CHAPTER 145: ARTIFICIAL SUN OFFICIALLY ACTIVATED

The moon and stars, of course, were absent. The sky was shrouded in blackness, as if wrapped by a dark cloth. Sunlight from outdoors attempted in vain to penetrate it, casting a blood-red glow through the darkness—a bizarre and alarming sight.

This time, Aunt’s family had learned their lesson; they didn’t invite her maternal relatives. Upon entering the villa’s gate, they felt immediately enveloped in warmth, and the scent of Wind Oil Essence was still detectable.

Aunt whispered under her breath, her vision filled with darkness. Clinging tightly to Su Long, she cautiously took each step toward the front door. "How much Wind Oil Essence does her family really have? Could Jingshu have such a particular fondness for applying it that she buys so much?"

In the darkness, green eyes stared at them, making Su Long’s feet tremble. This time, they obediently entered the villa and quietly took their seats, not daring to roam. They felt as if they had just passed through the gates of life and death—those green eyes were simply terrifying.

The table was laden with delicious food, and Jingshu distributed gloves and shoe covers to everyone. "The water shortage is severe, so let’s skip washing hands and use disposable gloves instead."

Their last visit had been in June, during the Dragon Boat Festival. Back then, Aunt had assumed Jingshu’s family had an abundance of food, hence the lavish spread. But now it was October, and the water shortage was acute. To her surprise, their beverages were homemade red bean milk tea. And they still had milk to drink?

The soup was pig’s trotter stewed with soybeans. The dishes included familiar items: Black Fungus stir-fried with eggs, steamed egg cake, fried eggs, egg pancakes, and steamed fish...

Oh, right, working at the livestock farm meant no shortage of eggs or milk, Aunt thought, driven mad with envy. Why hadn’t I gone to work at the livestock farm back then?

Grandma Jing beamed. "Try the mooncakes I made today first. They might not be as good as store-bought ones, but please have some."

Aunt carefully lifted a mooncake and took a tender bite. A soft, sweet, and chewy sensation immediately filled her mouth. Beyond the rich sweetness of the mixed nut filling, there was also a salted egg yolk inside—truly delicious!

Aunt was so touched she teared up.

Jingshu herself ate over a dozen mooncakes—the flaky crust was utterly delicious! Her appetite once again shattered everyone’s perceptions; surviving in this food-scarce era was truly no easy feat.

After dinner, they chatted for a while, eventually bringing up the Artificial Sun. Aunt slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "My friend just recommended a solar-powered distiller to me yesterday, one that collects water. Then the news said the Artificial Sun is about to be launched! Today, people in our group chat were saying the Artificial Sun isn’t reliable and that this distiller seems more trustworthy. If it works well, I’ll recommend it to you all too."

The family looked bewildered.

"Aunt, how many did you buy?" Jingshu asked, covering her face. I’m doomed to fall for this again, in this life just as in the last, she thought.

"Just one," Aunt said proudly. "This model is a pyramid scheme; you can only make money in the early stages. Sigh, I just wanted to earn some work points and supplement our water supply a bit."

Look at her, just like in my previous life... Jingshu mused. Even though she studied law and knows it’s a scam, she still wants to try. It wouldn’t matter whether I introduced it or not.

It really confirmed the saying: those who drown are often the best swimmers.

Aunt took a loss this time, but 20 work points was an amount she could currently afford. Besides, I can’t possibly play the prophet and reveal what’s going to happen, can I? Jingshu thought.

"What do you think? Want to buy a distiller and try it?"

"The Artificial Sun will be operational in a couple of days. We don’t need one," Jing Shu quickly refused.

"Alright, I knew your family wouldn’t need it," Aunt said, somewhat disheartened. She glanced around the villa, noting the electricity, water, and consistent temperature day and night. It was clean and without any odd smells. How does Jingshu’s family manage to make their lives better and better? she wondered.

...

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, Grandma Jing had sent over twenty mooncakes to the elder aunt. In return, the elder aunt brought back a carload of Mid-Autumn gifts, saying they were to show respect to the old couple. Grandma Jing grinned from ear to ear, her teeth showing. Her eldest daughter was indeed thoughtful and had made her very proud.

On the phone, they learned that the elder aunt’s sow had farrowed. They had contributed some of the piglets, which allowed them to be transferred to work at the livestock farm. Now, thanks to the piglets, they were doing quite well. Moreover, Wei Zheng had brought a girl home. They were planning to hold a wedding banquet next year when their family’s financial situation eased, and they might even celebrate the baby’s first full moon at the same time. Grandma Jing was overjoyed to hear all this.

This was a classic case of "when one person achieves success, their entire circle benefits," and Jing Shu’s whole family reaped the rewards.

Every year on October 1st at 10:00 AM, tradition held that it was time for the military parade. This year was no different. At that moment, the entire country was exceptionally supplied with electricity so that all its people could witness this momentous day.

However, due to the circumstances, this year’s military parade was simplified, yet the military’s prowess was still evident. Meanwhile, newly developed foods and various technologies created by harnessing the darkness were introduced, offering everyone a vision of a brighter future.

The subsequent speech moved everyone to tears, and they felt it deeply.

On this day, the "New Century" was officially renamed the "Apocalypse Era," and January 1st, 2023, was designated as the first day of the apocalypse. This era would last until the day sunlight returned, at which point Huaxia would declare the end of the apocalypse!

"I hope it lasts a year, or even less. But we are not afraid, no matter how long the apocalypse may come for. As long as we unite and weather the storm together, regardless of its duration, the Huaxia people will always persevere and live on strong!"

At that moment, the national anthem began to play. The national flag was slowly raised. Although it didn’t ascend with the sun, it still fluttered proudly in the wind!

Jing Shu’s family, sitting before the television, involuntarily stood up and solemnly began to sing the national anthem. No matter how many times she heard it, Jing Shu felt her eyes well with tears. Huaxia might have its flaws, but it was her motherland, the nation that had enabled her to survive ten years in the apocalypse, she reflected.

To celebrate National Day, Wu City’s major supermarkets launched a three-day self-service event, offering unlimited Five Grain Worms. Additionally, each person could receive one serving of white rice.

This news spread like wildfire, sending people into a complete frenzy. When was the last time a simple bowl of white rice could cause such excitement?

The Artificial Sun was activated, but there was still no water. A large number of people, unable to hold on any longer, died. They were desperate enough to drink anything, even if it was foul and bitter!

The people’s hearts sank further and further. But finally, on October 8th, the Artificial Sun completed the purification of the entire polluted freshwater lake!

The people of Wu City finally had water to drink!

Wang Qiqi: "@everyone, tremendous news! We finally have water to drink! Starting now, water trucks will deliver water to each residential community daily. Civil servants will receive 5 liters per day, employees of other units 4 liters, and ordinary citizens 3 liters! All 20 of Wu City’s water trucks have already set out! Our hard days are over!"

Fatty Girl: "Oh my God, is this real? Getting 3 liters of water is such a blessing! I can finally wash myself!"

Chouchou: "I can definitely drink all 3 liters of water!"

Today was destined to be an exciting day. Soon enough, the water trucks indeed arrived. Everyone had already lined up and completed their registration. Wu You’ai, who had been recuperating from an injury for four months, personally came to the site to oversee the distribution.