Chapter 168 Warm Sunshine in Early Winter (Unedited) Now this...
Liang Jun was woken up by the loudspeaker broadcast downstairs.
She woke up groggily and instinctively grabbed her phone from beside her pillow to take a look.
It's 7:58, two minutes to go.
Liang Jun leaned against the window and looked in the direction of the sound.
Downstairs, the familiar faces of the uncles and aunts had already begun to gather around the small table. Some were pulling down the banners hanging on both sides of the streetlights, while others were huddled together adjusting the not-so-responsive loudspeaker.
The loudspeaker's volume fluctuated, and even though Liang Jun was just casually leaning against the window, she could hear the hawking cries coming from inside.
"Collect cell phones—collect TVs—collect refrigerators—"
She watched the older generation frantically operating the equipment for a while, and Liang Jun suddenly found it quite amusing, so she couldn't help but chuckle.
The phone, which had been off, suddenly lit up automatically, and the alarm clock set for eight o'clock started ringing loudly.
At the same time, the loudspeaker downstairs also broadcast the pre-set message on time.
"The 'Post-Disaster Reconstruction Team' is now recruiting members! Our homes need rebuilding together after the disaster. Those interested are welcome to inquire."
These self-organized uncles and aunties had been waiting downstairs at her apartment for about a week, and Liang Jun wasn't initially very interested. Although she sometimes needed to go downstairs, she always avoided the time when they were packing up.
But for some reason, Liang Jun suddenly became a little interested and wanted to go downstairs to watch from a distance for a while.
I was wide awake long ago.
After getting up and quickly washing up, Liang Jun casually picked out a fluffy pajama with a large hood, wrapped it around herself, and went out the door.
A week ago, the fire that Liang Jun set off not only burned down her own bedroom, but also completely destroyed the system's last line of defense.
The bedroom, which was Liang Xun's safe zone, completely violated the system's original rule that "safe zones are always safe" the moment it was deliberately destroyed.
The safe zone is no longer safe, meaning that the system that failed to maintain this area has become a rule-breaker.
According to the previous concept, anything that violates the rules must be eliminated by the system. Therefore, the system, with no defenses, naturally could not escape the trap it had woven itself, and was ultimately devoured by the deadly situation it had carefully constructed.
The moment the system disappears, all dungeon game levels worldwide become invalid, and human players still inside the dungeons are instantly pulled back to the real world.
From this moment on, the rule-based world truly and completely disappeared.
Liang Jun emerged unharmed from the fire.
This wasn't because of the protection of a guardian spirit, but because Liang Xun actually destroyed the "bedroom" in that instance. At the same moment the instance disappeared, Liang Xun was already teleported back to the truly safe bedroom.
However, Zhu Bieming did not return to the real world with her. Their last meeting was in that scorching flame.
The guardian spirit may have completed its mission, and may never appear in the real world again. Although Liang Jun could accept this ending, for some reason, she always felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.
She carried this feeling with her and spent the first week after welcoming the newborn safely.
Liang Xuan put the huge hat over her head. The fluffy hat was heavy enough to cover her entire small face.
With one hand barely holding the brim of her hat and the other tucked into her warm pocket, Liang Yan carefully made her way to the diagonal opposite side of the "Post-Disaster Reconstruction Team" base.
The distance wasn't too close; Liang Jun even had to squint slightly to see clearly. But the group of uncles and aunts seemed to have sharp eyes, and before Liang Jun had even stood still for long, someone had already noticed her.
"Hey! Little girl! Don't just stand there watching!"
An auntie holding a hot water bottle waved at her sharply, "Come here! Come here!"
The temperature dropped rapidly these past few days; you could practically breathe out mist when you spoke. The aunt was shivering from the cold, but she resolutely threw the hot water bottle onto the table and then ran towards Liang Yun.
Before Liang Jun could react, the enthusiastic aunt had already taken her arm and led her towards the "disaster reconstruction team's" base.
"Does the little girl want to join our group?" the aunt asked familiarly.
Liang Jun lowered her hat brim even further, "I was just passing by and taking a look..."
Hearing this, the aunt laughed even harder, "It's okay, it's okay, it's fine to just take a look. If you're interested, you can join us anytime. If you're not interested, you can come chat with us and pass the time!"
The two then walked to the table. The aunt accidentally bumped the unstable table, and the loudspeaker on it seemed to be possessed, suddenly amplifying the sound playing on a loop countless times.
The "Post-Disaster Reconstruction Team" is now recruiting members.
"It's so noisy!"
The aunt frowned, slapped the loudspeaker's port twice, then deftly turned off the power and tossed it into the open backpack on the table. "Don't use this broken loudspeaker next time. It's like something out of a madman, the volume keeps fluctuating, and it scares people every now and then!"
The owner of the loudspeaker seemed to be an old man wearing an old cotton-padded coat. He looked very old with his white hair, but he was still very healthy.
He scooped up the rejected megaphone, held it close to his chest, and stroked it tenderly. "You didn't want any of the three megaphones I gave you last time. This is already my best megaphone; I don't even want to use it myself..."
The auntie wouldn't budge, "The first speaker isn't making any sound, the second speaker has a completely bad connection, and the third speaker won't even turn on—how can this be used?"
Seeing that Grandpa was about to say something more, Auntie quickly added, "If you say anything more, I won't let you take over my family's scrapped TV."
Grandpa immediately backed down, hugged the megaphone, and retreated to the side of the table.
Liang Jun stood behind her aunt the whole time, and couldn't help but laugh at the scene before her.
She had originally planned to sneak away when no one was looking, but to her surprise, the grandfather turned his attention to her. "Hey? Where did this little girl come from?"
The aunt then realized there was someone behind her and immediately greeted Liang Jun with a smile.
"Come, come, little girl, let me introduce you—"
She first rolled her eyes at her grandfather, "This is Lao Wang. He used to recycle home appliances near the vegetable market, and now he's our group's publicity officer."
She turned to the two people who were still tidying up the banners. "The one on the left, you can call him Uncle Zhang. He used to be a teacher, and now he's the deputy leader of our group. The one on the right is Xiao Wang. He's a bit younger than me. He used to drive a truck, and now he's our group's materials transportation committee member."
"There are also the planning committee member and the personnel committee member, but they went out just now. But you'll definitely recognize them when you see them—"
The auntie introduced them to Liang Xun with a smile, "The one with the bun in the back is Sister Min, she's the planning committee member; the one with the ponytail is Sister Ma, she's the personnel committee member."
After giving her introduction, the aunt puffed out her chest and said, "You can just call me Sister Liu. I used to sell insurance, and now I'm the leader of our 'Post-Disaster Reconstruction Team'."
From every perspective, Liang Jun thought they were all remarkable.
Being able to survive in a rule-based world already puts them ahead of the vast majority of people; and the fact that they can quickly adjust and refocus on repairing their real lives makes Liang Jun even more admirable.
Liang Jun respected you from the bottom of her heart, "You guys are amazing..."
Upon hearing this, Sister Liu waved her hand with a smile, "We're not that great, we were just lucky enough to catch the system crash—the truly amazing one is a young girl!"
As if she had opened a floodgate, Sister Liu began to talk non-stop: "That little girl is probably about your age. I heard that she found the loophole in the system and then perfectly used the rules to counter the system, which made those harmful dungeon games disappear completely!"
Feeling uneasy, Liang Jun decided to disappear underground.
"I heard her name is Liang Jun, and she's only a college student!"
Sister Liu, getting excited, exclaimed, "Oh my, these kids these days are amazing! I heard she has quite a few teammates, all kids around the same age. Without them, we probably wouldn't be alive today..."
Liang Jun pulled her hat down even lower.
Who exactly leaked this information...?
Only I and Zhu Bieming were present when the lighter was thrown.
Without even thinking, Liang Jun guessed who did it in just 0.01 seconds.
Liang Yan's molars were almost crushed.
If we ever have the chance to meet again, Liang Jun will definitely give this guy a good talking-to.
Sister Liu continued, "We just want to learn from these children, form a group, and try to rebuild this messy post-disaster world. Everyone should do their part and gradually return to the original normal track."
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Liang Jun. "Little girl, how about it? Would you like to join our 'Post-Disaster Reconstruction Team'?"
Liang Jun had no choice but to nod in agreement, as she couldn't leave.
Sister Liu immediately beamed with joy and pulled her closer to the table.
Sister Liu pulled a thick booklet from under the table, clutching a ballpoint pen she'd somehow produced, and looked at Liang Yun with expectant eyes.
"Young lady, what's your name? Let me register you."
"Liang Yan".
Sister Liu's hand trembled, and the ballpoint pen drew a long black line on the paper.
"What's your name?" Sister Liu asked incredulously, as if she wanted to bury her face inside her big hat to find out.
Liang Jun, hiding inside her hat, sighed softly and finally decided to take it off.
Suddenly, her view opened up, and Liang Xun realized that everyone Sister Liu had introduced earlier was now densely packed around her, staring at her in disbelief.
Liang Jun scratched her head sheepishly, "My name is Liang Jun..."
"You're the little girl who destroyed the system?!"
Liang Jun gave an awkward laugh, "Yes..."
"You're like a second parent to us!"
Liang Jun nervously waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no..."
"In that case, why don't you become the leader of our 'Post-Disaster Reconstruction Team'?"
Liang Jun smiled habitually, "Okay... oh?"
Realizing what she had blurted out, Liang Jun immediately became serious.
"No, no, no, I can't take on such an important position!" She glanced around and noticed the earnest and sincere looks in the eyes of the uncles and aunts. "You are all far more experienced than me. I'm just an ordinary college student. I'm already content to contribute my own strength to rebuilding reality. That's enough..."
Seeing Liang Jun's reluctance, the uncles and aunts present took turns trying to persuade her to accept the position.
After all sorts of excuses failed, Liang Jun had no choice but to come up with a new one: "Actually, as everyone knows, I have many teammates who fight alongside me. I'm already the captain of that squad, and I simply can't be in two places at once..."
But when Sister Liu heard this, her eyes lit up even more.
"By the way, Xiao Liang, could you ask your teammates if they would be willing to join our 'post-disaster reconstruction team'?"
She tossed the hot water bottle onto the table again. "It's not that I'm trying to break you up, and you don't necessarily have to merge into our group. You can keep your group, and then both groups can work together to build it up and share resources. That way, we have more people and more strength, and with your participation, we'll be even more confident!"
Seeing that the uncles and aunts had made concessions, Liang Jun also said that she could ask her teammates for their opinions first.
After saying that, Liang Jun stepped aside, took out her phone, and opened the WeChat chat page.
The pinned "Never Die" group chat was bustling with activity. Liang Jun opened the chat window, ignoring the "999+ new messages" notification, and went straight to the point.
Liang Jun: [If our team members were to participate in the post-disaster reconstruction work, would everyone be willing?]
The group was quiet for a few seconds, then a flood of new messages came in.
Gu Keke: [Of course I'd love to, my dear.]
Gu Keke: [I'd do anything to stay by your side.]
Qi Zhixia: [Why does your tone sound different after just a few days?]
Qi Zhixia: [Who taught you that?]
Gu Keke: [Programmer.]
There was too much information, and Liang Jun only understood it for the time being. Gu Keke had no objections.
Qi Zhixia: [I'm fine.]
Xin Sang: [I'd be willing too, one more person means one more effort!]
Ge Lin: [I'm coming too! When will you arrive!]
Seeing that the vast majority of people agreed, Liang Xun continued typing on the keyboard.
Liang Jun: [Where's Luo Chuan Ge?]
Gu Keke: [He went downstairs to buy groceries.]
Gu Keke: [This implies he agrees.]
Immediately afterward, Jiang Zhiling's chat box reappeared after a long absence.
Jiang Zhiling: [Me too.]
Jiang Zhiling: [But my injuries are quite serious right now, and I probably won't be able to get out of bed for the time being.]
If your intentions are there, everything will be alright.
Liang Jun told her to rest well and focus on healing the wounds she had sustained in the dungeon. As long as her body recovered, that would be the best news.
After sending the message, Liang Jun was just about to log out of WeChat when a new message popped up in the "Never Die" group chat—
Geng Qing: [I'll participate too.]
Long-lost acquaintances reappeared, prompting everyone to leave a flurry of messages in the group chat.
Gu Keke: [Director Geng!]
Gu Keke: [I heard you really got promoted to director! Congratulations!]
Xin Sang: [Congratulations, Director Geng!]
Jiang Zhiling: [Congratulations, Director Geng!]
Qi Zhixia: [Congratulations.]
Ge Lin: [Congratulations, Master.]
Ge Lin: [Director!]
Gu Keke: [What have you been feeding your input method all this time?]
Liang Jun couldn't help but speed up her hand movements.
Liang Jun: [Does Director Geng have time? Has the hospital been less busy lately?]
Geng Qing: [Busy.]
Geng Qing: [But hospital reconstruction is also a type of post-disaster reconstruction, so there's no difference.]
On the other side, the uncles and aunts were still anxiously waiting for their reply, so Liang Jun did not continue to participate in everyone's conversation. After collecting everyone's opinions, Liang Jun quickly stepped forward.
The hot water bottle, which she had only been holding for a short while, was once again thrown away by Sister Liu. "So, Xiao Liang? Is everyone willing?"
A smile involuntarily appeared on Liang Jun's face, and she nodded emphatically.
"Everyone is happy to participate in the post-disaster reconstruction work. In addition to myself, our team has seven other members, all of whom are very capable and outstanding talents from various industries, and they will do their best to cooperate with everyone's work!"
Seeing this, Sister Liu beamed with joy.
She eagerly sat back down at the table, turned to a new page, and asked, "What's your team's name? I'll write it down so we can communicate in the future."
The warm sunlight shone sparsely on Liang Jun, and the light in her eyes shone with the warmth of the early winter sun.
"Never to die."
-End of text-
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Author's Note: The main story ends here!
This is a very happy chapter. I couldn't help but smile while writing it. It feels like everyone has finally been reborn from the ashes and ushered in a brighter future. Everything is moving in a positive direction.
May we never die!
There will be many more side stories to come, which will further complete the plot and will definitely include character biographies.
If there's anything else you'd like to see in the spin-offs, feel free to make a wish, and I'll try my best to fulfill it!
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