It's 5 a. m., "dinner" time.
The streets, lit up with lights, were crowded with people walking home from their workplaces.
Lights came on in the residential building, and windows were opened to let out the heat that had accumulated during the day.
Many trucks were also on the road, delivering boxes to each residential building before busily departing for their next destination.
Regardless of the type of building, the areas inside are all precisely planned.
There is a well-planned canteen for meals, and other spaces such as toilets, washrooms, study areas, exercise areas, and recreational areas are all public.
All space outside these areas was designated as residential areas, or sleeping areas.
The cafeteria also serves as a recreational and leisure space.
Because the television was mounted on the wall of the cafeteria.
This is the only television set in the entire building.
Zhou Tao and Xue Liangping arrived at the canteen with their families, greeted each other, and then lined up to get their meals while watching TV to pass the time.
The television screen showed today's sunrise in real time; in the dim light of dawn, a small, fiery wheel slowly emerged from the horizon.
This is the sun in this spacetime.
Although most people now live at night, and the sun is the culprit behind the apocalypse, for the masses who have long lived in darkness, witnessing the sunrise and the light spreading across the earth is still a relaxing experience.
As Zhou Tao watched the sunrise, with soothing music playing from the television, he couldn't help but think back to the Mutual Aid Society he had previously encountered.
He hadn't heard from that mysterious organization since that day.
Of course, he and Xue Liangping were also summoned and asked to keep the events of that day a secret.
The only things that seem to prove the existence of the Mutual Aid Society are the apples everyone shared that day and the fact that I was summoned...
Just then, the TV screen suddenly cut off, and then a news broadcast started.
The male and female hosts, dressed in formal attire and with serious expressions, held a press release in their hands and looked directly at the camera.
"Dear viewers, we now have an urgent news briefing for you across the country."
Breaking news!
Zhou Tao, who had just been lost in thought, immediately tensed up, and his wife looked on with concern.
Xxs-2
They came over, but the young children didn't understand why their parents' expressions were so stern.
Not only Mr. and Mrs. Zhou Tao, but anyone who is a little older knows that news broadcasts interrupted by emergency broadcasts are never good news.
In an instant, everyone in the cafeteria focused their attention on the television set hanging on the wall, and the staff quickly ran over and turned up the volume on the Horn.
Similar incidents have occurred in residential buildings across the country.
Everyone was on high alert as they watched television.
The host looked at the script and continued speaking, his voice still trembling despite having read it beforehand:
"According to the latest meteorological research, the composition of Earth's atmosphere is currently changing due to the influence of a solar storm fifteen years ago. Although ozone levels have recovered somewhat, components such as nitrogen dioxide are combining in large quantities..."
Zhou Tao watched TV and heard a lot of chemical terms being used, which made him extremely anxious.
"Hurry up and tell us the results!"
"Say something people can understand..."
Complaints filled the cafeteria; everyone was extremely anxious. Even the lines for food were stopped, and everyone crowded around the television.
" A-Tao... I hope nothing bad has happened again?" The wife suddenly grabbed her husband's arm, picked up their child, and trembled uncontrollably as if she were freezing.
Zhou Tao put his arm around his wife and gently comforted her, "It's alright, it's alright. Even if something really happens, you have to trust the country. Someone will come to rescue us. It was like this fifteen years ago, and it won't be different fifteen years from now."
Mentioning this calmed the panicked wife down a little.
The massive rescue operation fifteen years ago has indeed left an indelible mark on the hearts of all the people.
Even those born after the apocalypse can learn about what happened back then from the uncles and aunts in their own building.
This experience has become a part of the national memory across time and space.
"Based on the data currently available, the National Meteorological Bureau and meteorological experts have stated that the Earth may be about to enter a new ice age."
"At that time, the Earth's sunlight and ultraviolet radiation will be blocked by the mutated atmosphere. Without sunlight, the ground temperature will rapidly drop from the current 70 degrees Celsius to below zero, and there is even a possibility of extreme cold lasting for an extended period."
It will last for decades...
As the host finished speaking, the script in his hand began to tremble visibly.
An eerie silence fell over the buildings everywhere. Countless people held their breath, unable to believe what they were hearing.
" A-Tao, is what they said on TV true?"
Zhou Tao nodded. "Hmm... maybe it's true."
He didn't know what to say.
Looking around at the other people in the cafeteria, their reactions were similar to his: they turned around in confusion, looking around, and some even had tears welling up in their eyes and shed tears of grievance.
First came fifteen years of extreme heat, and now comes severe cold.
The Earth is so big, yet these survivors don't even have a place to hide.
They've lived in this building for fifteen years; where else can they live?
Nobody knows.
Even Tan Mingda didn't know.
He was also sitting in his office, watching the news on TV with his old colleague.
The old woman sat in the front, saying, "If all else fails, we'll apply for relocation, like that ' No. 1 Spacetime' did. Then we'll relocate to No. 2 Spacetime too..."
Tan Mingda shook his head. "It's not that easy."
Liang Zhengping was in a wheelchair, also said, "Our population is too scattered, our migration time is limited, and our industrial capacity is insufficient. They built thousands of railways to connect to No. 1 Spacetime. Where would we get that industrial capacity now?"
"Besides that, the most important thing is that people in No. 2 Spacetime have no connection to us. We're not in dire straits, so they might not be willing for us to move there."
well!
Although the old woman disliked hearing such discouraging words, she had to admit that Liang Zhengping was right.
No. 2 Spacetime might not necessarily welcome people like them who have no roots.
Didn't you see what happened in No. 4 Spacetime? Their situation was far worse than theirs.
Aren't they also trying to save themselves now?
Tan Mingda tapped the table and said calmly, "Stop sighing. The Mutual Aid Society and other time-space organizations aren't some kind of charitable organization."
We should help each other and work together as one, but the premise is that we can't be hopeless; ultimately, we still have to rely on ourselves.
"If we were able to get through this fifteen years ago, we can certainly continue to do so in the future. At least this time, we can prepare in advance..."