I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

"You must have had this question for a long time: why did things like Dragon Soaring and Crimson Flame, which only exist in science fiction movies, suddenly appear out of nowhere without any warning? Now I'll tell you the answer."

Yan Shan slammed his hand on the table, and an antique badge appeared on it. A full-screen display appeared between the two of them, showing a dazzling array of pictures, videos, and other content that were unknown to ordinary people and even most people in the political and military circles.

There are ruins, ancient cities, cities made entirely of steel... and many other styles of cities, but they all share one characteristic without exception—they are completely deserted!

"I can tell you with certainty that prehistoric civilizations exist! These sci-fi weapons that only exist in theory and in science fiction movies are things that we excavated from ruins and reverse-engineered with huge investments!"

a bolt from the blue!

Although she had already had a hint of thinking in this direction, Yan Ziming was still shocked beyond words.

These words, once spoken, will likely cause a huge uproar and even panic.

—Not only are there mutated species all over the world, but there are also many non-human neighbors coexisting with them on Earth?

My God, this is insane! How can this be!

At that time, all sorts of religious fanatics or non-governmental organizations will inevitably be present, stirring up trouble, agitating public sentiment, and disrupting social order and stability.

The Earth has existed for billions of years, and its pleasant conditions have given rise to civilizations more than once. The history of human civilization that can be traced to date is but a drop in the ocean.

Just as there are certainly more than one planet in the universe capable of supporting life, there are certainly more than one civilization on Earth. The dinosaur civilization, which is extinct but has solid evidence of existence, is the best example.

Although their intelligence is generally low and whether they can be considered "civilizations" is still controversial, the fact that they existed is undeniable and sufficient to prove the above statement.

Seeing that Yan Zimo had almost finished processing what he had just said, Yan Shan continued:

"Actually, it's not just us; the other five permanent members also possess one to three prehistoric civilization ruins to varying degrees. The United States' protective shield technology was obtained from these ruins..."

Yan Ziming nodded repeatedly as he listened.

There are many similar rumors, such as the United States' Area 51, whose defenses are comparable to a nuclear arsenal, which is widely known to the outside world and has led to many sensational rumors, such as that it is an alien base. Almost everyone in China knows that there is such a mysterious place in the United States.

According to Yan Ziming's current assessment, Area 51 likely contains the remains of a prehistoric civilization, which explains its extremely thorough defenses.

After all, it's a treasure trove, and it's even found on our own soil. We would never share it with anyone else, and China is no exception.

However, having wealth in one's home will inevitably attract thieves; that's an unavoidable truth.

Why were foreign spies frequently arrested before the apocalypse? Most of them were arrested for this purpose: attempting to steal something priceless. One batch after another were arrested, which was also a daily occurrence in the power struggles between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The World Hidden Behind the Fog of History

Naturally, relics do not exist in only one or a few countries, but are scattered all over the world, and sometimes they also appear in some third-world countries.

That's when they'll suffer.

The saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." How could your weak countries possibly guard such a priceless mine?

Even if they don't rob it, the ruins will just be buried if they leave them there. They don't have enough national strength to support them in developing the ruins of a prehistoric civilization.

Developing the ruins of a prehistoric civilization requires trillions of dollars in investment over the years, and only world-class top scientists can make it possible.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the unit is US dollars.

What does it mean to have trillions of US dollars?

This is an astronomical figure that would take third-world countries decades or even centuries to accumulate, enough to deter 99% of the world's countries.

And apart from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, no other country in the world can meet this requirement.

It's more accurate to say that even if they could do it, they couldn't hold onto it and would be at the mercy of others.

Before the apocalypse, the United States invested almost as much in this area as the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council combined, while China, which focused on economic development, could only rank second.

It is only now, with the impending apocalypse and the urgent need for weapon upgrades, that China has gradually increased its investment in this area, achieving many remarkable accomplishments.

Back to the topic.

The existence of prehistoric civilizations would certainly cause panic if it were to spread, and could even become the fuse for a world war. Therefore, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are all tacitly aware of this and keep it a secret.

In short, the fewer people who know about it, the better. This way, there will be more people who don't know its value, giving them more opportunities to snag a bargain.

"........"

The room was quiet for a moment as Yan Ziming focused on absorbing information and came to a question.

"So, prehistoric civilizations still exist on Earth?"

"Yes, not counting those that have already been wiped out by us and the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council, there are still seven prehistoric civilizations that are barely surviving, huddled together in a small corner for warmth."

Yan Shan nodded with an expression that said, "This child is teachable," and replied.

"Then why not wipe them out? The apocalypse is their best chance to turn the tables, isn't it?" Yan Ziming couldn't help but ask.

With so much land lost, it wouldn't be too difficult for those living fossils to do what they want. Yan Ziming didn't want to face another life-or-death struggle between civilizations right after defeating the mutated species.

"But you should know that none of them are pushovers, having survived the encirclement and suppression by our several great powers until now." Yan Shan replied leisurely.

This answer chilled Yan Ziming to the bone.

The fact that the other party possessed power that even the five permanent members of the UN Security Council feared was something Yan Ziming had never imagined.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. After all, they are prehistoric civilizations that have survived from the long river of history. Their level of technology is undoubtedly higher than that of contemporary human civilization. It would be strange if human civilization could still have the advantage.

If she thought about it this way, it meant that the situation wasn't as hopeless as she imagined; her uncle must still be keeping something from her.

Looking up, Yan Shan indeed looked relaxed and content, as if he was just waiting for Yan Zimo to ask a question.

[At your age, why pretend to be a hermit?]

Yan Ziming complained bitterly, but still put on a fawning face and asked for advice.

"Uncle, just tell me everything already, stop keeping me in suspense."

"Tsk tsk... Young people these days are so impatient. Can't they just think things through more clearly on their own?"

Yan Shan shook his head in disappointment, while Yan Zimo rolled his eyes in a corner where he couldn't see him.

Why bother thinking when you can know the truth without even trying? It's just asking for trouble!

#To put it bluntly, it's just that I don't want to use my brain#

After briefly expressing his admiration for Yan Zimo's virtue, Yan Shan began his explanation:

"They were indeed quite capable; at their peak, their civilization was far more advanced than ours. Many of them ventured beyond Earth and the solar system, possessing a brilliant history of civilization. However,"

Yan Shan tapped the table in front of him, and the image on the holographic projection changed again.

"However, this was only their heyday. Now their entire civilization is facing a severe gap in technology, talent, and military strength. Strictly speaking, they can only be considered descendants of those prehistoric civilizations, inheriting only a small portion of their ancestors' wealth. Otherwise, they wouldn't be hiding in a corner of the world, barely surviving."

"The seven existing prehistoric civilizations each inherited different areas of their legacy, and each can pose a certain threat to our army. It often takes considerable casualties to defeat them..."

Yan Shan's explanation was undoubtedly extremely detailed, and at least Yan Zimo learned many earth-shattering secrets that outsiders could never know in their entire lives.

Simply put, in this post-apocalyptic world, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are unwilling to waste their excess military resources on these living fossils.

Although they pose a significant threat, they are merely a threat. If the five permanent members of the UN Security Council were truly determined to eradicate them, it would only take them a matter of minutes.

After all, a few 'living fossil groups' that can only barely survive and stick together for warmth can never compare to the five major powers that control almost all of Earth's resources. The gap is too big. It's like a toddler arm wrestling with a strong man. There's no way they can win.

Unless they can recreate the great legacy left by their ancestors and gain an edge, it is only a matter of time before they are wiped out.

In fact, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council harbored the intention of "harvesting the leeks" (a metaphor for exploiting the people), and once their recovery process reached a certain stage, they began to plunder their civilization's achievements, rendering their decades or even centuries of accumulated progress futile.

But how could those living fossils not understand something so simple? Yan Ziming simply couldn't believe it.

Yan Shan then answered this question.

The reason is a problem that no civilization can avoid—population size.

Population size is a hard standard for judging the strength of a civilization, because only with a sufficient population base can we ensure the continuous emergence of high-end talents, who are the backbone of national prosperity and stability. Without talents, how can we talk about reviving a great civilization that once ventured to the stars?

Moreover, population size is a crucial factor in the size of a civilization. Without population, there is no circulation, and no one to control the development of various industries, resulting in a situation of "generational gap" between the old and new generations.

The seven existing prehistoric civilizations each had a population of less than 200,000, with most hovering around 100,000. This is the most important reason why the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have not yet turned against them.

Their sparse population has resulted in an extremely slow recovery, and they can only obtain resources for survival from human nations. This also means that they are short of manpower, and their threat level is no longer what it used to be.

This is clearly a calculated scheme—I'm going to fleece you, but can you resist? No! Then prepare to be harvested!

There might be some discrepancies in the population figures, but they won't be too significant. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have always maintained the most stringent surveillance over them, even in the post-apocalyptic world.

To deal with these living fossils, they were even willing to temporarily set aside their prejudices and unite against them. This is one of the reasons why, despite the existence of so many prehistoric civilizations, they were all wiped out in the long river of history.

Chapter Sixty: Secret Transfer

After listening to Yan Shan recount so much, Yan Zimo suddenly felt that this world was still too dangerous. The world, which seemed to be approaching stability, had actually concealed so many shocking secrets under the joint encirclement and suppression of the five major gangsters!

If she hadn't brought it up with Yan Shan this time, she probably wouldn't have known all this.

After Yan Shan left, Yan Ziming sat alone in the empty living room, his mind in turmoil, his thoughts wandering to all sorts of random things.

I learned from Yan Shan that Ye Qianxue and her team's winter counter-offensive was just a smokescreen—no, it was an additional objective added to the winter counter-offensive.

—The eradication of the "Saranti Civilization," one of the seven prehistoric civilizations that have survived to this day.

Their expertise lies in biological and genetic technology. With this ability, they create all sorts of biological and chemical weapons, artificially synthesize special life forms, and so on, which can cause enormous casualties to ordinary soldiers.

Yan Ziming had, of course, asked if the apocalypse was their doing, but Yan Shan denied it without hesitation, stating directly:

"The apocalypse did bring about mutated species, but why did the number of superhumans on the human side increase so dramatically? Putting that aside, sequence-level mutated species couldn't possibly be something they could create."

The emergence of mutated species can only be considered one aspect; why then does it trigger a series of even more changes?