The Last 299 Days of Humanity

The death of Danggui was like a cold, chilling wind that silently swept across Wengshan and the surrounding "new urban area." There was no official announcement, no mourning; her existence and demise, amidst the tense and striving atmosphere deliberately created by Yuqing, only stirred up a few insignificant ripples.

For Da Ya, after a brief moment of astonishment, the woman in that luxurious villa was just a vague and distant legend with negative connotations.

Her disappearance even brought a faint sense of relief to Yu Xuan and Yu Lan—they had felt uneasy after hearing the rumors about Angelica sinensis.

However, deep within Yu Qing's heart, the ripples stirred by this stone lingered for a long time. He stood in the reinforced control center, surrounded by flashing data streams and holographic projections, monitoring the dynamics of various urban areas in real time, as well as energy fluctuation readings from the direction of Yaoxing further away.

The external and internal troubles will never end.

His aunt's nonchalant "it's nothing" echoed in his mind like a curse. For the first time, he realized so clearly how laughable his so-called control was in the face of "players" at a higher level.

He is not only a player on the chessboard, striving to plan the future of Wengshan and the native humans, but he himself, along with everything he cherishes, is also a much smaller piece on someone else's chessboard.

This realization did not bring anger, but rather a chilling feeling that penetrated to the bone and a more cautious anxiety.

Fortunately, after a brief period of confusion and disappointment, Daya seemed to realize something.

The sudden "disappearance" of Danggui (she was told that she died suddenly from illness), combined with Yu Qing's unquestionable and forceful attitude, extinguished the nascent flame of extravagance in her heart by a more primal fear.

She dared not delve any deeper into the truth of the "favoritism," nor dared she complain publicly anymore. She silently returned to her "garden," which had begun to fall into disrepair, picked up her tools again, and with a defiant, or even a desire for atonement, worked even harder to weed, water, and transplant.

However, her eyes had lost some of the initial pure love, replaced by a hint of restraint and barely perceptible fear. In her city, the vegetation was slowly recovering, but the once vibrant, slightly naive and romantic vitality seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gray.

Xiaoya's maze became increasingly complex and dangerous. She seemed to have internalized her fear of external uncertainty into a pursuit of absolute control over the structure. The maze walls grew higher, the traps more hidden and deadly, and the paths in the core area changed daily.

She practically lived in the labyrinth, constantly optimizing this enormous "fortress" with her humanoid companions. It had become her absolute domain, and any unauthorized entrant, even a low-ranking humanoid companion delivering supplies, could easily get lost within.

Her city is a bizarre combination of order and chaos, an external projection of her inner lack of security.

Little Bread's playground was still filled with laughter, but observant people would notice that her games were beginning to change subtly. She was no longer content with just chasing and playing, but had started directing the humanoid girls to play games like "building castles" and "defending against monsters."

She would build city walls with sand and order humanoid girls to play the roles of guards and "invading" mutated beasts. This seemed to be just a game, but it subtly reflected the budding awareness of external crises in her young mind. Her joy also seemed to be tinged with a trace of reality.

The construction of Yu Xuan and Yu Lan's "nest" has entered a critical stage. The house is taking shape, and although it is rough, it at least provides basic shelter.

They began to tackle more practical problems: purifying and storing water, long-term food storage, and basic medical facilities. With their bellies growing larger, they directed the humanoid women to dig underground storage chambers and build rainwater harvesting systems, keeping them extremely busy.

The physical exhaustion and hardships of pregnancy are evident, but the resilient light in their eyes, a light born of maternal love, shines even brighter. Their neighborhood is the most vibrant and pragmatic of all these "experimental fields."

Yu Qing observed all of this, his worries not lessening with the disappearance of Dang Gui, but rather becoming more complex. He witnessed growth under pressure, but also distortion and fear. His "education through hardship" seemed to have yielded some results, but at a price.

He began to reflect on whether this almost "free-range" and "intimidation" approach could truly cultivate the kind of people he hoped would be able to perpetuate civilization, or whether it merely produced a group of individuals who were enhanced in ability but not necessarily psychologically healthy, and who reacted to stress under specific conditions.
Just as he was lost in thought, a multi-encrypted communication request came in from Yadu. It was the same senior official who had previously handled the compensation matters, but his expression no longer carried the formulaic apology or caution of before; instead, it revealed a hint of barely concealed anxiety.

“Mr. Yu Qing,” he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point, his voice low, “we have detected an abnormal energy accumulation in Yaoxing, about 500 kilometers northeast of Wengshan.”

It is neither a natural phenomenon nor a sign of activity by our side or any known force. The energy signature... is very ancient and has a strong... biomass signature.

“Yaoxing?” Yu Qing frowned and pulled up a map of the relevant area. He had briefly stayed there before; it was an abandoned place, a collapse zone he remembered, no longer suitable for long-term survival.

“Yes. We suspect it may be related to ‘the cleaners’.” The official’s voice trembled slightly.

"The Cleaners?" Yu Qing heard this term for the first time. "Could they be remnants of that damned Brotherhood?"

"No, no, no, that's another kind of... legend. Or rather, an old nightmare that has been deliberately concealed and forgotten by the high-ranking officials of the major city-states." The official took a deep breath.

"According to scattered ancient records, they were not creations of our time, but monsters created by a scientific master in earlier times for ecological purification. They were originally designed to disable themselves within three months, but something went wrong and they successfully replicated themselves."

They are mostly found in high-radiation environments and specific industrial ruins, and can aggregate metals, silicides, and even organic matter to form indescribable aggregates with extremely strong aggressive and assimilative capabilities.

Wherever the cleaners go, all man-made objects, and even living organisms, are broken down, devoured, and transformed into part of them, 'cleaning' the area back to a certain...primitive 'pure' state.

Yu Qing's heart sank. He immediately realized that if this legend was true, then these "cleaners" would be a devastating threat to any civilized settlement. Moreover, their location was far too close to Wengshan and several new urban areas!
"Are you sure? Why are you only showing up now?"

"We cannot be 100% certain, but the energy characteristics closely match the vague descriptions in the archives. As for why it appeared... we speculate that it may be related to the recent frequent geological activity, or... residual fluctuations from some high-energy experiments."

The official's words were clearly pointed, implying that the energy leaked from previous dark matter experiments may have been the trigger for attracting or activating these ancient nightmares.

This was truly escaping one danger only to fall into another! Yu Qing felt a wave of helplessness. The past threats hadn't been completely eliminated, and now an even more bizarre and primitive-sounding "cleaner" had appeared. He instinctively wanted to ask his aunt for help, but immediately suppressed the thought. He had just witnessed the consequences of relying on Tianqing City. He couldn't always pin his hopes on external "rescue," especially since such rescues often came with unpredictable costs.

“Share all your monitoring data and files on ‘Scavengers,’ with the highest privileges,” Yu Qing said. “At the same time, I need to know how effective your Yadu’s defense system is against this kind of thing.”

The official looked troubled: "Some data can be shared, but top-secret files require approval from above... As for the defense system, theoretically, our energy weapons can damage or even destroy them."

However, their forms are not fixed, their regenerative capacity is extremely strong, and if their numbers reach a significant scale… the consequences are unpredictable. Several recorded small-scale encounters in history all ended with the complete disappearance of settlements.

After the communication ended, Yu Qing immediately sped up his work. He first set the potential threat of the "Scavengers" as the highest priority, mobilizing all available reconnaissance personnel and satellite resources to strengthen monitoring of the Yaoxing direction.

At the same time, he ordered the Wengshan headquarters and all new urban areas to immediately enter a state of combat readiness, strengthen fortifications, and inspect weapon systems.

He did not hide this new threat from Yu Xuan and the others, but he also did not incite panic. He simply calmly informed them of the basic situation and instructed them that while continuing construction, they must prioritize defense, integrate the humanoid resources at their disposal, and formulate emergency evacuation and defense plans.

This news was like a boulder thrown into water, causing different reactions in various new urban areas.

Xiaoya reacted the fastest and... excitedly. She immediately raised her maze's defense level to the highest, put all traps into a ready-to-trigger state, and began designing special defense modules against "non-humanoid, potentially corrosive" intruders.

Her city, already like a hedgehog, is now armed to the teeth. She seems to see this crisis as an opportunity for the ultimate test of her labyrinth.

Da Ya appeared somewhat flustered. Her garden was almost entirely undefended, and the delicate plants were no match for any real threat.

She hastily ordered the humanoid maidens to dig trenches and set up makeshift fences, but the results were worrying. Fear gripped her again, and she even privately pleaded with Yu Qing to abandon the city and retreat back into Wengshan.

Yu Qing coldly refused: "It's your own city, you have to defend it yourself. If you can't defend it, then learn to coexist or destroy it." He knew it was cruel, but he had to push them to their limits.

Little Bread didn't seem to understand what a "cleaner" was, but she sensed unease from the humanoid girl's tense programming and the changing atmosphere around her.

Her gameplay shifted entirely to "fighting monsters" and "defending castles." She ordered her humanoid "army" to patrol day and night and to simulate attacks with toy weapons. Although childish, it was at least a form of stress preparedness.

Yu Xuan and Yu Lan demonstrated the most pragmatic approach. They immediately suspended non-essential construction and devoted all their energy to reinforcing the defensive fortifications.

Using existing materials and humanoid labor, they quickly built watchtowers, deepened the moats, and dispersed and hid stored food and water.

They even began organizing limited training for the "humanoid warrior legion"—though it was just teaching them some simple humanoid warrior cooperative combat commands. The fatigue of pregnancy and the new pressures had made them look much more haggard, but the determination in their eyes had become even stronger.

Amidst this tense atmosphere of preparation for war, the first reconnaissance footage was transmitted back. On the edge of the Radiant Star, under a gray sky, a "tide" that seemed to flow and shimmer with a mixture of metallic and organic luster was slowly spreading.

Their forms are unpredictable, sometimes resembling giant amoebas, and sometimes extending countless twisted, metal-like structures. Wherever they go, even jagged rocks and abandoned metal debris are devoured and decomposed, leaving behind an even more desolate surface with soaring radiation levels.

These "scavengers" vary in size, from as small as a hunting dog to as large as a heavy truck from the old days. They seem to have no clear consciousness, but simply follow some ancient program: to devour, assimilate, and purify.

Even more disturbing is that their movement, though slow, is indeed skewed toward the location of Wengshan and its new urban area.

A crisis is imminent.

Yu Qing knew he couldn't wait any longer. He had to make a decision. Should he concentrate his forces to defend Wengshan and abandon the outer new city area? Or should he try to take the initiative and nip these threats in the bud? Or... seize this opportunity?
A bold, even insane, idea surfaced in his mind. He recalled his aunt's manipulation of Angelica sinensis's fate, that precise and ruthless "guidance."

He couldn't do that, but he could try to steer the crisis into a real, bloody trial.

He decided not to directly utilize Wengshan's core defensive forces, nor to request reinforcements from Tianqing City. He intended to use this threat from the "Scavengers" as the final test for these "city lords."

He shared the monitoring data, movement trajectory, and known weaknesses of the "cleaner" (unstable energy core, vulnerable to extreme low or high temperatures, etc.) with all new urban areas in real time.

At the same time, one hundred humanoid units equipped with basic combat modules were deployed to each urban area, along with a batch of portable energy weapons and cryogenic grenades.

He made it clear to the "city lords" that the Wengshan headquarters could not provide timely direct military support, and they had to rely on their own strength and reinforcements to defend their own city independently.

However, limited exchanges of supplies or tactical coordination between them are not prohibited—if they can think of and do it.

However, he set the Wengshan defense perimeter as the final line. Once the defense of any district is breached, the survivors can retreat to Wengshan, but this means that the construction of that district has failed, and the "city lord" qualification will be automatically revoked.

This is a high-stakes gamble. If they win, these women will be reborn from the ashes of a true survival crisis, forging an iron will and forging formidable combat skills. If they lose, it could mean the destruction of their hard-won achievements, or even the cost of their lives.

However, while the current risks can be mitigated under their control, future risks will ultimately be theirs to face alone. Therefore, this gamble must be taken. (End of Chapter)