The dead city slept under the yellow-gray sunset, and the diffuse radioactive dust obscured the sunset.
The high-rise buildings lined up like tombstones, and the empty windows could not see a trace of life, nor could they see the cars coming and going and the flashing neon lights of the past.
The exhaled white mist condensed into white frost on the mirror of the protective suit.
At this moment, Yuer finally understood why his predecessors had repeatedly told him to wear protective equipment before he went to the surface, and finally understood why the 1,000 cubic meters of nuclear fuel sent were prepared.
His Adam's apple moved, and he squeezed out a few words with difficulty.
"... Nuclear winter?"
Zhao Feiyu glanced at the sky.
"It's not just the radioactive dust that blocks us, but also the debris in orbit... Just half a year ago, our space elevator disintegrated, and I didn't know about it until yesterday."
The radioactive dust scattered at the edge of the atmosphere and the debris scattered in the low-Earth orbit blocked a large amount of visible light that shone on the surface.
Not only that, everything, including industrial scale, energy use, and production methods, has also returned to the prosperous era or even earlier.
This is not a simple matter of adding or subtracting calorific value. The ecosystem of this planet has already adapted to the production activities of the prosperous era, and now everything has changed violently.
No one knows when this planet will adapt to everything again, especially when this planet is almost buried by dust.
Perhaps humans should take the initiative to adapt to this drastic change.
Interestingly, the life activities of the mutant slime mold were not affected by radiation, but the scale of activities was reduced due to global cooling.
Thanks to this, the Human Union can deploy more military forces to the front line, and this war finally ushered in the dawn of victory.
Zhao Feiyu briefly described the news he knew and what was happening in Jinhe City.
"The People's Union is planning to build a more efficient reconstruction agency in the hope of resuming production in the shortest possible time, while also dealing with the humanitarian disasters caused by climate issues."
"The refugee settlements in Jinhe City will be changed to settlements, and some researchers and engineers will assist residents stranded there who have not been able to enter the shelters to start reconstruction work... Our jurisdiction has also been transferred from the Central Wartime Research Institute to the local management agency. Next, we will probably do some work on disease prevention and treatment and improving drug production methods."
"Although I personally think this is a good thing, I'm afraid it also means that reconstruction will become a long-term task with a cycle of ten or even twenty years... It's difficult."
Zhao Feiyu smiled, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere, but seeing that there was no smile behind the protective mask, he immediately restrained his smile.
"...Although it is difficult, I still believe that everything will be fine."
Seeing that Yul was still silent, he paused, looked into the distance and said.
"I have a few tickets to the future here - well, I won't keep you in suspense, they are hibernation capsules with a validity period of fifty years. The Human Union thanks us for our work all the time. The formula of the anti-radiation agent has saved many people, and the radiation elimination agent has also... Our work has been completed, and we can go to the future to enjoy life."
Yuer smiled bitterly.
"What if I go there?"
Zhao Feiyu's expression froze slightly, and then he said with a smile.
"It won't matter if I go there, but everything will be back to normal in fifty years. All the unhappiness will be over after a good sleep. Don't you think it's great? Of course, not all are good. Now three years is a generation. If you communicate with a guy more than a dozen generations later, the generation gap may be greater than that between humans and dogs-"
"Do you believe it?" Yuer looked at him and interrupted his fantasy.
Zhao Feiyu fell into silence.
There is no need to answer this question.
No one has counted the number of people who died directly or indirectly in the war, but just looking at the abandoned high-rise buildings, it is not difficult to guess that this must be an astronomical number.
Back to the prosperous era.
If it is that easy, why does the evacuation plan include a shelter for hibernation in units of 100 years?
Seeing that the senior fell silent, Yuer continued to ask.
"What are you going to do?"
Zhao Feiyu sighed.
"I plan to stay..."
Yuel did not speak, but listened quietly to him continue.
"Although the current situation is very bad, there are many people who need my research, and I have my family and friends in this era. I can't drag everyone to the future. A person's life is only so long, and I want to stay with them for the rest of the time."
After a pause, he looked at Yuer.
"Although it is a bit selfish to say this, I still hope you can go."
Yuel said bluntly.
"Because I'm a loner."
"No, not for that reason," Zhao Feiyu said with a wry smile, "Okay, let me tell you the truth. The Human Union wants us to arrange a few researchers to go to the future, because as you can see, this is not a crisis that will end immediately. If everything ends in fifty years, everyone will be happy. If not... at least someone has to take us forward."
Yul was silent for a long time and sighed.
"Then I'll go to that beautiful new world for you."
...
Yul finally chose to go to the future.
He himself didn't know why he made this decision.
Maybe he still had a little fantasy about the world fifty years later, or maybe he was simply desperate about the current situation.
It doesn't matter which era he goes to, as long as it's not now.
Since people in the future may need him, and people now also need someone to go to the future to help their children.
Then go to the future.
Anyway, he has no offspring.
The relationship between him and his parents is also indifferent.
The young people of his generation were all like this. They cared more about the realization of self-worth and the souls that could resonate spiritually than blood and tradition.
Having made all the mental preparations, he calmly lay down in the hibernation capsule, just like countless explorers heading to the future, and began this one-way journey of time.
However, even though he had made all the mental preparations, the development of things was still beyond his expectations.
It was also beyond the expectations of Chu Guang who was standing aside and watching quietly.
When Yule woke up again, he was not facing the wasteland fifty years later, but nearly two centuries later.
"2320..." Xiao Qi, who was sitting on Chu Guang's shoulder, opened his eyes wide and whispered, "That means... he slept for 191 years?! Shocking!"
"191 years in the Wasteland Era... not long after Torch came out of Shelter No. 117," Chu Guang glanced at Xiao Qi while saying, "You've already read the whole memory, why are you still surprised?"
Xiao Qi's expression froze, and he subtly looked away to the side.
"Hey... this is more atmospheric."
Chu Guang: "..."
What a fucking atmosphere...
"Okay, okay, don't worry about these details, it's almost over... Woohoo, I really want to stay with the master for a while longer."
"Aren't you always by my side?"
"How can they be the same!"
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course there is! One is outside, the other is inside... Hmm, how can I describe it?" After thinking for a while, Xiao Qi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled shyly and said, "It's like the master entered Xiao Qi's body... Hehe."
Chu Guang: "..."
The still picture continued to flow.
Xiao Qi pressed the button to continue playing without authorization, and Yuer, who sat up from the hibernation capsule, looked around blankly.
After a brief conversation with the staff standing by, he learned that he had been sleeping for nearly two hundred years, and his expression was complicated as if he had overturned all kinds of emotions.
People cannot fulfill promises that exceed their own lifespans.
It is even more impossible for a group of people.
He should have expected this, but the current situation was beyond his expectations.
The fifty-year freezing period, the promised pension and honor... all of it disappeared with the disappearance of the Human Union.
They entered a new era,
People born in this era called it the Wasteland Era.
In fact, after the Human Union, an organization called the Post-War Reconstruction Committee was born, and his predecessor worked for that organization for a period of time.
The staff of this institute brought him his predecessor's notes, and he found a letter left by his predecessor on it.
"...Mr. Yule, I'm sorry to have made you sleep for so long. I've been hesitating whether to defrost you on your 80th birthday, but then I remembered what you said, that you wanted to go to the Brave New World, so maybe we have to wait a little longer..."
"It's 2174, the 45th year of the Wasteland Era. As for when you can see this letter, I'm not sure... maybe 2229? But I hope it's best that no one has ever slept so long."
"My body is getting worse and worse. Even if I replace my bionic organs, the remaining parts will still age, and things have been a mess recently. The group of idiots who fought fifty years ago haven't fought enough, and they've fought again recently... As expected, the War Construction Committee has been disbanded. Now it's the enterprise, the academy and the legion. No one knows what the future will be."
"Ah, see You may be confused by all this. Where should I start to explain it to you... Anyway, the War Construction Committee is the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, which is the organization I told you about before, which was established for more efficient reconstruction. You can think of it as a continuation of the Human Union, because it has successfully inherited all the bad habits of the Human Union. Of course, it also has its good points, but it doesn't matter now. The best times are over, and they are over again. "
"I didn't expect to have the honor of experiencing two doomsdays in my life. Now we stand with the survivors of Singularity City, which is the refugee settlement next to the previous research institute. Now it has developed in a good shape. A few days ago, researchers who fled here from the East Coast joined us. I read their research... To be honest, their ideas are simply fantastic. "
"I and them 's idea, as long as people are still people, they will repeat the mistakes that people are bound to make countless times... If you want to solve all problems once and for all, you can only turn people into another powerful, long-lived, intelligent and docile new species, which they call perfect life forms! This is a rare opportunity, how about adding cat ears to the new human? Haha, just a joke, don't take it seriously. "
"Those guys are really brave, they actually used unstable experimental reagents directly on themselves. But the effect is unexpectedly amazing. Now we have a 'strong physique', and the next step is to think about how to engrave more excellent qualities on DNA. "
"You may think I'm crazy, and I actually think so, but... this is the only thing I can do for other compatriots as a researcher. "
"Let's put the research aside for now , let's talk about something happy. The solidarity shown by the residents of Singularity City gave me hope. It only took them a short time to give up their fantasies and decide to be their own saviors. There are signs of improvement in winter. Perhaps it won't be long before we can grow more food outside... The situation is optimistic. Maybe everything will be fine in another fifty years. "
"I'm sorry that I took the initiative to extend your hibernation period, but please believe that I was well-intentioned. I have always felt guilty. I took you to Jinhe City when you just entered society, but you stayed in the laboratory until the last day before the end of the world. It's a pity that the past days can't be returned, but at least in the future I hope you can live in a beautiful new world... If possible, I want to apologize to you in person, but after thinking about it, I decided to tell you these things in a letter. "
"I'm too old to travel through time. This letter may be the last message I leave in this world. "
"I wish you a happy life in the new world. "
"To my dear friend. "
"——A friend who chose to stay in the past. "
After reading the letter from beginning to end, Yuer was silent for a long time, took a deep breath, and put away the notebook and the letter together.
Now he is truly alone in this world.
The only umbilical cord between him and the world is probably the letter in his hand and the unfinished research of his predecessor.
Standing behind him, an old man said softly.
"Your friend is a respectable scientific researcher."
Yuer turned around and looked at him.
"You are..."
The old man said softly.
"Luo Qian, from Shelter No. 117."
Hearing this name, Chu Guang showed a surprised expression on his face, but Yuer's expression did not change at all, and he did not have any affection for the word shelter.
After more than two hundred years...
Even if the language has not changed, even if they are still human beings, can they really be considered the same species?
"Do you know my predecessor?"
The old man shook his head, but then nodded.
"I was born in the shelter and escaped from the cage some time ago. Naturally, it is impossible for me to know someone who lived more than a century ago."
After a pause, he continued.
"But if I have the opportunity to meet him, I think I will become a very good friend with him."
Yule looked at him strangely.
"Why do you think so?"
Luo Qian smiled gently.
"Thinking itself is a subjective behavior, and scientific research is even more so. I learned about his research and then learned about him as a person."
"Is that so..."
Looking at Yule who seemed to be thinking about something, Luo Qian slowly opened his mouth and continued.
"As long as people are still human, they will repeat the same mistakes... We agree with his point of view. We have seen too many hopeless stupidities along the way. They either eat people alive or eat people in various ways."
There was no surprise on Yul's face. He just said it calmly.
"Has the outside world become like this?"
He was not surprised at all.
It is better to say that when he learned that it was two hundred years later, he already had an idea of the situation outside.
Luo Qian nodded gently and continued.
"We don't want to be pessimistic and think that this is a curse engraved in our genes, but most of my companions and I are tired."
"Since leaving the shelter, we have been looking for seeds that can hatch miracles. The first stop is Boulder City, and then other settlements... However, we walked more than 800 kilometers and didn't see even a shadow of hope. Instead, we lost a lot of outstanding people."
"Singularity City is the last stop. We agreed that if this place doesn't work, we will give up."
Yul asked.
"Then did you give up?"
Luo Qian smiled and said.
"Almost... We gave up when we saw those green monsters. Even if those old priests still had a little bit of human conscience and respect for knowledge, and let us go alone, it would not change the fact that they fell."
"Outside the institute are cannibals..." Yule looked at the envelope in his hand and touched his chin, "In other words... Did the research of the predecessors fail?"
For some reason.
He didn't have any regrets in his heart, but... a little happy.
In this way, the choice he made with his life at stake was not meaningless. Although this is not a brave new world, at least there are things he can do.
Just like now.
This "meaning" is in his hand.
"I don't think it can be considered a failure, just not completed," Luo Qian continued, "He shaped a strong physique for the new humans, but also planted the seeds of violence in their genes. He planned to solve this problem in the future, but unfortunately the seed sprouted before he solved the problem... If we had woken up earlier and met him earlier, it would have been great."
"The coward holding the key always persuaded us to wait a little longer, and let us believe in a human union that couldn't even save itself, as if all problems could be solved as long as we followed orders step by step and handed everything over to our children."
"Then we watched the flames go out little by little until the endless night swallowed up this land. No matter how far away we went, there would be no miracles... whether it was light years away or decades later."
When he said this, Luo Qian looked at Yur.
"We plan to end this meaningless journey and continue his research. If possible, I hope you can help us."
"Complete the unfinished perfect life form?" Yuer thought for a moment and said simply, "I understand. I will help."
Luo Qian looked at him in surprise, and then a smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
Putting away the smile, he solemnly stretched out his right hand.
"Thank you for joining us. There is another excellent crew member on the ship to the new world."
"You're welcome."
Yuer held his right hand and shook it.
"My idea is the same as yours. If I can't wait for the new world after sleeping for more than two hundred years, it's the same if I wait for another two hundred years."
"If I have to be the oar of this ship, I will do it."
After this handshake, Luo Qian said goodbye to Yuer and followed the other people of the Torch to the south. Torch reached an agreement with the local mutants. Champion Biopharmaceuticals would help them research artificial bodies that would make mutants stronger, and the mutants would have to fulfill their obligations to assist them in the experiment.
The old priests of the Qi tribe were all survivors of Singularity City. The Ancestors led by them had an extraordinary respect for knowledge and scholars, which was also one of the traditions passed down from Singularity City - a group of technicians had helped them a long time ago.
Although the new generation of mutants of the secular faction believed that the brains of smart people were more delicious, after seeing the power of the modified artificial bodies, they also reached a rare consensus with the old guys of the Ancestors - at least not to eat those researchers.
The experiment continued in an orderly manner.
When Luo Qian came back again, it was 19 years later - that is, in 2339, the 210th year of the Wasteland Era, and the year before Chu Guang woke up.
Feeling the vicissitudes of time, Chu Guang suddenly sighed.
With his elbows propped up on his knees, Xiao Qi, who was sitting on his shoulders, turned his head to look at him.
"What's the matter, Master?"
Chu Guang said concisely.
"Nothing, just a little emotional, I actually saw the vicissitudes of this land in the memory of a small person."
The picture continued to flow.
This time, Luo Qian had uploaded his thoughts to the circuit board, and the meeting place was changed from reality to the "Holy Land" in the virtual world.
At the same time, Luo Qian also brought new news.
They have established a theocratic kingdom ruled by the Torch Church in the south.
Under the rule of the "Holy Land", people don't have to argue about meaningless things, and everyone has become the oars of this ship to the new world with all their heart and soul.
Not only that, he also brought a major research result achieved by the laboratory in the south - a fungal organism called Naguo.
"Under the effect of the mind interference device and Naguo, we have successfully realized a utopia without disputes within the scope of a province."
Yule asked casually.
"What about the project of perfect life forms? Is there any need to continue?"
Luo Qian stared at him with his eyes piercing.
"Of course we have to continue. The utopia of the old humans is only a phased result. We have to ensure that our experiments will not be obstructed."
"And the other side we are going to reach in the end is the harmony and prosperity that can be achieved without the intervention of Naguo and the mind. This means that we must get rid of the shell that constrains our souls and become a higher creature than humans."
Yul nodded.
"I understand. What should I do next?"
Luo Qian continued.
"To solve the problem that Naguo is difficult to survive in a low temperature and dry environment, we need to spread it to a farther place, not just in the territory of Haiya Province."
"I will provide you with some samples... The situation is different now. The survivor settlements around us will slowly join us. By the way, from now on, you are the apostle of the church, and I, who have entered the sanctuary, am the forerunner."
"I am not interested in chanting. It will take up my precious research time." Yul said impatiently.
What he hated most was politics.
He didn't need any political power, he just wanted to do what he thought was worthwhile.
Ironically, he seemed to have never gotten rid of this bondage in his life. From a long time ago, he had been sinking and floating with the boat under his feet.
Fortunately, the new boss knew him very well.
Luo Qian laughed and said kindly.
"Don't worry, it's just in name only, it won't take up too much of your time."
"With this identity, our plan will go much more smoothly, and all the settlements in the entire parish will cooperate with your experiment."
"No matter what kind of experiment it is."
This time, Yul's face finally showed an interested expression.
"It sounds interesting..."
At this moment, he suddenly understood why they failed again and again.
It's not because they didn't have the opportunity to do everything well, but because they chose the wrong method and tried to use human methods to rebuild their civilization from the material level.
This idea may have been wrong from the beginning.
The Prosperity Era is a unique example in the history of the Human Union, and it is called a miracle because it is rare.
Rebuilding the Kingdom of Heaven with human methods will most likely repeat the mistakes made by humans.
But God is different.
Replacing human nature with divinity will not make human mistakes.
Of course, he knew that this road must be full of thorns and some people would die because of it, but even if he didn't do this, would there be fewer deaths?
Maybe more people would die.
Instead of letting those ignorant guys die for meaningless things, it is better to let them die meaningfully.
Yuer suddenly showed a happy smile on his face.
"I understand, leave it to me... By the way, I will follow you to that holy land in a few years."
Luo Qian smiled kindly and nodded.
"Welcome."
Yuer nodded slightly and left the holy land.
Looking down at his inner monologue, Chu Guang standing beside him sighed softly.
"This is too extreme."
...
Pinewood Farm, a annex of Zhao Mansion Manor.
Quitting Smoking, holding a machine gun, yawned.
"How long do we have to stay here?"
Fang Chang, who had just logged off to peek at the official forum, said casually.
"It seems that the Goblin Corps has taken care of all the work. The mutant reinforcements probably won't be here. It should be very quiet tonight, but don't take it lightly."
Quitting Smoking said with a look of discomfort.
"Damn! This bastard didn't even leave me a mouthful of soup?"
Raised the murderous dagger.
"Huh? Who's calling me brother?"
Good dog: "%￥#@!"
The lamb huddled beside the fire to keep warm stretched her little hand towards the fire, exploring the warm outline with her palm and fingertips, looking for the edge that was neither too cold nor too hot for her own amusement.
The flames made her face flushed.
Although many things happened, her mood has stabilized.
Those big brothers in armor are all very good people. They not only drove away the bad guys, but also cured Yinyin and everyone else, and gave her some very fragrant and sweet chocolates.
The bodies in the annex have been cleaned up. Although the bloodstains on the walls and the ground are a bit scary, it's just like that after seeing them for a long time.
She is safe now.
Safer than ever.
Yinyin sat next to her, wrapped in a blanket. After waking up, she sat motionless and didn't respond to anyone talking to her.
Xiaoyang took the chocolate for her, but didn't eat it. He kept it all for her.
I hope she can get better soon.
At this time, the tall sister came over.
Looking at Yinyin, who was curled up and had lifeless eyes, Chen Yutong's face showed a trace of concern and worry, and looked at Xiaoyang and asked.
"Is she better?"
Xiaoyang shook his head gently.
At this moment, Yinyin suddenly raised her head.
"Dad..."
"Hmm?"
Although she didn't hear clearly what the little girl said, she saw that she finally responded, so Chen Yutong immediately squatted beside her.
"Are you feeling okay now? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Yinyin shook her head and continued to look at Chen Yutong, whispering.
"My dad... Is he okay?"
Chen Yutong fell into silence.
Guessing something vaguely from the expression of this sister, Yinyin's eyes oozed tears and continued to ask in a trembling voice.
"Then... Where is my brother? Sister... And the housekeeper and others."
The silent expression has already explained everything.
Bean-sized tears fell from her cheeks, she hugged her knees tightly, and kept sobbing.
"... Why."
The lamb touched her head and whispered.
"Don't be sad..."
Yinyin bit her lips tightly with tears in her eyes, unable to say a word, and she didn't know how to face her friend.
She thought about helping her leave the cage, but that was out of sympathy, pity or kindness, and she never thought of it in this way.
Her father is gone...
What should she do in the future?
Xiaoyang vaguely understood the worry in Yinyin's eyes and whispered to comfort her.
"... Well, although our house may not be so big, it should be quite big. I will ask my father to take care of you."
Yinyin looked at her.
The cold eyes made Xiaoyang feel that the friend in front of her suddenly became so strange, so strange that she even felt a little scared.
"Are you very proud now... You are finally free."
Xiaoyang looked at her in astonishment, not understanding why she said that.
Yinyin obviously didn't understand why she said such a thing, and she didn't understand why she was angry at Xiaoyang.
She was obviously her best friend.
However, Yinyin did not want to apologize for this, and turned her neck to the side.
Looking at this sulky child, Chen Yutong sighed.
To be honest.
Her father was at least 90% responsible for the settlement becoming like this, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he had it all to himself.
He already had absolute power, but he wanted more, and at this time someone just threw a very fragrant bait in front of him.
With almost arrogant confidence in his own abilities, he almost took the bait without hesitation, and even fantasized about using the chips in his hand to intrigue with the church thousands of miles away.
But he didn't expect that they didn't even treat him as a human being, and he didn't even deserve to leave a name in the experimental log, only a line of scribbled numbers.
But...
She still couldn't help but sympathize with the child.
Touching the little girl's head, Chen Yutong said softly.
"There are many things in this world that we can't do anything about... It has nothing to do with our efforts and choices. Even if you didn't accidentally enter that basement today, even if you didn't do anything, what happened tonight would still happen."
"I don't know if this will make you feel better, but... at least don't embarrass yourself or the people around you. You are all victims, and you are not the ones who should be responsible for this. Your friend bravely saved you. If it were me, I would say thank you to her."
While speaking, Chen Yutong looked at Xiaoyang and said softly.
"Can you come with your sister? I may need your help."
Xiaoyang looked at Yinyin who turned her face away and didn't speak with concern. Although she didn't want to leave her aside, she nodded sensibly.
"Well... I will help."
Chen Yutong curled the corners of her mouth and stood up on her knees.
"Come with me."