Chapter 12 Awakening Day

12. Awakening Day

The strange phenomenon in the sky lasted for a long time, and even as night fell, the sky remained shrouded in an eerie red glow. Under the influence of the red light, communications were severely disrupted; mobile phones could no longer make calls, and internet and broadcast television experienced significant lag.

After putting Jiang Xiaoheng to sleep, Jiang Rong closed all the doors and windows of the house. Although the mutated plants and animals were not very strong in the early stages of the crisis, he still lowered the blinds outside the windows as a precaution.

Jiang Rong sat in his study and turned on his computer. Based on his understanding from his previous life, the anomaly had already begun after the sky turned red. He was doing alright in the countryside, but people in the city should already be dying.

He skillfully opened the most popular forum on Baidu Tieba. As soon as he opened it, half of the posts on the homepage were about how beautiful the sky was today, while the other half were complaining about how laggy the internet was.

While the page was still loading, Jiang Rong went to the kitchen and poured himself a large glass of water. When he returned, the post he was looking for had already appeared.

Two months ago, he anonymously posted on Baidu Tieba with an eye-catching title: "In three months, more than half the world's population will die." The post detailed the major crisis and the situation of humanity afterward, and even included a list of stockpiled goods.

He thought that a sensational title would attract more attention. But to his surprise, very few people commented on the post, and most people laughed at his wild idea.

It's not surprising, though; people have worried about the end of the world since ancient times. Every now and then, some talk of the world being about to be destroyed pops up. Yet each time, the world is intact, and humanity still sees the sun rise. Over time, people have gotten used to it, and when they see these kinds of posts, they just laugh it off.

Jiang Rong's previous post had long been buried and could no longer be found, but luckily he had bookmarked it, so he could still see its contents. He drank water while scrolling down the page, and after a long period of lag, he finally saw a bunch of comments mocking him below the post.

"Is the original poster still asleep?"

"It is absolutely impossible for most people to die overnight unless a nuclear war breaks out."

"I'm writing this as proof that the poster doesn't have a penis."

Jiang Rong: ...

Jiang Rong stared blankly at the screen; the online reactions were similar to what he had expected. Whether they believed it or not was their business, but whether he spoke out was his own; he was doing this simply for peace of mind.

After leaving Tieba, Jiang Rong opened the local forum, where he could see all the news that had happened in D City within the last 24 hours.

Sure enough, one post jumped to the top: It's terrifying! A family of three from my neighborhood went out for a walk and suddenly the whole family disappeared!

This is a news article with pictures and text, and it also includes a video.

In the video, the homeowner encountered a family of three from next door as soon as they stepped outside, and the four of them greeted each other warmly. The homeowner then walked behind the three towards the gate of the residential complex.

But before they had walked more than ten meters, the video suddenly started shaking violently. In the video, the neighbor's wife screamed, and then the family of three collapsed. The person watching the video rushed forward to try and perform CPR, but all three had stopped breathing.

Just as the person who posted the video was calling for emergency medical assistance, shouts and screams came from the side: "Help! Someone help!" It seemed that more people had collapsed.

The video's creator's voice, trembling with sobs, rang out: "What happened? What happened? So many people have collapsed, waaaaah..." The video ended there, but the creator's terrified voice left a deep impression on everyone who watched it.

This is not an isolated incident; many commenters shared similar experiences with their neighbors, friends, and family members. One moment they were talking to each other, and the next they suddenly collapsed.

People are speculating about what caused the deaths. Some guessed it was a gas leak, others suspected a chemical weapon, and still others wondered if the red halo in the sky was the culprit...

The various conflicting claims only fueled public panic, and the authorities were powerless to do anything about it, only issuing a notice urging citizens to go home immediately and not linger outside.

Most of those who collapsed died on the spot, while only a very few fainted with high fever. Those who were unconscious were carried onto ambulances and rushed to the hospital.

Upon seeing such photos or videos, Jiang Rong frowned slightly.

On this day in his previous life, he went to bed early. But in this life, he is witnessing a crisis unfold.

Based on his understanding from his previous life, on Awakening Day, some people would awaken their superpowers. These superpowered individuals would experience a high fever and fainting upon awakening; the higher the level of their superpower, the longer and more intense the fever would last. This was a natural selection process; as long as one could survive the high fever, they would gain their superpower.

Therefore, those feverish individuals who are carried into the hospital have a high chance of becoming new humans in the wasteland world.

Jiang Rong opened her phone again and glanced at the screen. In comparison, the situation in D City was relatively better; some cities had already descended into complete chaos.

A person collapsing is just the beginning; the terrifying part is the chain of reactions that follow. For example, a bus driver suddenly loses consciousness, and the uncontrolled vehicle crashes into the roadside. A worker in a chemical plant collapses, causing a chemical spill and an explosion…

The number of shocking casualties is increasing, and the videos and photos from the scene are chilling. The sounds of police cars and ambulances rushing by are constant.

Seeing this, Jiang Rong created a new thread titled: "Why are so many people suddenly dying? Is it the end of the world?"

He pretended to be an ordinary person and cried for a few minutes, then posted a link to the post he wrote on Baidu Tieba.

After doing all this, Jiang Rong turned off his phone. He had done what he could, more than enough. The rest was no longer his concern.

Just as Jiang Rong was about to get up, he suddenly felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, and saw stars before his eyes. At the same time, his strength was rapidly disappearing, and he collapsed to the ground uncontrollably.

The wheels under the chair screeched against the floor, and Jiang Rong crashed heavily to the ground, panting like an ox that had run 800 meters. He struggled to raise his hand to touch his forehead, the heat of his palm making his heart leap into his throat.

Oh no, he has a fever! Is he about to awaken?

Seeing its owner fall to the ground, Lele anxiously licked Jiang Rong's face. It lay beside Jiang Rong, whimpering, not knowing what had happened. Jiang Rong, panting heavily, said to Lele, "Lele, go call Xiao Heng, call Xiao Heng here."

His voice was rough and hoarse; the high fever had come on suddenly, catching him completely off guard. Luckily, Lele was clever; upon hearing Jiang Rong's words, it immediately ran to the bedroom. After a short while, Jiang Xiaoheng's footsteps sounded.

Jiang Rong's face flushed red, and her vision blurred. Jiang Xiaoheng's voice reached her ears, muffled, "Dad, Dad, what's wrong?"

Jiang Rong gripped Jiang Xiaoheng's hand tightly, trying to keep his eyes open and clear, but his consciousness grew increasingly muddled. He had a thousand words to say to his son, but in the end, they all boiled down to one sentence: "Don't be afraid, Dad will sleep for a few days. Xiaoheng, don't be afraid..."

Jiang Rong didn't know if Jiang Xiaoheng had heard her clearly. In the moment her consciousness left her, she only felt hot tears splashing on her cheeks.

Jiang Rong's last thought was: Oh no, Xiao Heng is going to be terrified.

Although he had fainted, Jiang Rong was not feeling well. He had a splitting headache, nightmares, and his body felt extremely heavy, sore, and aching.

He knew clearly that he was having a nightmare, a dream filled with mutated plants that blotted out the sky and grotesque mutated animals. Mutant rats swarmed like a tidal wave, and he was transported back to his past life when he was being devoured by rats, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape.

Just as he was about to be devoured by the mutated rats, the dream changed again. This time, he was in a scorching desert, his sweat evaporating rapidly. Then, it felt like he had been thrown onto an icy plain, where he shivered uncontrollably from the cold.

His consciousness was hazy, as if he were in a state of chaos, unable to discern directions or find his way back. He didn't know if he was alive or dead, or what time it was.

Countless times a voice in his heart told him: Stop resisting, close your eyes and go to sleep. You're so tired, wouldn't it be good to rest?

Jiang Rong also wanted to rest, but he also knew that once he gave in to that voice, he would never wake up again.

His death is a small matter, but what about the child? Xiao Heng is so young, how will he survive without him?

He cannot die for the sake of his child.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but the sound gradually faded into the distance. The surrounding chaos gradually cleared, and in a hazy mist, he saw a tree that blotted out the sky. This tree seemed capable of supporting the heavens and the earth; beneath this giant tree, he was as small as an ant.

He looked up at the tree calmly, wanting to remember its appearance. Just then, he faintly heard a song coming from the tree: "Daddy, Daddy, good Daddy~"

Jiang Rong was stunned for a moment. This sounded like... Xiao Heng's voice?

The giant tree's shadow flickered a few times before disappearing. Jiang Rong felt increasingly relaxed, and her consciousness rapidly returned. Xiao Heng's faint voice became clearer.

He heard his son singing in his ear, "I have a good dad..."

He felt a cool towel on his forehead, and a pair of small hands carefully adjusting its position.

Jiang Rong opened her eyes, her vision blurry. At the same time, the singing stopped abruptly, replaced by a distorted cry of alarm: "Daddy! Daddy, are you awake?"

His vision gradually cleared, and Jiang Xiaoheng's surprised yet tired face became clearer in front of him. He was lying on his back on the study floor, with his son's small blanket draped over his stomach.

Jiang Xiaoheng's eyes were red and swollen, and he held a wet towel and a children's fever-reducing patch in his hand. Seeing that Jiang Rong was awake, Jiang Xiaoheng forced a smile, trying to give his father a bright one, but as soon as he opened his mouth, tears streamed down his face. "Dad...Dad..."

Jiang Rong turned to look at the digital clock on the wall, which clearly showed: June 10th, 6:30.

He was unconscious for four days and five nights!

Author's Note:

Here's a whimsical question: If superpowers could be awakened in the apocalypse, what superpowers would you want to awaken?

Old Cat goes first: With my physique and build, I'll definitely be among the first to fall. I should just wash up and go to sleep, and stop dreaming about superpowers.