Meanwhile, other newspapers that received the news began working overtime to revise their content.
They replaced articles that were originally prepared to criticize the Science Daily and "Ke Pu Xiao Neng Shou" (Popular Science Little Expert) with either unrelated content or entirely new pieces.
These new pieces included, but were not limited to, praise, endorsements, and analyses of the reasons behind the phenomenon.
As of now, aside from a few publications whose profits and losses were entirely subsidized by the state, all other self-funded newspapers chased after popularity and sales.
Making money, after all, was nothing to be ashamed of.
After all, if a newspaper couldn't make money, it would go out of business. And everyone would be unemployed.
Occasionally reporting content that wasn't entirely accurate, or leaning slightly to one side, was not a problem. But outright lying was unacceptable. Once a publication's credibility completely collapsed, no amount of eloquent writing could save it.
No one would pay them to publish content.
Therefore, they naturally couldn't continue to oppose the Science Daily. They could only compromise for now, and if the predictions turned out to be wrong on some future date, they could then launch their criticisms. They simply didn't believe anyone could be so accurate.
If someone was that capable, why weren't they a national advisor?
Instead, they were competing with newspapers for business.
Regardless, from the next day onwards, the overall public opinion completely shifted. Most newspapers began to praise the Science Daily and "Ke Pu Xiao Neng Shou." They also began to leverage their popularity, finding numerous experts, professors, and even metaphysical masters to analyze and interview why "Ke Pu Xiao Neng Shou" was so remarkable, whether there was a theoretical basis for the combination of metaphysics and science, and other such miscellaneous content.
Only a minority of newspapers remained steadfast in their skepticism, believing it was merely a case of "a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse."
In short, this was a meteoric rise to fame.
Ding Yun's influence soared once again. It was a pity, however, that the Science Daily's circulation was limited, and its reach primarily extended to a few neighboring provinces.
If the Science Daily could be distributed nationwide, it was possible that not long from now, Ding Yun's influence would be enough to be imprinted directly into the world's origins.
However, everything had its pros and cons.
Ding Yun's surge in influence and the Science Daily's skyrocketing sales were indeed good things. But the ensuing flood of phone inquiries, the mountains of letters, and the visits from people of status, all overwhelmed the newspaper office.
They had to recruit new staff and grapple with how to handle the situation.
Fortunately, Ding Yun's identity remained hidden, so the newspaper office bore the brunt of the trouble. Ding Yun herself was relatively fine.
Finally, the newspaper published several announcements.
They explicitly stated to the public that "Ke Pu Xiao Neng Shou" primarily researched climate-related natural disasters and did not have much knowledge in areas such as finding missing persons, fortune-telling, or physiognomy.
They requested that people refrain from sending further letters and inquiries.
Additionally, they announced that the national disaster forecasts were being processed and would be updated in real-time soon.
They hoped everyone would not be too impatient.
While these announcements did not completely quell the newspaper's frantic activity, they did have some effect. The pressure on the newspaper staff was significantly relieved.
Editor-in-Chief Zhang, with his remaining sparse hair, was temporarily able to save it.
Afterward, everything proceeded as usual. As more of Ding Yun's predictions were verified, she not only successfully obtained thirty percent of the newspaper's shares but also saw the influence of both the newspaper and herself gradually spread across the nation. Especially concerning weather forecasts, their authority surpassed even the official weather reports.
Sometimes, when significant natural disasters were predicted, the weather forecast would even broadcast and interpret the information, for fear that people in remote areas who didn't subscribe to the Science Daily might not know.
This level of recognition was unprecedented.
Within two years, the Science Daily had become the newspaper with the largest circulation nationwide. Many local governments designated it as an officially required subscription. While other newspapers could be omitted, this one absolutely could not be.
Departments responsible for agriculture and emergency event management directly used the newspaper's predictions to guide their work.
Of course, when the influence of the newspaper and Ding Yun's pseudonym reached such a level, the newspaper could no longer keep Ding Yun's true identity a secret. In fact, a month after Ding Yun predicted a natural disaster in the Science Daily, the state had already contacted her and extended an invitation.
The delay was not due to a lack of importance.
Rather, the matter was too significant, and Ding Yun was too young.
It was difficult to believe that she possessed such capabilities.
Out of caution, they investigated thoroughly, tracing her lineage back eighteen generations, and examining all her relatives, friends, and even acquaintances.
Only after confirming she was harmless and trustworthy did they formally engage with Ding Yun.
The outcome of their discussions was that Ding Yun was willing to cooperate but did not wish to live anonymously. She only hoped that the state would keep her identity confidential, as she wanted to continue living a normal life as a student.
After careful consideration, the state agreed to Ding Yun's terms.
They then began to erase traces of her past and also secretly incorporated the Science Daily into state ownership. The state did not interfere with the shares, but all individuals within the newspaper who did not know "Ke Pu Xiao Neng Shou's" true identity were replaced with national security personnel.
In addition to their regular duties, these individuals were tasked with supervising and preventing anyone who knew Ding Yun's identity from leaking information, as well as preventing sabotage.
Furthermore, Ding Yun's mobile phone was replaced with a professional encrypted satellite phone. The signal exclusively used their country's own satellites. As long as the satellite defenses were not breached, there was no risk of leaks or information tampering.
In addition to these measures, other precautions, confidentiality efforts, and security arrangements were systematically and rapidly completed within a very short period.
This was the primary reason why the Science Daily could develop and expand smoothly thereafter, without any interference or sabotage, and why Ding Yun's true identity remained known only within a small circle, never leaking out.
Without the state's assistance, relying solely on the newspaper's capabilities, Ding Yun's identity would have been leaked countless times.
She might even have been abducted or faced mortal danger.
Of course, Ding Yun did not offer nothing in return.
Besides continuing to make regular disaster predictions, she also provided early warnings of disasters abroad. This information was extremely valuable. Beyond other impacts, her predictions regarding shortages of materials, logistical disruptions, shipping route impacts, and crop failures caused by natural disasters were sufficient to help the state earn significant profits in the international market.
And besides the obvious economic benefits, there were many more intangible advantages.
If the state had not promised not to interfere with Ding Yun's normal life, they would have wanted to treat her as a top national treasure, protected within the deepest vaults of the national treasury.
Such a significant figure could not be overvalued.
Her identity information's confidentiality level was even classified as the highest by the security department, with only a handful of high-level officials in the entire country having access to it.
She was, in effect, a "Level 4S" classified individual.