Shrouded Seascape-Chapter 1146. School

The intercepted broadcast cut off abruptly. In the wake of the latest information, the opposing factions made varying responses.

Some plotted to find the IMF for revenge. Others considered peace talks. There were also a few who opted to wait and see. And some began to lie low and prepare themselves for the darker season.

Unknowingly, their singular goal of defeating the IMF that gathered them into one united front had fragmented and broken down in this instant. Everyone now had differing agendas.

But regardless of their thoughts, Anna's death left a significant impact. The chaotic world was slowly giving way to the return of order.

When the major forces—the Fifth Church, the Horizon Initiative, Serpent's Hand, and Prometheus Lab—began to reach out to the IMF, the remaining insurgents realized the futility of resistance.

Soon enough, the tide of chaos receded. The world went quiet, but not without major scars.

However, that didn't pose any difficulty to the IMF. They had already made contingency plans for situations of this magnitude.

It didn't take long before construction teams equipped with Anomalies partnered with the major countries to rebuild the world's infrastructure.

All nations attempted to bury the cruel history. All countries had united for this singular goal, so nothing proved to be hard.

Within a year, law and order were restored. Peace returned, and borders were reopened. The Internet was back again.

People filled the streets again in celebration that the horrible "pandemic" was over. They also mourned those who had lost their lives during the pandemic.

However, not everyone had forgotten. There were bound to be some who slipped through the cracks. By accident or fate, their memory hadn't been altered.

And one fine day, at 8 a.m., just when the world was waking up, a strange new post found its way on an Internet forum.

I don't care anymore! I have to let the world see the truth that has been buried. Do you even know what really happened in 2004?

Forget about searching it up. There's nothing on the net. They deleted every single thing. That very day, they obtained new tech from the corpse of that tentacle creature! They now have the tech to do large-scale psychological suggestions and memory rewriting!

I know every one of them is a hero. They gave up their lives in exchange for our valuable, peaceful times. I hope every one of you can take this matter seriously and respect their sacrifices.

However, I also feel that the public has the right to know! The lower rungs of society shouldn't be left blind and manipulated by the top!

The post then continued with a raw, unfiltered account of the war from the perspective of a nameless IMF grunt.

Soon, comments poured in. They neither supported nor doubted the post's content. Rather, the replies were laced with mockery and sarcasm.

Humble person: You got it wrong. Humans discovered higher intelligence creatures on Centaurus ω. This is our first contact with an outer space race that surpassed the intelligence and technology of homo sapiens.

I. M. Pixchu: yes, yes, yes. I've heard about it too. That year, the Centaurus System and Solar System signed a mutual defense pact to jointly resist the threat of the bullshitariens and their allies.

Kaylee Jackson: Damn it! All you bastards STFU! Did you forget the NDA in 2004? How can you do this to the Organization?

KENRBIX: Wth. Are you guys that bored to be recycling such an old joke? Are you a loser living in your mom's basement?"

I. M. Pixchu: @KENRBIX bro, shut your damned mouth. Who TF do you think you are? Some chinless NPC noble from a French Revolution side quest? When they chopped off Louis XVI's head, how the hell did they miss yours???

With that, an intense battle of words erupted on the thread. Every curious onlooker who clicked on the post was drawn to the comment section. No one even remembered why they came to the thread to begin with.

With her cheek propped up with an elbow, Anna lazily scanned the thread.

"The IMF's Disaster Control Department is certainly capable. In a world drowning in entertainment, no one is concerned about the truth behind some emerging hot news. This is much easier and straightforward than just deleting the post."

Yes. Anna was still alive. The Anna who died live was merely a decoy.

After everything that happened and everything that Anna had shown them, the IMF no longer harbored the hallucination that they could kill her.

Anna was an untouchable existence that they couldn't afford to mess with.

With that in mind, both sides struck a deal. They made a secret pact that only they would ever know.

"Big sis, everyone has forgotten about that war," Gao Zhiming's voice sounded from behind her. Now, he stood the same height as Anna, and his face revealed complicated emotions.

"Why? Are you unhappy about it?" Anna asked as she opened her inbox and checked the congratulatory message from Olivia.

"Of course not. I'm happy. I just don't know what to do next." Confusion clouded Gao Zhiming's face.

Having lived those turbulent times with Anna, he had already grown accustomed to instability. Peace felt foreign to him.

Anna turned to look at Gao Zhiming. She raised a hand to gently caress his cheek. In a soft, gentle whisper, she said, "It's time for you to do what you should do. Go back to school."

"School?" Gao Zhiming found the word extremely unfamiliar. It had been so long since he last heard this word.

Anna's delicate fingers intertwined with his as she pulled him a little closer. A warm smile spread across her lips. "Yes, school. I'll go with you."

Gao Zhiming's pupils shrank ever so slightly. He stared at the peerless visage before him for a few seconds before he smiled and nodded firmly.

"Okay."

They returned to their home country and moved back to the same neighborhood they once lived in.

"Class, we have two new students joining us today. Let's give them a warm welcome!" the homeroom teacher announced.

Under her lead, the students clapped enthusiastically while regarding the newcomers with curious eyes.

"Both of you, please introduce yourselves," the homeroom teacher prompted. "You'll all be classmates from now on."

"I-I'm Gao Zhiming. Nice to meet all of you," Gao Zhiming greeted, albeit nervously.

Sensing Gao Zhiming's anxiety from his side profile, Anna gently reached out a hand and held his. She waited for him to relax before turning her gaze to the rest of the class seated behind their desks.

"Hi everyone," Anna greeted, "My name's Zhao Jiajia."

Compared to Gao Zhiming's reserved demeanor, everyone present, regardless of gender, was drawn to Anna in an instant.

The sole reason was that she was too strikingly pretty, so she didn't look like any ordinary junior high school student.

The teacher slightly pushed her glasses at the bridge to adjust them before saying," Alright, let's encourage each other in our days again and aim to get into a good university. You two can sit in the third row."

Class passed by in a flash, and soon, it was time to go home for lunch.

"How do you feel about school so far?" Anna asked as they walked home together.

"I feel like... they are all kids. Their thoughts are so childish," Gao Zhiming said, voicing out his first impression of his classmates.

Anna let out a soft chuckle and curled her index finger to flick Gao Zhiming's forehead."They are kids. And do you think you're not? Don't act like an adult, you little punk."

Gao Zhiming was stunned for a moment upon seeing the radiant smile on Anna's visage. This was the first time he ever saw her smiling so carefreely. In the past, her smile was always tinged with traces of mockery and condescension.

He very much preferred the current Anna.

"Big Sis, the lessons are really hard. I can't understand a thing," Gao Zhiming said, catching up to her.

For someone who had only been through a year at an elementary school, suddenly jumping into junior high was too much of a stretch. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"It's okay, I'm right here. I'll teach you. There's plenty of time, we can take it slow."

Hearing Anna's words of assurance, Gao Zhiming turned to look at her. His eyes were filled with tender affection.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. What do you want for lunch? I'll cook when we get home," Anna said as she skipped ahead with light steps and twirled on the sidewalk as if she were dancing.

Gao Zhiming ran to catch up with Anna. "I want to eat mala chicken drumsticks!"

"Okay! But you have to wash the dishes!"