The space station in the sky was filled with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, but North America on the ground was shrouded in gloom.
After more than a week of hard work, Jack and Sam finally found Lucy. The husband was reunited with his wife, and the son had a mother again, making the family happy.
When they reunited at the camp, the three of them cried uncontrollably, and the people around them looked at them with envy and even jealousy.
Sam's two friends, Laura and Brian, were happy for him, but they couldn't help feeling disappointed.
They both became orphans.
Although the news of their parents' deaths has not been fully confirmed, and may never be confirmed, more than a week has passed, and they have given up hope.
More than 100 million people, with a mortality rate exceeding one-third.
Ultimately, only a minority of people are rescued by rescue teams during a disaster.
The two left dejectedly. Sam saw this, patted his parents who were hugging him, turned around and chased after them, wanting to comfort them.
However, there were too many people around, and after chasing them for a while, he found that the two of them had disappeared into the crowd.
" Laura?" Sam tried calling out in the crowd, but received no response. He didn't know if Laura hadn't heard him or simply didn't want to talk to him.
Sam stood blankly in the crowd when a voice suddenly came from behind him:
Hey, are you also looking for relatives?
He was a tall, thin man, and strangely, he was wearing a large black mask that completely covered his face. He was also wearing the jacket that the Mutual Aid Society sent him before, which was said to be part of the supplies transported from No. 4 Spacetime.
"Yes, I am looking for someone, but..." Sam was about to explain that he wasn't looking for relatives, but the tall, thin man didn't give him a chance to continue.
"That's enough!"
He strode over, grabbed Sam and pulled him under his shoulder, practically carrying him to a secluded spot. Only then did the man slightly lift his coat, revealing what was hidden underneath—
"Can you hear the crying in the camp? Those who have lost loved ones are weeping, those separated from their dearest are wailing. This should never have happened..."
So, come join us!
Glug!
Sam swallowed hard, his legs trembling.
That's insane!
This man had three submachine guns hanging under his clothes!
And it seems that if he just nods now, he can take one of them? Xxs-2
In the blink of an eye, countless underworld scenarios flashed through Sam's mind, and he even began to doubt whether he would have any chance of survival if he chose to refuse...
Will this man just casually shoot me in this secluded corner?
This situation is far more dangerous than the case of the psychopathic shooter in New York.
How could a well-educated high school student like him have ever experienced such a scene?
For a moment, Sam's mind went completely blank.
Just as he was lost in thought, the tall, thin man also realized that he was a coward, and his legs were flailing around like he was tap dancing...
"Kid, we have people everywhere in the camp now, don't talk nonsense!"
After issuing a warning, the tall, thin man didn't press the matter and simply gave up on Sam as his target.
Realizing the tall, thin man had really left, Sam suddenly relaxed, trembling so much that he had to hold onto the wall for support to stand.
He dared not linger and forced himself to return to his lodgings at the camp.
Thanks to Jack's identity and his actions before the cataclysm, his family lived in a rather large tent, which was considered a privileged class in the camp, especially after Jack returned to the Weather Bureau.
Sam, who had just returned from a harrowing ordeal, told his parents about what had happened. Lucy immediately hugged him with heartache upon hearing it, while Jack looked thoughtful.
"Has the situation deteriorated to this point? The survivors in the north are already openly firing their guns..."
Jack rubbed his temples, knowing he had to stay calm.
A week ago, when he and his son were still running around the camp searching for Lucy, he noticed that the camp was slowly turning into a powder keg.
The growing discontent among the people, especially the survivors from the north, acted as a catalyst, intensifying the atmosphere in the camp with each batch of rescue teams sent back.
He believed that those managing the camp had also noticed the problem, which was why he hadn't seen any rescue teams sending people over the past two days.
It's said they were sent to other camps for resettlement, but what kind of places those are?
They have no right to know the situation.
However, this approach did not improve the situation; instead, it fueled discontent among some people in the south.
Because among those survivors in the north might be their relatives or friends, and now that no survivors in the camp are accepting them, it means that their already difficult search for relatives has become even more difficult.
Moreover, before this problem came to light, the camp had already taken in many survivors from the north, a move that directly made these people feel the authorities' wariness towards them...
We can't stay here any longer!
After much deliberation, Jack stood up and quickly made a decision.
His wife, Lucy, didn't understand. "Why? If we're not here, where are we going?"
Sam looked at his father in surprise, completely unexpected that he would make this decision.
Jack paced around the tent a few times, gathering his thoughts. "Something's bound to happen at this camp later, we... we could go find Mutual Aid Society!"
"I've met their president a few times and I have Liu's contact information. They would definitely be willing to take us in, but I don't know if I can still contact them now."
"Get ready, everyone. I'm going to the Mutual Aid Society's office now!"
After saying that, Jack left the tent and walked quickly to the Mutual Aid Society's office.
Then he saw that the place was already overcrowded and he couldn't squeeze in at all.
Jack squeezed into the crowd and listened for a while before realizing he wasn't the only intelligent person there. Many others were also uneasy about the situation in the camp, and they had all come to request permission to leave North America through the Mutual Aid Society society...
Finch Spacetime.
After the meeting, Tan Mingda and his group did not linger. After a brief meeting with Ning Jihua, they returned from the Day After Tomorrow Spacetime.
This conference was truly eye-opening.
Back in his office, Tan Mingda was still quite excited. He gathered the other members of the Fifth Branch who hadn't attended the meeting for a small meeting.
At the meeting, he also personally recounted what he had seen and heard, and emphasized the possibility of a food crisis and the technology for artificial starch synthesis.
" President Sun from No. 3 Spacetime promised us that once this technology is available, they can cover all the energy costs required for production, as long as it can be mass-produced. This is something our comrades should pay close attention to."
"We had previously researched this project. At the suggestion of headquarters, our several branches decided at the meeting to unify the research materials and collectively tackle the technical difficulties. Comrade Haiyan, could you coordinate and bring out all the relevant research materials we had previously submitted?"
A woman below, holding a pen and notebook and wearing glasses, nodded in agreement.
Tan Mingda continued:
"Our position in the Mutual Aid Society is somewhat awkward now; compared to other timelines, we're more like freeloaders."
He counted on his fingers as he explained to everyone.
"Look, No. 1 Spacetime has donated a lot of supplies to everyone. We are indebted to them, and our convoy is still ' Junk Collection ' there."
No. 2 Spacetime also has its own advantages: abundant resources and a promising future. No. 3 Spacetime has advanced technology, a united population, and is always available. No. 4 Spacetime is far superior to us; it has advantages over us in every aspect.
" No. 6 Spacetime just suffered a major disaster, and we've been receiving aid from other dimensions without making any contribution of our own..."
Tan Mingda's tone was very worried.
Although he hadn't been involved in diplomatic affairs for over a decade, he knew that in interactions between nations, interests were paramount.
They can no longer offer the Mutual Aid Society any benefits; on the contrary, the Mutual Aid Society provide them with aid.
Such a relationship cannot last.
Even though the Mutual Aid Society and President Zhang were willing to continue helping him, he didn't want this situation to continue.
Sitting in his position, he has to think more carefully. This kind of windfall requires using your brain to catch it; the more you take advantage of, the dumber you become.
If this continues, the relationship between the two sides will become increasingly unequal, and they may even gradually become appendages of the Mutual Aid Society or other time-space entities.
This is also why he had been hesitant and had not fully integrated into the Mutual Aid Society.
He can't find his clear niche within this system!
If the delegation sent to the Day After Tomorrow Spacetime hadn't confirmed that the Mutual Aid Society was indeed a righteous organization and that there was no need to worry about them resorting to the old colonial tactics, he probably would have had to observe for even longer.
Upon hearing Tan Mingda's words, the others lowered their heads, unsure how to respond.
Tan Mingda sighed, and waited until the atmosphere eased a bit before continuing, "Actually, we can't blame everyone for this. It's determined by our current objective reality. We didn't have any room to maneuver or any opportunity before."
"But as everyone should know, the situation is different now. We face challenges, but we also have opportunities—once-in-a-millennium opportunities—that we must seize!"
Everyone took a deep breath in unison, mentally encouraging themselves.
Parallel universes are something that happen only once in a millennium.
This has never happened before in human history!
They all knew that since they had chosen to face the challenge head-on, they had to seize the opportunities that came with it.
To seize this opportunity, the first step is to get the collaborative research going!
They absolutely had to achieve outstanding results in this collective project. Without favorable timing or location, all they could rely on was their people!
Their unique technological development path, different from other timelines, was the first step they took to gain a niche within the Mutual Aid Society!
Everyone was full of energy and immediately threw themselves into their work after the meeting.
Some people searched through previously archived research materials, while others investigated the whereabouts of researchers who had previously participated in related projects...
Almost at the same moment.
Zhou Tao, Xue Liangping, and others who had previously joined the freight team to transport supplies in No. 1 Spacetime drove through the Spacetime Tunnel again.
Moreover, they weren't the only ones returning; they were followed by at least a thousand trucks, all fully loaded with supplies.
This is the first time the convoy has returned since they left. Previously, when they were in No. 1 Spacetime, they would transport the collected supplies to the port and then have them transported back by cargo ship.
Although he hadn't spent much time in No. 1 Spacetime, Zhou Tao still felt very out of place returning to his homeland.
The truck's communication channel repeatedly broadcast the message: "You have returned. Please be aware of direct sunlight and do not open the windows."
The days of driving with the window open, enjoying the breeze and sunshine in No. 1 Spacetime are coming to a temporary end.
Xue Liangping, who hadn't yet graduated from his apprenticeship, was still on the truck. The two returned the truck to each other in the parking lot, and then silently boarded the bus home.
Xue Liangping was a little puzzled. "Why were we suddenly called back? I heard people around us saying that No. 1 Spacetime is causing trouble for us and won't let us continue hauling goods there."
Zhou Tao was relatively calmer. He fanned himself and said, "Don't overthink it. Didn't the higher-ups say this is a reward for our vacation? Besides, aren't there still many of our people over there?"
He doesn't believe that claim.
He was more convinced that this was just a normal vacation arrangement.
Of course, he didn't understand why they were suddenly allowed to return for vacation.
If it weren't for the thought of coming back to see his family and bring them some things, he would have stayed there and never returned. Even though No. 1 Spacetime was dilapidated, it was still a relatively normal timeline, and life there was much better than here, even though he was just a truck driver there.
Zhou Tao glanced at the two large bags Xue Liangping was carrying and suddenly asked, "What did you bring home?"
Xue Liangping opened one of the bags, which was full of snacks and fruits. He then opened another bag, which contained toys and drinks.
The young man chuckled, "These are all for my family and the other kids in the building. This one's for Zhu Mei, and this car is for A Yuan..."
Zhou Tao gave him a thumbs up, then opened his own large bag, which was also filled with a lot of food and toys, many of which were clearly for other people in the building.
Besides these two, everyone else on the bus also brought back many things in large and small bags, and they all started sharing them with those around them.
The car was filled with a lively and festive atmosphere.
Looking at the other excited people around him, Zhou Tao suddenly realized why he had found this vacation so strange before.
With so many people arranging vacations to go home, won't the rumors about parallel universes immediately spread like wildfire?
A thought struck him, and he asked Xue Liangping, "Before we came back, did anyone tell you to keep the Mutual Aid Society's affairs a secret?"
Xue Liangping was taken aback, then shook his head. "No."
After saying that, his expression changed, and he clearly realized the problem.
Zhou Tao's eyelid twitched.
Are they not even going to say anything polite like asking them to keep it a secret?