Reality Programming Association

Chapter 66: Chapter 28: Heavy Rain and Dropping the Case

”I thought you were going to stay at your relative’s place forever! You’ve finally deigned to grace this humble one with your presence, have you, my good sir!”

The main light was on in the dorm room, clearly illuminating Shi Zuozhou’s excited face. The other two roommates’ computers were on, but they weren’t there—they had probably gone to wash up.

Yu Xian leaned his dripping umbrella against the wall and changed into a pair of slippers. The solid, grounded feeling of his feet on the floor made him let out a long sigh of relief.

”I had some stuff to take care of at school earlier. I lost track of time, and then the subway shut down, so I couldn’t get back.”

He walked over to his bunk, dropped his backpack, and looked at the still-energetic Shi Zuozhou.

”It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep? Aren’t you going to make a run on the supermarket tomorrow?”

”That kind of manual labor? I’ll leave that to the inexperienced freshmen.” Shi Zuozhou chuckled and pointed to a box under his desk.

”I’ve already made my preparations. Provisions before troops, you know? Besides, this kind of storm is the perfect time to rank up! You have no idea, tonight...”

As he spoke, he suddenly trailed off. He stared at Yu Xian’s face for two seconds, then froze.

”Old Yu, why do you look so pale? Did you catch a cold?”

Yu Xian touched his own face. It did feel a bit cold. ’So much has happened today,’ he thought. ’Trapped in a dream, drenched by the storm, and then discussing that horrifying theory with those two...’

”I probably just got cold from the rain,” he said dismissively. ”I’m going to take a hot shower.”

”Yeah, yeah, go on. I’ve got an electric kettle, I’ll boil some water for you to drink.”

A warmth spread through his chest. He grabbed his washbasin and went to the washroom. The warm stream of water washed away the chill, and his mood eased slightly.

When he got back to the dorm after his shower, Shi Zuozhou had already poured the hot water. He’d even added a packet of Banlangen. The other two roommates were back as well.

”Drink it while it’s hot. The love of a father is as solid as a mountain.”

Shi Zuozhou handed him the cup of brown liquid and patted him on the shoulder with mock solemnity.

The other two roommates came over as well. One was named Zhang Yang, the other Li Boxue. They were both in different majors, so they didn’t usually interact much, but on a night with a storm like this, it seemed they all shared a sense of being in the same boat.

”Haven’t seen you in a while, Yu Xian. Need a hairdryer?” Zhang Yang offered the one in his hand. Yu Xian didn’t usually live in the dorm, so he didn’t have many daily necessities with him.

Yu Xian thanked him and didn’t stand on ceremony, taking it and starting to dry his hair.

”I hear the rain’s going to be even worse tomorrow than it was today. With our school’s drainage system, I’m afraid we’re about to become the ’Venice of Jiangcheng’.”

Shi Zuozhou was scrolling through his Friends Circle. ”I see people saying the man-made lake on campus is already overflowing.”

The buzzing of the hairdryer stopped. Yu Xian unplugged it, handed it back to Zhang Yang, and sat back down in his chair, cupping the steaming mug of Banlangen.

”Speaking of which, this rain is really something else,” Li Boxue said, having just ended a video call with his family.

”I was just chatting with my mom. You guys won’t believe this—it’s raining back home, too. Though not as hard as it is here.”

Yu Xian paused. He knew Li Boxue was from the Northeast; you could tell just from his accent.

”Harbin?” Zhang Yang took his underwear off the drying rack and felt it. Still damp.

”Shouldn’t it be about to snow heavily in the Northeast this time of year? How can it still be raining?”

”That’s what I’m saying! My mom said she hasn’t seen it rain in mid-November in decades. The frozen soil in the fields is going to get ruined.”

Yu Xian took a sip of his Banlangen, listening to the two of them chat.

’So it’s not just raining in Jiangcheng, but even in the frigid Northeast?’

”Meteorologically speaking, is that even possible?” Zhang Yang asked.

”Didn’t you take that climate dynamics class?” Li Boxue and Zhang Yang were in the same major. He continued:

”By now, the subtropical high should have retreated south long ago, and the cold air from Siberia should be the main player. Logically, the frontal system where the cold and warm air currents meet should be south of the Yangtze River, or even further south.”

Shi Zuozhou asked, confused.

”So you’re saying it’s pretty much impossible to have such widespread, intense rainfall at the latitude of the Northeast at this time of year?”

Zhang Yang held up a hand and drew a circle in the air.

”There is one possibility. The warm, moist air current from the Pacific Ocean could be pushing against the cold northern air, forcing its way into the high-latitude regions. But can you imagine how much energy that would take? The ocean currents would have to be in complete chaos.”

”Global warming?” Shi Zuozhou threw out casually.

”I don’t think global warming can explain this...”

Yu Xian turned his head to look out the window. It was pitch black, and the rain, seemingly endless, poured down the glass pane.

Even without considering climate dynamics, ocean currents, or monsoons.

Even an ordinary person with no relevant educational background.

Just by looking at this rain, they would feel that something was very wrong.

The distance from Jiangcheng to Harbin spanned over a thousand kilometers.

The news reported that rivers were breaking their banks in many places, groundwater levels were rising, vast swathes of farmland were flooded, and grain prices were climbing.

’From Southern China to the Northeast... how could such a massive area be experiencing rain at the same time?’

”Alright, alright. Anyway, heavy rain means cancelled classes. We can just stay in the dorm and play games. It’s not like this rain is going to last until the end of the world, right?”

Li Boxue yawned, cutting off Zhang Yang and Shi Zuozhou’s discussion.

”Fair enough. As long as the power and internet don’t go out, the harder it rains, the better, haha.”

Zhang Yang shrugged as well, put on his headphones, and got ready to charge back into the game.

Yu Xian finished the last of his Banlangen, a sweet taste lingering in his mouth, and turned off his desk lamp.

”Old Yu, heading to bed? Make sure to draw your curtain, then. I’ve still got a tough battle ahead of me.”