The "clarity" incident sparked an idea. A dangerous, audacious idea. She discussed it with Mo on the Ghost Network.
" The system can influence outcomes based on abstract concepts," she said. "What if I used it on a massive scale? What if I wasted money on a concept like… 'global preparedness'?"
"Preparedness for what?" Mo asked, intrigued.
" I don't know for sure," Ye Xia admitted. "But in my first life… around the end of 2019… there were rumors. Whispers from Wuhan about a strange, severe pneumonia. It came to nothing then, but… my knowledge is fuzzy. What if it wasn't nothing? What if it was something that was contained then, but could be worse another time?"
She was piecing together fragmented memories of a world that hadn't happened yet. The COVID-19 pandemic had exploded in early 2020 in her previous timeline. Here, in 2013, she had a chance to get ahead of it.
" You're talking about using your system to change the future based on a ghost memory," Mo said, his voice serious. "The implications are… astronomical."
" I know. But if I'm right, and I can use the next six years to build a foundation—to fund research, stockpile supplies, create public health protocols—I could save millions of lives."
There was a long silence. "It would be the ultimate act of my Benevolence Engine, without its calculations," Mo said finally. "A pure act of prevention. I will help you."
The decision was made. They would use the years from 2013 to 2019 to prepare for a storm only Ye Xia knew was coming.