If possible, Qin Zhongquan would have kept this scene in his memory on a loop, but no matter how reluctant his subconscious mind was, the story of his adoptive mother continued, like a pop-up ad that could not be paused.
"In July, the Space Force began its annual routine confrontation exercises, but the main training site was moved to near Jupiter's orbit, rather than the location between Earth and Mars, visible from both sides, as in dozens of previous exercises. Of course, astronomy enthusiasts could still see the Red and Blue forces' exchange of firepower. Back then, far more people were willing to look up at the stars than they are now. In August, the military exercises concluded successfully, and the final piece of the Deep Space Network project was completed. This remarkable achievement is the 'Solar System Internet' that has been maintained to this day. Subsequently, the Community's telecommunications management department announced that the Deep Space Network would be fully adapted for civilian use within a year, providing free internet services to all citizens..." My adoptive mother paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "But the plan was shelved a year later, and the Community never achieved the goal of providing a universal internet service until its closing."
"Hmm? But why..." Qin Zhongquan had no idea what question he had asked. The child lying on his side didn't look like an idiot who spoke incoherently.
Still, his adoptive mother bent down, placed a hand on his forehead, and smoothed his black hair as if caressing a lamb. As she approached, Qin Zhongquan noticed a slight curve at the corner of her mouth, but it wasn't a normal smile, instead hinting at an inexplicable pain. She leaned over and whispered something in his ear—perhaps something. Okay, maybe something. Perhaps it was just a mix of memories.
"...In October, with the popularity of private virtual spaces and online games, the people on the several immigrant planets gradually forgot the power shortages of the previous month, and society returned to normal." The adoptive mother began to narrate again. Qin Zhongquan immediately realized that he had lost some of his memories. This time, his recollection was incoherent, something he had never experienced before.
"November, November, November... In November, a rebellion broke out within the Cosmic Army. They first attacked the network relay outside the asteroid belt, severing the connection between the central and outer rings. Then, they turned their weapons, still advanced even today, on the Saturn shipyards. After four astronomical days, the Community completely lost its ability to build 'national'-class warships. We still don't know why they turned their weapons on their own people, considering that before the war, they had almost eliminated all class contradictions."
"December, December, December... In December, the third president of the Central Military Commission traveled the entire length of the Jin-Tai line on a special train. The trip took two years and four months, during which time all government affairs were conducted on board the spacecraft. The media focused attention on long-distance communication network technology and gave little attention to the accompanying personnel. However, someone later calculated that only three high-ranking officials accompanied the emperor from the beginning to the end of the 'imperial tour'. Some of the others made an initial appearance, while others just stopped by along the way, but in the end, they all vanished."
His memory was like a stuck tape, images from different times jumbled together into a chaotic mess. More accurately, he even felt the large battleship he was on was violently pitching, as if it had become a low-tech ship drifting in the storm.
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