Chapter 49

Ping’an ShanyuV: [#YudaiGorgeFloodEmergencyEvacuation#] At 1:25 PM today, a sudden flood occurred upstream of Yudai Gorge. The Municipal Government responded swiftly, establishing an emergency command center and successfully evacuating 412 people playing downstream. Currently, there are no casualties.

-Special thanks to the brave teams involved in the rescue: 97 sophomore students from @ShanyuCityNationalUniversityofDefenseTechnology, @ShanyuCityWuningDistrictFireBrigade, and @YudaiGorgeScenicAreaSecurityPersonnel. Your swift action and professional rescue ensured the safety of our citizens!

-We remind all citizens not to venture into undeveloped wild streams and rivers on your own. Safety first!

The official media subsequently released the latest updates, signaling the end of the Yudai Gorge incident and rescue efforts, but also marking the beginning of its fermentation online.

With so many people on site, many had already filmed relevant videos, from beginning to end.

The internet went wild. This incident was no longer just news in Shanyu City; it had gone viral, becoming a hot topic for netizens nationwide.

Various influencers and media outlets jumped in, and through re-editing and adding music, the incident transformed from its original form. It became more conducive to discussion and dissemination. Crucially, any small detail from this entire event was a traffic magnet, a story that the public loved to hear.

For example, the Meteorological Bureau’s accurate prediction of a flood in a small ditch—yes, the official statement didn’t elaborate on the source of the information, and the public assumed it was due to the Meteorological Bureau’s efforts. In reality, the Meteorological Bureau is incredibly capable, so a small flood wouldn’t usually cause such public jubilation. But it was just a small ditch! Who would normally monitor the weather conditions of such a small place? Yet, Shanyu City did just that, and saved many lives because of it! The people of Shanyu felt very secure, and people from other regions were envious.

For example, the Municipal Government’s rapid response to the sudden incident. Even if the Meteorological Bureau could predict it, if the Municipal Government had been inactive, those 400-plus people would still have been in danger. With this swift action, the Municipal Government’s online account, “Zhengwu Shanyu,” saw a surge in followers, showing no signs of stopping.

For example, the main personnel involved in the evacuation of the public during this incident were actually university students who hadn’t even graduated yet. National University of Defense Technology scored big. The school took the opportunity to highlight its motto, earning widespread praise from netizens.

Moreover, with the start of the new semester approaching, many freshmen from the National University of Defense Technology posted videos of their admission letters or their journeys by train or plane to report to school. Each one went viral. Some emotional netizens even commented: “The National University of Defense Technology is a national treasure, its origins can be traced back to the Republic of China era, and it played a profound role during the Anti-Japanese War.” They also listed outstanding alumni from previous years.

In short, it was highly praised.

Not to mention these dramatic elements, just the spectacular sight of the flood peak arriving was enough for people to watch repeatedly.

When Qin Qing and her team were still on site and hadn’t evacuated, they noticed many people coming to join the excitement. Some came alone, but most brought photography and videography equipment, hoping to capture firsthand material and ride this wave of popularity.

A cordon had been set up outside, preventing anyone from entering.

These people formed human ladders on the spot and used telephoto lenses to shoot.

In this incident, many people unexpectedly reaped benefits.

Organizations, media, influencers, officials…

Qin Qing, as the origin of the incident, remained largely unknown.

Lin Feng specifically came to explain this to her.

“The official public statement certainly cannot disclose that the information came from a fortune-telling, as this would cause panic and unpredictable consequences. But your contribution is real, and no one can take it away. Someone will contact you later. You’ll have to endure some anonymity.”

Qin Qing was already very tired. She waved her hand dismissively, “I’m not after that kind of fleeting fame anyway.”

“I know. I’m just relaying the director’s words. We can’t let a hero exert effort and then feel disheartened,” Lin Feng said. “When someone contacts you later, you can ask for some tangible benefits. You can start thinking about what you want now, so you won’t be flustered then.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely think carefully.”

As Qin Qing was about to leave, Lin Feng added, “If someone contacts you, it might also…”

“Might also what?”

Lin Feng didn’t elaborate, instead urging her with concern, “It’s nothing, just get some good rest first.”

Although he didn’t say it explicitly, Qin Qing could roughly guess what he wanted to say from Lin Feng’s worried expression.

Qin Qing wasn’t too worried. Now, the initiative was in her hands.

Once in the car, Qin Qing practically collapsed onto the back seat, physically and mentally exhausted.

“Boss, are you okay?” Qin Fanghao asked.

She said weakly, “I didn’t do anything, just stood there nervously, but now I’m more tired than after running five kilometers. It turns out emotions also consume physical energy. Now I feel like I’m about to collapse from hunger.”

“Uh…” Lou Xinyue pulled out a small packet of biscuits, tore it open, and handed it to Qin Qing. “Well, Boss, what if… we didn’t do nothing today? We actually went on a three-kilometer upstream trek, climbing mountains and wading through water.”

Qin Fanghao also said faintly, “As for being hungry, it’s probably because it’s almost three o’clock now, and we had breakfast at 7 AM. We were on our way to lunch when we encountered the situation, so we were helping people on an empty stomach, Boss.”

Damn, that’s right!

Qin Qing had completely forgotten about it until now. She wondered why her body suddenly felt as artistic as a story’s protagonist.

It turned out to be genuinely influenced by physical factors.

The rescue only lasted a few tens of minutes, but to her, every second felt like a year, as if several days had passed.

She couldn’t even manage to be artistic. Forget it, just rest well and focus on eating.

Qin Qing chewed the biscuits vigorously.

Speaking of food.

She asked, “Where’s our next meal?”

Her eyes lit up.

Qin Fanghao quickly peeled another banana that was kept in the car for her.

“Boss, we’ll eat at the guesthouse. It’s only about thirty minutes away. The guesthouse has already prepared everything, so we can start eating as soon as we arrive.”

Qin Qing’s expression was serious: “Excellent!”

She looked at the road receding ahead, like a general going to war.

Biting off the ends of the banana, she was an invincible eating general.

The guesthouse had prepared barbecue. Before they arrived, due to Qin Fanghao’s urging, their staff had already preheated the grill and placed food on it.

As soon as Qin Qing and her team arrived, the first batch was ready.

Originally, it was supposed to be a self-service barbecue, but now everyone was tired and hungry, so they had to ask the staff for help.

In just half an hour, the cutting board, once full of ingredients, looked as if locusts had passed through.

Qin Fanghao: “Boss, what do you think of their cooking?”

“It’s just so-so,” Qin Qing began to be picky after eating her fill.

It wasn’t good enough to rate highly, but it had the advantage of fresh ingredients and a special barbecue sauce from a famous brand.

At least it wasn’t bad.

Originally, there were plans for group activities after dinner, but Qin Qing really wasn’t in the mood.

Firstly, she was tired, and secondly, she was eager to go back and check her System Panel notifications.

[Indirectly assisted in saving 131 lives, gaining 262 Experience Points.]

[Accumulated Experience Points Level 5 (266/160), level promoted to Level 6. Reward: 20 Energy Points, unlocked new function: Attribute Exchange.]

[Current Experience Points Level 6 (106/320)]

20 Energy Points! Suddenly, she felt so rich!

Qin Qing clicked on the Energy Exchange interface. Previously, there were only Energy Mall and Bind/Transplant. Now, there was an additional attribute exchange.

She clicked on the exchange instructions:

Instructions: You can directly exchange certain basic attributes, such as health, stamina, and charm, using Energy Points at a 1:1 ratio.

Notes:

1. Not all attributes can be exchanged with Energy Points. For specific details, click on “Attribute Query.”

2. Each attribute still has an exchange limit. Once the limit is reached, you cannot continue to use Energy Points to improve that attribute. The limit for most attributes is 100.

3. Within every 90 days, only one exchange can be performed, with a maximum of 5 Energy Points per single exchange.

4. Exchange operations are irreversible. Once confirmed, Energy Points will be deducted, and the attribute value will be permanently increased.

Qin Qing felt her eyes were probably as wide as copper bells at this moment.

Holy moly!

For the first time, the System Panel’s upgrade reward wasn’t just for itself, but something that could benefit her.

Although it still didn’t have the protective gear she hoped for, like an “Iron Shirt,” it was exchangeable! As long as she kept upgrading and acquiring Energy Points, theoretically, she could raise all her stats to 100.

My goodness, would that still be human?