CHAPTER 317: CHAPTER 143: WE ARE ALL THEIR CHILDREN

Chen Jian was looking at a communication log.

Or more accurately, it was a chat log.

The document recorded all the complex and trivial matters involved in the operation of the underground nuclear facility, filled with monotonous system checks, anomaly alarms, and maintenance reminders.

This record was originally of little value.

But because of the presence of "people," because of communication, even through a narrow view, Fu Xi quickly sorted out a series of useful information from it.

A living "history" was presented to Chen Jian for the first time in a relatively complete form, and as Chen Jian began to calmly read the record organized by Fu Xi, he seemed to be drawn into an era that was both the future and the past to him.

On December 31, 2026, the survivors finally opened the underground nuclear facility near the Imperial City on the last day of the year.

From the snippets of the chat log, Fu Xi concluded that prior to this, they had tried every means they could to gather all available survivors together, forming a settlement of nearly 30 people.

Afterwards, over the span of a year, they initiated the most important work, Project 001, supported by the Fu Xi system.

The first thing they did was not to attempt to restore production, but to try to discover the truth behind the catastrophe.

They searched all the surrounding research institutions, archives, and libraries. Although not professionals, they gathered all their wisdom, fully utilizing Fu Xi’s help, but ultimately, they only arrived at an answer similar to the information Chen Jian initially obtained.

The cause of the catastrophe has surpassed the current level of human technology and understanding. Without further, more extensive scientific experimentation, not even the strongest AI could deduce a possible answer from the existing information.

After receiving this answer, the survivors gathered in the Imperial City temporarily gave up their pursuit of the "answer."

They began to try to find survivors and gradually expanded the settlement.

This period was peaceful and successful for them.

They didn’t face any major threats; the only issue was that, with the network completely severed, contacting survivors via radio wasn’t easy.

The reason was simple.

Not everyone knew how to use a radio.

In fact, for most people, even simply using a generator to provide power to their living area wasn’t easy.

Despite this, through repeated exploration and repeated calls, they almost thoroughly searched the area around the Imperial City, gathering more than two hundred survivors.

These people united, collected food, organized equipment, and arranged education, pushing the entire base towards prosperity.

Later, on a certain day, someone suggested activating the underground nuclear facility.

Starting from this day, this precious record was finally preserved.

From December 31, 2046, until February 2047, the record was as plain as water.

The survivor stationed here, named Wang He, routinely reported to the Imperial Capital Base about the status of nuclear weapon storage and his work schedule.

Chen Jian saw that sometimes he would complain to others within the base.

He felt the work here was really boring, feeling there was no need to maintain such a large nuclear arsenal.

He thought, because most people on Earth were going extinct, the enemies that would require them to use nuclear weapons simply didn’t exist.

He wanted to thoroughly seal off the nuclear arsenal, but the decisions organized by the Imperial Capital Base were simple.

The current situation is unclear; perhaps nuclear weapons will never be used, but they must be kept in a "usable" state.

Thus, he could only quell the unrest in his heart and remain.

Fortunately, his post wasn’t fixed.

On February 6th, he spent a special New Year with everyone in the base.

Then in March, he was assigned to the reconnaissance squad of the base, conducting a two-month exploration outside.

Upon returning to the nuclear facility, he seemed to relax, and his mood improved during chats.

"Can’t find any living people near the Imperial City... Responses to the radio are decreasing."

"It’s such a pity... When we reached Baoding the day before, there was just a survivor there..."

"Sigh, in short, he couldn’t make it."

"The high fever caused by infection; by the time we arrived, it was already too late."

"But fortunately, others were brought back."

"Now we have 340 people, do you think if we work hard in the future, we can gather everyone in the country to the Imperial City?"

...

He chatted casually with the communications officer on the Imperial Capital Base about the situation in the camp, and from their words, Chen Jian saw a survivor base that was constantly growing.

The first steel plant was successfully started, the first farmland was sown, an artificial lake was developed into a fish pond, and someone suggested implementing a cyclical economy of mulberry fish ponds, only to find that mulberry leaves couldn’t grow in the north.

These not-so-professional survivors often seemed like a "motley crew," yet they were full of vitality and fighting spirit.

The found survivors increased more and more, and within a few months, the Imperial Capital Base expanded to over 500 people.

At that point, the positive cycle had begun.