Chapter 177 The New Era

The first day of the new era, January 1st, early morning.

In the central square of the Northwest Base, the celebratory lights that had stayed on all night appeared soft in the gradually brightening sky.

There was no gunpowder smoke or putrid stench in the air, only the crisp, cool scent of a winter morning, and a faint, lingering smell of sulfur from fireworks.

Nguyen Ning stood quietly beneath the newly built monument in the center of the square.

The monument is covered with densely packed names, a list of all the victims of this base and the subsequent joint operations during the six years of the apocalypse.

The sound of steady footsteps came from behind; it was Qin Li. The general's stars on his epaulets shimmered slightly in the morning light, but his expression was more composed than it had been five years ago.

"Is everything arranged?" Ruan Ning did not turn around.

"Yes. The last batch of 'purification towers' has been installed along the eastern coast, and the monitoring network now covers the entire globe." Qin Li stood beside her, looking at the monument.

"At 3:17 PM yesterday, on a deserted island in the South Pacific, the joint cleanup team confirmed the killing of the last mutated infected. This was reported globally."

The last zombie.

The nightmare that lasted for six years has officially come to an end.

Ruan Ning remained silent for a while.

The scene from five years ago seems to be still vivid in my mind: what kind of shock did the enhanced data on "environmental stability anchors" and the basic theory of "supernatural ability guidance and purification" brought back from the Himalayan ruins cause in the Northwest Base Research Institute; how did General Luo and Qin Li withstand the pressure and make the core part of the technology public, and take this opportunity to unite the largest human bases in the capital, the south, the east sea and other major human bases to launch the first global emergency summit of the "Human Survival Council"?

The arguments, suspicions, and power struggles lasted for three whole months.

But when Ruan Ning, at the summit, used four carriers to resonate and, in a tightly protected conference room, created an "absolutely pure zone" ten meters in diameter, completely isolated from external pollution and radiation, all the debates died down.

Facts speak louder than words. The technology left over from Project Origin is real and effective.

The next five years were both crazy and full of hope.

Led by the Northwest Base, and in conjunction with the technical capabilities of other major bases, the data on the ruins was deciphered and optimized.

Based on the "carrier" principle, a simplified version of the "environmental stabilization anchor" that can be mass-produced is created—known as the "purification tower".

These towers were built in major human settlements and heavily polluted areas around the world, forming a network to continuously purify the land, water and air, and suppress and dissipate the residual energy of the "Kuroshio Current".

The "Power Guidance and Stabilization Agent" was developed. Although it cannot directly awaken powers in ordinary people, it can greatly increase the success rate of promotion for low-level power users and effectively reduce the risk of energy rampage for high-level power users.

Humanity's advanced combat capabilities have been steadily improved.

Agriculture, industry, and medical technology began to recover in a relatively stable environment.

Most importantly, loose human forces were forced to unite based on the common goal of survival and eliminating global threats.

A joint command system was established, resource and technology sharing agreements were signed, and joint cleanup forces swept away remaining zombies and mutated creature clusters worldwide.

The process was not smooth sailing.

The Xi family attempted to monopolize some key resources in the technology sharing process, which led to sanctions by the United Parliament. In a later joint operation, Xi Yuan caused significant casualties due to unauthorized actions and was sentenced to permanent imprisonment by a military court.

The remnants of the Shen family and the remaining members of the "Fuxing Society" caused some disturbances and destruction in various places, but under the general trend and joint crackdown, they gradually disappeared.

Over the past five years, Ruan Ning's team has become the most formidable "cleaners".

"What are you thinking about?" Qin Li asked.

“Thinking back on these five years,” Ruan Ning’s gaze swept over a familiar name on the monument—a comrade who had sacrificed his life in the early joint operations. “Was it worth it?”

"At least, we've seen results," Qin Li said in a low voice, "the first ray of sunshine in a new era."

On the eastern horizon, the clouds were edged with gold.

The sun is about to rise.

More people began to appear in the square.

There were soldiers and technicians wearing new uniforms and with solemn expressions;

There were ordinary residents with children, their faces showing both exhaustion and hope after surviving the disaster;

There are also familiar faces like Zhou Min, Lin Yan, and Shen Yan, who have emerged from the flames of war.

Shen Yan is now one of the chief advisors of the Joint Technology Department, while Zhou Min and Lin Yan serve as instructors at the Special Operations Academy.

The fire was surrounded by a group of excited children. It lay there docilely, its tail swaying idly.

General Luo also came over. The old man looked even older, but his eyes were still sharp. He walked up to Ruan Ning and Qin Li and solemnly saluted them.

"You've worked hard," he said.

"For survival," Qin Li replied.

General Luo nodded, looking at the growing crowd in the square, and raised his voice: "Today, we stand here not because of victory, but because of survival. We have lost too much, but we have finally regained the right to continue living on this planet. The New Era is not heaven, the ruins are still there, the pain is still there, but we have the opportunity and hope to clear the ruins and heal the pain."

His voice carried throughout the square through the loudspeaker:

"On this day, we offer our condolences to all the deceased."

"On this day, a new beginning is born."

Suppressed sobs rose from the crowd, followed by increasingly loud applause and cheers mixed with weeping.

The sun finally rose above the horizon, its golden rays bathing the square, illuminating every face, whether tearful or hopeful, the new buildings, the old walls being demolished in the distance, and the land beginning to turn green further away.

Ruan Ning felt a warm, gentle sensation emanating from the jade pendant around her neck, while the other three pendants resonated softly in her pocket.

They have completed their mission and have transformed from "keys" into "memorials".

She looked at Qin Li, and Qin Li was looking at her too. Both of them had weariness and heaviness in their eyes, but more than anything, there was a relieved calm, and a hint of uncertainty and anticipation for the future.

"What are your plans next?" Qin Li asked.

Ruan Ning looked toward the edge of the square, where new schools, hospitals, and research institutes were being planned.

“At the research institute, we still need manpower for more in-depth data analysis of the ‘Origin’ project and long-term observation of the origins of the ‘Black Tide’. Also,” she paused, “the United Council has passed the ‘Civilization Reconstruction and Historical Archives Project,’ and I want to participate. To record the events of the ‘Origin’ project over the past six years, or even earlier. They shouldn’t be forgotten.”

“A good choice.” Qin Li smiled. “I may have to stay at the joint command for a while longer. There’s still a lot to do, such as wrapping up the global cleanup, building a new defense system, and dealing with the remaining small groups of unstable forces in various places.”

“My grandparents called yesterday and said that the newly designated residential area in the inner city has a nice environment and urged us to go back and take a look.” Ruan Ning’s lips curled up slightly. “Da Huo seems to like it there too, saying that there is a big courtyard.”

"Then let's go back and take a look." Qin Li nodded.

The two stopped talking and watched side by side as the crowd in the square gradually dispersed in the morning light, beginning their work and life on the first day of the new era.

A new era has begun.

What lies ahead is no longer a battle for survival, but a long and arduous process of reconstruction, a difficult yet hopeful process of civilization sprouting anew from the ruins.

But at least, they won the right to "begin".

In the distance, the newly built clock tower tolled a deep, resonant chime, announcing the start of the first official working day of the new era.