Solitude and Hope

I hid the radio in the Shelter. There were too many Decadents outside, and I was worried they would snatch it if I carried it around.

Still, I hope I don't run into any Raiders. Who knows if some of them have gone completely mad and turned into man-eaters?

My persistence is right. I should be part of the Reconstruction Faction, not the Hedonists, the Decadents, or the Adaptables.

Though, I haven't actually seen what the Hedonists or Adaptables are like. I've only seen the Decadents.

Living in this world like walking corpses, without purpose or hope, either alone or in groups, only knowing how to plunder and barely survive.

The radio was right. They can no longer be called human. Only the Reconstruction Faction is humanity's hope.

But I haven't actually seen the Reconstruction Faction either; I've only heard about them on the radio. One day I'll set out to find them, but not now.

If I leave now, I'll die on the road.

The audio ended. Lu Xi'an couldn't help but frown. He turned to Yao Wei and asked, "Have you heard of this Reconstruction Faction, Decadent Faction, Adaptables, or Hedonists?"

Yao Wei shook her head. "No."

Lu Xi'an glanced at the time displayed in the bottom right corner of the computer: 12/17/2097. It was earlier than the timestamp on the recording.

This must be an old computer that lost its internet connection and reverted to factory settings.

So, on December 17, 2097, in this world, perhaps everything was still fine and the apocalypse hadn't happened yet?

Then...

"Do you know what year it is now?"

Lu Xi'an asked Yao Wei.

Yao Wei shook her head again and said, "I don't know. But when I was little, my mom told me that the world has been like this for a long time, so long that I can't even say if it's been decades."

Decades...

For this unpredictable world, decades could be considered a vast expanse of time. It was normal for Yao Wei not to know what things were like decades ago.

These terms used to categorize people might have long been buried by time.

Lu Xi'an continued to anticipate the next timestamp, listening further.

5/3/2100

Still no news today. I waited in the Shelter all day, but there was nothing on the radio.

I checked. The radio isn't broken, and the channel is correct. The Reconstruction Faction's voice was on channel 78 before.

I was afraid I'd forget, so I even wrote down the channel number and kept it on a piece of paper.

I stored the paper in the Shelter and double-checked it. Everything is fine.

Could something have happened to the Reconstruction Faction?

"Sigh..."

After listening to the recording from May 3, 2100, Lu Xi'an couldn't help but sigh.

That so-called Reconstruction Faction had become the only hope for the former owner of this Shelter.

To pin their hopes on an organization they had never seen, only heard described through sound – how lonely must the owner of this Shelter have been...

Lu Xi'an hesitated to think about what would happen if the "Reconstruction Faction" turned out to be a telemarketing scam.

Continue listening--

5/4/2100

It's getting cold again.

I've forgotten when it started. It felt like the endless winter was finally over, and I had barely survived. I thought the world was finally getting better.

But I didn't expect the cold snaps to still come back from time to time. It's deadly!

It's too cold to go out today, so I can only huddle here under my quilt. I really don't know how I survived back then.

The radio should be fine.

The Shelter is on the cliff outside Qiu Ming Road. Ordinary people wouldn't find it. Those Decadents just wander around looking for food and things to steal. How could they possibly go to such a remote place?

They wouldn't find it even if they went there.

Sigh... It seems fate has truly favored me. Why did I have the sudden urge to dig a wilderness shelter there out of sheer whim before the disaster?

Now, the shelter has become a refuge.

It's a pity it's still too rudimentary to stay there permanently.

But, fortunately, I have such a hobby. Otherwise, if I hadn't built this Shelter back then, I'm afraid I would have become one of the Decadents.

So this Shelter was built out of interest by the owner of the two-story house before the apocalypse.

Is the person here an apocalypse survival enthusiast?

After listening to this recording, Lu Xi'an thought to himself that this person was indeed incredibly lucky, their past hobby now a guarantee of survival.

Unfortunately, this place was too small. It wasn't as large as the Shelter built specifically to prepare for the apocalypse beneath the Jiangyu Reservoir.

2100/5/5

It's still cold today. I can't even sit on the toilet seat; my butt hurts from the cold.

I really don't know how I managed to get through it back then.

I hope this cold snap doesn't last too long.

This is the second time this person has said they don't know how they got through it back then.

2100/5/6

The cold snap is over. I went to that Shelter, and I also received new messages from the Reconstruction Faction on the radio.

They actually revealed their location on the broadcast!

I can imagine they must have a lot of people and a very strong organization! Otherwise, how would they dare to expose their location so easily?

I'm hiding here in the basement, being careful every day. The iron door is even specially disguised, and I have to be cautious when entering and exiting.

I won't reveal my location in the recording—even though the recording is stored on this computer and is very secure. But I've decided not to.

If one day I decide to set out, the information stored on the computer will be useless.

I've already memorized the location firmly in my heart; I'll never forget it.

This segment ends here.

Lu Xi'an hovered his mouse over the timestamp of the last recording and couldn't help but wonder what the content of this final segment would be.

There were no more recordings after this. Had this person already embarked on their journey to find the Reconstruction Faction, or had something unexpected happened?

"Click—"

He pressed the mouse button, and the last recording opened.

2100/5/7

I can't wait any longer; I have to leave now!

I've already packed everything: food, clothes, and many books I secretly collected from the library. They should all be helpful for post-disaster reconstruction.

I went there specifically before. Back then, the library hadn't yet been occupied by the Decadent Faction.

The Decadent Faction wouldn't care if the books were useful or not, but I did.

So I was born to be part of the Reconstruction Faction. I should go find them!

I can't take the radio. It's already been occupied by a group of the Decadent Faction halfway there, and I can't get around them.

But it's okay; I'll just leave it at that Shelter. Since the Reconstruction Faction is broadcasting their location so openly, they aren't afraid of exposure anyway.

What if someone else accidentally enters that Shelter, hears the broadcast on the radio, and awakens to become part of the Reconstruction Faction too?

It would actually be a good thing.

Alright, the recording ends here.

Today is May 7, 2100, the third year after the cataclysm. I, Fang Shuxin of the Reconstruction Faction, am leaving now for the Reconstruction Faction's base!