The sound of the rails hitting was very rhythmic, occasionally mixed with a frowning screech.
Yang Fan held his backpack and thought to himself, "The subway in Linjiang City is too outdated."
Line 3 has been running for more than a decade. Even though it is regularly maintained, due to aging facilities, this kind of situation was inevitable.
The train passed one stop.
Three passengers got on and sat directly across from Yang Fan, starting to chat quietly.
"It’s said that on the edge of Wanli Mountain in Guangnan Province, there was an earthquake, and then a super giant tree appeared that was a thousand meters tall."
"What kind of tree can grow to a thousand meters? That’s too far-fetched!"
"I heard it from a college classmate. Many people over there saw it with their own eyes, and it’s almost madness surrounding the rumor."
"Even if it’s causing such a stir, why can’t we see anything about it online?"
"You already know the reason, just think about it, and you’ll understand."
"All right, I get it."
"I still think it’s too fake. The structural support for trees is composed of lignin, which has limited load capacity, simply couldn’t withstand the weight of a thousand meters!"
"Whatever, believe it or not, it’s up to you."
Yang Fan heard that and secretly said to himself, "The giant tree that’s a thousand meters tall really did appear; I saw it clearly on-site.
"According to my estimate, the height is not just one thousand meters; it should be one thousand three hundred meters, with a trunk about eighty meters thick."
Yang Fan’s method of measurement is quite simple—a phone range-finder app did the trick.
This is a gadget trick he learned from watching videos, never thought the day would come when it would prove useful.
He sighed with plain language, "That tree is really damn big!"
Yang Fan possesses a very magical Dream Ability.
Things he dreamed of often became reality, and this thousand-meter-tall tree was one of them.
At that time, he arrived at the scene ahead of time for a proper observation of the super giant tree.
The passengers’ topic had shifted on the opposite side.
"Speaking of, there are really quite a lot of strange things happening this year."
"Yeah, in January this year, there was a huge flood in the Tarak Desert northwest, and a whole county was flooded."
"When I watched the news at that time, I simply couldn’t believe my eyes. The Tarak Desert hardly gets any rain throughout the year, how could there be a flood?"
"I always feel like the world is about to descend into chaos."
Yang Fan mumbled silently, "The flood wasn’t caused by rain falling; these waters come from somewhere unimaginable.
"I was at the edge of the desert back then and captured the spectacular scene of the flood gushing from the sky."
He clicked his tongue: "Unfortunately, there’s no way to upload it online."
Uploading would surely be deleted, and the authorities would come knocking; of course, he wouldn’t do such a thing.
The three passengers seemed to have wide-ranging interests and started discussing stocks.
"Central Agriculture’s stock is truly a super demon stock; it was listed at seven dollars and three cents last September, and yesterday it jumped to two hundred thirty-two dollars."
"In just over half a year, it soared thirty-two times; that’s unbelievable. If I had bought a few thousand dollars worth back then, it would’ve been great."
"Previously, experts said risks in farming, forestry, fishing, and animal husbandry are too high and should be avoided; experts’ words can’t be trusted, after all."
Yang Fan silently thought, "A few days without checking stocks, and it has gone up a few more points."
He took out his phone and opened the stock app.
The numbers displayed on the screen made him involuntarily curve his lips.
That’s the value of Yang Fan’s shares in Central Agriculture.
This is a huge sum in the eyes of ordinary people.
On the very day Central Agriculture was listed, at its lowest price, Yang Fan poured in two hundred thousand at once, buying twenty-four thousand shares.
Back then, driven by a dream, he gambled ferociously; later, when the stock price skyrocketed, he sold most of them and got a tremendous amount of cash.
It’s precisely because of this that he had the courage to resign and travel around the Great Xia Kingdom in preparation for future disasters.
"This train will soon arrive at Yao Tai Station. Please prepare to disembark ahead of time."
Yang Fan stood, put on his backpack, and walked to the car door.
The train arrived at the station.
Yang Fan stepped off the train, following the crowd towards the platform.
He quickly discovered that many people’s expressions were strange.
The surrounding passengers were abuzz with discussions.
"It’s snowing outside!"
"This is really bizarre; the daytime high was thirty-one degrees, how could it be snowing?"
"You don’t believe it? Just go outside and see. The temperature has plunged to nine degrees, and a strong wind is blowing. I stood at the subway entrance for a while and felt unbearably cold."
"I’m wearing a T-shirt and shorts; I simply don’t dare to go outside. Just called my dad to bring me clothes."
"Snow in June; isn’t this about some great injustice?"
"Experts say this is extreme weather caused by strong convective conditions."
Listening to the discussion, Yang Fan muttered inwardly, "Sure enough, it’s snowing."
Then he quietly corrected himself: "Not strong convective weather, this should be the influence of the Primordial World."
Last night, while dreaming, he dreamed of snow in Linjiang City in June.
As usual, the dream once again came true.
Yang Fan did not rush to leave the station but instead entered the restroom, took out the thick coat and long pants from his backpack, and swiftly changed.
Having foreseen snow in June, he naturally would prepare in advance.
Yang Fan passed through the turnstile, reaching the subway station entrance, and immediately heard a "whoosh."
Like the wailing of a vengeful ghost.
A chill wind rushed over, instinctively making him shiver.
Two young women dressed lightly, hugging themselves, jogged into the subway station.
"Achoo! I’m about to catch a cold!"
They wore short skirts, showing their long, fair, and toned legs.
Normally, this attire highlights feminine charm, earning them many admiring glances; now, it brought them nothing but trouble.
Yang Fan, wearing thick clothes, did not feel cold at all.
As the two women passed him, their glances carried a faint trace of envy.
It contained a sort of impulse to "want to take off his clothes."
Yang Fan paid it no mind, secretly thought, "Disaster looms; indeed, signs are everywhere," and marched out of the subway station.
Snowflakes rode the cold wind, brushing past him.
The greenery shook wildly, making "rustling" sounds as if expressing fear for the future.
Yang Fan took a few steps, his right hand swiftly reached forward.
Satisfied, he nodded: "A little faster this time."
Yang Fan withdrew his hand, seeing between his thumb and index finger a crystalline snowflake.
This is something ordinary people can’t do.
This indicates an exceptional neural reaction speed.
The sound of a horn drifted over.
Yang Fan looked toward the sound, seeing a car parked on the roadside.
A man and a woman quickly rushed over, opening the car door and getting in, the car promptly started and drove away.
He sighed: "Seems I won’t be catching a ride in this weather, might as well walk home."
His home is about two kilometers from the subway station, and Yang Fan’s current physical fitness is much stronger than the average person; he can reach home in under fifteen minutes.
If he chose to take a taxi, he’d have to wait over half an hour without necessarily securing a ride.
Yang Fan tightened his collar and strode forward.
Six-thirty in the evening.
He reached the entrance of the community.
The community is named—Yue Bay District.
This is a community built more than ten years ago, with somewhat outdated facilities.
Yang Fan was born to elderly parents, who both passed away one after another in recent years.
Now he lives alone in an eighty-nine-square-meter three-bedroom apartment.
Though he often misses his parents, living alone makes certain matters more convenient.