The sandstorm in the sky blocked the view, and the sand particles relentlessly pounded against the lookout tower's protective glass. The sound of the grinding sand, mixed with the howling wind, could still be heard even through the tightly closed windows. The high tower could feel the desert's roar trembling slightly. A 16-year-old human boy withdrew his gaze from the horizon and turned, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his left shoulder...
"Yuwang, you really seem to know exactly when I'll be coming to replace you?" Another boy walked out of the elevator, speaking as he approached.
Yuwang didn't respond. He walked straight toward the elevator, patting the new boy on the shoulder as he passed and said, "The wind's strong today. Be careful!" After that, he entered the elevator and shut the door behind him.
Due to the scarcity of human population and limited resources, children between the ages of 6 and 16 are required to attend school while also working part-time in necessary societal roles. Once they turn 17, they must join the military to defend against the ever-present threat of annihilation by the AI Empire.
This handsome boy with tanned skin was called Yuwang. He had been stationed at this lookout tower since he was 6. Most of the children here didn't know who their parents were (in fact, most of their parents had died in battle). The children were raised and educated as national resources under unified management.
Each child's name is derived from their genetic lineage, specifically the major civilizations humanity once had. Yuwang's genetic heritage came from the ancient Huaxia civilization, so his name was taken from a list of ancient Huaxia leaders, "Yuwang" being the name of the last leader of the Yan Emperor tribe. But most of the other children didn't care much about this and preferred to call him "Yú Wǎng."
This border city, home to over 10,000 people, was located in the Yadan landform of the Taklamakan Desert. The lookout tower was built by modifying a towering sand dune. Over the years, humans had established a small underground city for survival. The majority of the population was of Huaxia descent, so they communicated mostly in Chinese.
Yuwang took the elevator down to the underground city. When the door opened, he ran along the "fluorescent avenue," which was lined with glowing plants. Soon, he arrived at the school—an old stone building. After finding a seat, he took out his notebook and pencil, waiting for the teacher to arrive. (Due to the limitations of the environment and military considerations, residents rarely used and almost never had access to electronic devices.)
It seemed that two new 6-year-old students had arrived again. Yuwang sighed inwardly. (Because the population was small, all the children in a particular area attended the same class.)
The classroom door opened once more, and a stunningly beautiful woman in a pink scarf walked up to the podium, holding a book.
"Wow, the teacher is so beautiful!" One of the new girls couldn't help but shout.
"She's a biorobot!" A senior student told the little girl.
"So what?" The girl blinked her eyes and asked.
The senior rolled his eyes and ignored her.
At this moment, the teacher asked everyone to be quiet: "Good morning, class!"
"Good morning, teacher!" The students stood and responded.
"Today, we have two lovely new classmates. Please introduce yourselves. I am Ding Ding, your teacher for Survival Studies, Military Courses, Engineering, Literature, Frontier Science, Intelligence Studies, Quantum Physics, History, Mathematics…" (She listed 20 subjects in one breath.) "…and I am also the Physical Education teacher and your homeroom teacher."
"She teaches so many subjects. She's amazing!" The little girl clapped in admiration.
"What's so great about it? Didn't you hear that she's also the PE teacher? That means all your math and history lessons are taught by the PE teacher!" The senior student couldn't help but comment.
"So what?" The girl blinked again and asked.
The senior gave a defeated expression.
"Class, before we begin today's lesson, I will first give you an update on the latest news," Ding Ding said as she paused for a moment.
As it was wartime, all the students sat up straight, especially Yuwang and a few others who had already turned 16.
"As you all know, about a month ago, a fleet known as the 'True Masters of Earth' suddenly appeared. They defeated the Solar Empire's (the AI-controlled empire's fleet) starship fleet, and in the second week, they crushed the Jupiter defense line. Last week, they destroyed the Moon Base and landed on Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth."
'So powerful,' Yuwang thought to himself. Since the AI rebellion in 2085, humanity had almost never had a victory. If not for internal conflicts among the AI's main systems, humans would have been nearly wiped out. Now, this foreign fleet managed to break through what was considered the strongest fleet in solar system history in less than a month and successfully landed on Earth. If they are friends, that's good, but if they are enemies, then...
At that moment, Ding Ding continued, "The Supreme Command of the Civilization Protectors has already sent an envoy to the Giant Fleet, hoping to understand them and establish a friendly relationship. Today, we received the latest intelligence from the envoy: 1) They claim to have been the true masters of Earth 65 million years ago and left the planet for interstellar travel due to some unknown reason. 2) These beings are very large, but their numbers seem to be few. 3) Their base contains flying dragons, monsters, and their attire is very simple and strange. They also sometimes use tools that resemble magical or mystical items…"
"Teacher, are you sure you're not overheating and short-circuiting? Even though we can't use high-tech anymore, we don't need to live off myths, right?" The senior student, who had spoken earlier, complained.
"Xiao Bai, the teacher is talking about intelligence reports…"
"My name is Bó Yì, not 'Bai.' Are you really just the PE teacher?" Bó Yì scratched his head.
Normally, many students would tease him with the nickname "White Ant," but today, the news was so bizarre that no one paid attention to that. Everyone began discussing the situation.
"Everyone, please be quiet!" Ding Ding ordered. "Initially, the Supreme Command was skeptical about the reliability of the intelligence, but the other side has sent special envoys to follow our messengers to Kè Dū (the capital of the remaining human civilization). Since we are located at the border, it's very likely that their envoys will pass through here. The Supreme Command has requested the city's defense commander to send all forces to ensure the safety of the Giant Tribe's envoy. So we will know soon whether this information is true or false."
"Because the situation may change, we will not begin history lessons today. Instead, we will start with the basic elements of Survival Studies," she said, starting to write on the board.
However, Yuwang had completely lost his focus. Unlike the other children, Yuwang's parents had secretly visited him when he was 4 years old, and every year on his birthday, they would come and spend it with him. Until his 12th birthday, when they never came again. He remembered that night, sitting alone in the lookout tower, watching the distant horizon and the starry sky. It was so cold, so cold, and his consciousness slowly faded… The next day, he realized they might never return. Since then, he had grown deeply pessimistic about the future of humanity. However, today's news seemed to give him, and everyone else, new hope… No, it gave everyone a new hope...