Chapter 1 (1/2)
Translator: Doggotranslation Editor: Doggotranslation
Date: December 22nd, 2012
“h.e.l.lo and welcome to CCTV! You are now watching Breaking News!”
“I’m reporting to you live from Queens, New York City, where riots have been taking place for the past few hours. In order to get the current situation under control, the New York Police Department has deployed all available personnel. Minutes ago we received word that one person was confirmed dead and over thirty others were injured. The situation is continuing to escalate…”
“At the moment, we are monitoring the situation. Joining us now, live, from Europe, is our correspondent Ms. Sun Fei. h.e.l.lo, Ms. Sun Fei.”
“h.e.l.lo!”
“Thank you for joining us, Ms. Sun Fei. Can you give us an update on the situation in Paris?”
“Yes, thank you. Since this afternoon, a large number of people have been gathering at the Élysée Palace. They are holding signs and banners demanding the government to disclose the truth. As we can see, a large police force has surrounded the Presidential Palace in an attempt to control the crowd. President Nicolas Sarkozy has canceled his plans to visit the Middle East and through the national news channels, has asked the general public to remain calm…”
“Ah! Thank you, Ms. Sun Fei. Now, we switch to our correspondent in Tokyo, j.a.pan. h.e.l.lo, Mr. Su Ren? h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.lo…? Well, it seems like we’re facing some technical difficulties as we’re temporarily unable to reach Mr. Su Ren. While we are waiting to reconnect, let’s take a small break. Later on, we’ll be joined by two special guests who will be giving us their professional opinion about this mysterious phenomenon.”
––––– Commercial Break–––––
“Welcome back and this is CCTV News – Special Watch Program! Please welcome our special guests for today. Professor Huo Si Nian, an astronomer from Tsinghua University and Professor Zhang Tingen, an astrophysicist from the University of Science and Technology of China!”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for joining us today, professors. Everyone knows that today, on December 22nd, at 7:15 in the morning, the Sun suddenly disappeared from the sky. It didn’t return until 10 minutes later. The whole world observed this special astronomical phenomenon and this has led to a lot of speculation because there were no announcements about a solar eclipse on the 22nd.”
“Currently, the most discussed theory is about the predictions made by the Mayan civilization. According to the Mayans, they believed that today, on December 22nd, the Sun would vanish and the Earth would be plunged into darkness. We know that there are many people that are really concerned about the accuracy of this prediction.”
“Unlike a solar eclipse, where sunlight gradually fades out. Instead, the Sun itself vanished instantaneously. While the entire world was wrapped in darkness, many countries reportedly lost communication with their satellites. This chaotic situation lasted for about 10 minutes, and returned to normal immediately after the event.”
“Due to the similarities between recent events and the Mayan prophecy, many people have come to believe that the prophecy may come true. Of course, we know that this could also be a rare astronomical phenomenon. However, this is still an unprecedented event. So, please professors, give us an explanation from a scientific perspective and help us understand this. Thank you!”
…*&m;…&m;…（（￥￥&m;…]
*Gibberish*
“After the professors’ explanation, we can rest a.s.sured that this is indeed a special astronomical event, a phenomenon that we have never encountered before. This would also mean that the rumors about the Mayan prophecy might just be baseless horror stories. This event shows us that we should look at such things from a scientific point of view. Do not blindly trust rumors as they will only cause unnecessary panic…”
Chu Yunsheng turned off the TV. He felt that there was no need to continue watching the news anymore. People have been condemning these so-called experts online and spreading rumors stating that these experts were just trying to deceive the public. That was why, ever since 2008, only a few people still believed in these so-called experts as they specialize in talking only nonsense. That was why Chu Yunsheng also didn’t want to listen to their gibberish.
Although the government tried to censor all negative opinions on the Internet, their efforts were for nothing. While some people were watching and ridiculing the government’s futile actions while taking the situation lightly, most people were in a state of panic. Just a quick glimpse at the local supermarket this afternoon revealed a huge crowd that had rushed in to purchase long-term supplies of food and other necessities. If the public didn’t receive a real answer, this situation would soon turn into a disaster.
Chu Yunsheng strongly believed in his own judgment. Something was troubling him for the longest time. It all began with a book he inherited from his parents. An heirloom that had been in their family for generations. Although the book was completely incomprehensible, worse than the cryptic words of an oracle, he had always felt that there was something peculiar about it. He believed that the reason for the recent events could be found within this book. That this book was capable of solving many of the questions that were troubling people.
—–
Even though the book was said to be a family heirloom, for many years it was only being used to stabilize his wobbly bed. The book was so old and worn out that it had no value to him other than its thickness. Chu Yunsheng’s father often said that regardless of how he used it, he should hold onto it until he dies. This book was inherited from one generation to the next generation after all.
However, back when Chu Yunsheng was admitted to a University, his father struggled in supporting him. He secretly took their family’s old book to several p.a.w.n shops and antique fairs to appraise it, hoping to sell it to help pay for his expenses. The appraisal showed that the book didn’t have any real value. They said that it wasn’t old enough to be an antique and that it was, at most, only around 3 to 5 years old at the time.