Chapter 73
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Chapter 73: A Little Shock
Luo Yu sat in a space seat by the window of the government plane, turning to look outside. The plane had already left Liujin City and was flying over an unknown flatland city. She could see the ground illuminated by crisscrossing light trails, densely blinking like a swarm of glowing insects feeding off the energies of the planet while simultaneously releasing toxins that could destroy all beings, including themselves.
Her disgust for this civilization reached a new height at that moment. Above the flickering cityscape, a massive screen appeared, displaying a familiar world — picturesque mountains and clear waters, peaceful and tranquil, imbued with a sense of vibrancy.
Zhu Huai had edited this video, and it was a private agreement among the three of them to be broadcast. They knew that if this video were handed over to the Space Administration, it would likely never see the light of day. However, they felt it necessary to give a pre-apocalyptic reminder to the people of this world, hoping many would awaken from their unrealistic fantasies about certain individuals.
Thus, Zhu Huai had secretly made adjustments to the closed deployment process, allowing the video to be sent through the time capsule’s panel to the recovery center for maintenance. It triggered the screen using the previously undetectable positioning module.
Watching the flickering screen below, Zhu Huai proudly shook her legs. "The recovery center boasted about their technical barriers, but I found their loophole."
Luo Yu quietly observed the screen, which showcased the technology level and cultural ideals of the Ponsuo Tribe, including some basic human physiological knowledge such as childbirth, menstruation, and body fat, all of which had been misunderstood in this world. However, this video did not contain any information related to the cycle of civilization, as they decided to hold back on that for now.
The government plane flew swiftly, and before long, they were moving farther away from the screen below. At this point, most employees of the Space Administration should have already gone home. If such an anomaly occurred, it would take at least half an hour for the duty personnel of the recovery center to be summoned back to fix it. The length of their video was exactly half an hour.
This time, the video deployment density was roughly one sky curtain every five hundred kilometers, synchronously broadcasted over major cities. The government plane they were on flew at about a thousand kilometers per hour, so by the time they reached the next sky curtain deployment city, the Space Administration would likely have reacted.
Zhu Huai picked up a panel and connected to an encrypted network, beginning her search on various platforms for tonight’s sky curtain.
Luo Yu also stood up from her seat and walked over to sit on the sofa beside her to watch the online discussions.
Zhu Huai clicked on one video platform, and sure enough, people everywhere were uploading recordings of the sky curtain, captioned as follows:
[Parallel Time Appears Above]
[Just got off work and looked up to see an alternate world breaking through]
[Is this the matriarchal society of a parallel world?]
[Curse those time smugglers, send me back!]
[Ladies, our home planet has come for us!]
Luo Yu and Zhu Huai scrolled through the various creative takes of netizens, sharing a knowing smile on the sofa. But as they continued to scroll, comments from “reasonable” individuals began to appear:
[Looks fake; should be a pilot for a new ad.]
[A matriarchal society could never reach this level.]
[Too idealistic; it’s poorly scripted.]
The two exchanged glances and shook their heads with smiles, continuing to read. A debate erupted over the validity of the social systems depicted in the sky curtain and the authenticity of the showcased technology, with some even discussing the advantages of menstruation and body fat.
One post caught their attention, titled: Ladies, stop dieting!!!
Zhu Huai clicked in and found an avalanche of exclamation marks, with a concise content arguing that most women today didn’t even have excess body fat yet still felt the need to diet, thereby losing their natural advantages. Many comments supported this, but there were also opposing views:
[You’re just encouraging others while you yourself are a fatty!]
[Is loving beauty a crime?]
[But I naturally have a baby belly [wounded].]
[My husband says he only likes me when I’m slim.]
[So what if I want to be thin? Women deserve body freedom.]
"I can’t take it anymore," Zhu Huai sighed deeply, then snapped the panel shut with a "slap." She leaned back, clutching her chest. “If I keep watching, I’ll need to breathe oxygen. I bet the one claiming to love beauty has a pig’s head lying next to her.”
Luo Yu shook her head helplessly. “We’ve done what we needed to do; the rest is up to them.” After saying this, she reached for the panel, reopening it to check a few more platforms where discussions were fervent.
She was browsing when she suddenly noticed an urgent international news bulletin: [Severe leak at the nuclear waste processing station in Poli Port of the Northern Continent]. She quickly tugged at Zhu Huai to come and see.
Zhu Huai sat up and leaned closer, and the two of them opened the news together. The report described an incident at the Poli Port nuclear waste processing station that evening, where workers got into a fight after drinking, causing a fire in a warehouse that ignited a nuclear waste processing line. This led to a significant amount of nuclear waste flowing into the bay, and the surrounding sea radiation detectors quickly picked up abnormalities, issuing warnings and sending reports to the Global Environment Agency. Media from various countries worked overnight to cover the story.
Luo Yu frowned as she finished reading the article. Ever since the globally shocking nuclear leak incident ten years ago, many nuclear power plants and waste processing stations had installed radiation detectors. Over the years, the International Territorial Waters Convention Agency had been dedicated to purifying and controlling oceanic nuclear pollution, barely managing to halt the deterioration of marine environments. Now, this nuclear leak might undo a decade’s worth of efforts.
Zhu Huai sighed deeply. "Another man-made disaster!" After saying this, she remembered the two tubes of radiation protection agents that Ji Shu had given them, which they were each safeguarding. "Once we land, we need to find a suitable deployment site quickly. Poli Port is relatively remote, so if we deploy the agents in the next couple of days, we should make it in time to at least save some people."
Luo Yu nodded solemnly. She accessed the sea area and current requirements that Ji Shu had sent them earlier. Fortunately, the place they were headed to was in the subtropical sea, which was suitable for deploying the radiation protection agents. However, they would need to confirm the specific current direction once they landed.
After discussing their plan, they realized it was getting late, so they returned to their respective rest chambers. After washing up, Luo Yu lay on the narrow bed in her chamber, gazing out at the dim night color. After a while, she pulled down the blackout shade, adjusted the room temperature, and then fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Luo Yu woke up gently to a reminder from the Captain. The voice from the cockpit announced that they were expected to land at Wind Island on the Neutral Continent in one hour, asking everyone to prepare and return to their seats to fasten their seatbelts in half an hour. The announcement also included the local weather and temperature.
After hearing the announcement, Luo Yu sat up, rubbed her eyes, and opened the blackout shade. Blinding sunlight filled the rest chamber instantly. After washing up, she opened the door and saw Zhu Huai already sitting on the sofa, holding the panel from the previous day.
Luo Yu greeted her, "You’re up early."
Zhu Huai glanced up at her. "Not much sleep."
Luo Yu poured herself a cup of coffee from the nearby machine and sat down next to Zhu Huai. "What happened?"
Zhu Huai tapped the panel in her hands. "When I got back last night, I thought these events wouldn’t continue to grow, so I made a backup overnight. Sure enough, this morning, I noticed that everything had vanished. The sky curtain video and nuclear leak news are all gone, and the accounts that posted yesterday have either been deleted or banned."
Luo Yu took the panel she handed over and looked. Sure enough, the keywords [matriarchal], [sky curtain], [Poli Port], and [nuclear leak] were blocked on major platforms. They had anticipated that the spread of the sky curtain would be cut off shortly after it appeared, but the speed of this censorship exceeded Luo Yu’s expectations. It might have been expedited due to the Poli Port incident, leading to a swift response.
Luo Yu contemplated for a moment and said, "This leak is likely more serious than reported. Keep the backup safe; once we land, we need to find a place to deploy the agents quickly."
Just as she finished speaking, a gentle "ding" sounded from above: "Dear passengers, the plane is preparing to land. Please fasten your seatbelts. We will arrive at Wind Island International Government Airport in ten minutes."
Luo Yu and Zhu Huai exchanged glances and said nothing further, adjusting their seatbelts while Zhu Huai stored the panel away.
Soon, they landed with a slight bump, and the cabin announcement stated that they had arrived at Wind Island. The announcement concluded with local weather information, and as soon as it finished, a communication device rang. Luo Yu walked up to answer, and the screen displayed Yao Chi’s image.
"I received word that you’ve landed," Yao Chi said with a neutral expression, gazing at the two of them. "There were sky curtains deployed above various locations last night. Do you have any insights on this matter?"
This private government plane was usually used by Yao Chi, and Zhu Long told them it was borrowed for their trip. They understood that the task at the Noah Launch Site had the support of the Special Operations Department.
The plane was not equipped with any surveillance, and the only crew members were the Captain and Co-pilot, with no attendants, meaning conversations would not be recorded. Last night, Luo Yu and Zhu Huai used Zhu Huai’s encrypted network to browse the internet, not connecting to the plane’s wireless network, so Yao Chi ideally should not know.
Therefore, when Luo Yu and Zhu Huai heard this question, they exchanged uncertain glances and turned back to Yao Chi on the screen, saying together, "Sky curtain? What sky curtain? We don’t know."
The brief words used all their acting skills, but it seemed Yao Chi saw right through them. She looked at them with a playful expression that suggested she understood their deception. "I’ll pretend I don’t know about this. Just take care of what Zhu Long instructed you to do, and don’t be slippery." Without waiting for their response, the screen went dark.
Luo Yu and Zhu Huai sighed in relief as they looked at the black screen. At that moment, the Captain approached them, inquiring warmly about their journey. He then mentioned that their car had arrived to pick them up. They hurriedly grabbed their luggage and followed the Captain down the stairs, where a black government vehicle was indeed waiting.
They rode in the car for over an hour, arriving at an apartment that Zhu Long had arranged for them. Zhu Long left a message saying the money was ready and placed it on a card on the coffee table in the apartment. She mentioned that their identities as international citizens would be ready tomorrow and instructed them to wait for news to head to the Noah Launch Site.
Luo Yu replied to Zhu Long and reported their safe arrival to Ying Zhao and Hu Jiao. Since Zhu Huai didn’t sleep well the night before and was tired by noon, the two ordered takeout for lunch. Luo Yu reminded her that their appointment with the head of the asexual reproduction laboratory was scheduled for tomorrow, encouraging her to take a nap first, as she still had some matters to attend to.
Zhu Huai didn’t ask further, setting down her things before going to shower and sleep. Luo Yu sat in the living room for a while, not rushing to leave, and rested until just before dusk. She then left a message for Zhu Huai and stepped out of the apartment.
She knew of a place where she could get the most authoritative real-time current model, allowing her to find the most accurate deployment point to cover the radiation protection agents quickly. She walked confidently for five blocks, arriving in front of a familiar building. It was just after work hours, and the area was bustling with people. She put on a hat and quietly waited outside.
She could have gone in directly, but to avoid complications and potential obstructions, she decided to wait until dark to act.
Patiently, she waited outside until late at night when the area was empty. She then stealthily approached the back door, skillfully avoiding the surveillance cameras as she climbed over two gates and crawled up a pipeline to the third floor, entering a beautifully decorated office through the window.
Upon entering, she headed straight to the desk, starting her search. Suddenly, all the lights in the office turned on, startling her.
"After being expelled from the Space Administration, you turned to a life of crime?" a voice came from the other end of the office. She quickly turned around, bumping into the nearby desk and knocking over a nameplate that read: Director of the International Territorial Waters Convention Agency, Chairman of the Global Ocean Protection Association, below which was a large name: Wen Yang.
She hurriedly propped the nameplate back up, smiling awkwardly at the newcomer. "Mom… what a coincidence."
