Shi Tengchuan was not in a good mood.
Out at sea, his fleet had been dragging sonar equipment across a vast swath of ocean for two weeks—with nothing to show for it.
They had a rough idea of the route the Huaxia expedition team had taken, but this was the Pacific Ocean—an immense, volatile place. Recovering a sunken seismograph was like fishing blindfolded for a single coin in a typhoon.
The last seismograph had been located because it emitted a signal during seismic activity. But that was the problem: it only sent out signals when an earthquake was already happening.
And for a country like the island nation, which straddles a tectonic nightmare, that meant they needed this tech. Desperately.
Early warning systems like this could save lives—maybe even millions. That was why his orders had been so blunt:
Find. That. Device.
He stood at the edge of the deck, telescope in hand, staring at the endless blue. His face had turned several shades darker over the past few days—from sun and stress.
The seismograph they had seized from the Chinese expedition had been a disappointment. It looked promising at first, but the core tech was fried—nothing but expensive scrap now.
He had no clue whether the Americans had fared better. But that didn't matter. He had a clear directive from above: retrieve a working seismograph, at all costs.
"A devil's errand," he muttered, slamming the telescope shut.
Just then, a sailor in a white uniform dashed toward him, breathless with excitement.
"Captain! Eighty nautical miles northeast—we've detected long-wave signals! Three distinct directions in total!"
Shi Tengchuan's eyes lit up.
"Three signals?" he repeated, barely containing his excitement. "Mark the coordinates and turn the fleet toward the nearest one!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Meanwhile, at the Marching Ant Company, Chen Mo was deep in work when Ink Girl's voice suddenly cut in:
"Brother Mo, three seismographs in the western Pacific have activated simultaneously."
Chen Mo's head snapped up, eyes narrowing.
Three? That was unusual.
He remembered the placement maps Wu Zhen had sent him. To maximize coverage, each seismograph had been deployed roughly 80 kilometers apart. That meant if all three triggered… this wasn't just a local tremor.
This might be something big.
"Island nation and U.S. naval vessels are already changing course toward the signal sources," Ink Girl added.
Chen Mo frowned.
"Those vultures again? Even now, they're trying to grab something for themselves?"
He pushed away from his workstation and stood, face turning serious.
"Let them chase it. They'll pay for it later. What's the magnitude of the seismograph readings?"
"5.0, 5.1, and 5.3. No confirmed epicenter or depth yet. There's a strong possibility it's a precursor to a super earthquake affecting all three areas."
Chen Mo's instincts agreed. Something was off. This wasn't a routine event.
"What's the countdown?"
"Estimated landfall or tremor: one hour from now," she replied.
Chen Mo nodded, then turned to Zhao Min to confirm internal protocols. Once everything checked out, he gave his order:
"Ink Girl, push a notice to the company's official site. Mark the western Pacific, include a map, and note: Earthquakes expected in three zones within the hour—possible risk of a super earthquake. Make it clear."
He smirked faintly.
"So much for laying low, huh?"
It had been half a month since Chen Mo last made public waves. After the successful warning from the first seismograph test, Zhao Min had urged him to stay quiet, avoid provoking too many powers. And he had complied, focusing on lab work.
But attention spans were short.
Discussions about the seismograph tech had started to die down. On a net full of distractions, even a breakthrough like earthquake prediction couldn't hold the spotlight for long.
Until now.
The moment the Marching Ant Company posted the alert, the internet exploded again.
"Three earthquake warnings?"
"Western Pacific again? Is this real?"
"Could this be another coincidence… or are these seismographs really that good?"
Skeptics remained. Some thought the last prediction was just a lucky guess. But two in a row? That would be a game-changer.
And this time, the word "super earthquake" had people holding their breath.
The alert spread fast. Across Asia, government agencies quietly elevated emergency readiness levels. In coastal areas, whispers turned to murmurs. In island communities, the memory of past tsunamis loomed large—too large to ignore.
People began packing up and heading inland. Even a 10% chance wasn't worth gambling with lives.
At the same time, debate on seismograph tech reignited across forums, news outlets, and universities.
Was this the real deal?
Could one company truly change the course of disaster response?
Out at sea, Yi Hehao yawned and glanced at the horizon. It was the same deep blue expanse as always.
Then, his eyes widened.
The sea had suddenly turned chaotic—schools of fish bursting from the water, dolphins leaping in coordinated panic. Overhead, strange gray clouds coiled across the sky.
His heart skipped a beat.
He'd seen this before.
Seismic clouds.
Disturbances in the magnetic field created abnormal ionospheric conditions, reshaping dust and vapor into unnatural cloud patterns. A classic precursor to major seismic activity.
Yi Hehao bolted for the captain's cabin.
Shi Tengchuan, alerted by the call, raised his telescope. He saw it too—fish scattering, dolphins diving, and the eerie roll of seismic clouds.
His stomach twisted.
The seismograph warning had been real. And this wasn't just one tremor—it was three simultaneous quakes, maybe more.
This isn't a coincidence, he thought grimly.
"Captain!" a soldier called out, running over with a printed dispatch. "Headquarters relayed a message: the Marching Ant Company just issued a warning—subsea quakes expected in our sector within the hour."
Shi Tengchuan went silent.
Then, quietly: "Reduce speed."
The countdown had begun.
In cities, classrooms, traffic stops, and homes across the world, people were glued to their phones. Social media updates, livestreams, and emergency alerts ticked by.
Then, the hour mark hit.
Deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, a groan echoed through the Earth's crust. Tremors rippled through tectonic plates.
Cracks split the seabed.
Water roared into the fractures.
And the great shift began.