42: A seven-day promise, the first snow in Yuzhang.

Early the next morning.

Jiang Ming woke up on a lounge chair on the terrace, covered with a thin blanket.

The mountain air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of plants.

He didn't get up immediately; instead, he reached for his private phone on the small table nearby and dialed Zhao Lin's number.

The call was connected almost instantly, and Zhao Lin's voice carried a hint of cautious excitement.

"Good morning, Mr. Jiang! Do you have any instructions?"

Jiang Ming looked at the pale dawn breaking on the horizon, his tone flat.

"Use my official account to post a video announcement."

"I'll send you the content in a moment. No need for any promotion or hype; just post it directly."

Zhao Lin immediately complied.

"Understood, Mr. Jiang! I'll arrange it right away!"

After hanging up, Jiang Ming edited a text message and sent it over.

Then, he tossed his phone back onto the table, stood up to stretch, and went downstairs to wash up.

In the living room, Zhang Huilan had already prepared breakfast... It was 9:00 AM.

Hundreds of millions of TikTok users, upon refreshing their homepages, received a push notification almost simultaneously.

The latest update from the "Crow God" account.

Countless people clicked on it with feelings of excitement, curiosity, or a readiness to see a joke.

The video content was simple to the extreme.

A pure white background.

In the very center of the screen was a single line of black Songti-style text.

"In seven days, at twelve o'clock noon, Yuzhang will welcome this autumn's first snow."

There was no background music, no narration, and not even a single punctuation mark.

The duration of this video was only ten seconds.

After ten seconds, the video automatically replayed.

Black text, white background.

Over and over again.

The silent ten-second video set the global internet ablaze the moment it was released.

In the comment section below the video, the number of comments surpassed one million within just ten minutes.

"Did I read that right? First snow? It's early autumn! The high temperature in Yuzhang is twenty-five degrees!"

"Has the Crow God gone mad? He's taking it way too far this time!"

"Seven days from now, at twelve noon—I've already set an alarm on my phone! Waiting for the magic!"

"Don't be stupid, person above. This is clearly a piece of performance art by the Crow God, a protest against the lack of trust in 'Field Theory'!"

"I think he's just run out of talent. The previous plane incident drained him, and now he can only resort to these sensationalist gimmicks to stay relevant!"

The hashtag #CrowGodWeatherForecast surged to the top of trending lists in various countries within three minutes with an unrivaled momentum.

Public opinion was completely divided.

Fanatical believers were convinced this was the announcement of yet another miracle.

Meanwhile, rational onlookers and the surging tide of haters believed this was Jiang Ming's final struggle at his wit's end.

10:00 AM.

The official Weibo of the Yuzhang City Meteorological Bureau urgently released a statement.

"[Official Refutation] Regarding the rumors circulating online that 'it will snow in Yuzhang in seven days,' our bureau solemnly declares: Based on the comprehensive meteorological model analysis from our city's Doppler weather radar, high-altitude sounding balloons, and the 'Aeolus' supercomputer, the Yuzhang City area and its surroundings will continue to experience clear and dry weather for the coming week. Influenced by a subtropical high, the maximum temperature will remain around 25 degrees Celsius. There is no possibility of snowfall, and the probability of precipitation is zero. We urge citizens not to believe or spread rumors and to trust in science."

This official statement acted like a shot of adrenaline for all the skeptics.

"See that! The official response just slapped him in the face! Zero probability of snow!"

"LMAO, the Crow God is going to crash and burn this time. Can't wait for the whole internet to mock him in seven days!"

Far overseas.

Nobel laureate Robert Wilson, during an interview with CNN, showed no restraint in his contempt for the camera.

"Weather forecast? Oh, God, has that young man from the East finally given up on his ridiculous 'Field Theory' and started playing God?"

"This is a sensationalist farce destined to fail!"

The elderly man adjusted his glasses, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"The dignity of science cannot be challenged. In seven days, the whole world will see how this hoax is completely exposed by ruthless reality!"

Major unofficial gambling websites worldwide responded even more quickly.

A bet named "The Seven-Day Pact" was opened at lightning speed.

The content of the bet was extremely simple.

"Will it snow in Yuzhang City at twelve o'clock noon in seven days?"

The odds for 'No' were an outrageously low 1.01.

This meant that if you bet a hundred dollars on him losing, you would only win one dollar after seven days.

Meanwhile, the odds for believing it would snow were set at a terrifying figure.

1:1000... Ninth Bureau, Command Center.

Chen Jianguo looked at the global public opinion data scrolling on the main screen, his expression solemn.

He ignored the clamor of the scientists and the mockery of the public.

Because that man never spoke empty words.

"Orders!"

Chen Jianguo stood up, his voice not loud, yet carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Immediately initiate the 'Level One Meteorological Monitoring' contingency plan!"

"Secretly deploy all mobile meteorological monitoring vehicles to every corner of Yuzhang City's urban areas."

"Dispatch 'Skylark' high-altitude drones to conduct twenty-four-hour continuous full-spectrum data collection of the atmosphere over Yuzhang!"

"I want to know the humidity, temperature, air pressure, wind speed... every subtle change in any parameter in that area!"

"Yes, sir!"

...The next six days.

The entire world was plunged into an unprecedented carnival of anticipation.

Jiang Ming, however, seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth.

He didn't conduct any more live streams, nor did he post any new updates on any platform.

He simply stayed in that villa at the Xishan Nursing Center.

He watched TV with his parents, drank tea in the yard, and occasionally showed off his skills in the kitchen by making home-cooked meals.

This extreme calm stood in stark contrast to the overwhelming public discourse outside.

In the eyes of countless people, this was exactly a sign of his lack of confidence, the calm before the storm.

This "Seven-Day Pact" had evolved into a global media event.

CNN, BBC, Reuters... the world's top news organizations all dispatched their most elite reporter and broadcast teams to arrive in Yuzhang days in advance.

This provincial capital in central China had never been the focus of global attention like it was now.

Countless influencers, streamers, and self-media creators flooded into Yuzhang from all over the world, ready to ride the wave of this unprecedented massive traffic.

Time passed day by day amidst the waiting of countless people.

The night of the sixth day.

In Yuzhang City, the weather was clear, the night sky was dotted with stars, and a bright moon hung high.

The Meteorological Bureau's forecast was pinpoint accurate.

The global public opinion arena had almost sentenced Jiang Ming to death in advance.

Everyone was certain he was about to face his first, and most complete, public failure since his rise to fame.

On TikTok, the comment section of the video on the "Crow God" account had long been submerged by various countdown messages.

"13 hours until the public execution! Selling seeds and drinks in the front row!"

"At twelve noon tomorrow, I'll be watching you fail your flex with an 8x scope!"

"Crow God, have some dignity. It's not too late to delete the video now."

Countless lenses from every corner of the world were aimed at this peaceful city.

Waiting for the arrival of noon tomorrow.

In the Ninth Bureau's command center, the atmospheric cloud map over Yuzhang City on the giant screen was crystal clear.

It was smooth, without any anomalies.

All data was as stable as a straight line.

A young analyst looking at the screen couldn't help but whisper to the colleague beside him.

"Do you think... target a-001 might actually fail this time?"