Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

Chapter 21 Yesterday's Survival

"Hello everyone, I am Chen Xiao, the head of the National Emergency Management Bureau. You can call me Director Chen, Minister Chen, or even Lao Zhang."

"The world has regressed 11 times. From day one, I was just like everyone else, first confused, then panicked, then terrified, and of course shocked. If you put aside my identity, I am exactly the same as countless retired old men and women. I am surprised to find myself getting younger every day, but I am also worried that as the world regresses, the younger generation will gradually disappear..."

Jiang Ning sat by the lake, holding his phone in both hands, quietly watching the important figure named Chen Xiao give a speech.

For some reason, when I saw this important person say such things, the anger that had risen in my heart due to losing contact with Zhang Jimin and the arguments I had seen online slowly subsided.

"I deeply sympathize with the pregnant woman who jumped to her death at the Peace Hotel today. I understand her perfectly. Her newborn child, barely warm in her arms, was returned to the womb. I believe anyone would feel despair in that situation. Here, I apologize to all Chinese people. We haven't done enough. We only thought about solving the transportation problem during the return trip, but we neglected another group of people who were also emotionally traumatized..."

Cui Huaimeng stood in the corner of the command hall, quietly watching the old man bow deeply to the camera after he finished speaking, her eyes reddening.

This was the first time in her years in this profession that she had seen the old man's face lose its resolve and his eyes no longer held the sharpness of an eagle. When he said that he was now like any other retired old man or woman, his eyes truly revealed the confusion that ordinary people often experience these days, completely devoid of his former confidence and wisdom.

Cui Huaimeng didn't know if her old leader was afraid, but she knew that she was actually very afraid inside.

Her own Tao Tao is only one year old, such an adorable child. She can't imagine what it would be like to get pregnant with him again a year later.

But at this moment, Cui Huaimeng truly felt that the old man was also afraid; his usually resolute face and eagle-like eyes were merely a requirement of his identity.

Cui Huaimeng couldn't help but recall some rumors she had heard years ago, saying that Minister Chen's daughter had run away from home because he was too strict and always had a serious face.

Those rumors reportedly reached Chen Xiao's ears, but Cui Huaimeng remembers that this old leader never explained himself, nor did he stop people from gossiping behind his back. It seemed that he didn't care about people's opinions or his own reputation; in his eyes, there was only work.

Sometimes, in order to complete the work or quickly quell the disaster, they use any means without restraint, not afraid of offending people, and not afraid of getting into trouble for daring to speak out.

Just like at this moment, in a national-level emergency live broadcast room, there are many things that cannot be said, and even if they can be said, they should be packaged with diplomatic language to avoid controversy.

But this old leader is outspoken, willing to put himself in a very difficult position. This was true of the little story I told last time, and it's even more true of his direct response this time.

At the same time, urgent calls kept coming from the server rooms of major internet companies:

"Hold on, everyone hold on! Maximize capacity, apply for access to Luoshu, we absolutely cannot let the live stream be interrupted."

"But boss, what's the use? Things are already chaotic overseas, and it will soon affect us here."

"Shut up, a world going backward isn't the end of the world, there will always be a solution to disasters..."

The live broadcast from the China Emergency Management Bureau continued. After bowing, Chen Xiao slowly straightened his back, looked at the camera, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

"The internet loses its memory, but people do not."

I wonder what that pregnant woman will think if she comes back to life tomorrow.

But I want to tell her that you did nothing wrong. You are just enduring pain that others can hardly understand. No one has the right to call you weak, and no one can blame you.

Similarly, I would like to say to young fathers and mothers who are suffering: suicide may be a way to temporarily block out pain, but if the world continues to regress and we no longer have the right to die in our own hands, being negative will only make us more miserable.

I believe this is definitely not what you want to see.

At this point, Chen Xiao's eyes sharpened further, and his tone became highly impassioned: "The world going backwards isn't the end of the world. If time is a river, we must swim upstream. Self-destruction will only sweep us back downstream; only those who remain clear-headed can continue forward. One day we will swim to the source of the river, find that bastard who made the world go backwards, and strangle him!"

"Forward, advance forward at all costs..."

As Chen Xiao spoke, he suddenly raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and stretched it forward, his face full of madness.

Jiang Ning held her phone in both hands, her heart pounding wildly as she watched this scene. It was so infectious! The live stream chat only paused for two seconds before quickly filling up with "Forward, forward..."

In places unseen by Jiangning—villages, urban residential buildings, streets, factories, schools, and wherever there are people—it was as if a gust of wind had suddenly swept in, a wind called "morale."

At first, everyone just followed along with the comments, but then many people couldn't help but shout.

"Forward, forward, forward at all costs..."

Jiang Ning suddenly heard a faint roar coming from afar. He pricked up his ears and listened quietly for a while before he could vaguely make out that someone in the distance was shouting "Forward, forward..."

Jiang Ning slowly put down his phone, took out a cigarette from the pack, and his right hand trembled slightly as he tried to light it, taking several attempts before he succeeded.

This scene deeply impacted him.

"Popular support is valuable"

Jiang Ning was deeply moved by the people's enthusiasm. He felt a momentary daze, as if he saw people walking to the source of time, finding the bastard who had caused the world to regress, and strangling him to death.

Jiang Ning felt very uncomfortable, and smoked one cigarette after another until his mouth was dry, only to find that there were seven or eight cigarette butts scattered at his feet.

Jiang Ning picked up his phone again and found that Chen Xiao's live stream had ended, and a middle-aged man who called himself Li Mubai was stumbling over something.

Jiang Ning looked closely for a while and realized that it was an explanation of seeking survival from "yesterday".

After watching for a while, I realized that this was a new initiative that Minister Chen Xiao had put forward at the end of the live broadcast, calling on all countries in the world to remain calm and focus on how to survive "yesterday".

As for why Li Mubai spoke haltingly, it was precisely because of this that he, like countless other people, had only just learned about it, which caught him off guard when faced with questions from the public.

However, Li Mubai quickly composed himself and said seriously to the camera:

"Yesterday's survival plan was just a last-minute suggestion from Minister Chen; I really don't know the specifics..."

"However, I personally think this idea is excellent. Recently, countries around the world have been in a state of tension, with some even experiencing war. This feeling that all of humanity is on the verge of a powder keg is unsettling for everyone. I believe that Minister Chen's proposal can effectively divert public anxiety and remind humanity to try to refocus on life. After all, a world regression is not the end of the world. For ordinary people, it's best to focus on the present..."

"I would also like to reiterate Minister Chen Xiao's statement, hoping that all members of the public will actively speak out and contribute their ideas for humanity's survival against 'yesterday'... As for the establishment of a speaking platform or a new website, we will have to wait for tomorrow's announcement..."

"In addition, the 'Alarm Clock Network' has been established, and we hope that the non-scientific community will be bold in expressing their opinions on it..."

Jiang Ning watched for a while longer and then noticed that the rest of the message consisted of meaningless diplomatic rhetoric, so he turned off his phone screen.

He looked down to grab another cigarette, only to find that he had already finished two packs of cigarettes, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Just as he was about to grab an energy drink to perk himself up, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. This dizziness wasn't the exhaustion from not sleeping for a day and a night; it was a signal that the world was starting to regress...

"It's starting again..."

Jiang Ning did not resist; in fact, he couldn't resist even if he wanted to. He chose to lie back on the grass, trying to make himself more comfortable when he rolled back later.

"I hope it doesn't roll back to a bustling neighborhood!"

Jiang Ning closed his eyes, filled with anticipation. This was something he had spent a whole day and night trying to verify.

The moment has finally arrived...