Perhaps his parents had foreseen all that was to occur.
Of course, what happened to others may have been even more severe than it was for him.
This was not a game, nor was it so-called time travel, and it definitely wasn't the end of the world. It was simply time that had flashed by five hundred years, turning seas into mulberry fields, with everything becoming unrecognizable.
What did five hundred years of time imply?
It meant that their lives had collapsed in an instant.
The Cocoon Breakers boarded the helicopter in a numb state. The Judges first scanned their pupils, recorded the information of their emergence from cocoons, and then distributed emergency rations and purified water to each of them—a process that once again made people appreciate the joy of being alive.
Boss Zhang had a keen eye for opportunity and determinedly pulled out one of his molars to offer up. It was a false tooth made of pure gold, valuable currency anywhere.
Of course, this was in hopes that Qingmu and his group would take extra care of them.
Qingmu readily accepted the offering without any hesitation, right on the spot.
Seeing this, Lu Bu'er exchanged two egg yolk pies for some information.
Qingmu's eyes brightened, and he gulped down both pies, contentedly commenting that these snacks had become outdated and were now out of production; even as a treat, they were out of fashion.
This statement meant that the catering industry was now well developed, and no one was eating snacks like egg yolk pies anymore, so naturally, there was no production or sales.
Except for those rare Cocoon Breakers who treasured it, no one else cared for it.
After finishing the pies and wiping his mouth, Qingmu slowly said, "It was a cataclysm that swept across the globe. The ancient Divine Tree erupted from its primordial strata, spreading to every corner of the world. The Arctic was first, followed by the Eurasian Continent, then the African Continent, South America, North America, and finally Antarctica... Numerous Forbidden Zones of Life formed, and creatures known as Specter Fiends began their invasion. A significant portion of humanity donned Orola Tech's virtual helmets, entering into a slumber that lasted for several years."
Lu Bu'er fell silent. These were clearly the background settings of that preliminary version of the game, with more or fewer discrepancies, but the overall content remained the same.
"A virtual helmet, why could it put us to sleep for five hundred years?"
He Sai asked subconsciously.
When Qingmu heard his question, he simply smiled nonchalantly.
He scoffed as he took a powerless virtual helmet from one of the survivors, remarking with sentiment, "For the sake of the egg yolk pie, I will explain it to you once more."
He removed the neurological hub inside the helmet, yanking out the wires and throwing them to the ground.
To their surprise, the severed end of the wires was completely filled with pure white silk. Along with the silk, a withered silkworm was flung out, which crumbled into dust with a puff of wind.
"In reality, when the Divine Tree erupted from the ancient strata and the ancient divine light shone across the world, the power of the gods changed everything... Within Its roots hid a type of miraculous parasite, the Time Cocoon Worm. The time cocoons spun by the Time Cocoon Worms could freeze your life, protecting you from external harm. Once your physique was completely altered, the silk would lose its protective function. Initially, the time cocoon was set to hibernate for only one year, with a few people, due to their weak bodies, needing more time to restructure their life form. Particularly, the Cocoon Breakers who slept in the Land of the Departed were affected by certain specific factors, making their hibernation unusually prolonged. It was more likely for them to produce geniuses but equally likely for them to perish at a young age."
Qingmu glanced at the dust scattered by the wind, "Back when you were first sealed in the time cocoons, the city you were in had turned into the Land of the Departed. Immense dangers loomed, and humans had to evacuate. You, however, were left behind in the Land of the Departed. Over the years we've constantly attempted rescues, but invariably there would be misses. After all, it's very dangerous in the Land of the Departed, with terrifying changes happening now and then, and you are very lucky to have not encountered any horrifying phenomena or high-level Specter Fiends. Facing such entities, even our squad would be doomed."
The Cocoon Breakers were stunned.
So that was the reason.
Clearly, the Land of the Departed was not limited to just one city.
The people who went to sleep within the cocoons five hundred years ago woke up after just one year because their city remained unaffected.
But for the humans hibernating in the Land of the Departed, due to the catastrophes that happened that year, their exact wake-up time was unpredictable, and post-emergence, they might even be attacked by Specter Fiends.
Lu Bu'er thought to himself that this was the reason he emerged from a cocoon in the Land of the Departed. However, he was shocked that such strange creatures were hiding inside Orola's virtual helmets, fusing directly with the human brain!
It was absurd.
What exactly were his parents researching before they passed away?
"Why were we sealed away?"
Someone couldn't help but ask.
Qingmu replied indifferently, "The most prevailing theory is that humanity violated ancient taboos and suffered a terrible divine punishment. Amidst the crisis, someone awakened the Tree of Life Kabbalah, and humans had to evolve to face the invasion of the Specter Fiends. Approximately eight hundred million people entered hibernation at that time, deemed to possess the potential for evolution, completing a preliminary evolution within their cocoons."
He pointed to himself, "I'm also a Cocoon Breaker who awoke in the Land of the Departed, about ten years before you broke out of your cocoons. What you've been through, I've been through it, too. Anyone who might potentially possess the talent for evolution would receive a virtual helmet in one way or another. Of course, there will inevitably be some that slip through the net, but that's unavoidable."