C5 The Hope of the Future

Jiang Feng had a soft heart, and he tried to warn the strangers he encountered today about a potential doomsday, but his words fell on deaf ears. Some thought he was joking, others whispered that he might be a bit off his rocker. If Jiang Feng pressed the issue, he risked being labeled a lunatic.

He knew that sometimes it was better to avoid trouble than to court it, so he settled for offering a kind-hearted warning without delving into the details. After all, trying to explain something to someone who doesn't believe you is an exercise in frustration.

Even dealing with just one person, Jiang Feng couldn't convince Urendir of the truth.

"Jiang Feng, are you sure you're not out of your mind? Stockpiling all these non-perishable snacks like biscuits, instant noodles, and candy... are you planning on becoming a hermit?" Urendir was teetering on the edge of a meltdown.

"Just give it five hours. If you think I'm not in my right mind, then just ignore me for now. You'll understand it all after five hours. But during that time, you can't leave my house," Jiang Feng said before retreating to his room, offering no further explanation.

"Hey, don't boss me around. If it weren't for this mission, I'd have bolted from this place long ago."

Urendir slumped onto the living room sofa, seething with discomfort. Despite her reluctance, she was committed to the mission and would see it through, no matter how much she dreaded it.

In his room, Jiang Feng's gaze was fixed intently on the screen. His urgency was rooted in the need to absorb the tens of thousands of words in the strategy guide and devise the optimal plan.

As he delved deeper, Jiang Feng realized the limitations of the strategy his future self had provided. The experiences of his future self were a stark contrast to what he was about to face.

In that future, Jiang Feng had avoided personal danger, hiding in a supermarket for a month during the initial outbreak and later being rescued by passing troops. He then took a conservative approach to building his strength. Even though he was fortunate enough to acquire the flame paranormal power, his overall strength was still lacking, his influence in the military insufficient, and his access to resources completely overshadowed by his superiors.

By the fifth year of the apocalypse, the zombie scourge in Chaudon of the Chaudon continent had been largely eradicated, setting the stage for a fierce conflict among the warlords.

A decade into the apocalypse, the people of Chaudon brought an end to five years of warlord rule. Ultimately, the land was divided into four nations based on regional names: North Nether Country, Vertbay Country, Onaolin Country, and Southern Barbaric Country. Jiang Feng rose to the rank of Major in the Onaolin army.

A year on, misfortune struck Jiang Feng, and he was exiled to the remote West Pass. There, in the solitude of the frontier, his resolve slowly eroded.

In the twelfth year after the world's end, with the birth of his daughter, Jiang Wei, Jiang Feng began to lead a grounded life, turning his back on national affairs.

But tranquility was short-lived. During a patrol in the desert beyond the West Gate, Jiang Feng stumbled upon and defeated an intelligent mutated insect, as large as three adults. Encountering a Zerg with such high intelligence was unheard of, sparking Jiang Feng's curiosity.

A vast desert lay between Dedritlan and Chaudon, a barrier that, in the absence of advanced transportation, kept the two continents in isolation during these apocalyptic times.

Jiang Feng, ever alert, suspected these insects originated from Dedritlan. Eager for answers, he sought a plane from the King of Onaolin. His request, however, was denied; oil and gasoline were commodities too precious to spare, reserved for the King's use until new energy sources could be harnessed.

Undeterred, Jiang Feng led an elite squad on a grueling journey across the Harsh Desert to uncover the truth in Dedritlan.

Months of hardship later, Jiang Feng reached the heartland of Dedritlan, only to discover a shocking reality: the Zerg had overrun most of the continent, and its human inhabitants were now under their thrall.

With the aid of his subordinates and human slaves, Jiang Feng narrowly escaped back to the Chaudon Continent and informed the King of Onaolin about the Zerg's ascendancy. Yet, the King of Onaolin remained indifferent to the looming threat.

The reasons were manifold. Chaudon was still fragmented, embroiled in a tumultuous era with four kingdoms vying for dominance. Onaolin was preoccupied with ongoing conflicts against North Nether, Southern Barbaric, and Vertbay, leaving little concern for the distant Zerg menace on Dedritlan.

To the north, the burgeoning Beast race was hemmed in by the Ice Wall. To the west, the Zerg's emergence was curtailed by the Harsh Desert. Far to the east, Trardovia's Zombie Clan, having vanquished humans and evolved intelligence, was yet restrained by the vast ocean.

Moreover, humans, with their inherent pride, scorned these less intelligent races.

For the time being, each faction kept to its own affairs. However, Jiang Feng was acutely aware that the newly empowered Beasts of the north would inevitably seek to escape their frigid confines and covet the fertile lands of Chaudon. Similarly, the Zerg's explosive reproduction demanded expansion into Chaudon, and the Zombie Clan would surely reach for its riches once they mastered seafaring.

Chaudon remained humanity's last bastion of freedom. If internal strife persisted, human civilization, already in decline, would regress further, and the progress of post-apocalyptic technology would stagnate. In contrast, the other races enjoyed a period of relative peace, fostering steady technological advancement.

They might have only recently acquired intelligence, posing no immediate threat to Chaudon, but Jiang Feng foresaw a grim future where humanity could fall into servitude.

Despite his tireless efforts to rally support and counsel against complacency, Jiang Feng faced relentless opposition from the warlike factions. As for the King of Onaolin, his focus was singular: before addressing external dangers, he insisted on internal stability.

Overwhelmed by his own powerlessness and insignificance, Jiang Feng was utterly incapable of altering humanity's dire fate.

He looked to the heavens and let out a long, ironic sigh. Humans had once reigned supreme over this world, yet the advent of the apocalypse, despite spurring human evolution, led to the loss of advanced missile and nuclear weapon technologies. Ultimately, mankind was doomed to be eradicated by other life forms.

Jiang Feng, unable to glimpse even a sliver of hope, was consumed by despair, losing all appetite for food and drink.

Then, one day, he watched his nearly two-year-old child climb onto him and utter the word "daddy" for the first time. That single word from Jiang Wei reignited Jiang Feng's determination—he resolved to spare his child from enduring such bleak times.

Years of relentless effort, coupled with a stroke of luck, paid off when Jiang Feng and his team of engineers managed to create a prototype of a Time Machine. Tragically, the energy required to power the device was immense, and in the post-apocalyptic world, resources were scarce. They had just enough energy for a single activation, which could transport only one person, and at best, send them back one month before the apocalypse.

Night and day, Jiang Feng prayed for the war to be delayed, to buy time to refine the Time Machine and gather the energy needed for a second activation.

But in the end, Jiang Feng's prayers were nothing more than a comfort to himself—the inevitable would still arrive.

And it did. In the 20th year of the apocalypse, when Jiang Wei was eight, an all-out war erupted among the races. Chaudon was ravaged, and the hastily allied four nations stood no chance against the brutal onslaught of the invaders, leading to the brutal slaughter of the last of humanity.

The West Gate faced utter destruction; Jiang Feng's wife, Cui Wei, along with the soldiers, fell in battle atop the city walls.

In the final moments, Jiang Feng fled with Jiang Wei to the subterranean lab housing the Time Machine.

He instructed Jiang Wei to take the apocalypse survival guide he had prepared and planned to send her back to one month before the calamity using the Time Machine.

Jiang Wei's cries were heart-wrenching, but Jiang Feng sternly silenced her.

"Jiang Wei, no tears now. You've got to be strong. If you cry, Daddy might just cry too, and I've got a war to fight soon. Please forgive me for not being there for you in this lifetime. Let my past self be by your side, he'll love you in my stead."

Jiang Wei, ever so understanding, fought back her tears. She knew she wouldn't see her father again and didn't want to let him down.

And so, the Time Machine burst into a kaleidoscope of colors, setting off amidst the shimmering tears on Jiang Wei's cheeks.

Jiang Feng, in his youth, was acutely aware of his mission. With 20 years from the dawn of the apocalypse to the full-scale war between the races, he had to eradicate the zombies in Chaudon and unite its lands. Moreover, he needed to muster an army capable of standing against the foreign foes. The weight of this task was colossal.

Yet, Jiang Feng doubted whether this post-apocalyptic guide alone could help him meet such a daunting challenge. It provided crucial information, but the specifics of execution were up to him to decipher and attempt. To get ahead in this new era, he'd have to gamble with his life amidst countless uncertainties.

A single misstep could mean not just failure, but an early grave, with no grand ambitions to speak of.

Jiang Feng pondered over his papers for hours, the plan for just the first week post-crisis already overwhelming him.

As seconds ticked by, a sense of unease crept over him. Strategy in hand, he still couldn't quell the thumping in his chest. This was no game; he was about to confront the raw, tangible horrors of bloodshed and slaughter.

At 9 PM, Jiang Wei slipped into Jiang Feng's room, seeking company in her loneliness. She remained silent, simply sitting on his bed, watching him.

Sensing her need for companionship yet her reluctance to intrude, Jiang Feng put down his pen and gently asked, "What's on your mind? Talk to me."

"Dad, I'm sorry. I should have arrived a month earlier. Then you could have persuaded more formidable allies to join you, to prepare more comprehensively."

Despite her youth, Jiang Wei was acutely aware that her delayed arrival by a month had indeed caused significant setbacks for Jiang Feng.

A month's time would have surely sufficed to convince a number of renowned warriors to join Jiang Feng's ranks, particularly those who would become his future comrades and subordinates—several of whom were known for their unwavering loyalty.

As it stood, Jiang Feng's team boasted only one notable warrior, Urendir, whose allegiance he had fortuitously secured through Director-general Lee.

Urendir served as a colonel in the North Nether Country, hailing from a different nation than Jiang Feng's future self, which meant that future insights into Urendir were scarce. Rumor had it that she was a solitary night assassin, fiercely devoted to her sovereign, having resisted multiple attempts by the King of Onaolin to lure her away.

Jiang Feng felt immense gratitude for having such a steadfast ally. Indeed, there was nothing more reassuring than the presence of a loyal companion.