"I got some news from a friend that the virus outbreak is just the beginning, and there'll be a widespread electromagnetic pulse next."
"Electromagnetic pulse?" *2
Mr. Thompson and Mrs. Thompson didn't know much about the term.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Dong Tianyu explained, "Think of it as an attack on electronic devices that indiscriminately destroys all of them."
Mrs. Thompson asked urgently, "Does it cause any injuries to people?"
"No, it doesn't."
"Oh, thank God!"
Relieved by Dong Tianyu's words, Mrs. Thompson eased up. But when she saw Mr. Thompson's face, she knew she was wrong and turned her questioning gaze towards Mr. Thompson.
Recognizing his wife's puzzled look, Mr. Thompson immediately detected her thoughts and explained, "This is a grave matter. Forget about your cell phone that you can't be without for a day.
From daily travels to nightly lighting, should such a situation arise, it would severely affect everything."
At Mr. Thompson's words, the panic on Mrs. Thompson's face subsided: "So what? We've lived through times like that before."
"Yes, I know. But I also know that our son wouldn't build a refuge shelter for such a reason, let alone want us to move there."
Mrs. Thompson, hearing this from Mr. Thompson, immediately turned her gaze to Dong Tianyu again.
Seeing her gaze, Dong Tianyu could only sigh and continue: "The impact of the electromagnetic pulse is severe, but with some perseverance, we can survive it.
However, this time, the pulse might destroy Blue Star's magnetic field, resulting in global cooling, with the lowest temperature reaching more than a hundred degrees below zero."
Dong Tianyu chose not to elaborate further. Regardless, for most people, there's little difference between sixty and a hundred degrees below zero.
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson finally realized why Dong Tianyu decided to build his refuge shelter.
If not affected by the electromagnetic pulse, as long as the central heating could function normally, they would hardly be affected by the reduced outer temperature. They might just stay indoors, much like during the virus outbreak.
But if the pulse destroyed most electronic devices, Pengcheng's central heating would fail to start, and the indoor temperature would only be ten to twenty degrees higher than the outside, barely making a difference.
Before Mrs. Thompson could react, Mr. Thompson immediately said, "Hold your questions for now, let Tianyu tell us what's going on."
Although Mrs. Thompson usually calls the shots at home, Mr. Thompson steps in to make decisions in critical situations.
"I can't reveal my source, and you can't discuss what I'll tell you today with anyone else. It's better if only we know." Dong Tianyu said to start, but not about the disaster.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Thompson rolled his eyes: "That doesn't need saying."
"According to the information I received, various kinds of disasters will follow.
It's rumored that some people plan to exploit the electromagnetic pulse to cause trouble. The Officials know but, for some reason, instead of organizing, they plan to amplify it to fight fire with fire.
After all, compared to us, they rely much more on electronic equipment, plus we have the whole industrial chain.
According to the Officials' 'experts', we should endure hardship as the least of our worries. If we do, it wouldn't be hard for us to become class leaders, let alone headmasters of Blue Star.
All this information is from my friends at the Officials. However, some real high-level insiders among my friends predict that the enhanced electromagnetic pulse will not only destroy electronic devices but also affect Blue Star's magnetic field.
At that time, one of three scenarios may occur. The best case, albeit highly unlikely, is that only electronic devices are affected.
Remember the last movie I showed you, about the wandering small broken ball? The most likely scenario is the magnetic field change and sudden drop in temperature. Similar to the freezing temperatures in that movie, forcing people to take shelter underground to escape the cold.
Of course, there is also the possibility of temperatures rising sharply instead. But if that happens, it's even more disastrous, by then... Ah, nevermind."
Dong Tianyu gave a sigh as he thought of fatal rain and scorching heat in the wake of cold winters, reluctantly ending his explanation.
Mrs Thompson growled, "If your friend knows all this, then does the Officials not? They know but they're still playing these games!"
Seeing Mrs Thompson lose her temper, Dong Tianyu hurriedly comforted her: "It's those 'experts', who studied abroad, fooling them. Also, if they attack, we have to retaliate.
Aimed at confusing minds, we can't avoid discussing these strategic matters now that they've initiated."
Seeing Mrs. Thompson wanting to speak out, Mr. Thompson interrupted: "Just listen for now. Let Tianyu finish. Our son is grown up; let's listen to his thoughts first."
Once Mrs. Thompson was temporarily calmed down by Mr. Thompson, Dong Tianyu immediately shared his plan:
"It's no use worrying about the rest. Obviously, the best-case scenario won't happen, but we still need to prepare for the worst. Here's what I think:
First of all, even if we're hit by an electromagnetic pulse, it'll at best trigger a commotion. That's not mentioning the pulse only destroys active electronic devices; even if it could destroy spare ones as well, it wouldn't be a problem.
We, Great Xia, possess the entire industrial chain. High-tech equipment might be hard to repair, but as for low-tech devices, the stored parts could be quickly manufactured.
So, in the next few days, we should go to the bank and withdraw some cash to keep at home. After all, if our phones break, we'll have to pay in cash."
Introducing his thorough plan, Mr. Thompson nodded in approval, agreeing with Dong Tianyu's thoughts, thinking that even if Dong Tianyu's source was wrong, at most they would have to go through the inconvenience of visiting the bank and withdrawing cash.
Once Mr. Thompson agreed with his plan, Dong Tianyu continued to elaborate:
"The emergence of the electromagnetic pulse verifies the credibility of the information. If we were to prepare for what's coming next, it'd be too late. So, a few of my friends and I have built our own refuge shelters in advance."