A Day in the Life of an Earthquake Early Warning Operator
Old Liu is an early warning operator at the city's Earthquake Early Warning Center, or more precisely, the "Chief Duty Officer" of the early warning team. The reason for the addition of "chief" is not because he has superior technical skills, but because he is the most senior and has the thinnest hair, making him the team's acknowledged "fixture."
Every morning at eight o'clock, Old Liu sits down in front of his outdated computer. The screen displays various fluctuating curves, like a heart monitor in a hospital. Old Liu's job is to stare at these curves, waiting for the line representing an earthquake to suddenly twitch.
Today seems particularly calm, calm like the calm before a storm. Old Liu drinks his tea, which has been steeped three times, the tea leaves long since devoid of color, leaving only a faint bitterness. He’s used to this bitterness, just like he's used to the inactivity of his position.
The early warning center is very quiet, everyone is slacking off. The team leader is posting boring jokes in the group chat, Xiao Wang is scrolling through shopping apps, and even the new intern, Xiao Li, is secretly watching idol dramas. Old Liu feels like a watchman, guarding a door that will never be opened.
At noon, Old Liu eats with his colleagues in the cafeteria. They chat about recent hot topics, such as which celebrity just got divorced, and which influencer just got exposed. Only Old Liu remains silent; he feels out of place with them, like an old component installed in a brand-new machine.
In the afternoon, Old Liu continues to stare at the screen. The curves remain calm, without even a ripple. He feels sleepy and his eyelids start to droop. He thinks of his son, who works at an internet company, working overtime late into the night, earning several times more than him. Old Liu feels useless, unable to provide his son with a better life, nor protect the city from earthquakes.
At half-past five, the bell rings to signal the end of the workday. Old Liu packs up his things and prepares to go home. He walks out of the office and sees the setting sun outside, the sky dyed a blood red. He suddenly feels that today’s sunset is particularly glaring, making him feel a strange sense of unease.
He walks to the bus stop, takes out his phone, and scrolls through his WeChat moments. The moments are full of peace and harmony, people posting pictures of delicious food, travels, and happiness. Old Liu feels like an outsider, living in a false utopia.
He gets on the bus, which is very crowded, and the air is filled with various strange smells. Old Liu leans by the window, watching the scenery flash by outside. He feels that the city is unfamiliar, like a giant cage that has trapped him inside.
Suddenly, his phone rings; it’s a call from the center. He is puzzled as the center rarely calls him at this time. "Old Liu, something bad has happened, there's been an earthquake in Hefei!" the team leader's panicked voice comes from the other end of the phone.
Old Liu suddenly wakes up, he jumps up, almost falling. He hurriedly runs to the bus door, wanting to get off. The driver impatiently asks what he’s doing, and Old Liu hastily explains that he is an early warning operator and needs to get back to the center. But the driver dismissively says, the earthquake has already happened, what’s the point of you going back?
Old Liu is stunned, yes, the earthquake has already happened, what’s the point of him going back? He feels like a discarded chess piece, long since devoid of any meaning. He feels a wave of sadness, a wave of despair.
When he returns to the center, it’s in chaos. His colleagues are frantically operating the computers, and the phone is ringing non-stop. The team leader sees Old Liu and says sternly, “Old Liu, you need to check, what's the situation!"
Old Liu sits in front of the computer, looking at the wildly fluctuating curves on the screen, he feels like a joke. He stares at these curves every day, waiting for that line to twitch, but when it actually happens, he feels so powerless.
He looks at the strings of data on the screen, but realizes he can’t do anything. Earthquake early warning, in the face of a real disaster, seems so pale and weak. He suddenly understands that the meaning of his existence is just to give people a bit of psychological comfort when an earthquake happens.
The earthquake gradually subsides, and everything returns to calm. Old Liu drags his exhausted body home; he looks at the twinkling stars in the sky, and feels a sense of powerlessness. He feels like a speck of dust floating in the universe, small and insignificant.
The next day, Old Liu still arrives at the center on time, and sits in front of his old computer. On the screen, the curves have returned to their calm state. Old Liu drinks his tea, steeped for the third time, and the tea leaves still have no color, only a faint bitterness. He looks at the curves and suddenly laughs.
"Ding!" A soft chime, and a message pops up on the computer screen:
"Today's earthquake early warning simulation drill has been completed, thank you for all colleagues' cooperation!" Old Liu looks at the message, his smile freezing on his face.