The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Chapter 22 The Outside World Isn't Wonderful
"What's that sound? It sounds like something's flying in the sky. Let's go out and take a look."

Chang'e quickly said, "There's nothing to see, it's probably just a flock of birds."

"How is that possible? There's no food for them here at all."

"Then... let's go out and take a look!"

Chang'e pulled Yu Qing and ran out of the cave. Looking up at the sky, she saw Yao Dan and the other three girls flying through the air, each holding a box. It seemed they were testing whether the method would work.

Yu Qing laughed and said, "They're reliable, I love them to death."

Chang'e said unhappily, "Do they intend to treat my husband like an object, keeping him in a box?"

Yu Qing waved his hand and said, "Uh, you can't say that. That's my flying sedan chair, the only one of its kind in five thousand years of history."

Yao Dan and the others also saw Yu Qing from the sky, but deliberately landed far away from him when they landed.

Yu Qing jogged over and said with a fawning smile, "It looks really cool."

Yao Dan deliberately ignored him and looked at Daji, saying, "It shouldn't be a problem to pull a dog, right?"

Daji laughed and said, "Both dogs are fine."

Yan'er added, "We need a male dog and a female dog, otherwise they won't be able to get along."

Yu Qing smiled awkwardly and quickly pulled Chang'e over to them, saying, "This is Chang'e. She told me that Changtian has sunk to the bottom of the water, and we have to change course."

Daji said, "That's impossible. I've passed by there before."

Yao Dan leaned close to Daji's ear and whispered, "It's probably true. She wouldn't dare lie to her husband; she'd be too busy trying to curry favor. Yours is from over a hundred years ago."

Furong asked, "Then where do we get to the Second Paradise?"

Yu Qing said, "If our group were to fly over Changtian to Yaoxing, there would be a 380-kilometer stretch where we might not be able to recharge. It seems we'll have to take the land route to Fifth Paradise first."

Yao Dan asked, "Who told you that going to the Fifth Paradise must be by land?"

Chang'e busily displayed a holographic image of Earth, explaining the locations of the six paradises and her current position. Indeed, the path to the fifth paradise was all above Wengshan Mountain, entirely land.

Seeing that Yao Dan and the others were noncommittal, Yu Qing said, "Why don't we fly over there and take a look? It won't take much time. If it's really as Chang'e said, we can change our route."

Yan'er said, "What if the situation isn't like that?"

Chang'e replied, "If Changtian doesn't sink into the sea, then I will."

Yu Qing quickly chimed in, saying, "Let's not discuss whether the news is true or false. We'll set off tomorrow and fly towards Changtian for a while. If it's really as Chang'e said, we can turn back later; we can consider it a sightseeing trip."

Yan'er asked, "Can't we set off today? It's still early."

Yao Dan said sarcastically, "You're such a blockhead. They've only just started dating, let them have at least half a day of waiting."

Yu Qing argued, "Have you prepared food and drinks for me on the way? That takes time."

They're all like people; everything needs a little vinegar to taste good!

Early that morning, Yu Qing and his group began their journey to Changtian. However, they made some slight adjustments to their formation.

Yao Dan and the others dragged a box full of synthetic food and water, while Yu Qing was carried by Chang'e.

Chang'e led the way, with Yao Dan and the others following closely behind.

Chang'e led the procession to fly as close as possible to the road between Wengshan and Changtian.

Although this road has been abandoned for many years, the remote charging system along the road is still in normal operation.

About seventy or eighty meters away on either side of the road, there was already a dense, impenetrable forest. It must have become an arena for wild animals by now.

It can be confirmed that the area from Wengshan to this region consists of mountains and rivers abandoned by humans.

In the past, people would fight tooth and nail for every inch of land, but now this beautiful land and clean, developed city are being discarded like trash.

Since the industrialization of food processing, the land outside the city has been almost completely neglected.

Looking down at the wildly growing trees from the sky, Yu Qing felt a sense of loss.

Perhaps before long, the whole world will belong to them.

按照嫦娥提供的信息，2C19年地球上只剩下49个原生态的人了，那么55年后的今天也许只剩下19个…

"My lord, do you see the flock of phoenixes on the treetop over there?" Chang'e asked.

Yu Qing looked in the direction Chang'e was pointing, and several hundred meters to his left, hundreds of colorful phoenixes were perched on the trees.

More than two hundred years ago, this scene would have been considered an auspicious event, and would have even caused a sensation, drawing crowds to the streets.

But now it might be some kind of ominous sign.

In fact, when he was very young, his father angrily shouted one day: "When the phoenix appears, the world perishes!"

At the time, he thought his father had gone mad, but now he vaguely understands what his father meant by those words.

Therefore, he said to Chang'e, "Never mind them, let's hurry on our way. When will we see the end of the road submerged by the rising sea?"

"Less than an hour."

Yu Qing still hoped to fly directly across the sea to Changtian and take the shortcut to the Second Paradise first.

However, this would require Daji and the other two to hand over their flight suits to Yaodan so that Yaodan could change clothes midway and reach Changtian.

Chang'e could easily carry him to Changtian. But that would mean abandoning Daji and the others.

He didn't want to do that, so he had to take a detour to Fifth Paradise first.

He still held a sliver of hope that the tide had receded.

After all, the information provided by Chang'e is not the latest; it's all old news from over forty years ago.

But Yu Qing's wishful thinking was quickly shattered. The vast ocean stretched out endlessly before him.

Chang'e, perhaps unable to see Yu Qing's expression, pointed excitedly at the sea and shouted:

"My lord, I didn't lie to you, did I? The sea has already submerged this entire area!"

"What are you yelling for? You think you have eyes?" Yan'er said irritably.

Chang'e realized that the situation was not what everyone expected, and that it was inappropriate to cheer at this time. So she silently landed on the beach without saying a word.

Actually, this was the first time everyone had seen the vastness of the sea in person. In the past, our concept of the sea was an imagination based on various information and textual descriptions.

Looking at the sea, Yu Qing was still a little shocked.

He then bent over, looked at the sea, and said, "Looking east to Changtian, I see the Naihe River and the vast sea. How calm the water is, yet how surging the waves rise."

Chang'e was extremely perceptive and saw through Yu Qing's thoughts, so she said to him:

"How about I fly another hundred kilometers or so and see if it's still like this up ahead? You guys wait here for now?"

"How long would that take to go back and forth?"

"Only half an hour."

So Chang'e flew off alone to check the situation, while Yao Dan and the others waited for Yu Qing by the sea.

Yan'er waited for more than ten minutes before becoming impatient and dragged Furong to the beach to play in the sand.

They kept waving at Yu Qing and calling out, "Honey, come on over!"

Yu Qing, who had never played in the sand before, couldn't resist their repeated temptations and joined their game.

They pressed him down in the sandpit, saying it was to cool him down.

He let them do as they pleased, even pretending to enjoy it.

Yao Dan and Da Ji simply stood by and watched, occasionally reminding Yan'er to watch out for the waves.

At that moment, no one noticed that a great danger was about to befall them.

Suddenly, a row of unusual waves rushed towards them from the sea.

Just as Yao Dan was complaining about Chang'e's delayed return, a wave suddenly surged several meters high, and a dozen monsters with human faces and fish bodies rushed straight at Yu Qing.

They left Yan'er and Furong behind, surrounded Yu Qing, grabbed his clothes and helmet, and dragged him into the deep sea.

This was the first time Yu Qing had ever faced so many ferocious monsters he had never seen before, and he couldn't help but scream.

Yan'er and Furong were also frightened and rushed over to help.

Upon hearing the cries, Yao Dan and Daji took to the air and flew towards the monster, immediately slashing at it with their light blades while grabbing Yu Qing's clothes to pull him up from the air. Yan'er quickly found her position, supporting Yu Qing's helmet, and together with Yao Dan and the others, pulled him into the air.

Although Furong was a beat slower, she grabbed one of Yuqing's legs and flew into the air.

Two of the monsters were even lifted into the air and clung tightly to Yu Qing's clothes until Yao Dan and the others cut them in two and threw them down.

Yao Dan and the others worked together to pull Yu Qing away from the beach and fly back the way they came.

When they reached about ten miles from the sea, they stopped, put Yu Qing in the middle of the road, and checked him for injuries.

Yu Qing was panting heavily and couldn't speak for a long time.

Yan'er stamped her foot and exclaimed, "My darling is terrified!"

Yao Dan shoved Yan'er and Furong aside and yelled, "You're asking for it! Don't drag my husband into this!"

Daji quickly said, "My dear, you're alright, that's a blessing. Don't blame them anymore. Who knew there was a monster lurking in the water!"

Yan'er, naturally unconvinced, retorted, "Don't you always mock us for being old-fashioned? Why didn't your advanced technology detect the movement in the water?"

The argument was quite lively, and it eventually woke Yu Qing up. He took a breath, patted the ground, and said, "Stop!"

He sighed deeply and muttered to himself, "Is there no place for me in this vast world?"

Yao Dan comforted him, "Don't be afraid, my husband. We're here. Those things can't hurt you."

Yu Qing sighed, "More than two hundred years ago, people spared no effort to protect endangered species, and now we are finally an endangered species as well."

Meanwhile, when Chang'e returned from scouting the area, she found the beach deserted and assumed that Yu Qing and the others had taken a detour. She flew around searching for them but still couldn't find them. She had no choice but to return the way she came and that's when she finally encountered them again.

Yao Dan was furious when he saw Chang'e and yelled, "Didn't you say you'd be back in half an hour? Look how long it's been now!"

Chang'e, unaware of what had happened, protested, "Who told you to leave the seaside? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Furong said, "My baby was attacked by a monster at the beach!"

Chang'e rushed to Yu Qing's side and asked, "My lord, are you alright? Let me see if you are injured."

Yan'er pushed her away and said, "Wait till you see, the daylily is all cold!"

Yu Qing quickly separated them on either side, saying, "Calm down, both of you. Chang'e, do you know what that human-faced monster in the sea is all about?"

Chang'e said, "Oh, they were actually descended from humans. In their early days, their ancestors played the legendary mermaids in aquariums. Later, wasn't gene grafting for superiority a popular trend?"
They genetically grafted fish gills onto their ears, allowing them to stay submerged in water all day without needing to breathe.

Later, people lost interest in the aquarium and it became unsustainable. So, in order to attract customers and satisfy their curiosity, they grafted fish bodies onto their lower bodies.

As you know, human interests are constantly changing, and before long people lose interest in them.

As a result, they became increasingly impoverished and no longer had the means to re-enter human form.

The worst part is that 2C10 years later, because their bodies were no longer 100% human, they were defined as animals according to the laws at the time.

Therefore, they eventually had no choice but to live in the sea.

“It’s an animal, or a monster!” Yan’er said.

At this moment, Chang'e listened carefully, quickly picked up Yu Qing and said to everyone, "Let's hurry back to Wengshan, it's not safe here either."

"Why do you say that, Chang'e? Tell everyone what you know, so that we won't be caught off guard again."

Chang'e said, "You should know about Yu Lin's matter, right? That experimental park was very controversial from the beginning, but it was opened anyway amidst the controversy."

They have almost successfully replicated all the plants and animals described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

This incident sparked strong public opposition and ultimately led to an order to close the park.

However, Yu Lin, the park's chief zoologist and botanist, was very dissatisfied with this, believing that it was the culmination of his life's work. So, on the eve of the park's closure, he turned off the electronic fences and released a large number of exotic birds and monsters.

Those artificial animals quickly fled to all parts of Earth, but people didn't know the details until more than a month later when Yu Lin committed suicide and people learned the truth.

But by then, those animals had already spread all over the world.

Therefore, an unknown monster may be lurking in any of the mountains and forests. As a result, those areas have become forbidden zones for humans.

However, we haven't encountered any beasts that dare to attack humanoid women yet; killing them is as easy as stepping on an ant. As long as my lord stays with us, his safety is not a problem.”

Yan'er said, "We were with the baby just now, and those sea monsters still attacked people!"

Yao Dan said, "Stop arguing. That's different. I deduce that those mermaids must hate humans to death, so they were willing to sacrifice themselves."

Daji said, "That makes sense."

Yu Qing sighed, "If any of you hate me, I'll be torn to pieces in a heartbeat."
Ladies, my nemesis, my darling, my sweetheart, I beg you all to spare my life.

Everyone burst into laughter. Chang'e whispered, "I'll risk my life to protect you!"

Yu Qing suddenly remembered something and asked Chang'e, "I know that Daji and the others don't have an information exchange module, but Yaodan does. Could you send your new information to Yaodan? That way, we'll have another helper to deal with the current situation."

Chang'e stammered, "This...the format...is different."

Yao Dan snorted and said, "Forget it! They're hoarding it."

After that, we flew back to Gu Yi's villa in Wengshan in silence. It was all for nothing.

But what gave Yu Qing an even bigger headache was that he wanted to take a shower, but he didn't know how to arrange it.

He was used to being waited on, but he wasn't used to them all surrounding him, rubbing him and pinching him.

At this moment, he really hoped that someone would volunteer to wash away his bad luck for the day, but they didn't seem to have any such intention.

He could only give her a quick, subtle kick, making a tickling motion, hoping she would tell him.

But Chang'e had never served anyone a bath, so she naturally couldn't understand what this meant.

Yao Dan was also confused for the same reason. Only Daji knew what he was up to at a glance.

Daji said, "My dear has had a terrible day and is exhausted. I'll help him wash up. But I need to find someone to help me. Who's there?"

Yan'er quickly said, "I'll help you!"

Yao Dan sneered, "Don't scare your husband with those big hands of yours."

Seeing that another trouble was about to break out, Yu Qing hurriedly said, "Please stop making a scene. Just Daji is enough."

Yan'er was in charge of adding water, Yaodan prepared towels to wipe her back, and Chang'e prepared clean clothes.

Furong asked timidly, "And what about me?"

"You... clean the air-conditioned clothes."

After taking a bath, Yu Qing was in a good mood and said to everyone:

“You guys are all in such a mess, always bickering and causing trouble. I think you need to get to the bottom of this.”

Yao Dan laughed and said, "How will the selection be conducted? Will everyone have to follow the leader's arrangements from now on?"

"Yes, otherwise things will get chaotic. As for how to choose, Furong, go to Gu Yi's study and get some drawing paper and brushes."

Each of you write the name of the person you choose on a piece of paper and put it on the table in front of you. I'll count the votes; whoever gets the most votes will be the leader.

Everyone agreed on this approach and quickly got to work.

After the vote was completed, Yu Qing smiled.

Yao Dan hurriedly asked, "Who has the most votes?"

Yu Qing laughed and said, "Everyone has one vote, which means you're all voting for yourselves to be the leader! How about this, let fate decide who becomes the leader?"

Chang'e said, "I can't calculate it. How did Heaven decide it?"

Yu Qing said, "Now I will crumple all the ballots you cast into balls and shuffle them. Then each of you will shuffle them again. Finally, I will randomly draw one ballot from the balls. Whoever's name is written on it will be the leader among you."

Actually, this was just a trick by Yu Qing. If he had just randomly chosen someone as the leader, it might have been even worse than before. After some deliberation, he decided that Daji was the most suitable person to be the leader, so as to achieve a delicate balance.

Yan'er and Furong could not be the boss, but they were promoted by Daji, so they could accept Daji as their boss.

Chang'e and Yao Dan were not convinced by each other and regarded each other as their rivals. They would rather have a third party take the lead than have their rival suppress them. Therefore, even if they could not be the leader, they could not let the other party take the lead.

While Yu Qing was crumpling the paper, he secretly stuffed his booger into Daji's ticket.

When he pulled out the crumpled paper, he deliberately squinted and brought his nose close to smell it, picking out the paper with Daji on it.

He quickly unfolded the paper ball, covered the booger inside with his palm, wiped it away, and then said with feigned surprise, "Heh! Daji can actually be the boss!"

(End of this chapter)