Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

Time slips away, bit by bit.

The gentle sound of the ocean waves grew fainter and fainter.

Looking at Hope, who had already fallen asleep in his seat, the woman's lips curled into a doting smile.

She parked her car next to a charging station on the side of the road.

After charging the car, she returned to it.

After locking the car doors, the woman slowly closed her eyes.

The fatigue accumulated from driving for a long time quickly made her fall asleep.

……

She was awakened by the sound of a sudden downpour.

Looking at the large raindrops on the windshield, her face turned pale instantly.

Finished!

Her previous escape experience taught her an extremely profound lesson.

Never go out in the rain!

With rising global temperatures, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent.

You never know if the rain in front of you will turn into a hurricane!

"Damn it!"

The woman muttered a curse under her breath and quickly fastened her seatbelt: "Hope! Wake up! We have to go!"

Hope, in the passenger seat, groggily opened her eyes.

Hope snapped back to reality the moment she saw the raindrops on the windshield.

A flicker of fear flashed deep in his eyes.

The scene that had happened not long ago reappeared in his mind.

In the torrential rain, a man was struck by a downed utility pole blown down by the strong winds, then fell into a puddle more than ten centimeters deep, never to respond to his family's calls again...

"Hope! Buckle up!" a loud shout came from the side. "The wind isn't too strong now, we need to hurry to the next city!"

Once he came to his senses, Hope's expression turned serious, and he quickly fastened his seatbelt.

"Charging stations..." Hope pointed out the window and called out loudly.

The woman gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, turned around, opened the car door, and rushed out.

A sudden gust of wind carried large raindrops into the car.

"Bang!"

The car door closed.

Hope's heart also jumped.

A few dozen seconds later, the car door opened again.

The moment Hope saw her mother, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"The wind is getting stronger!" The woman grew increasingly anxious, quickly sitting back in her chair and frantically starting the car. "There's nowhere to take shelter around here; we need to find a house quickly!"

With that, the woman slammed on the gas pedal.

"squeak!!"

A screeching sound of tires screeching could be heard.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful recoil slammed Hope hard into the chair.

……

After half an hour.

On the empty road.

A car with its orange hazard lights flashing was parked quietly on the side of the road.

The road is blocked.

Several large trees, snapped by the wind, blocked the entire highway.

Inside the car, the woman was pale and her body trembled slightly.

Perhaps because she had just been soaked by the rain, her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness.

"Hope".

The woman gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her trembling jaw, and said softly, "The wind is getting stronger outside; we can't stay in the car."

Looking at the trees leaning haphazardly outside the window, Hope's eyes were filled with terror. He shrank back, his little hands gripping the seatbelt tightly, his voice trembling with tears: "Then, where are we going?!"

"It's so windy outside, you'll die if you go out!!"

The woman didn't say anything, and started the car again on her own.

Her gaze fell on the few large trees that had been blown down by the wind.

The car then began to sway and wobble as it drove forward.

"Bang!"

The front of the car crashed into a tree trunk.

A creaking sound came from behind, and the vehicle and two fallen trees formed a perfect triangle.

The woman breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Let's go, get out of the car!" After turning on all the lights in the car, she said to Hope decisively, "We'll hide in this triangle area. As for whether we survive... well, that's up to luck."

The rain got heavier and heavier, but the wind gradually subsided.

Looking at her mother, who had fallen into a coma beside her, Hope's eyes were filled with terror.

"Mom, Mom..." he trembled as he nudged his mother and called out softly.

no respond.

He imitated his mother's actions and placed his hand on her forehead.

It's so hot!

He quickly withdrew his hand, and large, hot tears fell from his eyes.

What to do?!

He tried to drag his mother back into the car, but failed many times.

He was still just a child, and he was so exhausted that he could barely stand, let alone lift an adult off the ground and put him back in the car.

As the color faded from her mother's face, Hope's heart sank into an endless abyss.

Just as he was about to give up hope, the roar of an engine came from the side.

Hope suddenly looked up and glanced to the side.

Several streaks of pale blue light came into view.

Above the flames was a colossal object whose body was flashing signal lights!

Mysterious Woman #2?

Mysterious Maiden Number Two!!

He suddenly stood up from the ground and shouted loudly.

The hatch opened.

A silver-white robot stepped out and walked steadily to the side of the big tree.

"Signs of life detected. Rescue operations to commence."

An electronic synthesized sound rang out.

The next second, the huge tree trunk was slowly moved aside, revealing an opening that people could pass through.

……

Inside Xuan Nu No. 2.

As soon as Hope entered the Mysterious Maiden II, she froze on the spot.

A row of silver-white robots stood silently in place.

"Is...nobody here?"

He asked timidly.

"No, the Xuan Nu II is transporting robots."

After placing the unconscious woman on the makeshift hospital bed, the robot turned around and spoke in a synthesized electronic voice.

"Then...who are you? Where's the driver?"

"Me? You can call me Zero. I am an artificial intelligence." As the synthesized electronic voice sounded, a holographic projection appeared in the air. "This Mysterious Maiden II is remotely controlled by me."

"Next, I will take you to the nearest city, where you will be properly settled."

Hope looked confused, and nodded as if he understood but not quite.

The next moment, as if remembering something, he suddenly bowed to the robot: "Thank you!"

"If it weren't for you, we might all be..."

Zero in the holographic image shook his head, silently concealing his own image, which was replaced by the appearance of Lü Yongchang.

"You're welcome. You should thank my creator."

"Your creator..." Hope stared at the familiar face before her, her eyes suddenly widening. "I recognize him! He is... he is..."

"Professor Lü Yongchang."

Zero whispered a reminder.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Hope tapped his head lightly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the holographic projection. "I want to be like Professor Lü when I grow up!"

"Alright, once hibernation is over, you can choose your life," Zero said gently. "In ten minutes, Professor Lü will address all of humanity. Would you like to hear it?"

"Um!"

Hope nodded vigorously.