Chapter 200：Earthquake Prediction

"What's this for?" The women looked on curiously.

"It's to synchronize the ground's vibration frequency with the model's," Zhang Zhenghao explained. "It's a method I invented to monitor earthquakes. I used to do it roughly, with an accuracy rate of over 70%, but this time, with the most precise method, the accuracy should be at least 95% or higher. Phew..."

Seeing Zhang Zhenghao looking a bit tired, Li Nianlong asked, "Brother Four, do you need help?"

"No," Zhang Zhenghao shook his head repeatedly. "Big Brother doesn't understand the frequency of underground vibrations. Each movement I make follows a pattern. If I make one wrong move, all previous efforts will be in vain."

"Should we take a break then?" Li Nianlong asked again.

"No need," Zhang Zhenghao continued to whip the ground. "It'll be done in about ten minutes. Don't talk. I need to concentrate."

Seeing Zhang Zhenghao fully focused on whipping the ground, no one else spoke. As the sky gradually darkened, the lamps in the Liu Manor's garden lit up, illuminating it as bright as day. Zhang Zhenghao finally completed the last whip, stopped, and lay down on the ground, pressing his ear tightly against it.

"What's this? Is it some kind of listening for seismic activity?" Yuexi looked astonished. "Could Brother Zhenghao be some kind of master?"

"Probably not!" Yuexi softened her voice. "He seems to lack internal energy."

"Listening for seismic activity doesn't rely on internal energy; it just requires good ears," Yuexi persisted in her assessment.

When Zhang Zhenghao got up from the ground, Yuexi quickly asked, "Brother Zhenghao, were you listening for seismic activity just now?"

"How did you know?" Zhang Zhenghao looked puzzled.

"Wow!" Yuexi exclaimed excitedly. "I knew it was listening for seismic activity! Changchang, you lost."

Changchang sighed softly, somewhat disappointed. "Okay, you win."

"Hehe, I finally won for once," Yuexi was thrilled, seeming like this poor child had been losing most of the time before.

Zhang Zhenghao: "..."

Li Nianlong asked, "Brother Four, how is it going?"

"No problem," Zhang Zhenghao nodded. "I now need an iron ball about the size of a fist."

Immediately, Liu Lao Taiye instructed a servant, "Quickly get one."

"Yes."

Getting an iron ball was easy, and soon a sports iron ball was brought over. Zhang Zhenghao placed the iron ball on the circular track deliberately left on the model's edge. Then, he took out four magnets from his pocket and placed them in the four cardinal directions. Under the magnetic force, the iron ball began to circle the track.

"This turns the iron ball into a time accelerator. Each circle the ball makes equals one day. Let's watch," Zhang Zhenghao explained.

Everyone watched as the iron ball moved. Mei Yun idly calculated how long it took for the ball to complete a circle and found it only took one minute—not more, not less—very precise.

The first few circles were smooth, but on the fifteenth circle, they noticed a slight tremor to the west of the model. By the sixteenth circle, the tremor had become quite severe, and a bamboo stick inserted in the west fell off, shocking everyone.

Seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth circles still had some aftershocks, but they were not as severe. By the twentieth circle, there was only a slight tremor, and the danger had passed.

While the iron ball continued to rotate, although the tremors had stopped, no one spoke, and the scene was eerily quiet.

Zhang Zhenghao looked at Li Nianlong and said, "Brother, according to my calculations, a relatively mild earthquake will occur in half a month. It shouldn't cause too much damage, but on the sixteenth day, a severe earthquake of at least magnitude eight will hit the western part of Tianfu. There will also be some aftershocks in the following four days. If we don't prepare early, there may be serious casualties."

Li Nianlong furrowed his brows. "Brother Four, how confident are you?"

"At least 95%," Zhang Zhenghao said confidently.

Li Nianlong turned to Liu Lao Taiye and Mei Yun.

Liu Lao Taiye and Mei Yun locked eyes. Mei Yun squinted and said, "Grandpa, although I don't want to believe it, we have to this time."

Liu Lao Taiye closed his eyes in contemplation, clearly still reluctant to easily believe in such strange occurrences.

"I'm curious," Mei Yun looked at Zhang Zhenghao with a slight smile. "Zhang Zhenghao, what exactly is the principle behind what you just did? Why wasn't it taught in textbooks at school?"

"Believe it or not, it's better to have no books at all," Zhang Zhenghao said. "This principle was something I accidentally figured out. It hasn't formed into a systematic theory yet. Unfortunately, by the time I figured it out, I had already graduated for over a year. Otherwise, I could have stayed in school as a graduate student with this paper alone."

"So, you haven't systematically organized what this principle is yet?" Mei Yun asked.

Zhang Zhenghao nodded. "Because of limited conditions, I couldn't further research it. So, the accuracy rate can't be confirmed to reach 100%. I still need time and financial support."

"Then let the Liu Manor support you!" Mei Yun smiled with her eyes squinted. "Money, materials, and a dedicated research room in the Tianfu Military Region. A monthly subsidy of 100,000, a three-bedroom apartment, and the Liu family will cover 80% of medical and retirement expenses. If you need assistants, as long as their background is clean, the Liu Manor will provide a monthly subsidy of 30,000, a single apartment, and the Liu family will cover 50% of medical and retirement expenses."

"Wow..." Zhang Zhenghao took a sharp breath. The Liu Manor was... so generous.

Li Nianlong laughed. "Brother Four, agree! You have your talents, and I believe you'll become a landmark figure in geology in the future. Once your research is successful, it will benefit humanity globally, and your name will surely go down in history."

Zhang Zhenghao nodded eagerly. "I... I agree."

It was an excellent job to improve the lives of family members. Not to mention the annual subsidy of over a million, just the three-bedroom apartment and 80% coverage of medical and retirement expenses were the welfare that ordinary people in Huaxia dreamed of.

I have to do it! Moreover, it's professionally aligned, so I can fully focus on the work I love in the future without worrying about a few acres of land every day.

"Agreed!" Mei Yun squinted with a smile. "Next, we should discuss how to deal with the earthquake in half a month."

The old lady chuckled and stood up, saying, "This is a national matter. I'm just an old woman, so I won't participate. Changchang, Xixi, help me back to rest!"

"Okay, Master."

After the Yue sisters helped the old lady leave, Li Nianlong said, "That's it for now. Grandpa, Sister, the rest is up to you. Brother Four hasn't eaten all day; I'll take him to have a meal."

Liu Lao Taiye and Shao Meiyun nodded. Since the information could be confirmed, they needed to come up with an effective plan quickly. Half a month might seem like a lot of time, but in the blink of an eye, it would arrive, and they couldn't afford to be careless.

With his arm around Nalan Ruyue's hand, Li Nianlong gave Zhang Zhenghao a slight smile. "Brother Four, let's go! Today, the two of us will have a good drink."

Zhang Zhenghao nodded and looked at Nalan Ruyue, asking somewhat uncertainly, "Brother, is she your wife?"

The term "wife" made Nalan Ruyue's face blush. Li Nianlong chuckled. "Unfortunately not. She's my younger sister, Liu Ruyue, but she was born with damaged vocal cords and can't speak."

"Oh, she's Big Brother's sister," Zhang Zhenghao said enviously. "Big Brother is handsome, and his sister is even more beautiful. Your family really has good genes."

"Haha, with plastic surgery so advanced nowadays, having good genes isn't a big deal. Spend some money at the hospital, and you'll have good genes too," Li Nianlong laughed.

The two brothers walked to the dining room together, and they asked the servants to call the Yue sisters to join them. The five of them sat together, eating hot pot, with steam rising and fragrant aromas filling the air. They dipped food in the broth, drank wine, and enjoyed themselves.

"Brother..." After a few rounds of drinks and dishes, Zhang Zhenghao, his eyes slightly intoxicated, looked at Li Nianlong. "You saved me, a great favor indeed. I'll remember it for life. But you know I don't like owing anyone favors. This earthquake matter, even if it repays you for your favor..."

Li Nianlong punched him. "Do we brothers still need to keep accounts like this? You're great in every way, but too rigid. Let me ask you, if the roles were reversed, and you knew I had killed someone, would you come to my rescue?"

"If it was like me, killing those scoundrels, I'd definitely save you," Zhang Zhenghao said firmly. "But if Big Brother were a bad person, killing innocent people for no reason, I'd wish you had died earlier. How could I save you then?"

Li Nianlong smiled bitterly. "You, this guy. Would you say you're a man of letters or an unwaveringly righteous person?"

"I just believe in justice and righteousness," Zhang Zhenghao said with righteousness. "That's why I couldn't help but kill one of those scoundrels when they came to the village causing trouble and hurting people. But it was precisely because of that that those unscrupulous officials and businessmen were shaken. Even if I was sentenced to death back then, I wouldn't regret it."

"Brother Zhenghao is truly righteous," Yuexi said with admiration. "We people should carry a three-foot sword, uphold justice, eliminate evil, and bring the people a bright future."

"Go play somewhere else," Li Nianlong slapped her on the forehead. "Do you really think you're a hero? Brother Four is indeed righteous, but what's the outcome? If it weren't for Brother Three initially building connections and me rescuing people, he'd be in a coffin by now. Upholding justice? You need to have that ability too."

"Ouch!" Yuexi rubbed her forehead in pain and annoyance. "Who says I don't have that ability? If anyone dares to do something bad, I'll burn them alive!"

"You should cut it out!" Li Nianlong stuffed a piece of fish tofu into her mouth. "Eat your food. No one sees you as a mute!"

"Mmm..."

Zhang Zhenghao looked at the two of them and chuckled. "Brother, you two have a great relationship, just like a married couple."

Yuexi's face brightened with joy at hearing this, her cheeks turning slightly red. She giggled, "Brother Zhenghao really has good taste."

"You're kidding me!" Li Nianlong said. "Although we're not blood-related, I've always treated her like a sister. Besides, she's only sixteen. I don't have that kind of taste."