Light.

The light came in from the portal that was slightly opened.

A dozen dishevelled faces.

First, I couldn't help but close my eyes because of the sudden bright light, it was unbearable.

Then they rushed forward greedily.

Trying to absorb the light that is cast into the darkness.

They are crazy.

There is no time to take care of anything between the movements.

All the etiquette I learned as a human being was thrown out of my mind at this moment.

If the space at the door is not large enough.

There is a high probability that they will directly fight each other in order to feel as much light as possible and to compete for the limited territory.

But fortunately.

There is enough space at the door.

More than ten of them just sat at the door.

Facing the light that grew stronger as the door opened, he looked restless.

They stayed in the dark for a long time.

I was afraid that this light was just false hope.

because.

They have had the fantasy of light shining in too many times these days.

Since long time ago.

They came here to escape from monsters and have never been able to get out again.

There was a power supply problem in the entire underground laboratory, and only the external opening device of the electric gate was fortunately still retaining power.

There was no electricity in the laboratory because the monster accidentally destroyed the power lines.

so.

It was a dark time.

Plus the underground laboratory has good sound insulation.

This place has truly become a small dark room without sunlight.

They are here.

Lost the ability to perceive time.

I could only barely tell that a lot of time had passed.

But exactly how long it took is unknown.

This is undoubtedly a form of torture, a form of torture that is difficult for ordinary people to endure.

Even though these dozen people are researchers in this laboratory, they are very familiar with the storage locations of materials and their mental willpower is also good.

but……

However, several people still chose to commit suicide.

The remaining twelve people basically all developed some mental problems.

That feeling of never seeing the light of day.

Makes people sink.

If there weren't so many other people trapped together, these twelve people would probably not be able to bear it and would have chosen to commit suicide soon.

Until now.

This sudden ray of light.

It shines into everyone's heart.

After they confirmed with each other that they had seen the light brought by the door gradually opening.

All of them couldn't contain their excitement and greed.

Using the last bit of rationality, they reluctantly huddled together at the door and waited silently.

Because they thought of the horrible monsters that were wreaking havoc everywhere before they entered this place some time ago.

So no one dared to speak.

These days of torture have left everyone with neither the energy nor the mood to speak out.

But there is an unprecedented expectation.

Still driving everyone, silently waiting for their final fate.

No matter what the outcome is.

They were all mentally prepared.

While waiting, the heavy door slowly opened to a large enough gap.

Let them see clearly.

Outside the door, there were three creatures who were obviously human beings, standing there leisurely, with lights in their hands scanning the interior of the laboratory.

An indescribable emotion.

This moment is in everyone's heart.

…

And at the same time.

The three people codenamed [Time], [Place], and [People] looked at each other, and a hint of helplessness flashed in their eyes.

The moment the door opens.

They smelled the scent coming towards them.

The taste is just like a jar of foot washing water that has been stored for 30 years, and the substance used is a whole durian mixed with canned herring jelly.

The door is wide open.

When they saw everything inside through the light, the three of them immediately understood the reason.

Being isolated from the world for such a long time.

There's too much stuff piled up here.

The survivors who hadn't taken a shower for a long time were unkempt and dirty, and excrement and spoiled food were almost everywhere in the laboratory.

Everyone who can't see clearly in the darkness.

It is difficult to effectively manage and plan these wastes, and some people even have some of them on their bodies.

It's no wonder that the stench is so bad.

Fortunately, humans are a highly adaptable species. When these survivors stayed here, they had apparently become accustomed to or ignored the stench here.

If you go into a shop selling abalone, you will no longer smell the stench after a while.

That's exactly what I mean.

The few of them didn't say much, but they communicated some things the moment they looked at each other.

【Time】The captain takes the lead.

While dodging all kinds of smelly garbage under his feet, he walked towards the laboratory where special radioactive materials were stored.

He was going to complete the most core task of several people: to collect and take away special radioactive materials.

These survivors were just picked up during the mission.

[Di Li] walked in and looked around, trying to find where the smell of rotting corpse came from.

Just now in a bunch of smells.

All three of them smelled that special smell.

They can tell this smell not just because they are the elite five-star members of the Eternal Day Outer Circle.

And also because of the smell of rotting corpses.

In fact, it once covered the entire world.

That is the eternal pain in the hearts of all survivors.

As for [harmony among people].

He stood there with a stern face, staring at the twelve survivors who were kneeling at the door and keeping silent.

Although these guys did not react to the [right time] and [right location] passing by them, they still could not let their guard down.

Because [Renhe] knows it clearly.

Many members of the post-disaster exploration team were actually survivors who died from some insane circumstances.

No one else will ever know.

What did the survivors do when they were left alone?

Maybe the quietness of these people.

It was more because the three of them had guns placed in plain sight.

So [harmony among people] remains unchanged.

Waiting for the return of two teammates.

During this time, he swept the light over these people and their surroundings with an expressionless face.

It can be seen that the twelve survivors are obviously not in good condition.

They are very sensitive and eager to be exposed to direct light. They are afraid but always eager to get closer.

Just like a moth flying into a flame.

In addition to the garbage on their bodies, there were also some bruises and scratches.

Obviously it's quite inconvenient in the dark.

When he looked at the locked door next to him that blocked these people from leaving.

【Renhe】noticed.

On the surface in the direction of the interior of this portal.

There were some stains of blood and flesh, some slight white marks and scratches, and a lot of glass and wood fragments on the ground.

Obviously.

These people want to go out.

It’s not like I haven’t tried madly.

But since it was locked, it would be a pipe dream for them to break it in by force.

The results of trying various methods,

But when I touched it, I couldn't feel any scratches or dents.

Desperation forced them to stop.

Then wait to die.

From these details we can see that the people and things are silent.

Looking at the twelve survivors who were sitting obediently but with shining eyes, he could not help but fall into deep thought.

If I stay here and live...

Maybe it would be better to run around outside and end up being eaten by a monster.

Stay in this dark, quiet place.

Since birth, we have been receiving a constant stream of sensory stimulation - vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch shape our emotions.

And these survivors stay here in isolation.

But it has directly lost the foundation for building the human spirit.

Suicide, self-harm...

It's all normal.

Thinking.

[Renhe] guessed where the stench of corpse hidden in the stench here came from.

at the same time.

【Dili】had just finished checking around and returned to the door.

He looked at the twelve survivors who were kneeling there obediently and not saying a word.

Then he said to [Renhe]: "There are seven bodies in total, all suicides."

There was certainty in his words.

He made very professional judgment in this regard.

From the direction and degree of force on the wounds of the deceased, and whether there are signs of struggle and resistance on various parts of their bodies.

It can basically be determined whether it is suicide.

This is where the stench of corpses comes from.

It was ruled out at this moment.

The danger level of these guys in front of you can be slightly downgraded in your mind.

[Di Li] and [Ren He] stood side by side, and their expressions when they looked at the twelve people were no longer filled with so much vigilance.

But this doesn't mean to relax completely.

After all, even if these people didn't kill anyone.

There is no guarantee.

Will these twelve survivors, who are obviously in a bad mental state, suddenly do something?

After all, no matter how powerful they are.

Can't be sure either.

Will he and his companions be harmed by the sudden attack of these survivors?

They were still vaguely wary.

This is something important that must always be maintained and on which they depend for survival.

While watching the survivors together.

They are waiting for the captain's return.

Not long.

Footsteps were heard from inside the laboratory.

The survivors also looked over subconsciously.

Only in the darkness.

The captain [Tianshi], who was holding a light, walked out holding a box that looked very heavy.

He walked over to his teammates.

He said with a hint of relief: "Just take this thing away. This is easier than the task of dealing with the nuclear power plant assigned to other teams."

This task involves dealing with all kinds of dangerous things.

The most dangerous are nuclear power plants that have exploded or leaked due to disasters.

That situation is more difficult to deal with.

To ensure that the contamination does not spread and is addressed.

I heard that it was a member of an alien race from the second generation of Yong Zhou who led the team to solve the problem.

It is said that the Kun was not seriously injured in the disaster.

It is said that it has done a lot of work in dealing with nuclear wastewater incidents in island countries and has a certain degree of reliable experience in this regard.

Just thinking about this.

[Renhe]'s words brought Captain [Tianshi] back to his senses.

"Captain, what should we do with these people now?"

[Renhe] pointed at the twelve survivors.

"They are in good overall condition, but they are just a little weak physically."

"His mental state is indeed a little bad, but he doesn't need us to comfort him."

"I have notified the nearest survivor base to pick them up."

【Tianshi】stated his own plan.

Their mission is simply to retrieve special radioactive materials for safekeeping.

These survivors were just incidentals.

Just inform these people of the nearby survivor base.

They are not dying.

They don't need to take care of it too carefully.

Hearing this.

[Renhe] nodded.

The nearest survivor base nearby.

It is a small survivor base in Liaohai City. Even considering the sparse traffic conditions, it will not take more than two days to send a team here.

It’s not like these guys are going to die right away.

There are also sufficient supplies here.

Wait until then and it won't be a big problem.

They still need to complete their tasks, so there is no need for them to stay here and wait for them to arrive.

This is now a very good handling situation.

At least these people were saved.

Better than the isolated survivors who may have suffered the same fate.

Thinking.

[Renhe] was about to follow the captain and [Dili] to leave.

But I saw the survivors who remained silent for a long time.

It seemed as if he noticed that the three of them had finally finished their work.

One of them quickly took a few steps forward.

Although he stumbled and fell, he immediately got up by supporting himself on the ground.

In a very quiet voice.

Asked carefully:

"May I ask...what year is it tonight?"

In the discourse.

There is timidity, but also determination.

They are almost completely isolated from the outside world and cannot understand any movement from it.

I have lost the concept of time.

I don’t have the time or energy to count the amount of food I’ve already eaten to see how much I’ve consumed over several days.

In a dark and gloomy state, the biological clock for sleep and rest is completely disrupted.

So, they didn't know how long they were trapped.

I was eager to know this from the three people who suddenly appeared.

So even if he knew that if he and others stayed here, they would probably be able to wait for rescue.

They couldn't help but try to step forward and ask.

I'm afraid it has been a very long time.

[Renhe] stopped upon hearing this.

Looking at these cautious survivors, he sighed helplessly.

"Now is the first year of the post-order era."

"For you, it should have been only half a month at most."

There was some emotion in [Renhe]'s voice.

Then he left with heavy steps.

Only these isolated survivors were left, lost in deep thought.

Yes.

The post-order era has officially arrived.

Everything is very different now.

After these survivors integrate into the survivor base, they will face a new world of great changes.

At this moment, it is the first year of the post-order era.

As for whether it is January 15 or January 12 in the first year of the Post-Order Era.

It also depends on whether future generations will include the three days when the disaster occurred when compiling history books.

Anyway, [Renhe] tends to count those three days, including those within Yongri and many survivors.

After all, that's where it all started.

That is the source of all the suffering of this age.

Those three days of despair.

This has created a completely different new era that has never seen before in human history.

In short.

The post-order era has arrived.

This will be an era of striving for order and trying to restore the good old days.

Eternal Day will continue to lead mankind in this era.

All of humanity will also explore the future with the utmost difficulty in this era.

Exploring...

A future that leads to nowhere.

All of humanity has boarded the sailing ship of the new era.

And this tattered and patched sailboat will set sail towards an uncertain future.

(End of this chapter)