Please Answer, Please Answer

[Post-apocalyptic power couple | Naive little vine × Iron-willed commander | Bonds and protection | Happy ending]

In the fifth year of the apocalypse, the Dawn Squad discovers an unknown consciousness in the library of an abandoned university. After assessing it, Commander Lu Heng decides to take it in.

Lin Xi once tended his own nursery and garden in an abandoned school. But a glimmer of human civilization touched his heart, and he took human form.

He thought that if he learned about humans and helped them, they would accept him.

Until the shadow of a project called “Dawn Initiative” loomed over them:

“What perfect life forms… They will be the key to opening a new era!”

“Why are you so fixated on humans fighting among themselves while the Crystal Devourers are watching and waiting?”

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[Reader's guide]

This is not a conventional battle between good and evil. It explores humanity, ethics, and hope in extreme circumstances.

Before you read: This is an ensemble story with a side couple (though they probably won't get much page time). There is some everyday-life setup, and the romance is gradual, with one character guiding the other. Please don't rush me QAQ

I wrote this because I was tired of the usual apocalypse formula of humans inevitably turning on each other, struggling to survive, and fighting monsters to level up. It blends in some very idealistic ideas, and I hope you enjoy my take on the genre.

The pacing is on the slow side, and there is no conventional monster-fighting and leveling up. Let me repeat: no conventional monster-fighting and leveling up.

There are clues planted throughout the plot. Feel free to guess where I've hidden the foreshadowing.

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“Lin Xi, what will you do if I'm not here a hundred years from now?”

“I'll return my life and strength to the earth. When they grow into leaves that turn yellow and drift down, my soul will meet yours among the thousand winds.”

“…But that's a very, very long time from now~”