Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

Day 21 of the world's regression, at the temporary conference building in Hawaii.

On this day, there was only one agenda item: whether to adopt the "Yesterday's Survival" global collaborative solution.

The proposal is 600 pages long, but its core can be summed up in just one sentence:

Abandoning the obsession with material accumulation, we can shift human civilization from "expanding into the future" to "surviving yesterday"—utilizing continuous memory to predict and optimize the daily survival experience, while simultaneously launching a "memory inheritance" project to ensure uninterrupted information transmission across generations.

Since Chen Xiao, head of the Emergency Management Bureau of China, made this suggestion during a routine live broadcast, an emergency meeting on the fate of the world has been held continuously.

The controversy lasted for a full seventy-two hours...

Of course, this refers to the seventy-two hours in memory; the meeting had actually been "reopened" seven times.

Every time, the content of the argument is exactly the same;

Each time, the delegates woke up remembering the previous day's debate, but had to vote again.

Seventh reopening:

On the podium, the UN interim secretary-general placed his hands on the table, his voice hoarse, and his gaze swept over each representative present.

"Everyone, we can't repeat this! Time waits for no one—no, time simply won't move forward..."

Inside the circular conference room, representatives from various countries looked tense.

On the large screen on the left, a loop of images depicting the chaos and regression around the world is playing:

Power outages and communication disruptions occurred in some areas, street order was out of control, and the public was agitated...

On the large screen on the right, global data is projected in real time:

The population has decreased by 20%, with most deaths attributed to psychological breakdowns rather than hunger or disease; suicide intervention hotlines in hospitals are overwhelmed with calls because people cannot accept waking up every day to find they have lost yesterday's achievements...

However, there is also a set of data that is slowly rising: a struggle to survive in the past.

"Gentlemen, the situation is worse than we anticipated."

Seeing the room fall silent, the Secretary-General continued, "This great setback has lasted for 20 days. More than half of the world's countries are experiencing infrastructure paralysis, social disorder, and public sentiment is easily incited, leading to violent conflicts and the frequent spread of rumors. We must sit down and make a decision!"

The words had barely left his lips when the representative from Europe spoke first, his tone urgent and tinged with anxiety:

"Secretary-General, our country has seen several clashes involving large gatherings of people, and the government's control over the situation continues to decline. If this continues, society will descend into complete chaos. We propose that all countries jointly implement emergency control measures, prioritizing the restoration of communications and electricity, curbing the spread of rumors, and calming public sentiment."

"That's impossible!" the African representative immediately retorted, his tone agitated. "The Great Regression has left our country resource-scarce, making it difficult to even guarantee basic food and clothing. We simply don't have the capacity to implement control measures. You developed countries have ample reserves; you should provide us with aid first, and then discuss joint control!"

The scene instantly erupted into debate, with representatives from various countries holding differing opinions. Some advocated prioritizing the control of public opinion and maintaining order, while others insisted on addressing the problem of global regression first. Still others worried that control measures would provoke greater public resistance. The sounds of arguing and questioning mingled together, resembling a bustling marketplace.

"Quiet!"

The Secretary-General abruptly raised his hand, and the conference room fell silent instantly. "We can no longer afford internal strife! This major setback is a global crisis, and no country can remain unaffected."

He tapped the screen with his fingertip, bringing up a set of data: "According to statistics, nearly a hundred cities around the world have experienced varying degrees of chaos. It is extremely difficult to control public emotions. The violence on the streets of Bahrain and the mass suicides on Sakura Island are just the tip of the iceberg. If we cannot reach a consensus as soon as possible, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Furthermore, today's discussion is about whether to adopt the 'Yesterday's Survival' global collaborative plan. Representatives from all countries, please do not stray from this topic."

The representative from China spoke slowly and calmly: "Our side strongly advocates that this conference adopt the 'Yesterday's Survival' global collaborative plan. Our country believes that this plan achieves the highest survival rate at the lowest cost, which meets humanity's most pressing survival needs. The reasons are as follows..."

"be opposed to……"

Before the Chinese representative could finish speaking, the representative from the United States immediately stood up: "We do not agree with this plan. We believe that we should pool global scientific research resources to prioritize finding ways to stop the world's regression. If we adopt the 'Survival of Yesterday' global collaborative plan, it would be an act of surrender, a potentially cowardly journey of self-destruction for humanity..."

The Chinese representative, seeing the American representative suddenly interrupt his speech, did not react much, but instead turned to look at the representatives of other countries:

"Gentlemen, yesterday's survival strategy was not surrender. It was a strategic plan formulated around three main directions: 'protecting the continuity of life,' 'preserving the underlying code of civilization,' and 'buying a window of time to reverse the world's regression.' Due to time constraints, I will not elaborate on the specific details here; you can refer to the red document in your hands."

I only want to ask the US representative one question: According to statistics, your country is currently the most chaotic country in the world. Under such circumstances, how can your country guarantee the mobilization of global scientific research forces? Do you still rely on your airplanes and cannons?

If so, then why not choose the United Nations Headquarters in New York as the venue for today's meeting?

"Pfft..."

As soon as the Chinese representative finished speaking, the Russian representative couldn't help but laugh, but then, remembering that they were at a major conference that would determine the fate of humanity, he quickly covered his mouth.

The American representative wasn't angry; instead, he chuckled.

"I would also like to ask the representative of China a question: Your country was the first to propose the 'Yesterday' survival plan, but according to data analysis, your country's traffic problems are extremely serious, with tens of millions of people stuck on the road every day. Your country is in a terrible state even with traffic problems, and this is your 'Yesterday' survival plan'?"

The American representative, raising his head arrogantly, continued, "Is it because your country has the most highways in the world? Heh heh heh... Don't use such an excuse! Or is it because the 'Yesterday's Survival' plan is just a political tactic to appease your people...?"

The confrontation between the two countries instantly caused a stir in the room, with representatives from various countries whispering among themselves.

Seeing that the conference was about to descend into another round of arguments, the interim secretary-general quickly picked up the gavel and struck it heavily a few times.

"quiet……"

"Does anyone else want to share their opinion?"

The secretary-general glanced around and, seeing that no one wanted to raise their hand to speak, picked up the gavel and struck it again.

"If not, vote now!"

There were no electronic vote counters; the most primitive method of roll call was used. When each country was called, the representative would stand up and clearly say "yes" or "no."

"Wait a moment……"

In the Chinese delegation, Zhong Nianhua suddenly stood up and said proudly, "Distinguished delegates, please wait a moment. Good news has just arrived from our country: the traffic problem has been initially resolved..."

Shortly after, two images appeared on the large screens on the left and right sides of the conference room:

On the left is a picture of a group of motorcyclists, with the words "Greystone Team" written at the top and a brief text description below;

On the right is a huge, rudimentary statistical table called "Project Ouroboros". The table is filled with roads and streets, each corresponding to dozens or hundreds of names.

……

"Vote now..." The Secretary General struck the gavel again.

"The People's Republic of China approves"

"The Russian Federation approves"

France approves.

"Britain approves"

"..."

"The United States of America approves..."

The vote count lasted forty minutes, and when the results came out, there was no cheering or applause.

The motion passed unanimously!

"Everyone stand up!"

The interim secretary-general struck the gavel, the sound clear and firm.

"The 'Yesterday Survival Global Collaboration Plan' has been adopted."

He paused, then read the last paragraph of the plan:

"From this day forward, humanity will no longer define civilization by 'accumulation,' but by 'memory.'"

We acknowledge that material possessions will eventually return to nothing, but we declare: every embrace, every farewell, every lesson remembered, every act of love passed on—these will never return to nothing. Because we ourselves are the vessels of memory.

"Meeting adjourned. I wish you all a better day than yesterday."