Chapter 22: Wu Xue's Persuasion
1354 Words
The disastrous situation in the island nation prompted governments worldwide to accelerate their preparations for the impending apocalypse.
Before, there were still voices of opposition in many countries’ high-level circles. But after seeing the island nation’s fate, those voices completely disappeared. After all, only a madman would choose self-destruction. A rational person would focus on how to survive.
Plans such as the Beautiful Nation's Eden and Ark plans, the Summer Nation's Ember Plan, Europe's joint Olympus Plan, and the Bear Nation's Hibernation Plan all began to speed up their implementation.
In contrast, countries with weaker economies, technologies, or natural conditions found themselves in a much worse situation.
It wasn’t that their leaders were blind to the situation, but even if they saw it, they were powerless. They lacked economic support, didn’t have the technological strength, or simply didn’t have any feasible locations within their borders to execute these plans.
Take, for example, the neighboring countries of the island nation—Cold Country and Golden Country. These two brother nations had taken entirely different developmental paths over the past few decades. Cold Country had far outpaced Golden Country in terms of economy and technology, to the point where its citizens had once looked down on their former brothers.
But now, with the natural disaster upon them, Cold Country, surrounded by the sea on three sides, suddenly realized they had no way out.
At least the islanders had their earlier investments in Black Continent; the leaders and conglomerates in Cold Country, however, lacked the foresight and capability for such planning. In comparison, the isolated and underdeveloped Golden Country was connected to the continental shelf. If the Summer Nation showed even a little kindness, Golden Country’s leaders and citizens would have a much higher chance of survival, given the protection of the mountains.
In fact, Golden Country had always had a good relationship with the Summer Nation. And now, in the face of the global disaster, the leader of Golden Country had already communicated with the Summer Nation’s high-ups. After making some promises, they received permission for the citizens of Golden Country to enter the Summer Nation’s territory to build shelters if necessary.
To avoid social unrest, governments around the world had quietly chosen to keep their survival plans confidential. They only notified key individuals and elites based on the plans, urging them to silently head to the nearest evacuation points.
Zhou Lin’s family and Yang Kiki were clearly not on the notification list.
However, Wu Xue had received a notification the night before.
The message clearly stated that she was classified as a third-tier elite talent and that, with the QR code sent along with the message, she could head to the nearest military base for support. If conditions allowed, the military would escort her to a shelter under the "Ember Plan."
After receiving the message, Wu Xue couldn’t sleep the entire night.
She had no doubt about trusting the country.
But she didn’t know if she would ever have the chance to leave the shelter once she entered. If she could no longer contact the outside world, perhaps she would lose the opportunity to find her parents forever.
What if she chose not to go to the military?
Wu Xue spent the entire afternoon catching up on apocalypse novels, barely keeping her eyes open due to lack of sleep. She eventually sent a message to Zhou Li.
"Huh?"
When Zhou Li saw the message, she let out a soft gasp, quickly tossing aside Zhou Lin and running to open the door.
"Xuejie!"
"Li Li." Wu Xue’s smile was strained, and she walked unsteadily, not just because she hadn’t rested, but because she was mentally exhausted. The two women sat down in the room, and Wu Xue glanced around, asking about Zhou Caijun and Cheng Yali. She figured that many decisions should be made by the adults, not by Zhou Li alone.
"It’s okay, I have a say in half of this house," Zhou Li proudly slapped her chest.
Wu Xue still didn’t fully believe it, so she asked about Zhou Lin.
Zhou Li thought for a moment, then picked up a walkie-talkie and called Zhou Lin, who was working on the roof.
Hearing about the "Ember Plan," Zhou Lin wasn’t surprised. Not only did he know about the plan, but he also knew the exact locations of many of the "Ember Plan" bases.
"My suggestion..." Zhou Lin glanced at Zhou Li. Both women were sharp, and he was afraid of inadvertently saying something he shouldn’t.
"Listen to me, listen to me! Xuejie, you should stay! Our family is well prepared!" Zhou Li said as she pulled Wu Xue toward the platform.
When Wu Xue saw the water reservoir and the freshly painted tool shed, she was shocked.
"So you guys had already anticipated this?"
"It wasn’t us, it was me." Zhou Li pointed proudly at her nose. "It was my unreasonable and stubborn request. Mom, Dad, and my brother did all this just to please me."
"Li Li, if you don’t know how to use idioms, you shouldn’t try," Zhou Lin couldn’t hold back and interrupted.
"I like it this way, it’s none of your business." Zhou Li shot Zhou Lin a glare before turning back to Wu Xue, smiling as she explained the facilities in the tool shed and their plans, even showing Wu Xue some of the supplies they had hidden away to avoid detection.
"Li Li, you’re truly a lucky star!"
After touring the tool shed and returning downstairs, Wu Xue couldn’t help but feel that, compared to Zhou Li, she was like a bookworm—knowing nothing and thinking of nothing beyond her field of expertise.
"So, Xuejie, have you decided to join us?" Zhou Li asked eagerly.
"I..." Honestly, Wu Xue was tempted, but after catching up on apocalypse novels, she understood the position of a useless woman in the apocalypse. The only thing she could offer might be her medical skills.
"I often worry about my brother, thinking he won’t be able to find a wife."
"Why?"
The topic was suddenly sidetracked by Zhou Li’s strange comment.
"If he can’t find a wife, my parents will make me replace him, and I’ll end up in a miserable situation!"
Wu Xue froze for a moment, her face turning slightly red. "So..."
"Exactly!" Zhou Li climbed onto the sofa and waved her arms, "From the moment I saw you, I knew, I’d be happy to let you be my sister-in-law!"
"I... I think I should go now."
Even though Zhou Lin wasn’t around, Wu Xue still felt too embarrassed to stay.
She didn’t dislike Zhou Lin, nor did she look down on him. In fact, she had never considered romance. As a top student, all her time had been dedicated to her studies, which was why she had achieved what she had. She wouldn’t have been chosen for the "Ember Plan" third-tier notification otherwise.
Her impression of Zhou Lin had always been limited to a friend or Zhou Li’s older brother.
"Why are you leaving? Xuejie, I advise you not to hesitate. Make a decision, and stick with it! Besides, you already know everything about our situation. I won’t leave anything to chance..."
Wu Xue covered her forehead. "Alright, alright. If you stop using idioms, we’re still good friends. I’ll join, but as for being your brother’s girlfriend, let’s discuss that later."
"Yay!" Zhou Li immediately jumped into Wu Xue’s arms. "I’ve always wanted a smart sister, and now my wish is finally fulfilled!"
"You’re being sexist." Zhou Lin, who had just come downstairs, complained.
"Wrong!" Zhou Li raised her head from Wu Xue’s arms, "People like you, who are ignorant and can’t distinguish between important and trivial matters, don’t deserve to talk to me!"
Wu Xue couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the sibling banter.
She suddenly felt that this family atmosphere was really quite nice. It wasn’t elegant or high-class, but it was genuine and warm.
Her decision didn’t seem wrong after all.
Just as Zhou Lin was about to give Zhou Li a lesson, the doorbell rang.
- Writer
