Working at an otherworldly junkyard, making a fortune by collecting trash.

The government received 9,990 air purifiers and immediately launched a top-level special research project.

Several military transport planes roared to a secret research base on the outskirts of the capital. In the temperature- and humidity-controlled laboratory, top scientists from multiple fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology gathered together.

They carefully disassembled the casing of one of the air purifiers, their fingertips tracing the seemingly ordinary yet technologically advanced core components, their eyes filled with solemnity.

After a day and a night of continuous disassembly and analysis, the research team reached a consensus.

The purifier's filter core uses a material never seen before, and its internal energy circulation system is beyond the scope of current Earth technology and cannot be cracked in a short time.

"But I can be 100% certain," the project leader said to the high-ranking government officials in front of the holographic projection, his tone absolutely certain.

"After being purified by it, the PM2.5 concentration is zero, and the content of heavy metals, harmful gases and other substances is reduced to below the minimum threshold of the detection instrument, and the air quality level is consistently 'excellent'."

Meanwhile, Li Shaoqing had already taken the air purifier that Chen Chen had given him home.

He placed this small white machine near the window in his study, and it ran silently after being turned on.

No one could have imagined that, overnight, the area centered on the Li family and within a radius of 500 square kilometers would undergo earth-shattering changes.

The gray smog that had shrouded City C for years receded like the tide, revealing the long-lost azure sky.

Sunlight streamed through the clear clouds, washing away the dust on the asphalt road and filling the air with a fresh scent of grass and trees.

Initially, news of improved air quality in City C circulated only on a small scale on local social media platforms.

Some people posted photos of the blue sky outside their windows, while others shared the joy of breathing fresh air, but they were immediately met with collective skepticism from netizens from other places.

"Can you put a little more effort into photoshopping? The smog in City C is practically a landmark, and suddenly it's all blue sky overnight?"

"Exactly! I just came back from City C last week, and even wearing three masks, I still felt choked up. This is definitely a new tactic from these marketing accounts!"

"Wake up, stop dreaming. If smog could really be controlled, the government would have promoted it extensively long ago."

The online discussions were in full swing, with doubts and debates almost drowning out the genuine sharing.

But just then, another bombshell dropped like a thunderbolt—the air quality in the city center had improved overnight.

Against the backdrop of the azure sky, the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City shone with dazzling brilliance.

On Chang'an Avenue, pedestrians took off their masks and looked up at the long-lost blue sky, their faces filled with shock and joy.

Some people were constantly refreshing their air quality monitoring apps, watching the red arrow on the screen soar from "severe pollution" to "excellent," their fingers trembling slightly.

This is definitely not a coincidence.

If the changes in City C could be explained as accidental, then the sudden change in Beijing undoubtedly sends a signal to everyone: a mysterious force is quietly altering the country's air quality.

The internet exploded instantly.

Countless netizens flooded the comment sections of official accounts such as the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Meteorological Administration, frantically tagging staff members and demanding the truth behind the scenes.

"Official explanation needed! What's going on with Beijing's blue skies? Has some kind of cutting-edge technology been invented?"

"Please spread this message! Please promote it! The smog here is seriously affecting our lives. When will it be our turn?"

"I bet five cents that the government intervened! This is absolutely groundbreaking environmental technology!"

The number of comments in the comment section is growing at a rate of thousands per second, and the related topic quickly topped the trending search lists on major social media platforms.

Behind all of this, the top leadership of the country has already made a decision.

After just one day of simple testing and research, the remaining 9,980 air purifiers were secretly transported by the soldiers to various municipal governments in China overnight.

Without any public announcement or official notification, each air purifier was kept strictly confidential and placed in various municipal government buildings.

The start-up command was issued uniformly, and the white machines quietly began to operate in the night, like silent guardians, silently purifying the air of the entire city.

From bustling municipalities to remote prefecture-level cities, from densely populated provincial capitals to tranquil county-level cities, an invisible purifying force is spreading in all directions, centered on each municipal government.

The gray smog is quietly dissipating, the murky air is becoming fresh, and even the night sky is becoming clearer.

Within three days, the air quality in the core areas of more than 300 prefecture-level cities and nearly 3,000 county-level administrative regions across China reached the "excellent" standard.

This nationwide air quality revolution can no longer be hidden.

The anomalies were first detected by weather stations in various locations.

The various pollution indices on the monitoring instruments plummeted, and the data refreshed so quickly that the technicians thought the equipment had malfunctioned.

They repeatedly calibrated the instruments, and finally, in awe, they could only admit the fact that the sky had indeed turned blue.

What followed was a nationwide celebration.

On social media platforms, posts showing off blue skies are flooding in.

From the snow-covered blue skies of Mohe to the coconut palms and azure seas of the South China Sea, from the clear starry skies of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the misty, sunny skies of the Jiangnan water towns, these photographs piece together a brand-new China.

Netizens no longer questioned; instead, they felt genuine excitement and pride.

"Family! The smog here is really gone! I can see the mountains in the distance clearly now!"

"I'm so touched! My child no longer has to wear a mask to school every day, and today was the first time he ran freely outdoors!"

"Is this the speed at which flowers are planted? Changing the air quality across the country overnight—this is incredible!"

The stocks of mask manufacturers fell sharply, air purifier stores were deserted, and even the number of patients visiting the respiratory departments of hospitals decreased significantly, while patients with rhinitis were getting better.

In contrast, bookings for outdoor products and tourist attractions have surged, as people are eager to leave their homes and embrace the long-awaited fresh air.

The international community was also shocked by this phenomenon.

Satellite images from various countries clearly show that the gray smog in China is receding at a visible rate, being replaced by a clear blue sky.

Foreign media outlets have widely reported on this "miraculous environmental achievement," and governments around the world have repeatedly inquired with China, hoping that China would secretly share this information.

However, the Chinese government has remained silent.

They did not respond to netizens' questions, nor did they release any technical details.

Only a few high-ranking officials knew that this air quality revolution, which changed the fate of the nation, originated from a gift from a young man.