Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

43 hours!

Forty-three hours have passed since the world rolled back, and time continues to move forward.

Countless ordinary people who participated have already been eliminated, with only about 200 million people worldwide still striving to persevere.

The initial excitement had long since faded, and everyone's face was etched with deep fatigue. Their eye sockets were sunken, their bloodshot eyes were cloudy and dull, and many people blinked frequently, trying to dispel the constantly shifting images in their vision.

Some people's fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and a strange buzzing sounded in their ears from time to time. Even though the surroundings were quiet, they could always hear hushed conversations.

Some people rest their chins on their hands, staring blankly into space, their thoughts fragmented, forgetting the words they had prepared just a moment ago; others suddenly lose control of their emotions, inexplicably becoming agitated and growling, only to slump down in despair the next second, falling into numb silence. Their steps are unsteady and swaying, their bodies staggering as they get up, their heartbeats erratic, and their chests feel tight.

As time continued to pass, people's vision suddenly went black, and their heads drooped heavily. With each additional minute, three to five or seven to eight of the remaining 2 million people failed the challenge.

On the phone, after listening to Sun Fumin's words, Chang Niankong remained silent for a moment before saying, "That is indeed a good question!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Fumin became a little anxious. "Hey, Master Chang, don't try to brush me off like Old Zhang did! What's so good about this question?"

Chang Niankong closed his eyes and pondered for a while before saying seriously, "Given that the world is constantly revolving, people's ages are decreasing daily, but memories are continuous, the relationship dilemmas faced by second marriages or people like you who have had long-term romantic relationships are much more complex than those faced by first marriages."

"How so!" Sun Fumin became interested when he heard Chang Niankong's serious analysis.

Regarding Fei Qingqing, whether it's love or hate, or even the secret satisfaction he feels upon learning that Fei Qingqing has already divorced, in Sun Fumin's heart, it's all just a feeling.

This feeling only matters at the right time and in the right place; once that time and place have passed, it's better to just smoke another cigarette.

Ultimately, people must learn to please themselves reasonably; equal exchange is the key. This is Sun Fumin's current mindset.

When Chang Niankong heard Sun Fumin press for answers, he immediately realized that the other party had already let go of this relationship. Now, they were simply cooperating with each other, just like during the previous tests, and deliberately finding a topic to talk about.

Having something to do and something to talk about helps you fight off sleepiness.

Chang Niankong pondered his words for a moment, then said in a steady voice, "This is actually quite easy to understand, because it's not just the body that's regressed, but also legal relationships, child custody, and the status of a former spouse or lover. For example, if you are still someone's legal spouse today, after the rollback you are back to the day you were still married to your ex, legally you would be considered a bigamist, and your current partner could very well be back to an age you didn't even know in the past. But your memories will make you clearly feel that you loved, hated, and owed them."

"How can we resolve this confusion?" Sun Fumin asked curiously. "From what I understand, it seems that not many people in the country are paying attention to these issues right now. The overall focus is on stability, and this point hasn't been taken into account."

"That's right!" Chang Niankong nodded. "So, this is a good question. I don't know the solution yet, but you just said that Zhang Jimin is very interested in this question, so I think he might give you the answer later."

……

Shanghai, a major city, has always been one of the most prosperous cities in China, with a consistently high resident population.

The area was severely affected by the Great Regression, and countless workers who came here to make a living were trapped in cages.

However, with the efforts of emergency organizations, the implementation of the Scorpion Project, and emotional farewell ceremonies, these comforting activities have been carried out one after another, and now Shanghai has become a new paradise in the eyes of the public.

Not only is the economy thriving here, but the entertainment and food are also top-notch. First, the attractions and amusement parks were opened to the public free of charge, and then countless high-end restaurants were transformed into shared open spaces.

After the establishment of the Alliance of Sober-Up Individuals, the Time Bank was also launched. Returning workers and those willing to coordinate transportation can receive corresponding points rewards, which has also made many chefs and snack shop owners lively.

Zhang Jimin and his wife Wang Yingying are currently resting at an open-air cafe on Nanjing Pedestrian Street.

Zhang Jimin took a sip of cold beer, looked at his wife, and hesitated to speak.

Wang Yingying has a beautiful face and fair skin. She is usually a workaholic and works as a saleswoman in a clothing store. Today, she specially wore a high-end black dress that was the latest arrival in the store. The dress was of very good quality, and paired with the high sandals she specially chose, it made her look tall and elegant.

With such a lovely, practical, and capable wife, Zhang Jimin has always felt very happy.

The only regret is that the two of them don't have children yet.

The couple had originally planned to save money for another year before having a child next year, but things didn't go as planned, and it seems they are destined to have offspring.

However, this is also a good thing. Suppose that they had a child right after getting married, and the child is now five or six years old. At that age, in the face of a major disaster, it is likely that the child will be destined to suffer a great tragedy.

Wang Yingying naturally had no idea what Zhang Jimin was thinking. She only saw that Zhang Jimin seemed hesitant to speak, so she assumed that he had just hung up the phone with Sun Fumin and was really thinking about that "topic".

"This is definitely a good question!" Wang Yingying thought to herself.

My husband has been away from home for the past few months, and I've also stopped working. I've met a few new girlfriends in the neighborhood, and those girlfriends have already talked about these issues before.

Age mismatch, child custody mismatch, ex-spouse resurrection, mistresses coming to the door, ex-partners and current partners fighting, even love triangles—in relationships, there's nothing that can't be done, only things you can't imagine.

Combined with this time reversal, it's truly like the ocean receding, revealing at a glance who's been swimming naked.

Especially some scumbags and scumbags, who used to be able to play the time gap, are now in a few months, with four or five exes and current partners. How can we explain this?

Emotionally speaking, some people have already broken up, but because of the emotional entanglements, if time could be reversed, these people would become partners again in the present moment.

It's really quite a lively show; the girls in my neighborhood have endless gossip to share every day.

Wang Yingying raised an eyebrow and said quietly, "You promised to stroll around with me today and not talk about work."

Zhang Jimin chuckled awkwardly: "Of course, we're just going shopping today. Anyway, all those pretty clothes are free, so you can try them on however you like."

"Hmph, you've become quite fond of clothes that are free!" Wang Yingying continued to complain, "You never bought me a decent outfit all year round before."

"Oh, isn't that to save money for having a baby?"

When the child was mentioned, Wang Yingying's expression immediately darkened.

Seeing this, Zhang Jimin quickly stepped forward and hugged Wang Yingying from behind, saying affectionately, "Oh, wife, don't think about what my mother said. You're my wife, and it's an agreement between us that we won't have children these next few years. My mother is just a chatterbox, but it's none of her business..."