wrong!
The old building manager shook his head violently. These things weren't something you could just find by scavenging. If there were such an easy way to get something for free, why would Zhou Tao and his friends have even signed up?
Thinking of this, the old building manager glanced worriedly at the door, as if he was afraid that the police would break down the door at any moment.
He pulled Zhou Tao aside and asked him carefully, "You two didn't go out and do anything bad, did you?"
After thinking it over and over, the only way to get these things was by stealing or robbing.
These fifty people went out once and became... Ali Baba the Fifty Thieves?
No, it seems to be around forty?
The old building manager couldn't quite remember.
However, this was enough for Zhou Tao to understand his meaning.
Zhou Tao chuckled and put his arm around the old building manager, "Don't worry, these things are absolutely legitimate. They were all brought back with the organization's permission!"
"Really?" The old building manager looked at him with disbelief. How could Zhou Tao and his group bring back such valuable supplies, and in such large quantities at once?
Zhou Tao gently patted the old building manager's back, reassuringly saying, "Who am I, Zhou Tao? You've known me for over ten years, building manager. Would I possibly do anything illegal or criminal?"
"I trust your character. And while I wouldn't disbelieve it if it were a government reward or subsidy, this is far too much..."
The old building manager's suspicious gaze gradually faded, replaced by deep doubt.
To him, and to this time and space, Zhou Tao's explanation was like someone who had driven for the country for a while and then returned as a reward of a bunch of luxury goods.
This art style is off!
And that's not how things were done.
Not only the old building manager had this question, but everyone else in the building did too. However, no one could find out the origin of the supplies, and they could only get guarantees of the people's character.
In response, the former building manager could only say that he would not pursue the matter further.
There's nothing anyone can do if Zhou Tao and the others don't want to talk about it; as long as it's not illegal, that's fine.
However, someone soon noticed that something was wrong.
The information printed on the packaging of the items that Zhou Tao and his group brought back was a bit eerie!
"This bag of spicy strips is from the Weilong brand. I've never seen this brand before. Is it a newly established company? And the place of origin seems wrong too. These administrative divisions seem to be from before the apocalypse..."
"Holy crap! Why does it expire in July 2012?"
"This bag of spicy strips is older than me, I should call it 'Big Brother'!"
After the first person made this discovery, others immediately began to examine various packages, and sure enough, they all found that, apart from the fruit, the information printed on all the packages was incorrect.
Faced with the strange looks from everyone, Zhou Tao and the others scratched their heads, unsure of what to say.
Actually, they had already held a short meeting on the bus before entering the building.
Zhou Tao believed that although the organization had not asked them to keep it a secret, he still felt it was best for them not to go around talking about the Mutual Aid Society and parallel universes.
The proposal was accepted by everyone, and they all agreed that unless the existence of the Mutual Aid Society was officially announced, they should keep this secret to themselves.
That's why the old building manager and others couldn't get a clear answer from him.
But how do we explain this situation now?
Zhou Tao's face froze.
It's already 2043, and they're bringing back a bunch of outdated products that expired in 2012 or were manufactured in 2010—isn't that going to kill people?
Faced with the suspicious looks of everyone, Zhou Tao could only bite the bullet and open a bag of spicy strips, handing it to his child. "Hehe, don't worry about the information on the packaging, it's all just gibberish, the information doesn't match..."
Although they were still puzzled, everyone could smell the aroma of the spicy strips and there was no sign of mold. The others followed Zhou Tao's example and unpacked and distributed the things they had brought back.
The children's cheers instantly filled the entire building, diverting the adults' attention.
Zhou Tao breathed a sigh of relief; he had gotten away with it this time.
"Daddy, Daddy!"
A familiar, childish voice reached Zhou Tao's ears. He looked down and saw his child holding a spicy snack in one hand and grabbing his trouser leg with the other.
"What's wrong?" He bent down and took the child away.
The child excitedly pointed in a direction. "Go that way!"
Zhou Tao turned to Xue Liangping and gestured for him to watch his bag, then he and his wife walked over with their child in their arms.
The two adults and one child quickly reached the center of the building, which was a...
The public vegetable garden, during the day, allows a little sunlight to shine through the glass.
Many people bring their plastic pots containing vegetables to this spot while they're at work at night, and then take them back in the morning after get off work. This way, they can get some sun for a little while. Whether it's effective or not, it at least has some psychological effect.
As Zhou Tao approached the vegetable garden, this was the scene he witnessed.
Many vegetable bowls were placed on the table, taking up all the space that could be exposed to sunlight.
The child jumped down from Zhou Tao's arms and skillfully found the location of their own vegetable basin:
"Dad, come quick! Look here!"
Zhou Tao squatted down and went closer, and was surprised to see that a small, clearly defined clearing had been dug out in the full pot of green vegetables, and a tiny green sprout was happily emerging from there.
Looking closely at the flowerpots in other houses around, you can find a small patch of empty space with almost the same green shoots growing there.
His wife smiled sweetly, "The seeds from the apple we were allocated to our family were planted here. The children have been waiting for it every day, and it finally sprouted after a long wait."
Zhou Tao sighed with admiration, then smiled knowingly and patted the child who was jumping and skipping around, pointing at the green sprouts.
His gaze fell on the tiny green sprout in the pot, then he looked up as if he could see its future. "This apple tree will grow taller and taller until it takes root in the earth and bears fruit."
The wife's happy smile faded, replaced by worry. "That's going to be difficult. Given the current situation, who knows how we'll survive future ice ages?"
"It's alright," Zhou Tao stood up, then turned and hugged his wife. "Trust me, things will get better from now on. Look, I brought back so many things this time!"
The wife's eyes were full of tenderness as she hugged her husband tightly. "Yes, I believe you!"
The two embraced tightly, completely unaware that a bewildered little toddler was nestled between their four long legs...
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Although Zhou Tao and others kept quiet about the parallel universe issue, there were several thousand drivers who were granted leave this time, and it was simply impossible to expect everyone to have the same level of self-awareness.
In some buildings and areas, news of the Mutual Aid Society has begun to circulate, but due to the limited speed of information dissemination, it has not yet caused a city-wide uproar.
This was already in Elder Tan's calculations; releasing these people was actually a way of giving the public a heads-up.
In the past two days, Zhou Tao has also gained a deeper understanding of the changes in his surroundings.
The previously announced ice age caused a great sensation. Although some time has passed, many people still have lingering concerns, and it has become a knot in many people's hearts, like a time bomb placed around everyone.
The more Zhou Tao felt this oppressive atmosphere, the more he realized the necessity of joining the Mutual Aid Society.
He had been to Time and No. 1 Spacetime and had gone deep into the lives of the people there. He knew that although they were also facing the threat of disaster, many people remained optimistic. Although their work and lives were affected, they were generally still normal.
This alone made them incredibly envious.
He didn't know if, after joining the Mutual Aid Society in his own timeline, it would also begin mobilizing the entire timeline for migration, just like in No. 1 Spacetime.
But in any case, it should be better than the current situation, right?
Before he returned, he had already heard about the "The Day After Tomorrow Spacetime" story in the news there.
If the Mutual Aid Society society can mobilize enough power to save almost the entire Earth, then surely it can save their timeline as well, right?
In short, Zhou Tao is both expectant and anxious.
He knew that sooner or later the authorities would announce the cooperation with the Mutual Aid Society, that all of this would eventually happen, and he looked forward to the changes in the future.
But he simply didn't know when his expectations would be fulfilled, or when the Mutual Aid Society would truly begin operating in their timeline.
Not only him, but everyone who returned from No. 1 Spacetime, including Xue Liangping, was the same.
This anxiety about a happy future persisted until the third night after returning home.
The cafeteria had just opened for lunch that day. Rice, dried earthworms, and some fresh fruit brought back from No. 1 Spacetime had just been placed on the table when the news on TV began.
"We are about to broadcast an urgent news report. Please pay attention."
Suddenly, Zhou Tao snapped to attention, immediately stopped eating, and turned to look at the television. Xue Liangping next to him did the same.
This
The sky just fell so suddenly?!
Regardless of Zhou Tao's thoughts.
The elderly Tan Mingda suddenly appeared in front of the television, holding a speech manuscript in high spirits, and began to speak to the camera:
Four months ago, we received proof that we are not alone in the vast universe, and humanity is not alone.
We had a cordial, face-to-face exchange with an interdimensional organization called the ' Parallel Spacetime Mutual Aid Society ' and its five member countries, and achieved unprecedented results..."
Elder Tan paused for a moment after reading this.
However, Zhou Tao's heart was pounding faster than usual, and his face turned bright red.
Across the country.
People reacted differently; most felt that what he said was somewhat nonsensical, as if they understood it but also didn't.
Only a small number of people who learned about the Mutual Aid Society association through various channels could fully understand what Elder Tan was saying.
" The Mutual Aid Society originated on Earth. To be precise, they come from a parallel universe Earth. They are not in the same universe as us. They share the same origins as us, yet they are also different."
In the universe, we are not the only timeline facing an apocalyptic crisis; other timelines are also facing crises, which is why the Mutual Aid Society was born.
The Mutual Aid Society is based on the principles of unity and mutual assistance, and is committed to achieving solidarity and mutual aid across parallel time and space.
For the past four months, we have used the Mutual Aid Society as a link to conduct close exchanges and interactions with other time and space, gain a deep understanding of each other's current situation, and have received strong support from other time and space.
Now, after careful consideration, we are convinced that joining the Mutual Aid Society contribute to disaster recovery efforts in this time and space, and will have significant positive implications for all countries worldwide. Xxs-②
Furthermore, by joining the Mutual Aid Society, we will be able to step onto a larger stage and contribute our strength to our compatriots and brothers in other times and spaces.
Therefore, with the consent of the Mutual Aid Society and all its members, I hereby formally announce to the world the establishment of the Mutual Aid Society Fifth Branch!
Complete silence!
Zhou Tao glanced at his neighbors in the cafeteria.
These people hadn't finished processing what had just been said; they all stood there with their mouths agape, blinking in confusion, and no one uttered a sound.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, several drivers who had returned from No. 1 Spacetime stood up and clapped their hands with great joy. Then, the word spread, and Zhou Tao and Xue Liangping, among other drivers, joined in the clapping.
They could fully understand what Elder Tan had just said.
But it's different for others.
Watching them applaud excitedly, the old building manager, recalling what he had just heard, couldn't help but wonder if his brain was deteriorating.
It's okay if you don't understand it.
Elder Tan didn't expect him to explain everything in one speech; such matters required a more accessible and straightforward explanation.
So the news anchors returned to their posts and began to give a detailed introduction to the Mutual Aid Society, and also broadcast the branch establishment ceremony held three days earlier.
Above were congratulatory speeches from Zhang Tianyuan and other branch presidents.
Jack from the North America region was also supposed to speak, but Zhang Tianyuan considered that Jack's current state was not quite normal, whether he was speaking or not, so he secretly signaled to Elder Tan to cancel his speech.
Until the very end, Jack wondered why he didn't even get a chance to go on stage...
Is it because his faith in the Mutual Aid Society is not devout enough?!
Throughout the host's presentation, the adults in the cafeteria didn't touch their chopsticks. Only the children ate heartily, while the adults all stared at the TV with their mouths open, seemingly eating nothing.
When the host talked about the situation in each timeline, and then got to No. 1 Spacetime, the " Junk Collection " plan inevitably came up.
"To date, No. 1 Branch has provided substantial assistance to our branch, with aid supplies covering various industries and categories. Therefore, two months ago we organized a freight force to travel to No. 1 Spacetime, proactively transporting the aid supplies back to China via the Spacetime Tunnel through a land-to-sea transfer route..."
Suddenly, the old building manager snapped to attention, turned to Zhou Tao, and exclaimed, "You guys went to that... that No. 1 Spacetime? You were transporting goods over there?!"
People around them all looked over, or at those who had gone out with Zhou Tao.
Then they saw Zhou Tao grin and nod...