A few days later, a typhoon made landfall in the neighboring province of Minnan.
Although it didn't directly hit Guangnan Province, the latter was still affected to some extent—heavy rainfall, strong winds, and the like.
Compared to the areas where the typhoon landed directly, Guangnan Province fared much better.
After all, this was a Category 14 typhoon, and parts of the nearby provinces would experience an exceptionally heavy downpour, possibly lasting more than seven or eight days straight.
Around 1 p.m. in Dongjiang City, the sky darkened almost instantly.
A fierce gale followed.
The howling wind blew relentlessly, rustling the leaves of trees lining the streets.
Then, with a sudden whoosh—
Torrential rain poured from the sky.
A deafening clap of thunder roared immediately after.
Outside the villa, the gale raged on, and raindrops the size of thumbs slammed against the windowpanes under the force of the wind. Li Dong stood by the window, watching the storm rage outside.
The heavy rain brought by this typhoon delighted the residents of Guangnan Province, who had endured days of scorching heat. They had been longing for this downpour to cool things down for a long time.
The relentless high temperatures had become unbearable for many.
Of course, the people in the neighboring province where the typhoon made landfall weren't so thrilled.
Since the typhoon hit their region directly, the impact on them was far more severe.
Given the typhoon's intensity—Category 14—disasters were inevitable, and casualties were even possible.
The relevant departments in Minnan Province had already prepared for disaster relief efforts.
If you were to ask a relief worker what kind of disaster they preferred, they'd probably slap you without hesitation.
For them, no disaster is likable—who the hell would enjoy a catastrophe? That'd be insane.
Whether it's a typhoon or scorching heat, none of it is welcome.
"The temperature drops fast once the heavy rain starts—it's already below 30°C. The rain and wind carry away a lot of the heat, and the dark clouds block the sun's direct rays," Li Dong thought to himself as he watched the storm outside.
If the downpour continued nonstop, leading to floods, that would be a real disaster.
Severe floods could sweep away everything in their path, and as the old saying goes: After a flood comes a plague.
Epidemics—that's the ultimate challenge.
While the people of Guangnan Province celebrated the typhoon's rain, several northern provinces of Daxia were still suffering from extreme heat and drought.
Some netizens uploaded videos of the typhoon and rainstorm to short-video platforms. Many northerners who saw the footage expressed envy at the south's relief from the heat.
[If only this rain had fallen in my hometown… We haven't seen a single drop in months, and the ground is cracked.]
[So jealous.]
[It hasn't rained in XX City for five months—please, heavens, send us some rain!]
[Some places drown, others burn.]
[This cursed weather—without rain, survival is impossible.]
[Please, just let it rain here too. Our crops are withering, and my parents have been watering them day and night for over a week.]
Comments like these were plentiful, and most of them came from IP addresses in Daxia's drought-stricken northern provinces.
While the north suffered from drought, the southern provinces generally had no shortage of water.
When southern provinces go months without rain, it's a sure sign that northern provinces are experiencing heavy downpours and floods.
Of course, this only concerns a small portion of the public who follow disaster news.
Most people are too busy running around to pay attention to such matters.
Hot weather is just hot weather—it won't kill you. As long as you're alive, you've got to work.
Who wouldn't want to sit in an office all day enjoying the comfort of air conditioning?
Some people even develop air conditioning sickness from it.
Due to the heatwave, electricity demand has surged dramatically among the public, leading to a slight increase in electricity rates by ten to twenty cents.
This has sparked widespread complaints online.
[Damn electricity prices are rising again—how am I supposed to survive like this?]
[Exactly! My damn landlord installed a Level 5 energy efficiency air conditioner—it guzzles power, and the bills are ridiculously high.]
[I just checked overseas, and electricity prices have gone up in many countries—most even higher than ours. That makes me feel a bit better.]
[Haha, that's savage!]
Not only residential electricity but industrial and commercial rates have also risen significantly. There's no helping it.
Of course, this is just a temporary adjustment—prices will eventually return to normal.
Otherwise, the power bureau would face public outrage.
"Well, well, what's troubling our young master Li?"
Just as Li Dong was lost in thought while gazing out the window, his mother, Xu Yajun, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, teasing him about his pensive expression.
"Care to share with your mom? Or is there a girl who's caught your eye? Let me see—who has such charm?"
"Mom, it's nothing."
Li Dong rubbed his temples as he looked at her.
He could tell his mother hadn't given up—she was still probing for answers.
Not knowing made her restless.
It was just too intriguing.
Both her sons were tight-lipped, revealing nothing—not even their fiancées would talk.
This only deepened Xu Yajun's suspicions.
If they wouldn't tell her, she'd investigate herself.
And her investigation uncovered quite a bit.
"If it's nothing, then why have you stockpiled so many supplies? Impressive—quietly hoarding tens of thousands of tons of food and resources."
"And buying up land—are you preparing for World War III? Or the apocalypse?"
Xu Yajun fired off three rapid questions.
"Mom, you've been investigating me?" Li Dong frowned, surprised she had gone that far.
"With the amount of money you moved, it wasn't hard to track. Now, tell me—what's going on with you and your brother?" She raised an eyebrow.
She wasn't some idle rich housewife—she had built their fortune from scratch alongside Li Dong's father.
She'd seen it all.
Li Dong's attempts to hide things from her were still amateurish.
"It's just normal business."
"Still keeping secrets at this point?"
"Mom, please don't ask. We'll tell you when the time comes."
"Are you two also planning to sell those buildings in Pengcheng behind my back?"
"Mom... you know about that too?"
"If Boss Xu from the real estate company hadn't called me, I'd still be in the dark." Xu Yajun said angrily.
At this, Li Dong fell silent for a long time.
He didn't know whether he should tell his mother about the apocalypse or keep it to himself.
His heart was conflicted.
He didn't even know how his mother Xu Yajun would react upon hearing the news of the apocalypse.
After much internal deliberation, Li Dong finally decided to come clean and tell his mother Xu Yajun everything about the impending doom.
After all, Xu Yajun would learn the truth eventually. Telling her now was just giving her an early warning.