Chapter 130: Survivors

In the morning, the sun was bright, and the scent of fried dough sticks and soy milk filled the street, making one's appetite stir.

Ding Mo sat in a noodle stall, chewing on noodles while pondering the events of last night.

First, in the convenience store, Li Shu did not recognize him, and then his parents, who had spent every day with him for over twenty years, treated him like a stranger as well.

Then, from the mouth of that policewoman, he learned that the "Lost Ones" organization had become like a rat crossing the street in this world, chased and beaten by everyone.

Is there a possibility...

Ding Mo swallowed the last mouthful of noodles, wiped his mouth, and his face turned grave.

Has the world forgotten the history of the past?

But according to the information currently known, it has only been a few months since the appearance of the "Lost Ones."

Everyone has already forgotten? How is that possible!

Perhaps it was influenced by some strange power... Ding Mo turned his head, looked at the passing boss, and called out to him.

"Something the matter, young man?" the boss asked with a warm smile.

"Oh, it's like this, boss, I'd like to ask you about something."

"What is it? I've been doing business here for 6 or 7 years, feel free to ask!"

"That's great. Tell me, do you know about the 'Lost Ones'? Or, have you heard about a family where a pair of identical children suddenly appeared?"

"..." But Ding Mo did not expect that as soon as these words were out, the boss's expression changed immediately!

His expression turned cold in an instant.

And at the next table, a customer seemed to have overheard something; his index finger twitched, and his gaze shifted over.

"What are you talking about? Those things are all fake news! Lost Ones, two identical sons suddenly appearing one day, how could such a thing exist?!"

The boss shouted loudly, saying these words, yet his face was already expressionless, in stark contrast to the warmth from just a moment ago.

It was as if he had become a different person in an instant, and the enthusiastic boss from before was just a "disguise."

As for Ding Mo, he was initially shocked that "this matter" had already become a rumor—

You must know that before he died, this matter had shocked the whole world! The scope of its influence was so wide and the event lasted so long that it could be said everyone knew it and everyone had seen it.

It became a rumor just like that? And there are still people who believe it?!

Furthermore, what does this mean now? Ding Mo raised his eyes and looked at the crowd whose gazes had gathered around.

What made Ding Mo's scalp tingle the most was that, like this boss, they were just staring at Ding Mo expressionlessly; they stopped chatting, and they stopped eating their noodles.

Some people even maintained the posture of drinking soup, letting the scalding hot liquid flow onto their clothes, completely unaware.

It was as if someone had suddenly called "cut" while filming a movie, and the world finally revealed its true face!

Ding Mo looked at them as well, but in his heart, he already had some extremely terrible guess...

"Hey!"

Just at this moment, a figure walked over and grabbed Ding Mo.

"You come with me!" It was the customer who had been eavesdropping at the next table—he was a man in his early 30s with a short beard.

He had not turned into the same state as the people around them!

"You?" Ding Mo stared at him vigilantly, but he glanced at the other frozen people, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately followed the man's words.

He could feel that in this calm and strange atmosphere, something was brewing, and his intuition told him he must get out of this situation as soon as possible,

otherwise there would be danger!

The two stood up and left, disappearing from the roadside under the expressionless gaze of the crowd.

They did not chase after them.

After an unknown amount of time, as if a movie had pressed the play button, everyone in the noodle stall returned to normal at the same time:

The expressionless people suddenly smiled and started chatting again with their companions who were also smiling; the passersby turned their heads and continued on their way; on the boss's face, an eager look appeared once more, and he busied himself diligently.

The scene from just a moment ago seemed to have never happened.

Only leaving behind a bowl of noodles on some table, finished by someone, sitting quietly...

And on the other side.

Under the lead of the bearded man, Ding Mo walked hurriedly for about half an hour before arriving at an abandoned factory area in the suburbs of the city.

On the steel facilities that had been abandoned for who knows how many years, mottled rust remained under the erosion of wind and rain, but the large patches of iron-red that grew from it instead added a new color to them, which had lost their paint—a color named "dilapidation."

Pushing open the black-red rotten iron door, the two arrived in a warehouse.

Compared to the outside, there was a bit of life here; pots and stoves, drinking water, and bedding were all available.

The most conspicuous thing was a sealed long iron cabinet in the corner, surrounded by several locks, as if it were hiding something important.

However, the guest did not seem interested in this.

"Now you can tell me, what is this all about? And who are you?" As soon as he entered, Ding Mo asked.

On the way here just now, the bearded man refused to say a word, only indicating that he would explain everything to him once they arrived.

For Ding Mo, who was desperate to know the truth, this was the reason he had tolerated this guy for over an hour.

Hearing this, the bearded man sighed and sat down on a wooden chair.

Looking at Ding Mo, he said: "This story is... a long one."

As the bearded man spoke, he took a cup of tea from the fireplace and poured a cup for Ding Mo.

"..." Looking at the teacup being handed over, Ding Mo let out a slight breath.

He took the teacup and sat down as well.

Seeing this, the bearded man also poured a cup of tea for himself, and after taking a sip, he slowly began to speak:

"We lost."

In his weather-beaten eyes, a trace of pain gradually appeared.

"... What?" Ding Mo was stunned; he couldn't help but stand up and demand:

"What do you mean we lost!"

The tea in his hand rippled violently.

"We, it is we who lost, lost to that group of Guaishou," the stubble-faced man replied indifferently, as if already accustomed to it:

"Ten years ago, humanity had already lost."

"...?! What ten years ago, isn't it 2025 now?"

"Of course not," the stubble-faced man blew on the tea, holding it carefully, and said:

"It is now 2035, the tenth year since the failure of the 'First Human Anti-Deprivation War'."

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward the calendar over there, and Ding Mo instinctively looked over, seeing the date on the yellowed old calendar:

August 2035...

He no longer had the heart to look at the dates that followed.

But his acquaintances had not changed at all; if ten years had passed, it was impossible for them to... Ding Mo thought of this and vaguely realized something.

He spoke with difficulty, asking again:

"Are you the only one here? What about the other 'Lost Ones'?"

"What about the others, the normal humans? How many normal people are left in society?"

This guy was undoubtedly a Lost One of this world, following after him.

"Others? My wife and children are hiding in the forest outside, in a place where few people go; only I occasionally go in once,"

A trace of despair revealed itself in the stubble-faced man's eyes, and then he said:

"I don't know which deep mountain or old forest you came out of, but for the humans of this world,

"there aren't many left."

Not many left... Ding Mo was completely stunned.

"Since the failure of the 'Third Human Anti-Deprivation War', people all over the world, just like me, have been hiding on the edges of cities, eking out a living.

"There are no living people left in the cities, including Daning City and everywhere else; they are all about the same. Those Guaishou that look exactly like us have already replaced humans and taken control of this world for humanity..."

"..."

Silence, a long silence.

No wonder, no wonder it was as if they were deliberately pretending not to understand; no one 'remembered' his appearance, as if he had never existed.

No wonder those people at the noodle stall wouldn't even acknowledge the big news that was clearly real back then.

So... so none of them were real people!

Outside the window, the bright sunlight caressed Ding Mo's face, but it could not wipe away the pallor on his face.

In other words, his parents, all his relatives, and his friends, were already...