Once We Lived in Nanjing

January 1, 2020, at two in the morning, two hours into the new year by the Gregorian calendar, and when the sun rises, people will welcome a leisurely three-day New Year's holiday.

Meanwhile, the countdown for the final 24 hours of the action plan at the Nanjing Command Center begins, marking the busiest New Year's Day they will ever experience.

"Group one, two curves and four trajectory changes completed, estimated time January 1st, 03:24, passing over Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, zenith altitude 80°, Zijin Mountain communication center data distribution, Beijing and Guizhou double disaster recovery backup, over."

"Group two reports, three full-process simulation drills completed for the wireless cameras at Xinjiekou, clarity normal, recognizability normal, over."

"Group three reports, the fifth batch sixth unconventional nuclear simulation test ended, thermal killing, blast wave, and electromagnetic pulse damage range did not exceed expectations, over."

"Group four reports, the third independent electromagnetic pulse damage test ended, did not exceed predicted intensity, did not cause significant damage to the radio station, over."

"Three Hole Two! Three Hole Two!", Zhao Bowen sat in the living room commanding and urged over the phone, "When will your servers be fixed?"

"You have to ask the Shenyang municipal government! We are also pushing them!"

"What does this have to do with Shenyang municipal government?" Zhao Bowen was startled.

"They dug up the optical cables while road repairing last night, and are urgently fixing it."

Bai Yang sat motionless in the dark, propping his forehead, lost in thought, no lights were on in the bedroom, and the command center was too busy to care about him, which offered Bai Yang a rare moment of peace. He couldn't hear the voices outside clearly through the door, just felt the chaos outside turning into a mess.

As the most core member of the project team, Bai Yang was often outside of the plans, he did not need to stay up all night for meetings, did not need to argue with people, did not need to fly from Nanjing to Shanghai then from Shanghai to Beijing and from Beijing to Lanzhou in one day. There were no documents needing his approval, no materials needing his drafting, he just needed to sit at the table, just sit there.

Maybe no one would believe how much responsibility a high school student could take on, maybe his dad, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Wang protected him too well, Bai Yang just got swept into the current, stumbling from 2019 into 2020—while other peers were watching the New Year's Eve gala on Bilibili, he sat silently in the dark, lost in thought for a long time.

Lian Qiao cared about his state, asking how he felt?

Bai Yang said he felt the world was a complex, convoluted, cold and slippery snake, so chaotic it was hard to discern any thread, you were carried forward by it, rolling crazily, ending up wherever it took you.

Lian Qiao asked, what else?

Bai Yang said he could no longer see the future of this plan, for a plan where the path forward was unclear, he didn't know where to find the confidence... and what about dad, Uncle Wang, Uncle Zhao, and everyone in the team, could they see the future of this plan?

Lian Qiao shook her head, then hugged him tightly.

Bai Yang was stunned, somewhat bewildered.

I cannot give you confidence.

Lian Qiao said.

I can only give you a hug.

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January 1, 2041, ten past ten in the morning, countdown until nuclear bomb unlock in 16 hours.

Lie down!

Ban Xia rolled on the spot, lying down against the wall, hands cushioned behind her head, burying her head in her chest, closed her eyes, and held her breath.

After a while, she got up and did it again.

Lie down!

Ban Xia practiced nuclear blast self-protection.

Experts from Zhonghe Industry stated that during a nuclear explosion she should be at least five kilometers away, this distance was completely outside Ms. Qiu's killing range, Ms. Qiu was just a ten-kiloton nuclear bomb, it could at most turn the asphalt road at Xinjiekou into glass, girls staying at Nanjing Agricultural University or Nanjing University of Technology could only watch the excitement (of course not literally).

As long as she's prepared with a raincoat, mask, and goggles, Ban Xia standing at the windward would almost face no threat, Ms. Qiu couldn't hurt her at all, this came from the optimistic attitude of professionals—experts said it was no big deal, it will just be very bright, very loud, as if setting off a big firework.

However, non-professionals got terrified just hearing the word nuclear bomb, in the inherent views of old Bai, old Wang, nuclear weapons were seen as monsters capable of destroying a city with just one explosion, nuclear radiation would cause serious radiation sickness and cancer among the entire city's population, and under the strong request of Nanjing Command Center, Ban Xia had to complete self-protection training.

"Find a basement, underground is the safest, better find a building with higher structural strength, modern buildings with frame structures are generally required to withstand a magnitude seven earthquake, which is completely enough."

"When a nuclear explosion occurs, lie down back toward the epicenter, the shockwave is supersonic, it will cause a huge pressure difference in a very short time, so your ears will hurt, remember not to close your mouth completely."

"After the explosion, don't rush to come out, hide for a few more hours."

"Don't be curious to watch, although it's a rare spectacle to see in a century, don't go watch, it's really very bright, harmful to the eyes."

"Definitely close your eyes."

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January 1, 2020, 4:20 PM, 10 hours before nuclear weapons unlock countdown.

"Comrades, the third phase of the East Red Plan finally approaches its last step, a result of everyone's collective efforts," Zhao Bowen didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular, waving his fist at the camera, "these days everyone has been tirelessly cooperating, persevering, overcoming all difficulties, groping in the dark."

It seems like this is the final pre-war mobilization.

"Success or failure, this will be a monumental day, an unprecedented endeavor. Looking back on thirty thousand years of human history, never has there been such a plan, such an operation, gathering the greatest wisdom of humanity, sparing no expense to save ourselves."

"In the past few millennia, those brilliant shining stars in history were born for today. Why did those great people come to this world? Now we know, they came to pass down knowledge, spirit, and strength to us, so we can complete this noble mission, no one fighting alone."

"Comrades, everything is ready, success or failure hinges on this very moment."

Zhao Bowen raised his fist high.

"Tonight, we will execute the last step of the plan, if all goes well, within the next twenty-four hours we will eliminate Swordman!"

"We have lived on this planet for three million years, now, it's time to demonstrate the power of our race, we firmly believe that nothing can defeat us."

"For all of humanity."

"For the human!"

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January 1, 2020, 6:30 PM, 8 hours before nuclear weapons unlock countdown.

"Take a deep breath," Lian Qiao said.

Bai Yang nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Sis Qiao."

"Hmm?"

"What do you think the ending of this story will be?"

Lian Qiao paused for a moment.

"Which story are you talking about?"

"Ours, and hers." Bai Yang replied.

"I don't want just five good years to live, no matter what the future holds, we struggle to keep going, better to live badly than to die well," Lian Qiao chuckled, "As for the young lady, what kind of person do you think she is?"

Bai Yang hesitated for a moment.

"Is she very hardworking?"

Bai Yang nodded.

"Is she very cute?"

Bai Yang nodded again.

"Then fate always favors the hardworking and cute," Lian Qiao said, "If I were the god of fate, I'd hug her tightly and kiss her enough, how could I bear to hurt her? If everyone in the world died, only she would survive, the world's love and blessings for her are really enviable."

"Is being alone in the world also a blessing?"

"Is it a curse, then? What's more important than being alive? If being alive is a curse, then I hope this curse lasts for ten thousand years," Lian Qiao shrugged, making a fierce gesture playfully.

Bai Yang also laughed.

"She will be happy, I assure you," Lian Qiao said, then she scratched her head, "Although my assurance isn't worth much, I still want to assure you, she will be happy."

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January 1, 2041, 8:40 PM, 6 hours before nuclear weapons unlock countdown.

"BG, I am ready, leaving shortly."

"This is BG4MXH, received, good luck, OVER."

The final step of the third phase of the East Red Plan officially commenced, the last chess piece of human society in the Doomsday World begins to move, she will be the decisive move in desperate times, leading all of humanity to complete the ultimate reversal, achieving a thorough counterattack.