Chapter 562 - 378: Cold Wave
Feng Shan sprinted, rushing frantically into the restaurant.
At almost the same moment, everyone in the restaurant with a phone also received the alert. For a moment, the sound of notification tones rose and fell one after another.
Immediately after, people rushed out of the restaurant in a panic, looking for Feng Shan while clutching their phones tightly.
The two groups met, and a cacophony of voices erupted.
"Boss."
"Brother Feng, did you get the message?"
"Fuck, an extreme cold wave, a super widespread, extreme blizzard."
"Boss, what should we do?" All eyes turned to Feng Shan in unison.
"Everyone, shut up." The cacophony made Feng Shan’s head ring. Annoyed, he raised a hand and shouted.
In an instant, the noise came to an abrupt halt. Everyone fell silent, staring at him expectantly.
Feng Shan scanned the tense faces of the crowd, trying to make his own voice sound calm.
"What’s there to be afraid of? This is just a warning, it’s not like it’s really going to happen."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, something strange happened.
The sky, which had been a dark gray, suddenly turned white.
It was a deathly pale color, as if an invisible hand had instantly cranked up the world’s brightness, filling people’s hearts with dread.
"Brother, what’s happening?"
Xiaohua’s face paled in fright. Panicked, she hugged Hu Zi’s arm tightly.
Her slender fingers turned white from the force of her grip, her face showing a hint of unease and her eyes filled with terror.
"It’s nothing, it’s just about to snow heavily!" Feng Shan replied, feigning composure. Although he felt uncertain himself, he had to stabilize the situation. "Hu Zi, take Hua’er to the side to rest for a bit."
After calming Xiaohua, Feng Shan turned to the others. "Let’s go. Back to the tavern first. We’ll use the radio to ask people in other areas."
Originally, to make it easier for the various towns and settlements in the Far North Tundra Region to communicate...
...he had specifically placed the radio station in the tavern.
Now, the radio might be able to gather some useful intelligence and help the Crown Territory understand just how severe this warning really was.
The group walked hurriedly into the tavern, where the very air seemed thick with tension.
Feng Shan walked straight to the radio equipment, switched on the power, and tuned to the public channel.
However, the public channel was already in complete chaos.
A cacophony of voices poured from the speaker, intermingling like countless bees buzzing by his ear, making it impossible to tell who was speaking.
Feng Shan’s brow furrowed. He picked up the handset and shouted.
"This is Feng. Everyone stop tying up the public channel. Did you all receive the warning text?"
Because of the rescue a while back, on top of handling a few cases in the Far North Tundra, Feng Shan’s name carried a lot of weight in the Far North Tundra Region.
His voice traveled out over the airwaves, and in the next moment, order was restored to the chaotic public channel.
Soon, a response came over the channel.
A familiar, anxious voice was the first to speak, his tone filled with worry.
"Feng, did you get the warning? Let me tell you, this is real. Prepare for the cold as fast as you can."
"That’s right. The cold front has already passed Wayne Wright. The temperature here dropped from -30 degrees to -50 degrees in ten minutes. It’s terrifying."
Another voice immediately followed, trembling slightly, as if still reeling from the fear of the sudden temperature drop.
Someone else reported the situation in their area, the chilling numbers sending a shiver down everyone’s spine.
"The cold snap passed through Kaktovik. Temperature is -65 degrees. According to the weather station, the average snowfall has reached 19 inches."
One man’s voice trembled as he recounted the history of similar rare disasters, making everyone’s hearts grow heavier still.
"Fuck, a cold wave and blizzard of this magnitude hasn’t been seen in Alaska for half a century. The last time was in 1952, when Thompson Pass got 120.6 inches of snow in two days, with 62 inches falling in the first 24 hours alone."
"Buddy, the Crown Territory is near the Brook Mountain Range. When the cold front gets to you, it’ll form a vortex. You need to evacuate, now!" someone urged, their voice full of concern and anxiety.
"Shit, it’s too late to evacuate. The Chukchi Sea is starting to freeze over on a massive scale. The blizzard has begun."
The last voice came through, like another heavy alarm bell tolling in everyone’s hearts.
Hearing the reports from the various towns across the Tundra region over the radio, the tavern instantly fell into a dead silence.
Everyone’s expression was grim, their eyes revealing their deep unease.
It was as if they could see the overwhelming blizzard and the bone-chilling cold wave surging toward the Crown Territory.
The situation was now clear. An unprecedented crisis lay before them.
They had to come up with a response plan as quickly as possible.
Just as everyone in the tavern was absorbed in the bad news from the radio, everyone’s phone screen suddenly lit up again.
A glaring red light, like a warning beacon, instantly drew everyone’s attention.
The glaring red alert flashed on their phone screens again.
On the screens, a message was starkly displayed:
[EMERGENCY ALERT]
Emergency notification from the National Weather Service.
An extreme cold wave will hit the Far North Tundra Region within the next hour.
The temperature is expected to drop by 30 degrees, accompanied by a super widespread blizzard.
All airports in the northern region are closed. The airspace has been temporarily designated a no-fly zone.
All personnel within the northern Tundra region are advised to evacuate immediately and take prompt measures to protect against the cold.
...
In the busy satellite monitoring hall of the National Weather Service.
All sorts of instruments and equipment blinked with indicator lights, emitting a low hum.
Uniformed staff hurried about, their eyes glued to the computer screens before them, working with a tense but orderly focus.