Age of Cataclysm: I can light up the technology tree

North America.

A city near the coast.

"Hope!"

A high-pitched shout came from downstairs.

"Hey!" Hope responded in a long tone, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Then, a rush of footsteps came from the stairs.

"Hope!" There was a hint of anger in the female voice, "How many times have I told you not to lean against the window. With this weather, the window may not be able to hold up one day!"

"Some time ago, I saw a child in a penguin colony in South America. Just because he was standing by the window, he was swept away when the hurricane arrived!"

As she spoke, the woman reached out and pulled Hope away from the window.

"Mom..." Faced with her mother's scolding, Hope pointed helplessly out the window, "It didn't rain outside today, it's a nice weather."

"That won't work either!" The woman glanced out the window.

When she saw the white sun in the sky, the woman's mouth twitched slightly: "The temperature outside is so high, you..."

Hope pointed to the thermometer beside her.

33 degrees Celsius.

"Mom, the earth is moving toward aphelion, and it's not so hot outside now."

Seeing his mother's face gradually turn red, Hope quickly pointed to the window: "And, mom, look, the coastline is close again."

Hearing this, the woman was slightly startled, then quickly turned her head and looked out the window.

Looking at the azure sea water, the woman didn't have any appreciation in her eyes.

Her hands were shaking slightly and her eyes were full of fear.

"Oh my god...why did it rise so fast..."

The next second, she quickly turned around and grabbed the suitcase on the side.

"Quick! Hope!"

"Wha, what?" Hope looked at his mother blankly.

"What are you doing standing there?!" the woman, her hair disheveled, shouted loudly, "Hurry up and pack your clothes, it's time for us to move!"

Seeing his mother half-kneeling on the ground sorting her clothes, Hope curled her lips and turned to look out the window again.

There are all kinds of debris floating on the blue sea.

Wood products, foam, plastic...

Countless man-made objects rise and fall with the waves.

"We have to move again..." Hope muttered as he squatted down to help his mother organize her clothes, "Didn't we just move a few days ago..."

The woman's body trembled slightly and she stopped what she was doing.

She put down the folded clothes in her hands, sighed softly, and touched Hope's head with a sad look on her face.

"I don't want to move either, but... this is all for survival."

"You know, when your dad moved last time..."

Speaking of this, the woman's voice suddenly choked up.

Seeing this scene, Hope's young heart twitched suddenly, and a heartbreaking pain came from it.

"Mom, don't think about this. Let's pack our clothes quickly..."

He didn't know how to comfort his mother, so he could only reach out his hand, imitate his mother's past appearance, and pat her back gently.

A string of numbered cards tied to his arm swayed back and forth along with Hope's movements.

The woman wiped the tears from her eyes and reached out to grab the dangling cards.

"Hope, remember, no matter what, you must keep your cards in your hand!"

"This is your ticket to enter the hibernation cabin first!"

Looking at his serious mother, Hope's eyes flashed with confusion, and then he nodded vigorously.

"Hey..." the woman sighed and reached out to stroke Hope's round head, "I don't know when it will be our turn. I heard that in Xia Country, all teenagers under the age of 20 have entered hibernation pods."

Hope corrected her mother's words with a serious look on her face: "Mom, there is no such thing as a country anymore."

“Our Chinese teacher once said that now there is only the People’s Federation, and the whole world is a community!”

The woman smiled bitterly and nodded: "Okay, okay."

She sighed softly again.

It had only been a few months since the People's League was established, but the original culture of the United States had completely disappeared. In fact, even the word "Milican" was rarely heard.

Even English has gradually faded out of people’s daily life.

"Get your things in order."

The woman did not continue to think about these things.

She knew that this kind of thing was not something that an ordinary person like her should consider.

…

Late afternoon.

"Come on Hope, it's time for us to go."

Outside the small villa, a car parked at the entrance of the courtyard, and the woman struggled to move some necessary items into the trunk.

Hearing his mother's urging, Hope turned his head and looked behind him again.

There were waves of tiny waves coming from the sea.

"Hey..." The young man sighed for the first time in his life.

A few minutes later, the fully charged car started.

There was a slight buzzing sound, and the car drove the two of them forward along the highway.

Seeing a few car lights coming on from time to time on the roadside, the look on the woman's face became increasingly gloomy.

"Everyone is running away."

Hope whispered.

The woman nodded: "Yes, everyone wants to survive."

"So, where are we going now?" Hope turned to look at her mother, her big eyes reflecting a little crystal light in the darkness.

"...I don't know either." The woman shook her head in confusion, "Anyway, let's drive inland. Let's see where everyone goes and where we will go."

Looking at the cars whizzing by around them, the atmosphere in the car gradually became depressing.

The woman pondered for a moment, then reached out and turned on the radio in the car.

"The following will tell you the latest progress of the escape plan."

"At present, the first batch of hibernation projects in Asia has been completed, and the second and third batches of hibernating personnel are entering hibernation in an orderly manner."

"The American region will launch the first batch of hibernation projects in the near future. At that time, all those who are qualified to escape are asked to go to the gathering point in the nearest city..."

As the radio sounded, there was a loud bang in the sky.

"Mom! It's Xuan Nu No. 2!"

Hope lowered the window, stretched out his head to look at the sky, and shouted to his mother excitedly, "It's true what the radio said, the first batch of hibernation has begun!"

There was a bit of excitement in the woman's eyes.

She whistled lightly as she asked Hope to close the car window.

"We have to speed up!"

"When we get to the next city, I will take you to the meeting point."

"When the time comes..."

Speaking of this, the woman's voice suddenly stopped.

She suddenly thought that at that time, it would be the time to say goodbye to her child.

Just for a moment, the car fell into silence again.

"Mom, otherwise...I won't hibernate for now."

"What are you talking about!" The woman glared at the boy next to her with some annoyance and scolded softly, "Don't talk such nonsense, and then hibernate."

Hope didn't reply, just sat in his seat silently.