Chapter 00002: My Name is Lan Xiaobu
# My Name is Lan Xiaobu
Chapter 2
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 2: My Name is Lan Xiaobu
Boom!
A thunderclap split the sky, transforming into several arcs of blue light that crashed down upon a barren hillside, tearing the only tree on that slope, which was as thick as a bowl, in half.
Lan Xiaobu suddenly sat up, staring blankly at the remnants of the tree just a few meters away. His first feeling was not one of having escaped death, but rather confusion.
The thunder continued to roar, though the sound gradually faded into the distance.
Lan Xiaobu looked up at the distant sky, which was shrouded in gray. Some tall buildings appeared only as vague outlines in his eyes at that moment.
“Chirp…” A nameless bird let out a mournful cry as it flitted past Lan Xiaobu’s blurred vision, disappearing into the depths of the gray concrete jungle.
Just as Lan Xiaobu felt something was amiss, a sharp pain shot through his head, making it impossible for him to think any further.
Bang! It felt as if the ground beneath him had been struck by something, shaking violently.
Still not fully awake, Lan Xiaobu instinctively sought a place to lie down. The next moment, he stared blankly into the distance. In the gray sky, one white light pillar after another appeared, not falling from the heavens but rising from the ground, filling his line of sight and even illuminating the polluted gray sky.
An earthquake? No, this scene felt familiar; it had happened once before…
“Lan Xiaobu…” A crisp and urgent voice called out, followed by a slender figure running up from the foot of the slope.
When Lan Xiaobu clearly saw the delicate features of the newcomer, he instinctively exclaimed, “Su Cen…”
As the girl in the light yellow dress drew closer, Lan Xiaobu’s memories gradually became clearer, and the intense pain in his head eased considerably.
Su Cen, his wife, but how many years ago was that?
Right, this is Haiyang Medical University. My name is Lan Xiaobu, and I am a senior this year…
Before Lan Xiaobu could continue his thoughts, Su Cen stood in front of him, “Lan Xiaobu, was that an earthquake just now? But how could there be light pillars during an earthquake?”
Lan Xiaobu then remembered that the white light pillars had long since vanished, and the sky had returned to its gray haze.
Still shaken by the earlier scene and Su Cen’s sudden appearance, Lan Xiaobu momentarily lost his bearings.
It seemed that Su Cen did not notice Lan Xiaobu’s unusual state and continued, “It’s good that you’re fine. That little incident, you’re being too proud. Come on, let’s go back together.”
At this moment, Lan Xiaobu had already regained his composure. He stood up again, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and smiled, “Cen Cen, thank you for worrying about me. I really am fine. I’ve long since let go of that little incident. I came here just to reflect on my tumultuous life. You don’t need to worry; you can go back first. I’ll sit here for a while longer.”
“Hehe, you have to remember you’re only eighteen. You’re in your senior year because you’re in the youth class at Haiyang Medical University. So, let’s forget about reflecting on a tumultuous life. Also, it’s only been a day since we last saw each other, and you’ve become quite the smooth talker. Cen Cen is not what you call me. Since you want to reflect on life, take your time. I’m leaving now,” Su Cen observed Lan Xiaobu’s expression and tone, realizing that he truly was fine, making her worry seem a bit excessive.
However, that gaze… Su Cen shook her head vigorously. Lan Xiaobu had switched majors after being accepted into the youth class and was now the youngest student in the class. How could he have such a world-weary look? She must have been mistaken.
Lan Xiaobu stood still. Wasn’t Cen Cen what he called her? He had been calling her that for twenty years. He sighed inwardly and waved his hand, “It’s fine, you go ahead. I’m perfectly well.”
Seeing Lan Xiaobu’s demeanor, Su Cen suddenly laughed, “Should I get you a paper cup filled with water? You can sit there shaking your hands while saying you’re fine?”
“Is there one? If there is, I could learn a thing or two from Stephen Chow,” Lan Xiaobu chuckled.
“Who do you think you are? You really seem fine now. Goodbye.” Su Cen turned and walked a few steps before suddenly looking back, “Lan Xiaobu, do you think the sky will turn blue again?”
Lan Xiaobu looked up at the gray sky and broke into a radiant smile, “If one day I can return, I will definitely make the sky blue.”
Su Cen was taken aback, then replied, “I won’t talk to you anymore. You can slowly compose your poetry.”
After saying this, Su Cen quickly left. It was evident that the earlier tremor and the phenomenon of the light pillars did not concern her much; her earlier questions were merely casual remarks. Lan Xiaobu’s response left her puzzled, thinking he was just pretending to be profound.
Watching Su Cen’s figure gradually fade into the distance, Lan Xiaobu’s smile slowly vanished. He looked up at the still dim sky, completely unable to comprehend why he had suddenly returned to twenty-one years ago. For this day was his birthday, and on this day, he had thoroughly fallen in love with Su Cen. However, he knew deep down that in this lifetime, he and Su Cen would never be husband and wife again.
The gray sky above was not due to occasional fog or darkness but because the entire Earth was now polluted by industrial waste. Even under bright sunlight, the sky bore a lifeless gray hue.
Once, Lan Xiaobu thought this was the most terrifying thing. He even regretted studying medicine, wishing to learn subjects that could change the Earth’s pollution and gradually improve it.
Later, Lan Xiaobu realized that this was not the most terrifying aspect; the most terrifying thing was the nuclear war that would occur seventeen years later…
After that nuclear war, humanity would be reduced to slavery, and the Earth would edge toward destruction, everything heading toward an endless abyss with no hope of escape. The air polluted by industry now? In over a decade, it would be a luxury; by then, it would all be nuclear-polluted air.
He would never forget that scene, watching helplessly as Su Cen lay on the nuclear-polluted ruins, tears streaming down her face as she looked at him in despair…
And he could only infer from her lips that her last words before leaving were, “I’m sorry, I have to go first…”
He understood why Su Cen had to say sorry to him; it was because Su Cen did not truly love him when she married him. Even when Su Cen died amidst the nuclear-polluted ruins, she had never loved him, Lan Xiaobu. Saying sorry was because he, Lan Xiaobu, had given her his life as love, and she had never loved him before she died, hence she felt sorry for him.
Love cannot be given at will, nor can it be obtained merely through sacrifice.
A flash of lightning once again tore through the haze-shrouded sky, and after a long while, a muffled thunderclap followed. The last scene of his previous life floated before his eyes; it was the moment he was sunk into the sea. After Su Cen left, he felt dazed and was forcibly taken to treat someone of considerable status, without the mood to directly say it was beyond cure…
Lan Xiaobu clenched his fists, gazing at the dim sky in the distance, speaking each word with conviction, “I absolutely will not allow…”
In this life, he would never allow nuclear war to occur on Earth again, nor would he allow Su Cen to endure that painful life with him. He had to learn to let go.
This nuclear war could be avoided because it was not a war between nations on Earth but a war to prevent invaders from outside.
Regrettably, in the face of outsiders, even if a nuclear war broke out, the Earth would still be unable to escape the fate of being enslaved by them.
Lan Xiaobu took a deep breath, his gaze piercing through the gray, polluted city. Even though he could see nothing clearly, he understood in his heart that to prevent a global nuclear war, he had to act now.
(End of Chapter)