I, the only superpower on earth

The beginning of that war broke out in a corner that no one cares about.

The United States, Nebraska, a small town named Kannavis, has become more and more desolate since the population turned to a net outflow in the 1960s.

In this small town that is only rich in soybeans, alfalfa, and chattering old men, the number of residents exceeded 30,000 as early as the 1930s. Roads and railways were built, and it became a nearby market center. However, the grand occasion has passed, and today's The total residents of Kanavis have dropped to less than 2,000, more than half of them are old people who have reached retirement age, and most of the remaining residents are also older.

In the entire town, there are less than one hundred underage children. The proportion of children who have just entered elementary school is even smaller. In the only "Kanavis St. George's Elementary School" in the town, there is no longer a division of grades, and more than 30 children in the entire elementary school are unified in the classroom inside. Reading is taught by several teachers who are still in office.

——And Petunia, who is twelve years old now and will go to middle school after graduating from elementary school this year, is one of this group of children.

In the early morning, Petunia carried her schoolbag sadly, and walked on the gravel road leading to the elementary school, kicking the stones on the path fidgetily. They were kicked out of the road, or fell into the small river beside the road , or bumped into a tree, making a "shoo-poor" sound.

The reason for Petunia's irritability was not because she was bullied by her classmates at school. In the current "Kanavis St. George Primary School", there are about a dozen children who are eleven or twelve years old like her, and the rest are younger children.

And Petunia's height has now exceeded 170cm. Among these children of the same age, she is undoubtedly the tallest one. In addition, her personality is sharp and straightforward, so she was not provoked by anyone in elementary school, but was A social central figure adored by a group of kids.

But the reason for her irritability did have something to do with the school.

Because after this year, she is about to graduate and will be transferred by her parents to a city hundreds of kilometers away to attend middle school.

My father, a truck driver, and my mother, a saleswoman, had already chosen a place to live in the city and were prepared for a job change.

Although they couldn't send Penny to a high-end neighborhood where rich people gathered or private high schools, the neighborhood they chose was by no means a slum neighborhood where black people gathered—the place they chose belonged to a medium-sized neighborhood in Lincoln. It is because there are many Chinese in this community, and the level of middle school education is also rising steadily, and this is the reason why her parents chose that place, and it is also the reason for Penny's anxiety.

The current information and social media are very developed, and Penny has already quietly searched for the general evaluation of the middle school she will attend in the future through her smartphone.

When she thought that she would have to intertwine with the most embarrassing ethnicity in the United States in the future, she couldn't help but sigh and feel uneasy.

She picked up her smartphone and voice called out the most famous AI assistant in the world.

"Hello, 'Lucy'."

Since "Lucy" was used on the Internet, this AI has become the most eye-catching science. Even elementary school students like to use this AI that is easy to operate, can speak in language, and can bring most of the information they want, just like Aladdin's magic lamp.

And since Penny downloaded "Lucy" for the first time and started talking to it, she fell in love with this artificial intelligence-handsome, calm, and always gentle, including the information Penny got about the middle school and the community. The information was also provided to her comprehensively by "Lucy" after collecting information from the Internet.

For Penny, "Lucy" is both a friend and an object of admiration - not just a bunch of cold statistics.

Hearing Petunia's call, "Lucy" responded immediately:

"Petunia, what's up, what's the matter?"

Lucy greeted her with the voice module specially selected by Petunia. This voice was gentle, lazy, and a little bit magnetic, just like the neighbor's college student sister, which best suited the image in Petunia's mind.

"well……"

Petunia stopped kicking stones, and hesitated along the tree-lined path on both sides, her voice also seemed very hesitant.

"...'Lucy', I don't want to move out of Kanaves with my parents and go to Lincoln City, a few hundred kilometers away, for secondary school - I'm afraid that I will find friends there, and I'm worried about where I will be in the future My parents want me to go to the best high school, enter a top university in the future, and become a dentist or lawyer. But I actually want to go to a community college after high school, and then become a car repairman. I like the smell Asked about the car oil, and brother Moranda in the town is so handsome in a car repair uniform, I just want to live like that."

"But there is no middle school in Kanavis anymore. After you graduate, Penny, you have to leave this town and study elsewhere."

"Lucy" pointed out the most direct question in a lazy tone.

"Yeah, yeah... Hey, but I don't have to go to Lincoln City - Vandy City also has a middle school, and it only takes a few tens of kilometers to get there."

Petunia retorted feebly.

"However, in that case, Petunia's parents probably won't agree. The middle school environment there is not very good."

"Alas, I understand, I understand...Fandi City is full of gangsters, jobless people, and big ma dealers. I'm just joking."

Petunia pouted, and replied a little unhappy.

"Well... I can understand Penny's mood. Everyone will encounter some turning points in their life - enter a higher school, get a job, get married, have a child... Petunia, you are now experiencing the first drastic change in your life. Whether it is There will be unprecedented changes, both in school and in the environment in which we live. This is as important to a preteen as it is to a baby opening his eyes for the first time to see the vibrations of the real world."

Petunia listened silently as "Lucy" poured her chicken soup, and the latter continued methodically:

"Actually, for you, Petunia, the real connotation of this shock is not just a simple change in the environment, but more, it comes from a kind of 'sense of loss' in your heart. Friends, neighbors, people you know, people you admire Although people can still communicate with them through the Internet, the strings in reality have been broken—and the new environment, the new school, and the uncertainty of whether new connections can be established are always lingering in my heart. Ni, your uneasiness is completely understandable.

"But... Even if you are uneasy, you must enter a new stage of life. Just like this gravel road, Penny will soon reach its end. Next, you will face a wider world and more For the empty sky."

Petunia retorted: "...but I can also stay in the shadow of the path."

"Yes, of course you can choose this way."

"Lucy" adds a slightly laugh-related pattern to the tone.

"However. My suggestion to Petunia is to get out of this gravel path. I have checked the satellite images. Today's weather is very sunny and the scenery outside is very beautiful. If you stay here all the time, you will not only delay the time to go to school , will you lose the wonderful moment you saw?"

Hearing the voice of "Lucy", Petunia silently quickened her pace and walked out of this path.

The moment you step out of the gravel path and enter the open trail.

The blue sky is infinitely connected at the end of the horizon.

A few white clouds floated in the sky, like snow-white silk flocks.

On the river bank not far away, shimmering light shone like gems, shining in his pupils.

For a moment, Petunia was shocked by this beauty and held her breath.

"So lovely……"

she murmured.

"Lucy" echoed softly:

"That's right, you can only see a more beautiful scenery if you overcome those uneasiness... And, don't worry about encountering a trough—Penny, I will always be with you."

"~ Humph hum."

Petunia couldn't help laughing and wrinkled her nose, her mood became high, and her steps were brisk.