I, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, am being kept by the state.

Half an hour later.

A brief yet explosive official announcement has once again ignited the entire internet.

[General Office of the State Council: In response to the severe drought in Yuzhou, the state has activated its highest-level emergency response plan. A special artificial rainfall intervention operation will be conducted tomorrow at noon. Code name: Dragon Raises Its Head.]

Although the announcement used the scientific term "human intervention".

But at the same time, on a mysterious forum with inside information, a post was quickly pushed to "HOT".

Original poster ID: Watchman007.

Title: Don't Believe in Artificial Rain! Insider Information: That Ancient One is About to Make His Move!

The content is very simple, consisting of only one sentence:

"The weather bureau has run out of ammunition; there are no rain clouds expected tomorrow. This time, it's that guy from the museum who's stepping in! Location: Yuzhou. Front row seats for sale—sit down and witness history!"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

"Holy crap? Really? Is the Dragon King about to appear?"

"If it actually rains, I'll livestream myself doing a handstand and eating shit!"

"Don't try to freeload off the people upstairs. That public intellectual who questioned the stone tablet yesterday is still in the hospital with a comminuted fracture of his knee."

"The people of Yuzhou send their congratulations! Whoever it is, as long as it rains, they're my dear father!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.

CIA headquarters.

Having just survived a brutal purge and barely caught his breath, Burns looked at the intelligence in his hand and a sinister sneer appeared on his face.

"Pray for rain?"

"This is utterly ridiculous!"

"Weather satellites show that the area over Yuzhou will be under the control of a high-pressure ridge for the next week, with not a single cloud in sight. How can it possibly rain?"

"This is an opportunity..."

A sinister glint flashed in Burns' eyes.

"As long as it doesn't rain tomorrow, that so-called 'guardian angel' will become a laughing stock. Then, with a little manipulation of public opinion, we can completely destroy the confidence of the Chinese people!"

He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Activate 'Plan B'."

"Use all of our weather intervention satellites in space."

"Dispel all the moisture from the sky above Yuzhou!"

"I will make sure that place is completely devoid of water!"

……

On the special plane bound for Yuzhou.

Li Chen closed his eyes to rest inside the necklace.

Chen Dong stared at the constantly changing red satellite trajectory on the tablet, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

As a high-ranking official in the National Security Agency, he was all too aware of the power of the U.S. Aegis weather weapon system.

That is a terrifying entity that directly alters atmospheric circulation by heating the ionosphere with high-frequency microwaves.

Simply put, it can dry you out even if there are clouds overhead.

"Dragon Lord, if it's truly too much to bear..."

Chen Dong gritted his teeth, his voice a little hoarse, "We can postpone the operation, or..."

"Or what? Should I avoid their sharp edge?"

Li Chen chuckled softly, and that laughter echoed in Chen Dong's mind.

"Microwaves? Electromagnetic waves?"

"It's just using the power of fire to forcibly disperse the moisture."

Li Chen's voice was languid, like a lion that had just woken up, watching an ant trying to burn down the forest with a matchstick.

"In my time, this was called a low-budget version of the 'Drought Demon Technique'."

"Since they want to play with fire, then I'll play along with them."

……

Yuzhou, Zhengcheng.

This is the core area of ​​this "Dragon Raises Its Head" operation, and also the center of the most severe drought.

The heatwave distorted the air in the makeshift sacrificial plaza.

The ground temperature has exceeded 60 degrees Celsius; if an egg is broken on the ground, it will turn into a poached egg within five seconds.

Tens of thousands of people spontaneously gathered outside the cordon.

Most of them were farmers from the surrounding area, with dark skin, chapped lips, and eyes that revealed an almost desperate hope.

"Will it work? The sky looks like an oven today, not like it's going to rain."

"I heard that the government hired a highly skilled doctor who even cured a disabled veteran."

"Curing an illness and getting rain are two different things! It hasn't rained for over a hundred days, and all the crops have died..."

There was much discussion among the crowd.

Meanwhile, in the media area, cameras and microphones were already set up.

Besides domestic media, there were also many foreign journalists, all with expressions of anticipation for a good show.

A CNN reporter was speaking directly to the camera, using an exaggerated tone.

"Dear viewers, this is Yuzhou, China. Faced with an unprecedented drought, the Chinese government seems to have abandoned science and turned to some ancient witchcraft. Does this signify the complete collapse of China's disaster response capabilities? Let's wait and see."

The chat room was filled with a chaotic mess of comments.

"Hilarious! Praying for rain? It's the 21st century, do we still need to resort to shamanistic rituals?"

"I'm just waiting for this to go wrong! If it rains, I'll eat my keyboard!"

"Don't be too arrogant, that public intellectual who was kneeling yesterday is still waiting in line at the orthopedics department."

Noon.

Under the blazing sun, the scorching sunlight felt like needles pricking one's skin.

A Hongqi sedan slowly drove into the square.

The car door opened, and Chen Dong, holding the dragon-shaped necklace, respectfully walked onto the altar.

There were no elaborate rituals, and no shamans performing rituals.

There was only a simple altar with a bowl of water on it.

"Let's begin."

Only Chen Dong could hear Li Chen's voice.

Chen Dong took a deep breath and gently placed the necklace into the bowl of clear water.

at the same time.

Across the ocean, in the CIA operations command center.

"Target locked over Yuzhou!"

"The Aegis system is operating at full power!"

"Microwave beam launch countdown: 3, 2, 1... Launch!"

Burns stared intently at the big screen, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Rain? I'll make sure you can't even see the clouds!"

"Burn it! Burn that sky to ashes!"

……

Over Yuzhou.

The few wisps of cloud that were originally so thin vanished instantly under the bombardment of unseen high-energy microwaves.

The sky was a blindingly blue, a blue that evoked despair.

The sky was cloudless.

Even the moisture in the air was instantly evaporated, and the entire city of Zhengzhou seemed to have turned into a giant microwave oven.

In the square, the crowd began to stir.

"The clouds are gone! Even the last bit of cloud is gone!"

"It's too hot! I can't take it anymore..."

Someone collapsed from heatstroke, and cries and curses mingled together.

A CNN reporter excitedly shouted, "See that? That's the power of science! There's no sign of rain, and the Chinese 'dragon' doesn't seem to exist!"

Chen Dong stood on the altar, feeling the suffocating heat, his palms sweating profusely.

"Dragon Lord..."

"What's the rush?"

Li Chen's voice remained steady, even carrying a hint of pleasure.

"They're here."

What's here?

Chen Dong subconsciously looked up.

Suddenly, the bronze dragon-shaped necklace in the bowl of clear water trembled.

"Buzz—!"

A dragon's roar.