Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

Compared to the war on the ground, the depths of the sky were unexpectedly calm.

This is a tacit understanding among all countries.

On the ground, things can be restored to normal the next day after an attack, but if a satellite or space station is destroyed 1000 kilometers away, it will not only cut off humanity's escape route, but also create a large amount of space debris, thus locking up the few remaining launch windows.

Three months later, at the Beijing Emergency Organization Building.

"Gentlemen, it's time to end this farce..."

"This chaotic and meaningless war has been going on for three months. Everyone has had enough and is fed up with it. People in various countries are calling for a ceasefire, and all countries believe that there is no need to fight any longer. It's time to end it."

"It's time to reveal our true colors!"

Inside the operations conference room, Chen Xiao stood in front of a huge screen, turned around and looked at the hundred representatives from various departments sitting in front of him, his voice steady and powerful.

Of the hundreds of delegates at this conference, half were military representatives.

After Chen Xiao finished his summary, everyone applauded, and they were very excited.

This war was not fought for profit or for hatred, but for an emotion called despair.

This emotional turmoil has lasted for three months, with daily bombardments and devastating attacks. The people have had enough, and continuing the fighting would only backfire.

Meanwhile, the super AI Luoshu has been confirmed as the world's number one AI, and through several hacker battles in space, China has also quietly gained control of all space stations.

To put it bluntly, after a major war, all countries had exhausted their resources and were powerless to continue. China, thanks to Jiangning and Luoshu, regained its position as the world's leading power.

"Young Chen is truly an old horse in its stall, still eager to gallop a thousand miles!"

Among the military representatives, several elderly men, some nearly a hundred years old, couldn't help but praise Chen Xiao.

The trump card Chen Xiao just mentioned is the super AI Luo Shu. As for how to explain why Luo Shu did not revert to its previous state, that is no longer important.

Most importantly, the Luoshu can bring renewed hope to everyone, and the Chinese nation can lead humanity out of its predicament.

The first one is an old general who retired a long time ago, named Chang Yunji, who is around eighty years old.

He was so old, his face was thin and sallow, and his eyes and mouth were covered with messy wrinkles, as if they had been lashed by a whip. His eyes were small and his back was hunched. However, his old military uniform was always straight and almost wrinkle-free, and the cap badge and collar insignia on his body were very bright and eye-catching.

Chang Yunji coughed heavily, interrupting the hushed conversation in the meeting room. His small eyes gleamed with a cloudy light. He stood up forcefully and said in as strong a voice as possible:

"Director Chen, you don't need to care about the opinions of us old guys. The emergency response organization is still authorized with the highest authority. As long as you don't make any mistakes, we old guys will listen to your command for at least the next 40 years..."

When Elder Chang spoke, his words were straightforward and efficient, causing a group of people from all walks of life, who were also getting on in years and should have been retired, to look at Chen Xiao with seriousness.

These elderly people were once the pillars of the nation, but because of the great regression of the world, everyone can only live backwards.

For the sake of a century-long plan, this group of people had no choice but to return to the front lines.

The elderly people had no complaints about this. They were already one foot in the grave, but now they were getting younger every day, which changed their mindset.

This change is not a desire for power, but rather a fervent yearning of the older generation to rediscover their regrets and discontent.

Chen Xiao bowed respectfully to Elder Chang, feeling very grateful for the elder's frankness, which set the tone.

From this day forward, the emergency organization will no longer be a simple special department, but will undertake a special mission during special times.

Chen Xiao bowed again to all the elderly people at the conference table, meeting only their approving glances.

In the six months since the major setback, Chen Xiao has been methodical in both long-term planning and handling daily emergencies. Every decision he makes, even without prior planning, is far-sighted, and he has even managed to transform the major disaster into a new normal.

Putting aside his past contributions, his performance alone, along with his current reputation, makes his position as a chair truly well-deserved.

Moreover, the other party is currently around fifty years old and full of energy. With him in charge, the elderly people in the meeting room can feel at ease, which also gives these elderly people some new learning time.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

As Chen Xiao listened to the words of agreement and the approving looks from the senior leaders, he felt no excitement, only deep pressure.

……

After this meeting ended, Chen Xiao started a second meeting.

The second meeting was an international conference.

The meeting was attended by approximately 200 heads of state from around the world.

At the meeting, Chen Xiao abandoned his mild-mannered approach domestically and became tough and domineering.

"The League of the Sober!"

This is the theme of the meeting. Chen Xiao wants to establish the Sober Alliance, whose organizational structure inherits the UN system but is independent of the UN, exercising special rights during special periods, similar to a globally unified emergency organization.

The Western powers initially disagreed, making a fuss and claiming they would simply continue the exploitation.

However, when Chen Xiao mentioned Jiangning, Luoshu, and that he would inform the world of this information the next day...

After all the countries were shocked, they also realized that the situation was hopeless.

……

Awareness Day, September 3, 2046, global ceasefire.

On this day, Chen Xiao announced the discovery made by the five members of the Resurrection Team on television and in a live online broadcast, informing the outside world: "The world's regression is very likely due to sleep problems."

The first discovery was also announced: "As long as even one person in all of humanity doesn't sleep, the world can continue to move forward."

Hundreds of millions of people are still reeling from this shocking news.

Chen Xiao then announced the establishment of the "Sober Alliance".

One minute later, all sovereign nations around the world responded on their official channels.

The Sober Alliance, also known as the Forward Faction.

The first goal of the Forwardists is to ensure the continuation of human civilization, and the second goal is to find a way to break free from the constraints of time.

To confirm the findings of the Huitian Group, Jiang Ning stepped into the limelight for the first time.

Facing the camera, he calmly said, "It's sad to tell you all that we may be suffering from this disaster because of lack of sleep, though the exact cause is still unknown. But the way to combat this disaster is to stay up late..."

This day felt exceptionally long. Sun Fumin endured 71 hours without sleep under the watchful eyes of humanity worldwide, and as a result, the day progressed by 71 hours.

When someone actually proved that staying up late could help humanity move forward again, the "Sober Alliance" instantly gained the support of 90% of the world's population.

The following day, Chen Xiao was elected leader of the "Progressive Faction".

In his inaugural address, he addressed all of humanity:

"Some say we're trapped in time. I say no, we're trapped in cowardice. Look at what we've been doing these days, barking like a dog incompetence. Do you think that launching missiles and detonating nuclear bombs can cover up your cowardice?"

No, with each reset, we lose a day, we lose an opportunity, we lose a child who could potentially be saved...

I tell you: Time is a river, and we must swim upstream. Those who sleep are swept downstream, while only the awake continue forward. One day, we will swim to the source of the river, find that bastard who makes time flow backward, and strangle him!

Forward, forward at all costs.

This speech has been translated into hundreds of languages ​​and broadcast globally.

Initially, some people were furious when they heard themselves being called dogs, but after hearing it, everyone fell silent. This was the first time, after six months of experiencing a major disaster, that someone had pointed at themselves and scolded them like an elder, expressing their disappointment and frustration.

This feeling brought back a familiar taste to them, a sense of human warmth before the disaster.

When the people of the country heard "Forward, at all costs!" for the second time, they were first stunned, then slowly shed tears, and a few seconds later, the whole country went into a frenzy, with the shouts reaching the sky.

Some people once firmly believed that if enough people shouted at the same time, the sound waves could break through the atmosphere, which led to many "shouting into the sky" activities.

On this day, without any organization, people all over the world spontaneously shouted: Forward, move forward at all costs.