Chapter 7 Chapter 2 Awakening

So, I saw the great judgment of the end of the world. On the same dawn that I woke up, the whole world woke up. The whole world is suddenly assaulted by the same imperceptible tide.Within an hour, upon encountering this new gas in the comet, the whole world changed at an accelerated rate.They say it is the nitrogen in the air that changes in the blink of an eye, and in about an hour it becomes a breathable gas.It is not the same as oxygen, but there are effects that contribute to oxygen.It invokes strength and heals wounds of the nerves and brain.I do not know these little changes that have taken place, nor what the chemist calls them.My job keeps me out of this sort of thing.The only thing I know is that all of them are new.

I pictured to myself what was happening in space: it was a moment of planetary motion, a cloud of indistinctness, a slender meteor in rapid motion, approaching our planet.Our planet is like a round ball floating in space.Outside it is a thin, transparent layer of clouds and gases.Its surface is deep ocean and shimmering mountain ridges.When that small spot of light in the universe touched the earth, the transparent gas in the outer layer of the earth's crust suddenly turned into a blurry green color, and then slowly dissipated and became clear... Afterwards, about three hours, we know that the cataclysm lasted for a minimum of almost three hours, for all the clocks were running, and everywhere there was no living thing, man or beast, that breathed the gas. , quietly fell asleep...

Everywhere on earth that day, anyone who could breathe could hear the humming of the sky, the gushing of green gas, the loud crackling, the screeching of falling meteors.Indians in Asia are working in the fields in the morning, they stop, stare, amazed and gloomy; Chinese people in blue are having lunch and suddenly bump their heads forward on rice bowls; Japanese businessmen finish their business Walked out of the office and stood in front of the door in surprise.Those waiting to watch the stars rise at night in the Golden Gate of the United States were stunned.This situation is happening in every city in the world, in every desolate valley, in every house, in every family, in every public place and every corner.On the ship sailing on the sea, the bustling passengers were eager to see a miracle, and they were all shocked by what happened before them, and then suddenly felt frightened, and rushed to the port door; the captain wobbled in the cab and finally fell down; Fell forward in the coal pile.Engines vibrate, and fishing boats pass by without signaling.The rudder is out of control, the hull is tipping to one side...

Fate shouted orders to stop material desires. Halfway through the play in the theater, the actors fell groggy, fell off the stage, and then fell silent.In New York, the same thing happened.Most of the theater audience dispersed.But in two packed theaters, despite the panic, the production company carried on in dim light while the audience, trained in past disasters, remained motionless in their seats.As they sat there, they heard a movement in the rear, but remained calm.They slumped, then dozed off, and finally fell forward and slipped on the floor.Parlourd had told me, despite the fact that I knew nothing of the reasons for my confidence in him.Under the powerful influence of an hour, the first green color of the nitrogen gas will gradually dissipate, and it will be as translucent as ever.If someone can see this state of clarity with his eyes, he can clearly see other miraculous things.In London, it was midnight; in New York, people were bustling with evening fun; in Chicago, people were sitting around eating.The whole world has become inexplicable.The moonlight should have illuminated the streets and squares full of people; the trams without automatic brakes made a way through the streets and squares, and did not stop until someone fell down.People fell down the moment they were controlled.They were dumped with their clothes on in restaurants, restaurants, stairwells, halls, everywhere.The gambler, the drunkard, the stealer in the shadows, the adulterer without exception, rise up again with sobriety in the midst of their criminal turmoil.In America, the comet comes at the height of the nightlife.In England the people are sleeping, but, as I have said, the English are not so fast asleep, they are in the excitement of battle and victory.In the North Sea, British warships crushed the enemy.

Hungarian and Italian peasants yawned, mused about the hazy morning weather, and rolled over to sleep peacefully.The Islamic world spreads out the carpet and prays.In Sydney, Melbourne, and in New Zealand, heavy fog fell in the afternoon, causing packed stadiums to collapse on the running tracks and cricket grounds.Loading and unloading work has come to a halt.People on their lunch break also ran out, bumped on the street, and then abandoned themselves on the street... I thought of forests, wastelands, and jungles, and wild animals that had temporarily stopped their activities like people.Not only people lost their voices, but all air-breathing creatures became unconscious, immobile things.Motionless birds and beasts lie among the withered vegetation in the twilight of the universe.Tigers lie sprawled beside their fresh prey, bleeding to death in dreamless slumber; flies fall from the air with outstretched wings; The beautiful snowflakes floated to the ground and fell on the ground.From this, people deduced that the fish in the sea were not harmed at all...

Speaking of fish reminds me of a strange thing.The strange fate of all the crew members of the submarine B94 haunts me.As far as I know, they are the only people who have lived without seeing the strange events sweeping the world.They were working underwater at the mouth of the Elbe when there was no sound above the water.Very slowly and carefully, they drove along the muddy river bottom, past river poles and mines, and past a menacing shell of steel.It was full of explosives.They dragged a long iron cable from the mother ship and let it float on the water to guide other submarines.In the long river outside the fort they finally emerged, dropped their victims, and resupplied with gas.They must have come out before the morning dew, for they spoke of bright stars.They were surprised to find that they were no more than three hundred yards from the armored vehicle that had sunk into the seaside mud.The car was tilted due to low tide.The midships of the general ship were on fire, but this was not noticed.It was not only the wrecked ships that were not noticed in that strange silence, but those indistinct ones around them.

I think their experience must be the strangest!They never fell asleep.I heard that they suddenly heard a burst of laughter and immediately breathed fresh air.None of them was a writer, so we have full records and detailed accounts of their strange experiences.But we do know that these people were awake for an hour and a half before the others woke up.At least, when the Germans did, they found that these strangers had captured their gunboats.The submarine floated carelessly, and the Brits were dirty and tired, but still enthusiastically excited and ecstatic.They are still busy in the dawn, rescuing the unconscious enemies in the gradually extinguished fire...

I can't forget the runaway boat drifting towards the coast, and the doom of all sleeping people.Nor can I forget the car wrecking on the road; the train on the tracks continuing to drive despite the signal, until at last several waking drivers were dismayed to find that the train had stalled on an unfamiliar line; and, more brutally, The astonished peasants and train attendants woke up to find the trains no longer moving, reduced to smoking piles of waste.The foundry in Fall Town was still on fire, and the sky was still stained with burning smoke.The fire is burning and spreading... burning brighter because of the cataclysm.

Let me tell you about the deep impression left by an ordinary person on me! He was a grocer named Wiggins.Let me tell you how he went through this drastic change!I heard what happened to him at the post office in Manton.That afternoon I remembered to send a telegram to my mother.The post office is in the grocery store.I went in and found him talking to the grocer.They are business competitors.Wiggins went to the store across the street, ending decades of hostility.The spark from the upheaval still flickered in their eyes.Their cheeks were flushed, and they looked very relaxed, talking to each other about their new changes.

"It's not good for either of us to hate each other," Wiggins told me.He explained to me the thoughts of their encounter. "It's not good for our customer either. I've come to talk to him about it. You remember, young man, that if you're going to have a store of your own, it's going to create stupid pains that both parties can't get rid of. Before the green light came, I don't know why I didn't think so. It's as utter and intolerable evil as stupidity! Stupid jealousy! Think about it...two people living so close together that they haven't seen each other in twenty years We have spoken, and we both have an incomprehensible heart!"

"I can't see how we've come to be like this, Mr. Wiggins," said another.As he spoke, he habitually wrapped the tea leaves into one-pound packages. "This show of evil is pretty stubborn, and we've always known it was stupid to do so." "Just that morning!" he went on to me. "I was chopping French eggs, and I don't know how much they're selling for. He put up a big notice saying ninepence a dozen. I happened to see it as I walked by. "Look at mine!" He pointed to a price tag, and continued, "Eight pence (note: pence: the British currency unit. After 1971, it was stipulated that 100 pence was 1 pound. Before 1971, 12 pence was 1 pound. 20 shillings to £1.) A dozen... cheap stuff. Ninepence everywhere else, a full penny less, so much cheaper! That's just a matter of price. I won't budge if he does that .” He stretched his body out of the counter and said impressively, “Although the eggs are different.” "Would a sane person do such a thing these days?" Mr Wiggins said. I handed over the telegram and the innkeeper sent it for me. While he was telegraphing, Mr. Wiggins and I exchanged experiences.He doesn't know any more than I do about the causes that affect the changes in various things. He said he became cautious when he saw the green light.Looking out of the bedroom window for a while, he then got up, hurriedly dressed, and woke the family to prepare for the end.He made the family wear Sunday church clothes, and then went out into the garden.While admiring the glorious beauty, they were in awe of the extraordinary brilliance. The Wiggins family was like this. Apart from doing business, they were very religious people.For them, science crumbles in the final moment of greatness, and their religious zealotry is all right.With the arrival of green gas, the end of the world has arrived.They had no doubts about this, so they were ready to meet God... You know, he's an ordinary guy, dressed averagely, with an apron around his big belly, and talks in a bit of an accent, which sounded a bit wacky to me.I think he's a little choked up when he speaks.There's nothing arrogant about his storytelling, like by the way.But he made an epic impression on me. They didn't run around like many people do.These four ordinary people just stand outside the back door on the way to the garden, singing as they worry about God and the Last Judgment rapidly approaching.Father, mother and two daughters stood there and sang together: "...waiting for the dawn of heaven. My soul sings with joy..." Until they fell down one by one, quietly falling there. The postmaster had heard them sing in the fading twilight: "Waiting for the dawn of heaven..." Hearing this rosy, smiling man tell the story of their recent encounter with death must have been the most extraordinary encounter in the world.It seemed impossible that this had happened within the last twelve hours.These people singing hymns to God in the twilight sounded unimaginable, like a very small and very distinct landscape seen in a metal locket hanging under a necklace. But a lot of things changed dramatically before the comet arrived.Later, I learned that other people had the same hallucinations.To me, the little guy who went on a rampage in England in pursuit of Nettie and her lover seemed trivial.Our past life is like a group of puppets performing in a dim light. The image of my mother always comes up in my imagination. I remember one day she told me about herself. That night, she said, she had trouble sleeping.She's trying to write a paper about falling stars The Tao is talking about shooting stars.At that time, it was chaos all day in Clayton and Swissing. So she got up and looked, and she had a gut feeling that I was in this mess. But when the catastrophe happened, she couldn't find it. "While I'm watching the stars rain down, dear," she said, "thinking you're out there, I don't think it'll go wrong praying for you. I don't think you mind!" So, another picture appeared in front of my eyes: the green air came and then left. Leaning against the patched coverlet of the bed, the old lady knelt, bewildered, and clasped her gnarled hands in prayer.Ask God.Through the battered curtains, I see that the week above the chimney is no longer twinkling, and the pale light of dawn climbs into the sky.Mother's candle flickered for a moment, then went out... In the dead silence I watched all this... the silent kneeling figure, the useless prayer to God.The prayer that floated away in the silent world to protect me flew to the empty space... With the coming of dawn, the whole earth wakes up. I have told how my memory came back, and how I walked doubtfully through the wonderful barley-fields at Shaffermbury.I obviously don't remember, and right next to me Ferral and Nettie woke up too, not far from each other.Those who had fallen in disorder on the seashore of Bungalow Village came to their senses.The sleeping villagers of Manton moved.They sat in high spirits.The crooked people in the garden still have hymn-smiles on their lips: start to move among the flowers, touching timidly, thinking of heaven.My mother found herself curled up against the covers, and she stood up, full of joy, sure that God had answered her prayers... Just as we regained consciousness, groups of soldiers gathered under the gray poplars that lined the avenue chatted and raised coffee with the French infantry. The French soldiers had emerged from their bunkers in the vineyards on the slopes of Bivers.These gunmen seem a little puzzled.They fell asleep nervously, originally planning to shoot bullets flying all over the sky and crackling after seeing the signal flare.Seeing the messy people and chaotic scenes on the road now, everyone feels that it is impossible to fight. It was strange to hear a soldier's account of his awakening.At first, he thought of the gun in the bunker beside him, and he took it out and wiped it on his lap.Then, as he became more and more aware of what he was fighting for, he dropped the gun.And stood up, with a joyful shudder of relief from guilt.Then he took a closer look at the people he was targeting on the road.Is this, he thought, the fate that these brave men pursued?However, the signal flares did not explode down the mountain at all, and the people on the road did not line up again, and they were sitting or standing on the side of the road chatting together.They were discussing the war in an incredible new light.They're saying: "Damn ruler!" And then: "Oh! It's all nonsense! We're civilized people, let someone else do it! . . . Where's the coffee?" The officers rein in their horses and talk to the soldiers candidly, with no regard for discipline.Some French soldiers came out of cover and walked slowly down the hill, while others stood alert, guns in hand.Unfamiliar faces scanned the men with guns. There was a lot of discussion at the foot of the mountain: "Shoot at us. Nonsense! They are respectable French people." In the morning light, right on the narrow battlefield among the ruins, you can see this scene!The old-fashioned uniforms of the soldiers, the grotesque hats, belts, and boots, the belts of ammunition, the water-canteens that travelers usually carry, what a ridiculous preparation.One by one the soldiers woke up. Sometimes, I wonder if soldiers are going to shoot each other the second the two armies start to wake up.But those who woke up first, sat up, looked around in amazement, and they had time to think about something.There was laughter everywhere and tears everywhere. People find themselves suddenly lighthearted and excited.They have the ability to do things they cannot do now.They feel happy, energetic, and hopeful. I am reminded of an unrelated event that somehow explains the upheaval for me in some subtle way. I am reminded of the very beautiful face of a woman.Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkled with water.She walked past me without speaking, concentrating on her secret. That afternoon, in Manton, I wired my mother that everything was fine.At that time, I walked by her side, and suddenly felt a burst of regret in my heart.I don't know where she came from, nor where she's going, and I never met her again.It's just her face, shining with fresh and wise fortitude, I can see it very clearly... That look is the look of the world.