for the past few months. But compared to what was happening now, inflation was nothing. In fact, money means nothing at this moment.
Sure, people who prepare for an apocalypse are everywhere. But Matthew suddenly, after arriving in Colorado, started buying enough supplies to last them almost half a year. It was too sudden and too rushed for someone who randomly became fearful of an upcoming apocalypse.
Matthew even predicted the mandatory quarantine, making the entire circumstance bizarre and hard to rationalize for the logical Eva.
It was almost as if Matthew knew when it would happen and what the follow-up response would be from the government. But since that was also impossible, Eva didn't know what to think and just wanted a concise answer from the culprit.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Matthew seriously spoke as if he were about to divulge his darkest secrets.
But since Eva and Amanda were well prepared, they both nodded seriously.
"Alright then. Joanne! I know you're listening through the wall! Come here! And bring your laptop too!" Matthew yelled out.
Initially, Amanda and Eva were confused by Matthew's sudden scream, but a few seconds later, they realized that Joanne had been listening. Then, from a door adjacent to the living room they were in, Joanne walked out, holding her laptop.
"Joanne! How long have you been spying on us?" Amanda teased as she noticed how awkward Joanne looked after getting caught.
"Hehe, not long." Joanne shyly answered as she scratched her head.
She couldn't say that she had been listening to their conversation since the morning, could she?
As Amanda continued to tease the girl, Eva spoke up and looked at Matthew.
"Matthew, why did you call Joanne? I asked you how you knew, not Joanne." Eva questioned. Matthew was dodging her questions again!
"I'm getting to that, Eva," Matthew answered as he grabbed Joanne's laptop. "Here, you two read this story. It doesn't have to be far, but at least a few chapters."
Then, after opening one of Joanne's saved cultivation novels, Matthew passed it to the two women.
"I'm going to go do something real quick. I'll be back within the hour. But for now, just read this, and while it may seem unconnected, you'll learn soon enough, so just read it." Matthew explained in a rather irresponsible manner before leaving the living room once again.
Now that the seal was punctured, he could finally cultivate naturally!
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