Next day.
Saturday.
It’s a clear day, and birds are chirping on the branches.
Elderly folks are exercising and taking strolls in a garden. It is a quiet and peaceful scene.
These will be gone in two days.
Dong Xuebing, who is not working today, looks out of his windows. He is thinking about the final step of his plan. It is a risky move, but he will do it even if he must sacrifice everything. He plans to publish an article on the biggest newspaper in Fen Zhou City. He needs everyone to be ready. However, he needs an excuse. Something that can convince the majority. Or else people will see him as an idiot.
What excuse should he use?
Having a friend in the Earthquake Administration will not work, as it will be exposed with a phone call.
Asking the Earthquake Administration to conduct tests will not work as their technology is limited. They won’t find anything.
Dong Xuebing was distracted by a commotion when he was thinking. People are shouting, and a dog is barking.
“Hey! Watch your dog!”
“Sorry…. Sorry…. Are you bitten?”
“No, but it gave me a scare. “
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with my dog. It seems it had gone crazy today and kept barking non-stop.”
“Is it rabies? Oh, my cat is also snarling and growling this morning.”
“I will bring my dog to the vet later. I hope he is not sick.”
Dong Xuebing slapped his lap when he saw this. Pets and animals will demonstrate weird behaviors before an earthquake. This can be a warning.
The earthquake is coming.
That newspaper is correct.
Dong Xuebing is afraid this is a coincidence and rushed out in his slippers.
Dong Xuebing overheard someone shouting at his barking dog in the stairwell.
“Pipi, stop barking!”
“Woof! Woof!”
“Don’t be naughty!”
“Woof… woof… woof….”
Dong Xuebing got worried. Although he knows the earthquake is happening, it is still worrying.
The earthquake is around the corner.
No one can stop the earthquake from happening.
Dong Xuebing saw Zhou Yanru, in her pajamas, on his way downstairs. She is holding a garbage bag and seems to be going out to throw it. She saw him and smiled. “Director.”
Dong Xuebing stopped. “Good morning. You are early.”
Zhou Yanru nodded and waved the garbage bag in her hand. “I woke up earlier to clear the trash. I wonder what happened last night. My fish jumped out of the fish tank and died. It stank this morning.
Even the fishes are behaving weirdly.
Zhou Yanru notices Dong Xuebing looks terrible after hearing what she said and asks. “Director, is anything wrong?”
Dong Xuebing replied. “Dogs in the building had been barking the whole morning. I saw many dogs barking and cats snarling outside earlier. Now, your fishes….”
Zhou Yanru doesn’t understand. “Err…. Dogs and fishes?”
Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and said. “I got a bad feeling about this.”
Other people might not think much about this. Still, Guang Ming Subdistrict Office has been educating its residents on earthquake prevention and mitigation measures for the past few days. Zhou Yanru immediately knows what Dong Xuebing is talking about. She gasped and turned pale. “Are you saying… it’s an earthquake?”
Zhou Yanru has a loud voice and attracts many people’s attention.
Qu Yiqiang walked out of the apartment opposite hers. “Huh? What happened?”
Someone downstairs opened the door. “Sister Yanru, what happened?” It is Wang Yuling.
Dong Xuebing shouted. “Get all Subdistrict Office staffs to come over for an emergency meeting now.”
Zhou Yanru quickly returns to her apartment to call others.
Dong Xuebing did not waste time and started giving out instructions. “Director Wang, go to the garden and see if those stray dogs and cats are behaving abnormally. Old Qu, a few of the residents at the south building rear pigeons. Go and ask them if their pigeons had returned to their nests.” Zhou Yanru returned after calling the other Subdistrict Office staff. Dong Xuebing looked at her and said. “Director Zhou, check the fish market on the west side.”
Wang Yuling is puzzled. What’s going on? “Why do we have to look at the animals?”
Zhou Yanru quickly pulls her along. “Hurry up. I will tell you on the way.”
“Oh, remember not to cause any commotions.” Dong Xuebing instructed. “Just check the animals and don’t cause panic among the residents.”
“I know.” Zhou Yanru, Qu Yiqiang, and Wang Yuling quickly run downstairs.
A few moments later, Geng Xinke came down. “Did something happen?”
Dong Xuebing walked up the stairs. “Let’s go to my place first.”
Half an hour later.
Dong Xuebing’s apartment. All Subdistrict Office’s leaders had arrived. The living room is filled with cigarette smoke as all the guys are chain-smoking. Everyone is looking terrible.
“Is this a coincidence?”
“I think so too. It might be a natural occurrence.”
“I will be terrible if this is true.”
“Eh, Director Wang and Director Zhou are back.”
Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the door.
Dong Xuebing snubbed his cigarette. “How is it?”
Zhou Yanru looks grave. “I went to the fish market. Most of the fish in the stores behave normally, except for the fish in two tanks. The fishes are jumping about in the tanks, and I asked the store owners. They said the fishes might be suffocating due to a lack of oxygen. But I don’t think so as the fishes continued to jump after they put air pumps into the tanks.”
Wang Yuling continues. “Only two dogs are barking non-stop in the gardens. The other seven to eight dogs I saw, the rest are behaving normally, and most stray cats are normal except for one. That stray cat refuses to eat its food and keeps hissing at others.”
Dong Xuebing turns to Qu Yiqiang. “Old Qu, what about your side?”
Qu Yiqiang replied. “All the pigeons are in their nests. They seem fine.”
Everyone is relieved after hearing their reports.
Yu Rongfeng said. “Since most animals are not showing weird behaviors, it should be fine.”
Zhou Yanru retorted. “Animals can predict earthquakes, and their behaviors are peculiar today. Why are so many dogs barking today? I had reared my fish for four to five years, and why did they decide to jump out of the fish tank today? I worry that an earthquake is going to happen.”
Wang Yuling added. “I am getting anxious after hearing it from you.”
Qu Yiqiang thought for a while and said. “I don’t think this is a problem. Maybe the animals are behaving weirdly due to the changes in the weather recently.”
“That’s right. It is only a small percentage of the animals, and we cannot use it to judge the situation.”
“Yes. If all animals are behaving weirdly, then….”
Dong Xuebing interrupts. “Everyone will know an earthquake is coming if all the dogs in the city will bark before it. But many earthquakes remained undetected before they happened. Not all animals can feel an impending earthquake. Director Zhou is right that a small portion of the animals behaving weirdly means there is a problem. What if an earthquake happens?”
The No. 1 of the Subdistrict Office had set the tone, and the rest did not continue.
But most of them felt earthquakes would not happen. How can a few dogs and cats barking and growling indicate an earthquake is happening? Dong Xuebing is overreacting.
Dong Xuebing instructed. “Director Zhou, write a report and report the situation to the District Government immediately.”
“Yes, Sir.” Zhou Yanru replied.
“Director Wang.” Dong Xuebing continues. “Contact the Provincial Earthquake Administration. If they refuse, drive there and invite some professionals over to conduct tests here.”
“Yes. I will call them now.” Wang Yuling replied.
Dong Xuebing continues to give out orders to his men. He knows the earthquake will happen, and there’s no need to conduct tests. But he can’t decide this by himself and needs evidence. Some animals are behaving weirdly, and he will be using it as an excuse. Although this is not convincing, he can openly tell everyone about the earthquake. Even if one or two dogs out of one hundred are barking, it is an indication, and he cannot be accused of spreading earthquake rumors.
The Subdistrict Office’s staff left, and Dong Xuebing started to write the article on his PC.
Dong Xuebing is writing this article seriously and recorded the chicken, ducks, dogs, cats, fishes, etc., behaviors in it. He included his findings and conclusions. He spent the whole morning writing this article.
Afternoon.
Dong Xuebing decides to contact the newspaper agency first before getting approvals from the higher-ups. Wang Yuling called. “Director, the Earthquake Administration’s test result is out.”
Dong Xuebing is surprised. “So fast?!”
Wang Yuling replied. “I called them this morning, and they immediately send people over.”
“How’s the rest result?”
“They say it’s fine.”
“Fine? What do they mean?”
“They checked and said there are no indications of an earthquake happening. Those dogs, fishes, etc., behaviors have nothing to do with earthquakes, and they couldn’t find anything on their instruments.”
No indication of earthquakes?!
All the Subdistrict Office Leaders are relieved after hearing the Earthquake Administration findings.
But Dong Xuebing got mad. F**k! What experts are you all?! I will be screwed if I believe your findings!
The earthquake is happening in two days, and you all are saying there’s no indication of an earthquake?!
You all are creating problems for me!
Do you all need the earthquake to happen before you all can confirm?! What’s the point of getting you all to check?!
