Bab 15: Chapter 14: It's Good to Have Hope
Xiang Weiguo draped on his coat, grabbed his backpack, and slowly walked out.
Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu faced each other in silence. After a long while, Luo Xingyu finally said, "What do you plan to do now?"
Gao Yuan shook his head, speaking softly, "I still don't have any plans, how about you?"
Luo Xingyu hesitated for a moment before replying, "I don't have any plans either."
"I know you want to go to a large refugee shelter because you still want to find your dad. If I were you, I would definitely feel the same way."
Luo Xingyu looked at Gao Yuan earnestly and spoke in a low voice, "But I won't go there by myself, I don't know where to find my dad, and moreover, I don't even know if he's still alive. But why don't you want to go to a large refugee shelter? They have military protection there, they should have enough food, and there are many people, so why don't you want to go?"
Gao Yuan laughed helplessly and said, "I ask you, which is better, the refugee shelters now or the cities before?"
"Of course the cities."
"So, will the army now be stronger than before the aliens arrived?"
A simple logic, the aliens who couldn't be resisted before the outbreak are even less resistible now.
After some thought, Luo Xingyu, her face ashen, shook her head.
Gao Yuan sighed and said, "I don't like crowded places, not because I'm antisocial, but under the current conditions, I believe the more crowded the place, the more dangerous it is. The reason is simple, why did the aliens release the virus?"
Luo Xingyu said softly, "Because they want to exterminate humanity..."
"Yes, the aliens want to exterminate us. So, will they just stop at releasing the virus? Two months have passed, the aliens haven't made any further moves. It seems very calm now, but how long can this calm last?"
The logic is very simple but so harsh that it's difficult to face.
Luo Xingyu, understanding this logic, had nothing to say.
Gao Yuan continued with a face of helplessness, "If the aliens launch another attack, who will they target, the large refugee shelters crowded with people, or scattered individuals hiding in the mountains like us?"
Luo Xingyu let out a deep sigh, then couldn't help but start coughing.
Gao Yuan didn't want to crush Luo Xingyu's spirits, but some simple truths had to be cruelly reminded to her.
"Because there are many species that humans have driven to extinction or near extinction, such as passenger pigeons, Steller's sea cows, tortoises, and bison. Why were these species, standing at the top of the food chain, exterminated by humans? It's because these animals were large, their meat was delicious, and when humans hunted them without restraint, it was easy to drive them to extinction. But what are some species that humans wanted but failed to exterminate?"
After thinking for a moment, Luo Xingyu said, "Rats, mosquitoes, and cockroaches."
Gao Yuan spoke softly, "Correct, why can't rats be exterminated? Because they are small, breed quickly, and are scattered in every corner of Blue Star. If humans really wanted to eradicate rats, it's not that they couldn't do it, but it would require a great deal of expense, both financially and in manpower. However, compared to the harm caused by rats, the costs and benefits of exterminating this species don't match up, so humans have not eradicated rats."
Making the connection, Luo Xingyu said, "So you mean we can only be the rats in the sewers."
"Pretty much, that's the idea. I don't know how long humanity as a species can continue to exist, but I do know one thing— if rats become too numerous in a place, to the point that they become a plague and a hazard to humans, then humans will definitely undertake large-scale rat extermination in that place."
Gao Yuan sighed softly and said in a low voice, "So unless it's necessary, I don't want to go to any places concentrated with humans, such as large refugee shelters."
"Is there no hope left?"
Luo Xingyu stared at Gao Yuan blankly. Gao Yuan, not daring to look into Luo Xingyu's eyes, turned his head and said softly, "The aliens have crossed the Solar System to come to Earth, what hope is there to speak of..."
"But, but... do we just surrender and admit defeat? Just sit and wait for death?"
Gao Yuan shook his head, speaking softly, "I'm a pessimist, but I'm not a defeatist. I've said that I'm not afraid of death—I only want to, even in death, have it be meaningful. But I see no hope."
"Hope..."
Gao Yuan clenched his fists, his face grave, "I want to kill the aliens. I think about it every day, dream about it every night. When I have a moment, I think about how to kill those aliens. But in the end, I can't kill the aliens with stones."
Such a reality, so despairing and so helpless.
Luo Xingyu caught up to Gao Yuan and grabbed his shoulder. Gao Yuan turned around to find Luo Xingyu with tears streaming down her face.
Luo Xingyu moved forward and then hugged Gao Yuan.
The two held each other tightly, neither speaking, just shedding tears.
As a species facing the imminent threat of extinction, perhaps all one could do was cry.
After a long while, Luo Xingyu said in a low voice, "I don't want to die, I don't want to perish silently in this small mountain village. If possible, I will resist; I hope this is a war, not the apocalypse."
Gao Yuan replied softly, "This is a war, but this phrase is just a slogan. What is truth? What is reality? The reality is that this is a slaughter, a precise massacre of a species. Do you know what I'm worried about? I'm worried about the aliens upgrading the virus. We have antibodies now, but what if a new virus emerges?"
"The alien virus is formidable; it killed most of humanity on Blue Star in just a few days. The zombies might as well be dead, and using a derivative of the zombie virus to kill those with antibodies is efficient—two functions in one virus. With such good results, do the aliens even need to use a new virus?"
Luo Xingyu looked lost and anxious, but Gao Yuan really was a pessimist, so he went on brutally, "It's necessary. If you find a pesticide is ineffective, wouldn't you try a different one?"
The truth remained simple and cruel.
Luo Xingyu sighed softly and said, "I've always been an optimist, so I believe there might still be hope. If there truly is hope, what would you do?"
"Fight to the death, until I die in battle."
Gao Yuan didn't hesitate for a moment.
Luo Xingyu took a breath and said, "I'll be with you."
They embraced again in silence.
After a long time, Luo Xingyu released Gao Yuan and whispered, "Uncle Xiang is a good person, and he's really strong. Do you think we should consider Uncle Xiang's opinion?"
Luo Xingyu was unwilling to leave Gao Yuan because, realistically, he was her lifeline, and emotionally, he was her pillar of support. Yet she still harbored unrealistic hopes.
Gao Yuan couldn't bear to crush Luo Xingyu's spirits, but he also didn't want to give her false hope.
"Uncle Xiang has given up too. As a scout, a special forces instructor, he understands the rationale I just explained. That's why he didn't go to a large shelter but came back here instead. He knows that as an individual, he won't make any difference in this disaster. But if this were a war, even one without hope of victory, he would step onto the battlefield without hesitation. Now, all he can do is be buried in the ancestral graveyard after he dies. Because right now, this isn't really a war—it's just a slogan on the broadcasts, nothing more."
Despair, that was indeed complete despair.
Luo Xingyu covered her head with the sleeping bag and stayed motionless for a long time.
Gao Yuan regretted it again; he didn't want Luo Xingyu to have unrealistic hopes, but seeing her struck down to the point of losing all zest for life, he regretted it.
Gao Yuan was just a pessimist, always inclined to expect the worst, but that didn't mean he was incapable of considering the positives. So, for a pessimist to comfort someone else, to provide hope, wasn't actually that difficult for him.
Whether to let Luo Xingyu fall into utter despair or to continue harboring hope was a choice for Gao Yuan to make.
"Have you given up hope? In fact, there is still a tiny bit, although it's negligible."
Luo Xingyu quickly pulled away the sleeping bag and said, "Tell me!"
"I suspect that our nation knew about the aliens' impending invasion of Blue Star long ago, and that defense measures were taken worldwide. The simplest and most direct piece of evidence is the vaccine we were given. Although it didn't work on everyone, it was effective for a significant portion of the population."
Luo Xingyu paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "Right!"
"Then there are the shelters. It's only been two months; those shelters couldn't have just sprung up from the ground. According to Uncle Xiang, the shelters have sturdy walls and cover a large area, which indicates that they were built well in advance, not after the aliens arrived. Since there was no reason for a world war on Blue Star before, we can assume that these shelters were meant to withstand the alien invasion."
Luo Xingyu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's it!"
Gao Yuan said with a bitter smile, "If preparations for the alien invasion were made long ago, then perhaps our country already has a way to deal with the aliens. But this is just speculation; we don't have enough information to make a more accurate judgment. Why do I say hope is slim? Because the farthest humans have reached is the Moon; we can't even leave the Solar System, while the aliens have come here, demonstrating an absolute technological gap. Even if we're prepared, what good would it do?"
Luo Xingyu spoke with defiance, "You're right, but if evil aliens bad enough to invade Blue Star can come, then maybe there are good aliens who will come to help us."
Gao Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, "I hadn't considered this possibility, and you can't really be wrong, but..."
"Just tell me if there's a possibility!"
"Theoretically, there is a possibility, but it's extremely slim."
"If there's a possibility, isn't there hope?"
Looking at Luo Xingyu's stubborn expression, Gao Yuan began to smile, and then he said in a deep voice, "Yes, if there's a possibility, there is hope. Although it's so small it's negligible, it's still there."
Luo Xingyu spoke with conviction, "If there's a possibility, there's hope, and hope... is a good thing!"
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