At 2 AM on January 1st, 2020, by the Gregorian calendar, the human world had already been in the new year for two hours. When the sun rises, people would welcome a leisurely three-day New Year holiday.

Meanwhile, the Nanjing Command Center’s operation plan entered its final 24-hour countdown. This would be the busiest New Year they’d ever spend in their lives.

“Team One reporting, G-2 tunnel four-orbital shift complete, estimated time January 1st 03:24 first pass over Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, zenith angle 80 degrees, Zijinshan Communication Center data distribution, Beijing-Guizhou dual disaster recovery backup, over.”

“Team Two reporting, New Street wireless camera three full-process simulation drills complete, clarity normal, recognition normal, over.”

“Team Three reporting, fifth batch sixth non-conventional nuclear simulation test concluded, thermal damage, blast wave, electromagnetic pulse damage range within predictions, over.”

“Team Four reporting, third independent electromagnetic pulse damage test complete, intensity within predicted range, no significant damage to radio station, over.”

“T-3-2! T-3-2!” Zhao Bowen commanded from the living room, clutching the phone urgently, “When will your servers be fixed?”

“You’ll have to ask Shenyang Municipal! We’re pushing them too!”

“What does Shenyang Municipal have to do with this?” Zhao Bowen was taken aback.

“They broke the fiber optic cable while doing road work last night, they’re rushing emergency repairs now.”

Bai Yang sat motionless in the darkness, head propped in his hands, lost in thought. The bedroom lights were off, and the command center was too busy to pay attention to him. This gave Bai Yang a rare moment of peace. Through the door, no one’s voice was clear; it just seemed like chaos and commotion outside.

As the core member of the project team, Bai Yang was often detached from the plan in most situations. He didn’t need to attend overnight meetings, didn’t need to argue with people, didn’t need to fly from Nanjing to Shanghai to Beijing to Lanzhou all in one day. There were no documents requiring his approval, no materials needing his writing. He just needed to sit at the desk, just keep sitting there.

Perhaps no one would truly believe how much responsibility a high school student could bear. Perhaps Dad, Uncle Zhao, and Uncle Wang had protected him too well. Bai Yang was just swept along in the torrent, stumbling from 2019 into 2020—while other peers were watching New Year’s Eve celebrations in Bilibili, he sat silently in the darkness, lost in thought for a long time.

Lianqiao worried about his condition, asking how he felt.

Bai Yang said he felt the world was a huge mass of complex, tangled, cold, and slippery snakes, too chaotic to see clearly. You’re carried forward frantically by it, rolling wherever it takes you.

Lianqiao asked what else?

Bai Yang said he could no longer see the future of this plan. For an operation with an unclear path ahead, he didn’t know where to find confidence… Moreover, did Dad, Uncle Wang, Uncle Zhao, and everyone else on the team see the future of this plan?

Lianqiao shook her head, then hugged him tightly.

Bai Yang froze, a bit confused.

I can’t give you confidence.

Lianqiao said.

I can only hug you.

January 1st, 2041, 10:10 AM, 16 hours until estimated nuclear warhead unlock.

Drop!

Banxia rolled to the ground, back against the wall, hands cushioning her head, face buried in her chest, eyes closed, holding her breath.

After a while, she got up to try again.

Drop!

Banxia was practicing nuclear blast self-protection.

The nuclear industry expert group said she should be at least five kilometers away when the nuclear explosion happens. This distance was well beyond Ms. Qiu’s kill range—Ms. Qiu was just a ten-kiloton nuclear bomb that could only turn New Street’s asphalt into glass. Girls staying at Nanjing Agricultural University or Nanjing University of Science and Technology would at most get to watch the spectacle (though they shouldn’t look).

With raincoat, mask, and goggles ready, Banxia staying upwind would face almost no threat. Ms. Qiu couldn’t hurt her at all—this was the optimistic attitude from the professionals. The experts said it wasn’t a big deal, just very bright and loud, speaking so casually as if they were setting off a large firecracker.

But non-professionals were terrified at the mere mention of nuclear bombs. In Old Bai and Old Wang’s fixed notions, nuclear weapons were monsters that could waste an entire city with just one blast. Nuclear radiation would cause severe radiation sickness and cancer throughout the city. Under the strong insistence of the Nanjing Command Center, Banxia had to complete self-protection training.

“Find a basement, underground is safest. Better to find buildings with high structural strength. Modern frame structures require resistance to magnitude 7 earthquakes, which is more than enough.”

“When the nuclear blast occurs, drop facing away from ground zero. The blast wave is supersonic, it will create huge pressure differences very quickly, so your ears will hurt. Remember not to keep your mouth completely closed.”

“Don’t rush to peek out after the explosion, stay hidden for several more hours.”

“Don’t get curious and look, even though it’s a once-in-a-century sight. Don’t look, it’s bright, and will damage your eyes.”

“You must keep your eyes closed.”

January 1st, 2020, 4:20 PM, 10 hours until estimated nuclear warhead unlock.

“Comrades, Operation Dongfang Hong Phase Three has finally reached its last step. This is the result of everyone’s joint efforts.” Old Zhao was speaking to someone, waving his fist at the camera. “These days everyone has worked tirelessly, cooperating fully, persevering to the end, overcoming all difficulties. We have been groping in the darkness.”

It seemed he was giving the final pre-battle mobilization speech.

“Whether we succeed or fail, this will be a great day. This will be an unprecedented initiative. Looking back through thirty thousand years of human history, there has never been such a plan, such an operation, gathering humanity’s greatest wisdom at the highest level, sparing no cost to save humanity itself.”

“In the past few thousand years, those brilliant stars of history were born for today. Why did those great people come to this world? Now we know—they came to pass down knowledge, spirit, and power, passed down to our hands, entrusting us to complete this great mission. No one fights alone.”

“Comrades, all preparations are complete, success or failure rests on this one move.”

Zhao Bowen raised his fist high.

“Tonight we will execute the final step of the plan. If smooth enough, within the next twenty-four hours we will eliminate Daoke!”

“We have survived and multiplied on this planet for three million years. Now, it’s time to demonstrate the power of our species. We firmly believe in our hearts that nothing can defeat us.”

“For all humanity.”

“For the human!”

January 1st, 2020, 6:30 PM, 8 hours until estimated nuclear warhead unlock.

“Take a deep breath,” Lianqiao said.

Bai Yang nodded, slowly taking deep breaths.

“Sister Qiao.”

“Hmm?”

“How do you think this story will end?”

Lianqiao paused.

“Whose story do you mean?”

“Ours, and hers.” Bai Yang answered.

“I don’t want to only have five years to live. Whatever the future holds, we struggle as long as we can struggle. Better to live on than die well.” Lianqiao smiled. “As for the young lady, what kind of person do you think she is?”

Bai Yang hesitated.

“Is she hardworking?”

Bai Yang nodded.

“Is she lovely?”

Bai Yang nodded again.

“Then fate always favors those who are hardworking and lovely,” Lianqiao said. “If I were the god of fate, I’d want to hold her in my arms and kiss her plenty—how could anyone bear to hurt her? Everyone in the world died, only she could survive. The world’s favor and blessing toward her is truly enviable.”

“Is living alone in the world considered a blessing?”

“Could it be a curse instead? What’s more important than being alive? If living is also a curse, then I hope I can have ten thousand years of such a curse.” Lianqiao shrugged, making exaggerated gestures, being a bit silly.

Bai Yang smiled too.

“She will be happy, I promise you,” Lianqiao said, then scratched her head. “Although my promise doesn’t mean much, I still want to promise—she will be happy.”

January 1st, 2041, 8:40 PM, 6 hours until estimated nuclear warhead unlock.

“BG, I’m ready, departing now.”

“This is BG4MXH, received, good luck, OVER.”

Operation Dongfang Hong Phase Three’s final step officially began. Human society’s only piece on the board in the apocalyptic world started moving. She would be a killing move in desperate circumstances. Everyone placed high hopes on her. In Zhao Bowen’s ideal plan, she would lead all of humanity to complete the final shocking reversal, delivering a complete turnaround.