Countdown to Awakening

"Do you think you can change history? You're delusional! History flows endlessly, and even a small change can affect the entire body! How can you even begin to change it?!" A dull, gender-neutral voice rang out.

This sounds very meaningful, but strangely, I can't find the source of the sound...

Who is it? Who could it be?!

Qi Yuanyuan suddenly woke up from her sleep!

Who? Whose voice is that?!

Although it was cool around, her clothes were still soaked with sweat.

She sat up slowly and looked around for a while before coming to her senses. "Is this... a hospital? Didn't I... faint?" Just as she was about to put her hand on her head, she felt a painful tugging sensation on her hand. She looked down and saw that she was still on IV drip.

She only remembered that it was already December, but she fainted from the heat right after leaving school...and woke up in the hospital? Who could have brought her here?

She swallowed, feeling thirsty. She decisively removed the needle and got out of bed. She glanced at the bottle of mineral water on the table, hesitant. Finally, she spoke slowly, "I've been poisoned and have cancer. Although I've been taking effective medication, I know there's no cure anymore... The world is almost over. I might as well leave this bottle of water for someone in need." She grabbed the bottle and hugged it tightly, then slowly, with difficulty, walked out of the ward.

In the corridor, she saw many people in formal wear, both men and women... They were laughing and partying, taking pictures of each other, as if everything that was happening had nothing to do with them.

Qi Yuanyuan smiled bitterly.

Yes, how could she forget that these people only cared about their own happiness and didn't care about the lives of others...

She was the youngest history teacher at a city high school, a graduate of the history department. The year was 2037. What happened a hundred years ago in the history books? While the few words in the books weren't enough to make anyone remember, she knew it all! And now, these people were partying in inappropriate clothing? How ignorant, how shameful!

She closed her eyes and stopped looking at those people, but continued walking until she reached the first floor.

During this time, she held the water tightly in her arms.

Inside the hall, a robot was broadcasting the news: sewage had polluted all the world's oceans, causing the extinction of fish and algae...

Wars rage on in some places; the number of COVID-19 cases rises somewhere; air pollution reaches its highest point; the Earth is getting hotter, and humans can no longer adapt to the temperature...

There is also an apology statement from a certain country:

"I'm so sorry, but it's already happened and there's nothing we can do..."

It’s really a joke…

She was only 23 years old. She remembered more than just her grandmother saying that the environment was good everywhere before she was born. The ocean was blue, the sky was blue, just like always; and it wasn't so hot then.

But I don't know when it started, it's getting hotter and hotter, and even starting in 2023, the oceans are getting sick...

Her thoughts flew away, and she endured the pain and moved to the door.

As she exited the hospital, she was greeted by the ten suns still blazing. Without her special uniform, she felt like she was melting from the heat. She nearly fainted again… but she persevered, slowly walking towards the nearby flowerbed.

Looking up, the ink-black sky was filled with thick industrial smoke and flying plastic bags, a riot of color, even more vibrant and eye-catching than a rainbow after rain.

There is no sun, but the temperature is still very high.

She was used to it...but she just wasn't willing to give up.

Qi Yuanyuan squatted beside the flower bed, holding a bottle of mineral water in one hand and digging at the soil in the flower bed with the other.

"..." As she dug, Qi Yuanyuan suddenly burst into tears. "Wuwuwu..." Although she was filled with reluctance, Qi Yuanyuan still raised her hand that had just dug the soil and covered her mouth, trying her best to prevent herself from making any sound.

After calming down, she continued digging. Because it was too hot outside, she had to wipe the sweat from her forehead while speeding up.

A few minutes later, a pit of medium depth appeared in front of us.

Overjoyed, she quickly buried the bottle of mineral water in the pit. "Plastic takes 200 years to degrade. Even after it expires, this bottle of water is cleaner than any other. If someone digs it up later, I'll have done a huge favor!" Qi Yuanyuan was delighted at the thought.

The bottle of mineral water was successfully hidden in the pit. She looked at the small raised mound again before leaving with satisfaction.

But returning to the ward was difficult. After just a few moments of sun exposure, her exposed skin had already turned red. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and her hospital gown was so soaked it had changed color.

In the distance, a man in special uniform ran towards her.

"Hey, Yuanyuan, why did you come out? It's a good thing you didn't stay out in the sun for too long, otherwise you would have gotten sunburned again. Go back quickly. Oh, why is your mouth so dirty? Even if you're hungry, you can't really eat dirt..." From the sound of her voice, it was Teacher Li Tong from the school. Li Tong wiped the dirt from her mouth as she spoke.

Her tone was very much like that of a kindergarten teacher who manages kindergarten children.

After entering the hospital, Qi Yuanyuan looked back at the plastic bags flying all over the sky, and the pain in her heart was once again magnified... "Teacher Li, the sky used to be so clear and blue, why has everything changed now?"

"Teacher Qi, you should go back quickly. Don't worry about these insignificant things. If it weren't for the disaster 14 years ago, all the seas would be blue now. This has nothing to do with us. 14 years have passed. If it could have been stopped, it would have been stopped long ago. We are just ordinary people. What big waves can we cause?"

After hearing this, Qi Yuanyuan didn't agree, but she couldn't say she was wrong... We were all ordinary people, and it wouldn't cause much of a stir...

This incident didn't seem to be on the hot search list once, everyone seemed to have lost their memory...

If no one cares, it will continue to be polluted...

After thinking this through, Qi Yuanyuan, supported by Teacher Li, returned to the ward. Unexpectedly, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She clutched her chest, a look of pain on her face, and then froze in place.

"and many more……"

"Teacher Qi...what's wrong with you?" Teacher Li said hurriedly.

Qi Yuanyuan's lips slowly turned pale, and the color drained from her face. "I'm afraid I can't hold on any longer... I don't have the strength to go on. Go call a doctor, or a medical robot..."

It seems she doesn't have much time left. Well... this world is already in tatters.

The next second, Qi Yuanyuan's eyes went dark and she fell forward.

But her consciousness had not yet dissipated. For some reason, she kept thinking that if she could successfully prevent the outbreak of the plague seventeen years ago, perhaps the world would become a better place...

if it is possible……

"Can you do it? Then go ahead! Go and change!" The voice rang out again...

-

The smell of medicine filled her nose—she woke up. She looked around and found herself in an unfamiliar environment, and quite noisy...

She lay in bed in the large room, next to an old wooden table. While the place looked a bit shabby, it was still tidy. It was definitely not the look expected of a place her age.

Where is she? Wasn't she dead? Just as I was thinking about it, a memory that didn't belong to her suddenly popped up in my mind...

At this moment, a strange middle-aged man came in from outside. "Nier, are you awake?" the man asked with a smile.

The man had dark skin and a simple buzz cut. He was about 1.6 meters tall and had a very friendly vibe. Even when he smiled, it was easy to see the many wrinkles on his face, perhaps the marks of time.

She was stunned. In her new memory, this person... was her father. And he was very kind to her!

Why did a memory that didn't belong to her suddenly appear? Was she dreaming? It didn't seem like it...

Wait, did she… travel through time?! She'd never had any parents in her life. Her parents divorced early and went their separate ways. Because she was a girl, her grandparents didn't like her, so she was raised by her grandmother.

She has never felt the love from her parents...

Thinking of this, she suddenly burst into tears. "Nier, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying? Dad is so happy to know you got the acceptance letter. You didn't eat breakfast this morning. The doctor said you had hypoglycemia and you fainted. I was so worried when you were taken to the hospital... But I'm glad you're awake. Come home with Dad. Your mom made chicken soup at home."

"You...are you really my dad?" Qi Yuanyuan blurted out. She couldn't believe that she could still feel her father's love...

"Look at what you're asking... If I'm not your dad, then who else could I be? Ni'er, are you so happy that you've lost your mind? Let's go home first."

After saying this, the man helped Qi Yuanyuan out of bed. Qi Yuanyuan went out with him, still confused.