The Underground Abyss in the Doomsday: The Collapse of Humanity

In 3030 AD, a photo of the earth taken by a space satellite appeared in the annual weekly of Hengtai Alliance. In this photo, people can clearly see that except for the blue ocean, the rest of the land has basically turned into khaki. The title bar of the weekly magazine below the photo reads: "Without the nourishment of human beings, the earth is heading towards desolation." This photo of the earth has been reprinted by many media and has become the loudest voice of Hengtai people this year. Especially the slogan below, which looks quite powerful, has caused a strong response among the younger generation: many of them have been living in artificial ecological spaces underground since they were born, and have never been exposed to real sunlight, air and dust, so they are full of yearning for the surface life described by the alliance. In their hearts, humans will be able to return to the surface one day, maybe ten years, maybe twenty years, who can say for sure? Anyway, according to the current speed of technological development, this long-awaited wish will surely be realized. However, only the older generation truly understands that more than a hundred years ago, it was precisely because of the "nourishment" of human beings that the earth became what it is today. A nuclear leak a century ago made the natural ecology of the entire earth's surface no longer suitable for carbon-based organisms to survive. Radiation contaminated seawater, soil and air, and all life on earth had to mutate in order to continue. Humans were forced to migrate from their destroyed homes, from the surface to underground, and evolved from terrestrial organisms to cave dwellers. Whether a 1,500-meter-thick soil layer can completely isolate radiation has been repeatedly discussed by the world, but no definite answer has been obtained. More than 200 countries in the world have to abandon their contradictions and unite with each other in order to concentrate limited pollution-free energy to build temporary residences that can continue to survive. After many generations of unremitting efforts, two major ecological spaces were built: Merrill Federation and Hengtai Alliance, and the population has also dropped sharply from tens of billions to less than one billion. Even in today's situation where they must coexist hand in hand, the two alliances have never stopped fighting secretly for limited pollution-free energy under the posture of superficial cooperation...Humans are ultimately unable to change their predatory nature. On Fifth Avenue in the 148th District of Hengtai Alliance, next to the huge annual weekly Earth photo poster, there is an advertisement for the tour concert of Andre Irving, a famous child star of Merrill Lynch Federation. The sweet smile of the innocent and handsome child star, like an angel, forms a very sharp contrast with the desolate Earth photo. "Andre Irving! Oh! My God, I really hope that my future child can be half as cute as him, even if it is only one-third, I will be satisfied." A pregnant woman with a big belly in the crowd looked at the advertisement and said with envy. A rich lady next to her looked at her belly and asked, "Are you about to give birth? Have you done DNA screening?" The tone and gesture were as casual as the questions people in the Middle Ages often asked pregnant women hundreds of years ago: Have you done B-ultrasound? "Of course I have! My husband and I want a boy, and we have screened more than 50 diseases and corrected two genetic defects." The pregnant woman hurriedly answered, as if she was afraid that people around her would think she was a poor mother who had no money for screening and could only have a natural child. The crowd looked at the young mother with envy when they heard this. Even in the middle-class 148th District, it was rare to find a family that could afford to modify a child's gene defect. "That's great. At least the child won't have to worry about schooling and employment in the future." The enthusiastic lady who asked the question first said in a socializing tone. The young future mother's face was filled with a happy and proud smile. "These days, you either don't have a baby, or you must be willing to spend money if you want to have one. This is responsible for the child and yourself." Once the enthusiastic lady opened her mouth, she would talk endlessly, "If you don't do screening, the child will suffer when he is born! He can't go to school, can't find a job, and will be a heavy burden for the whole family in the future. Look at how cute and charming Edward Irving's little face is? Merrill Lynch's media said that he has the most perfect genes in human history. Such a child has high IQ and strong ability, and will be very popular in any industry in the future!" "Yes, yes!" The young mother stroked her belly and said, "So I would be satisfied if my child is one-third as perfect as him. At least I don't have to worry about my child's future in this life." The sweet little boy in the advertisement squinted his eyes and smiled with his head half tilted. He just turned seven this year, but he is already a well-known child star in the two major alliances of Merrill Lynch and Hengtai. His light golden hair, as bright as the sun, drooped obediently on his pink and white face, and his childish expression was particularly lovable. He has the sweetest voice and the most perfect appearance, and can instantly touch the softest part of people's hearts. Perhaps it is just as Merrill Lynch Media claimed: Little Prince Edward is the most outstanding peak of human DNA combination. At 3:45 pm, the blue artificial sky of Area 148 began to drizzle. This was the third artificial rainfall this month. People held up umbrellas and enjoyed this kind of simulated natural rain that only middle-class and rich areas had. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the crowd of onlookers reluctantly left the advertisement. When there was no one in front of the Earth photo and the advertisement, a thin figure suddenly rushed out from the opposite passage. She stood in front of the Little Prince's advertisement and stared at the photo. This was a girl of about eight or nine years old. From her well-defined shoulder blades and thin arms, it was obvious that she was in a period of malnutrition. Her messy black hair was casually tied into two braids and hung behind her head. She was wearing a sweatshirt that was obviously too big. Rainwater flowed down her dirty little face, leaving several conspicuous white marks. The girl from the slum had no expression on her face, and it was hard to tell whether she was happy or angry. She just stared at the advertisement in the billboard without blinking. Suddenly, she took out a sharp-edged piece of metal from her shorts pocket, raised her hand and scratched it hard on the glass of the billboard, making a sharp and piercing sound. The glass was scratched, and the girl stretched out her little hand from the gap and touched the bright little face of the boy on the poster. She slightly raised the corners of her mouth, narrowed her half-moon eyes, and with a little malice, she used the metal piece in her hand to scratch three lines on the left and right sides of the boy's face, added a cat's whisker to him, and drew a black bandit eye patch on his right eye. Then she withdrew her hand with satisfaction, turned around and quickly disappeared at the end of the passage. The rain was still falling, and the perfect boy next to the desolate photo of the earth became a little funny. The rain splashed into the billboard from the edge of the broken glass, and soon soaked the cat-faced one-eyed boy. The corners of the paper curled up pitifully...