The Future

The Future

Lu Yuanming had reached CD again in less than an hour. He was still traveling by helicopter, but this time the person sitting beside him was no longer the unpleasantly outspoken Expert Woman. Instead, it was Ke Yurong, whose beauty was almost otherworldly.

But Lu Yuanming wasn't happy at all. He would have preferred the Expert Woman who didn't know how to make herself likable...

Still...

Lu Yuanming stole a few glances at Ke Yurong.

She was really beautiful.

As a lifelong bachelor, Lu Yuanming had to admit that Ke Yurong was exactly his type. From her hairstyle and features to her clothes and figure, right down to her long, straight legs in black stockings...

Even the way she spoke and worked with such seriousness, yet still seemed shy—every bit of it struck a chord with him.

(But a secretary wearing black stockings, with a bare face and no makeup... Wait, what!?)

Lu Yuanming suddenly remembered something from long ago. It had been one evening after he'd graduated from college, before he'd been hit by a car and left in a vegetative state. He'd used his browser to...

Oh, no!!

Lu Yuanming's face turned pale, then green. Despair washed over him, and he looked ready to let the world burn.

(So this is where the joke about people yelling "Delete my browsing history!" when they're in an accident comes from!)

What Lu Yuanming didn't know was that tens of thousands of people were analyzing his expression. The despair and utter defeat on his face were so genuine that countless people watching passed out. The intelligence gleaned from that expression was relayed as quickly as possible to the highest levels—to the military and to the desks of the senior leaders, including Elder Wang.

Before long, the think tanks had drawn up plans for a full evacuation of CD, a mobilization plan to bring the Southwest Military Region's troops back into action, and even the Two-Legged Kick and the Mushroom Plan, among others. The plans were quickly delivered to the senior leaders.

At the Front Command, Elder Wang looked over the proposals. His temples throbbed, and he nearly fainted. He clutched his chest and gasped for breath.

A soldier nearby immediately shouted and rushed to his side. Doctors and nurses hurried over, and one doctor quickly gave Elder Wang several pills. Then they checked his blood pressure, heartbeat, and the like.

After taking his heart medication, Elder Wang pushed the doctor away and strode toward the Front Command's conference room. The doctors and nurses grew anxious at once. Their leader, an older doctor, said, "Elder Wang, you need to rest. Your heartbeat is abnormal. Regulations require us to—"

"Don't talk to me about regulations!"

Elder Wang's face was stern as he walked. A glimmer of moisture appeared in the corners of his eyes. He removed his glasses and rubbed them, then said, "Call a meeting immediately. Notify everyone who needs to be there. And prepare the secure conference room. I'm holding a video conference with the Standing Committee Members!"

It was an order. Before long, Elder Wang reached a modest-sized room. Several screens lined its walls, and the others were already there.

"Forget the other plans. Who came up with the Mushroom Plan? What nonsense! This isn't some uninhabited wasteland. Setting off a mushroom cloud on our own land, where our people live, would make us sinners for all eternity!"

"I absolutely refuse to agree! If we really do this, what face will any of us have when we meet our ancestors after we're gone? What will we tell the great leaders? That we failed to bring this light to all humanity, and failed to protect our people from the ghosts? That we planted a mushroom cloud in our own country, in our own city... I absolutely refuse!"

At that moment, Elder Wang wasn't the only one rubbing his eyes. Nearly everyone on the video call was doing the same. One of them, a man who looked younger than the others—though still middle-aged—said sadly, "Why have we had so many disasters to endure...? Just when things were finally getting better, just when we'd begun to hope we could catch up with the leaders, COVID hit. And just when we'd finally made it through that and were thinking about how to boost the economy, these monsters showed up..."

Elder Wang slammed his hand on the table. "What nonsense! We are the Huaxia Nation! Our ancestors shot down nine suns! When the rest of the world accepted its fate during the great flood, our ancestors spent generation after generation controlling the waters. They never gave up! What are these hardships compared to that? We endured even before we discovered people with supernatural abilities. Now Comrade Lu has joined us. What have we got to fear? We are Huaxia! If we have to die, then we'll die on our feet!"

Lu Yuanming knew nothing about any of this.

He felt as if ants were crawling all over him. Somehow, it seemed like countless people were watching him. Yes, this mortifying feeling... it felt as if tens of thousands of people were watching him!

So when Lu Yuanming got off the helicopter, he walked with his opposite arm and leg moving together. He was so embarrassed he'd forgotten how to walk. Now everyone looked to him like someone who'd seen his browser history, and Ke Yurong jogging along behind him seemed like undeniable proof!

I'm doomed!

He really had died of embarrassment!

Lu Yuanming reached Chunxi Road with his arms and legs moving in sync, his expression blank and his mind elsewhere. Elder Wang stood facing him with a stern expression, accompanied by several middle-aged and older men, as well as four or five officers. On the shoulder of the officer nearest the front, Lu Yuanming spotted the rank of One Spike One Star Officer. It was exactly like the insignia he'd received.

As soon as Lu Yuanming appeared, everyone stared intently at him. Seeing his awkward gait, Elder Wang sighed inwardly. He stepped forward, took Lu Yuanming's hand, and said softly, "Don't be afraid. We're here for you."

Lu Yuanming didn't quite understand what he meant, but the sound of Elder Wang's voice and his words gradually calmed him. He said, "Grandpa Wang, let's go take a look at that Residual Field."

"There's no rush." Elder Wang patted Lu Yuanming's hand, then gave a slight nod toward the people behind them. "Let them get familiar with you, so we can avoid any unpleasant scenes. These people—when they rise too high, they tend to forget where they stand and where they came from. That's no good. If anything like that happens, well, with the country in a state of war, we may have to give them a good spanking."

Lu Yuanming didn't quite follow, but Elder Wang hadn't lowered his voice. The officers behind him kept their expressions neutral, while the others smiled, though their smiles looked a little forced.

Elder Wang led Lu Yuanming down Chunxi Road by the hand. As they walked, he said, "Since you call me Grandpa, how about we have dinner together tonight? We can have a little drink and talk about the future. What do you say?"

Only then did Lu Yuanming notice that all of Chunxi Road had been sealed off. Armed police patrolled the perimeter, while the PLA patrolled inside. They were setting up one defensive position after another—far more complete than the positions he'd seen before, almost to an absurd degree.

Elder Wang led Lu Yuanming along at an unhurried pace. Their route had been chosen after analysis by the think tanks. The troops and positions Lu Yuanming saw were there for him to notice and remember. It wasn't exactly deliberate; it was meant to strengthen his confidence in what lay ahead.

As the only Supernatural Being, if even he lost confidence, what would everyone else do?

The backbone of a nation—ordinary people could look to the government, the PLA, and those anonymous researchers as their backbone, their last line of support. But now Lu Yuanming had become that kind of person. He himself was everyone's support. Everyone else could lose confidence, but he couldn't!

Seeing the PLA and all those heavy weapons, Lu Yuanming looked genuinely interested. He didn't ask any questions, just followed along, his eyes shining. The troops marching in formation and the heavy weapons he couldn't even name fascinated him equally.

Those tasked with observing, recording, and analyzing Lu Yuanming all breathed a sigh of relief. Elder Wang smiled and led him into a restaurant, where a banquet had already been laid out. There weren't many dishes, and they weren't elaborate. Apart from a few special ones, most looked like ordinary home cooking—a plate of greens, a dish of tofu, and the like.

Lu Yuanming and Elder Wang took their seats, followed by the middle-aged and older men whom Lu Yuanming thought looked vaguely familiar but didn't actually recognize, and then the officers. They all sat around the table.

Elder Wang smiled and picked up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks. "Try some, Comrade Lu. I've always liked this tofu."

Lu Yuanming was still a little reserved, but he had a very good impression of Elder Wang. He picked up a piece of tofu and put it in his bowl. "Grandpa Wang, just call me Xiao Lu."

After tasting it, Lu Yuanming's eyes widened. He sucked the whole piece into his mouth in one go.

The tofu was smooth and tender, with a fresh sweetness. It carried the fragrance of greens, yet somehow tasted a little like meat. And though it felt like firm, old-style tofu when he picked it up with his chopsticks, its texture was completely different.

He'd never tasted anything like it.

Lu Yuanming wasn't stupid. He understood at once that these dishes hadn't been made by an ordinary chef. The cooks who prepared banquets for state guests in BJ had probably made the meal.

After Lu Yuanming tried the tofu, Elder Wang didn't bring up business. He simply introduced a few of his favorite dishes. After they'd eaten a round, the One Spike One Star Officer suddenly stood up. Someone beside him promptly poured him a glass of liquor, and the officer raised it toward Lu Yuanming. Lu Yuanming quickly stood too, and someone beside him brought over a glass and poured him a drink. The two of them drank together.

Lu Yuanming didn't know whether it was good liquor or not, but though it was baijiu, it didn't burn his throat. After he swallowed, it left a warm feeling in his stomach and a rich, sweet fragrance in his mouth. After finishing his glass, he even licked his lips, wanting more.

The officer drained his glass, then said, "Thank you, Mr. Lu. Because of you, so many of our comrades were spared."

Lu Yuanming shook his head sadly. "Of the five hundred people who went in with me, only a dozen or so survived in the end. I really... Oh, what about that Black Big Man officer? I haven't seen him. Was he badly hurt?"

The officer glanced behind him. A soldier immediately leaned over and said something in his ear. The officer turned back to Lu Yuanming. "Xu Chang is all right. He's just finished surgery for fractures in his arms and legs. I'll have someone bring him over."

"No, no, there's no need." Lu Yuanming waved his hands. "Let him rest."

The officer seemed like a quiet man. He nodded, gave Lu Yuanming a military salute, then sat back down.

At that moment, Elder Wang said, "Xiao Lu, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Lu Yuanming immediately turned to him. "Grandpa Wang, is it about the Residual Field? I came here planning to go inside and take a look."

"No."

Elder Wang glanced around. The staff immediately left the private room. Apart from a few security troops, only those seated at the table remained. Everyone's expression grew solemn. And it wasn't just them. Far away in BJ, everyone with clearance to hear the conversation sat up straight and listened gravely to the voices coming from the banquet.

"I want to ask you about us... about Z Country, and humanity..."

"About everyone's future..."