"The station ahead... Liziba Station."
Phytolacca woke up with a start.
Only then did I realize that I had fallen asleep leaning against the cold inner wall of the carriage at some point, with my torn handbag hanging limply on the floor at my feet. The carriage was empty, and the dappled afternoon sunshine seemed to have been left behind by the high-speed light rail. Only the mechanical sound of station announcements circulated over and over again in this smooth and bright white space.
Shanglu picked up his bag and got out of the car. He seemed to have had a long dream. The story in the dream was vague, true and false. It might have happened yesterday, or it might have happened many years ago.
There are no pedestrians in the station. Only security guards are sitting in the corner with mops and dozing off. The floors and walls are washed clean and translucent, which reflects the desertedness. Before the collapse, Liziba was a popular tourist attraction in Chongqing, but now there are no more people. Why should I be interested in a dilapidated reinforced concrete shell? The so-called scenery is a subjective imagination imposed by human civilization on the objective world. But these days, even human civilization itself is about to die.
The long-term resident population in Chongqing is getting smaller and smaller. People are dragging their families and moving to the rear, especially in the Nan'an District. Almost only the family members of the base and related units are left on this side of the river. They form a large community that is closely attached to the base. There are communities, hospitals, supermarkets, and kindergartens in the community. One out of five people walking on the road is an active-duty soldier who is on business or on leave in 151. Occasionally, there are young women strolling along the roadside pushing strollers. Phytolacca I thought that the child's father must be deep in the mountain behind him.
There was a mottled half-advertisement hanging on the wall, and only the first half of the sentence "I don't eat hot pot" could be seen. Shanglu opened the glass door and went in. Inside was a small noodle shop, and it turned out that he didn't eat hot pot.
"Dip-officer card."
The sound of credit card swiping alerted the boss who was napping behind the counter. The boss raised his head and glanced at the customers who came in, then glanced at the menu above his head:
“Scan the code to order whatever you want to eat.”
Although it is an era of planned economy, there is no shortage of supplies after all. After the collapse, there was a period of tightening the belt, but now things are gradually getting better. Every year, the news network says that it is expected to completely relax life next year. Material control, 151 also has the highest rationing standards for all military units in the country - Shanglu claimed to the outside world that he came to 151 for this. He applied for a card at the base using the identity of GAASBCIG0007, and the result was that the RMB and shopping in the card were The coupons can support the entire labor office, which is exactly what he did when he was in the labor office. Every time after a night of intense work, Shanglu took out his card with an almost bottomless amount and casually put it on the table. Throw: Mr. Shang will pay all the bills tonight.
In fact, the platinum necklace that Wang Xiangbing bought for his wife as a birthday gift, the colostrum that Li Wenxuan brought back for his newborn child, and the Western food that Zhang Zhong treated the little girl from the confidential section of the base headquarters to eat were all paid for by Phytolactin.
The business in the noodle shop was deserted. There was only one table with people sitting around it. Three middle-aged men lowered their heads to eat noodles with sad faces. Shang Lu found an empty table against the wall and sat down. He could faintly hear them talking:
"Anno-san, the bureau has criticized your film, saying it is a bit explicit and not suitable for teenagers."
"oh--"
"Tomino-san, are you feeling well? The bureau said that there are still some parts of your film that need to be changed..."
Mixed with mutterings in Chinese and Japanese, they were probably one Chinese and two Japanese. In this era, the concept of country has disappeared. At most, everyone refers to each other by ethnicity. Of course, there are some who don't care about this. There is a native blond and blue-eyed person in the Military Supplies Section of the 151 Logistics Department. The Irish people often fill in Mianyang in the place of birth when filling out forms. Phytolacca turned to look at them. There are still people living ordinary lives in this world. Even if no one can be sure that they will survive until tomorrow, the half-painted pictures, half-written articles, and half-finished projects still have to be completed. Pushing it forward and completing the work has nothing to do with life or death, nor with meaning. Just like Archimedes angrily shouted don't break my circle when facing the soldier's blade, fragile human society often shows strong resilience on the other side. And inertia, it’s amazing.
The boss held the plate and placed the prepared pea noodles in front of Phytolacca.
Phytolacca was really hungry, so he rushed to the Joint Index Center in Guanyinqiao early this morning for a meeting. Phytolacca held a meeting from the fourteenth floor to the fourth floor to discuss the situation and countermeasures of No. 095 Snail Angel, as well as the giant machine control system. Maintenance, personnel training of the workshop system, fire safety and mental health are discussed. The Joint Index Center is located in the Future International Building in Guanyinqiao, with fifty floors. Before the war, it was a public examination and foreign language training institution. After the collapse, people left the building. In line with the principle of not wasting resources, the United Index Center moved in. The prosperous business district at that time is now the most important military institution in Chongqing.
After the meeting, Shanglu carried his old handbag and ran around again, visiting several offices of the base's logistics and equipment department to discuss where he could get MTU engines for heavy-duty mining trucks, or 2000 mm inner diameter The collapse of deep groove ball bearings completely destroyed the globalized industrial system. This loss is not only reflected in large items, but also in details that are difficult for ordinary people to notice. Some common gadgets are consumed all over the world by one person. The small county town provided that once destroyed, it would be difficult to establish a supply chain immediately. For a long time after the disaster, people could not even make useful disposable lighters, and all they used were stocks.
Phytolacca immersed himself in mixing the soft peas and noodles together. It was very fragrant. There may not be such good pea mixed noodles in the base canteen.
People really live just for a bite to eat.
Just after taking a bite, the phone rang. Phytolacca answered the call:
"Director Shang, I'm afraid that the batch of titanium alloy ball bearings I told you before cannot be transferred to you. There is an order from above and all of them have been approved."
"Why is this like this!" Phytolacca became anxious and slapped the table, startling the other diners in the noodle shop.
He covered his phone's microphone and apologized to the people at the table: "Private Marseilles, private Marseilles."
Then he lowered his voice and said harshly:
"How can you break your promise? Give it to us!"
"Director Shang, there is nothing we can do. I hope you understand that the war in 153 is urgent and the Military Commission has ordered all units to support 153. What can we do?"
After hanging up the phone, a new call came in:
"Director Shang, we want to adjust these diesel engines for you, but the superiors don't approve them."
"Director Shang, we have checked for you and it is indeed out of stock."
"It's all gone. I'm sorry, Director Shang."
It was as if they had made an appointment. Phytophthora begged his grandfather to sue his grandma all morning, but he got nothing. He leaned back weakly on the chair and scratched his disheveled hair. He looked like a project manager who was always rejected. .
Before it was over, the phone rang again as soon as I put my hand down. I saw that the number was Wang Xiangbing’s call:
"Comrade Grandpa, bad news, over there in the workshop."
Shangluca sighed and was silent for a long time. What day is it today? Destined to offend Tai Sui?
"To what extent? Is it still intact? Is there half of it left? Is it recognizable?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to use a shovel."
On April 21, 2018, Mercury was definitely in retrograde on Phytolacca. He threw the noodle bowl forward, picked up his handbag, pushed away the table and chairs, stumbled out the door, howled, hailed a taxi and disappeared from the crowd. In the surprised eyes.
(End of chapter)
