Chapter 29: Sudden Changes, World Fusion

Chapter 29 Sudden Changes in Heaven and Earth, World Fusion

"A scam?"

Sheng Qingquan mumbled sleepily after being woken up. He sat on the bed for a few moments before he finally thought of other possibilities.

"It must be the seventh step, the eighth step, or some other step that’s been planned."

Sure enough, when he opened the door, three familiar faces were standing outside.

"They looked like the same people who came for the population registration earlier."

Hearing the voices in his head again and seeing Sheng Qingquan open the door, not only the people at the door but also other staff members breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good thing he’s alright. He was probably just exhausted from yesterday, sleeping deeply and for a long time."

"Here’s an emergency kit. Make sure to keep the protective masks and suits inside. Don’t throw them away or resell them."

The staff handed over a large bag of items, reminding: "World fusion is set to happen on August 9th. Even though everyone will be gathered together in advance for safety, to avoid infection and ensure everyone’s safety, protective suits and masks must be worn."

"You wouldn’t want to get grabbed by a disaster victim face-to-face, right?"

A scratch or cut could lead to infection. And that’s not even the worst part. Sheng Qingquan quickly caught the staff’s unspoken meaning.

"This is to keep people from Tianlan Star from being taken hostage by disaster victims on sight."

"It’s better to stop this crisis early than deal with hostages later."

That’s exactly why.

The staff continued nonchalantly: "These suits have been treated with special materials, making them tougher than regular suits, resistant to sharp objects like nails or knives."

Even though Sheng Qingquan might not need it, the authorities gave him one anyway.

Worried Sheng Qingquan might refuse, the staff casually added: "Make sure to keep your suit safe, but if it’s lost or damaged, don’t hesitate to report it."

"It’s a bit of a hassle and involves some paperwork. But as long as it’s confirmed that the suit is truly damaged and not resold, a new one can be applied for."

"After making friends with Cat Star, we got a lot of stuff and tweaked our machines. Currently, production capacity can keep up, and there's extra stock."

"But don’t waste them—supplies are still precious." Fearing someone might hear and act recklessly, the staff emphasized again.

Sheng Qingquan obediently took the items and nodded.

Before leaving, the staff reminded again: "Remember to pay more attention to external information recently. Don’t miss any news."

Watching the staff go to the next house, Sheng Qingquan closed the door and opened the bag to find two boxes of masks inside.

One box was ordinary N95 masks, ten in total.

The other box contained only three, but was prominently labeled as special masks, required to be worn with the protective suit starting from August 8th until August 9th.

Then there was a protective suit, not much different in style from ordinary ones but clearly different in material.

In addition, there were two small bottles.

Both bottles were only the size of a fingertip, wrapped together with instructions on the outside.

The instructions read 'Nutrient Solution' in large letters, with smaller text below stating that one bottle of nutrient solution could replace a day's meals.

There was nothing else left. Sheng Qingquan placed the bag in a conspicuous spot in the living room to avoid forgetting it later.

After all the fuss, the drowsiness disappeared. Thinking back to what the staff had said, Sheng Qingquan went back to the room, fished out his phone from under the blanket, and took a look. The top notifications were a list of various messages.

There were notifications from online platforms and official texts from telecom providers.

[A friendly reminder from Yunteng City Government: The world fusion time is preliminarily set for August 9th, which is the 9th of next month. A holiday will be arranged in advance, and protection will be organized by the community. Please follow the arrangements of community police officers and cooperate with the actions. Wishing you peace and happiness!]

[Reminder from the Dual-World Fusion Command of Yushu Province: Next month...]

[The time for the world fusion has been confirmed, set for August 9th. This year's Valentine's Day, we might spend it with ancient people. Everyone, please stay safe...]

Sheng Qingquan cleared the SMS and online notifications one by one.

"Attention, everyone! Attention, everyone!"

"The time for the world fusion has been confirmed, set for August 9th. Our plan is as follows: On August 6th, we will gather once for a rehearsal to avoid chaos later. Then, on August 8th, the official gathering will begin."

"The gathering location is the community square. For the 6th, just be there. For the 8th, please make sure to prepare in advance."

"Make sure to wear your protective suits and masks at home. The special masks last longer than regular masks, lasting 24 hours, so don't throw them away after a short while..."

"Do not drink the nutrient supplements early or leave them at home. You'll be in the square for hours, and without the supplements, you won't make it."

"What if the world fusion happens while you're eating or drinking, huh?"

"During the gathering, the building leaders will handle roll call and lead the group."

"Do not bring knives, hammers, or any weapons to the gathering. Avoid hurting yourself or others. Professionals will be on-site for protection..."

"...You can stock up on food and essentials at home, but don't overdo it. A week to a month's supply is enough..."

"...For kids and elderly with chronic illnesses needing medication, prepare some medicine at home in advance. If you need transport due to mobility issues, message the community staff privately..."

"...Don't try to stay home; follow the instructions..."

The community broadcast also began repeatedly announcing reminders, ensuring that everyone was informed to avoid anyone being left out during the world fusion, which could lead to accidents.

With all this constant information, the tension quickly built up.

Sheng Qingquan noticed that some people in the community who had been indifferent before now lost their overly relaxed demeanor. Everyone's attitude towards the world fusion suddenly became more tense than when someone in the family was taking the college entrance exam.

Online, some even started a countdown to the dual-world fusion.

The countdown began day by day, and upon entering the topic, some people checked in daily, acting as reminders for each other.

[Have you stocked up on supplies? Yes.]

[Have you gotten vaccinated? Yes.]

[Have you passed the emergency drill? Yes.]

[Have you exercised today? Not yet, going right now!]

Time quickly moved into August, and various places began conducting gathering drills.

Early in the morning, there were broadcast notifications, followed by whistle sounds downstairs, and someone shouting through a loudspeaker to gather, instantly bringing back memories of student days and military training.

Sheng Qingquan quickly followed the others downstairs.

The floor captain took a headcount and, after confirming that no one was missing, he waved for everyone to follow and led them to the community square.

The community square looked completely different now.

The area that previously housed fitness equipment and children's play facilities still had the equipment, but the ground was now marked with large, noticeable squares.

Each square was numbered, and each square had white dots every meter, with some bright yellow dots mixed in.

"Everyone, stand on the white dots, please," a staff member loudly reminded. "Keep your distance, no crowding. Children can stand with their parents! If you get tired, feel free to sit down, but stay where you are."

The scene was a bit chaotic, but everyone knew how serious it was and cooperated without a fuss. With the staff's firm guidance, everyone quickly found their positions.

Once everyone was in place, Sheng Qingquan saw several teams of fully armed people spreading out to stand on the yellow dots.

At each yellow dot, two Armed Police officers stood back-to-back, guns in hand. From their spots, they could keep an eye on the white dots around them.

Besides the fixed posts, there were people patrolling around the squares.

This way, if any disaster victims showed up in the squares, they could be handled right away, with no one slipping through.

Drones buzzed back and forth overhead.

The Armed Police had headphones on, so they could be quickly alerted if anything was missed.

"Damn, this feels so safe!"

"I was wondering why they were calling up veterans earlier—turns out it was for this."

"These guns aren't real, right? Are they loaded with tranquilizers?"

Even though they couldn't huddle together, everyone was too excited to stay quiet and chatted loudly from a distance.

Right then, a new announcement came through, explaining that the world fusion wouldn't just add a new continent to Tianlan Star where everyone would live apart, minding their own business. It also wouldn't be a simple merging of two worlds, with Tianlan Star sharing a border with ancient lands. Instead, the areas where people lived would grow, and disaster victims could pop up anywhere, maybe even right next to them.

If they'd found out a day or two ago, a lot of people would've freaked out.

But now, perhaps because the soldiers' postures were so upright and majestic, their gun-wielding guardianship as steadfast as mountains.

"I'm not really scared," Sheng Qingquan saw a young man clutching his chest, "I thought I'd be so frightened my heart would skip a beat. But it's actually okay."

"My heart is beating a bit fast," someone nearby chimed in, "but not out of fear. I'm just a bit excited, a bit thrilled. To witness such a grand event, I'll be able to boast about it to my descendants for a lifetime!"

"Your grandpa here lived through the fusion of two worlds!" he couldn't help but laugh.

"Which generation gets to experience this? It's just us."

Others couldn't help but open up: "Looking back through history, whether there will be successors is unknown, but there are certainly no predecessors! It might even be unique. History will remember. The history books should note this. Future readers of history won't be able to skip over this day."

After the drill, many were reluctant to leave and started chatting on the spot.

As Sheng Qingquan left, he overheard someone saying they wanted to bring a small stool for convenience, but weren't sure if it was allowed.

August 8th.

Sheng Qingquan got up at six o'clock, and the broadcast outside began to play.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he put on his protective suit and a special mask. Carrying nutritional supplements, Sheng Qingquan went downstairs and followed the floor captain, repeating the actions rehearsed before.

The 8th day passed without incident.

Even the sleepiness that Sheng Qingquan had been most worried about did not occur. Perhaps the nutritional supplements not only satisfied hunger but also had a refreshing effect. Or maybe it was the excitement that warded off sleepiness.

Moreover, the protective suit was not too uncomfortably hot. On the contrary, in the high temperature, the body felt surprisingly comfortable.

In short, the waiting time in the square was bearable. It was much better than expected.

On the morning of the 9th day, it was still peaceful.

At noon, all was quiet.

Just when everyone thought the afternoon would also be uneventful and suspected that the merger event might be at night, at 2:15 PM, the world around them suddenly changed.

It was like a game server merge, with many new players joining.

As more people materialized, the surrounding environment also changed, with more land and buildings appearing. The one-meter interval between each person expanded considerably.

Watching this scene, Sheng Qingquan clearly heard someone say with relief, "Fortunately, the original buildings are fine. I just finished paying off my mortgage!"

Suddenly, they found themselves in a new place.

The disaster victims numbly raised their heads, and before they could clearly see the crowd of people in white in front of them, they suddenly heard a loud noise in the sky.

Is this divine punishment?

The thought crossed the disaster victims' minds, but before they could react.

Something, whether it was an arrow or something else, flew over, much faster than an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, companions around them began to fall.

Is this murder?

The disaster victims should have been scared, but too many people had died recently.

They simply felt nothing.

Until they realized they were also being attacked, and as they fell, before closing their eyes, the familiar faces of their loved ones flashed in their minds, along with coarse rice porridge, wild vegetable soup, eggs...

The best food they had ever eaten, or imagined.

How unfortunate, they couldn't even have a full meal before dying.

Finally, all thoughts disappeared, leaving only one thought in their hearts.

Dead.

Dead, everything is over, right?!