North America.
A city near the coastline.
"Hope!"
A loud shout came from downstairs.
"Hey!" Hope responded in a drawn-out tone, "Mom, what's wrong now?"
Then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the stairs.
"Hope!" The woman's voice was tinged with anger. "How many times have I told you not to lean against the window? In this weather, who knows when the window might collapse!"
"I saw in a QQ group a while ago that a child in South America was swept away by a hurricane just because he was standing by the window!"
As she spoke, the woman reached out and pulled Hope away from the window.
"Mom..." Faced with her mother's scolding, Hope helplessly pointed to the window, "It's not raining outside today, it's a nice day."
"That won't do either!" The woman glanced out the window.
Upon seeing the pale sun in the sky, the woman's lips twitched slightly: "It's so hot outside, you..."
Hope pointed to the thermometer next to him.
33 degrees Celsius.
"Mom, the Earth is moving towards its aphelion, so it's not as hot outside now."
Seeing her mother's face gradually turn red, Hope quickly pointed to the window: "And look, Mom, the coastline is getting closer."
Upon hearing this, the woman paused for a moment, then quickly turned her head to look out the window.
Looking at the azure sea, the woman showed no appreciation whatsoever.
Her hands trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with fear.
"Good heavens... how can it be rising so fast..."
The next second, she quickly turned around and grabbed the suitcase next to her.
"Quick! Hope!"
"Wh-what?" Hope stared blankly at her mother.
"What are you standing there for?!" the woman shouted, her hair disheveled. "Hurry up and get dressed, we need to move!"
Seeing her mother kneeling on the ground tidying up her clothes, Hope pursed her lips and turned to look out the window again.
Various kinds of debris float on the azure sea.
Wood products, foam, plastic...
Countless man-made objects rise and fall with the waves.
"Moving again..." Hope muttered as she knelt down to help her mother organize her clothes. "Didn't we just move a few days ago..."
The woman's body trembled slightly, and she stopped what she was doing.
She put down the folded clothes in her hands, sighed softly, and touched Hope's head with a sorrowful expression.
"I don't want to move either, but... it's all for survival."
"You know, your dad was there during the last move..."
At this point, the woman's voice suddenly choked with emotion.
Upon seeing this, Hope's young heart clenched, and a piercing pain shot through it.
"Mom, don't think about it. Let's hurry up and get the clothes ready..."
He didn't know how to comfort his mother, so he could only reach out and gently pat her back, mimicking how she used to do it.
A string of numbered tags tied to his arm swayed back and forth with Hope's movements.
The woman forcefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and reached out to grab the swaying cards in her hand.
"Hope, remember, no matter what, you must take good care of your hand!"
"This is your pass to enter the hibernation pod first!"
Looking at her serious-looking mother, Hope's eyes flashed with confusion before she nodded vigorously.
"Sigh..." The woman sighed as she reached out and stroked Hope's round head. "I wonder when it will be our turn. I heard that in China, teenagers under the age of 20 have already entered hibernation pods."
Hope corrected her mother's words earnestly: "Mom, there is no such thing as a country anymore."
“Our Chinese teacher once said that now, with the People’s Federation, the whole world is one community!”
The woman nodded with a wry smile: "Okay, okay."
She sighed softly again.
The United States People's Union (USPU) was established only a few months ago, and the original American culture has almost completely disappeared. In fact, the name "United States" is rarely heard anymore.
Even English has gradually faded from people's daily lives.
"Let's pack our things."
The woman stopped thinking about these things.
She knew that this was not something an ordinary person like her should be thinking about.
...
It was evening.
"Let's go, Hope, it's time to get going."
Outside the villa, a car was parked at the entrance to the courtyard, and a woman struggled to carry some essential items into the trunk.
Hearing her mother's urging, Hope turned her head to look behind her again.
The sound of soft, gentle waves came from the sea.
"Sigh..." He let out his first sigh as a child.
A few minutes later, the fully charged car started.
A soft humming sound rang out, and the car carrying the two people drove forward along the road.
As she watched the car lights occasionally flash on along the roadside, the woman's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
"Everyone is running away."
Hope said in a low voice.
The woman nodded: "Yes, everyone wants to survive."
"So, where are we going now?" Hope turned to look at her mother, her large eyes reflecting a glimmer of light in the darkness.
"...I don't know either." The woman shook her head in confusion. "Anyway, let's drive inland and see where everyone else is going, that's where we'll go."
As cars whizzed past, the atmosphere inside the car gradually became oppressive.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then reached out and turned on the car radio.
"Now we will report on the latest developments in the escape plan."
"Currently, the first batch of hibernation projects in the Asian region has been completed, and the second and third batches of hibernation personnel are entering hibernation in an orderly manner."
"The first hibernation program will commence in the Americas region soon. Those who have been granted escape qualifications, please proceed to the nearest assembly point..."
As the radio rang, a loud bang was heard in the sky.
"Mom! It's Xuan Nu Number Two!"
Hope rolled down the car window, leaned out and looked up at the sky, then excitedly shouted to her mother, "The radio was right, the first batch of hibernators has started!"
A hint of excitement shone in the woman's eyes.
She whistled lightly as she gestured for Hope to close the car window.
"We need to speed things up!"
"Once we reach the next city, I'll take you to the meeting point."
"At that time..."
The woman's voice suddenly stopped at this point.
She suddenly realized that that would be the moment she and her child parted ways.
In an instant, the carriage fell silent once again.
"Mom, maybe... I shouldn't go into hibernation yet."
"What are you saying!" The woman glared at the boy beside her, somewhat annoyed, and said in a low voice, "Stop talking nonsense and go hibernate when the time comes."
Hope did not reply, but simply sat silently in her seat.
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