Nanhaim Community, as a low-rent housing area, has nearly maximized land utilization efficiency. Each residential building resembles a giant square concrete pillar, and the spacing between the buildings is designed with no consideration for sunlight.

Luofeng’s home is on the 32nd floor of a residential building that is a towering 36 stories high.

“Hey, Luofeng, are you going to the martial arts gym tonight?” Wei Wenchao walked towards another residential building.

“I have a tutoring session tonight. I might stop by the gym after, but I can’t say for sure. Don’t wait for me,” Luofeng waved with a smile, then quickly dashed up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, like a swift leopard. In the blink of an eye, he reached the second floor.

Third floor, fourth floor...

“Thud! Thud!”

As Luofeng sprinted, he easily maneuvered past other residents ascending the stairs.

“Luofeng, school’s out?”

“Yes, Uncle Wang.” Luofeng, with his breath still steady, found that climbing these stairs was not much different from taking a leisurely stroll, thanks to his training as a senior student at the martial arts gym.

In this low-rent housing area, the overwhelming majority of residents agreed that elevators were not installed. This decision stemmed from the fact that installing elevators would increase rent. For most residents, climbing dozens of flights of stairs was an easy feat.

For them, building an elevator in their residential buildings was a luxury.

After all, electricity is expensive, as the entire city’s "defense system" relies on electric energy, and the nation is in dire need of electricity.

---

32nd Floor!

On the 32nd floor, there are a total of eight households, and Luofeng's family is one of them.

“Click!” With his key, Luofeng opened the door.

“Brother, you’re back?” A voice came from inside.

“Mm.” Luofeng closed the door, and with a quick glance, the whole house came into view. His home is a one-bedroom, one-living room layout, covering an area of 36 square meters.

He, his younger brother, and their parents—all four of them—live in this 36-square-meter space, having resided here since he could remember.

“What book are you reading, Ahua?” Luofeng walked over to the small balcony.

On the balcony sat a thin boy with an almost sickly pale complexion, propped up in a wheelchair, holding an English book. Luofeng took a look and smiled, saying, “Oh, is that about the investment master ‘Price’? Isn't ‘Buffett’ the most famous among investment gurus?”

Luofeng knew nothing about investments or stocks.

“Buffett isn’t very applicable to me. Price’s theories and thoughts are quite similar to some of mine, so I find them useful,” the frail boy, Luohua, looked up at Luofeng and smiled.

“Continue reading,” Luofeng said with a grin.

Unintentionally, his gaze passed over his brother’s legs, and a pang of pain shot through his heart. His younger brother had lost both his legs in a car accident during childhood; his thighs had been completely crushed, leaving him disabled. It’s tough for a disabled person to survive in today’s society. His brother could only receive education online due to his condition.

Long-term exposure to limited sunlight had rendered his brother’s complexion sickly pale.

Moreover, with few friends, Luohua was rather introverted.

“With Dad and Mom’s low income, they have to support both me and my brother. It’s a huge burden, especially with my brother’s disability. We can only live in this low-rent housing.”

“My brother is disabled and has minimal social contact. Finding a wife in the future will be tough. Who would want to marry someone who can’t walk?”

“I must change the fate of our family!”

Luofeng silently vowed.

“Why do I have a crush on Xu Xin but haven’t pursued her? Why haven’t I had a relationship?”

“The law states that one can marry at 18, so many people date in high school and get married right after graduation. Few don’t date in high school. Why haven’t I?”

“Because I don’t have time to waste on dating! My family isn’t wealthy, and I don’t have any impressive teachers guiding me. I can only rely on myself.” Luofeng's gaze fell upon the old sofa in the living room. It was a sofa that could be flattened into a bed. “For all these years, our family of four has lived in this small space, a one-bedroom and one-living room. My brother and I have shared the only bedroom while my parents have slept on the living room sofa for many years...”

“I must let my parents and brother move into a big house, a house with an elevator.”

“Let my parents finally sleep on a real bed.”

“Let my brother not have to struggle just to go downstairs.”

“The house must have large floor-to-ceiling windows so that sunlight can pour in!”

These thoughts had echoed in Luofeng’s mind countless times. It was because of this that he had worked so hard since childhood.

That’s why—

He became one of the three students who earned the title of ‘senior student at the martial arts gym’ out of 5,000 students in Third High School. Among the three, he was the only one from an ordinary family. The other two came from wealthy families.

“Whoosh—” The faucet gushed water and soon filled the electric kettle.

“Zzzzz…” After plugging in the kettle, Luofeng sat on the sofa with a history book, continuously memorizing key points from the text.

Suddenly—

“Ding!”

The kettle boiled. Luofeng put down the book, poured water into a thermos, and filled a large plastic cup with hot water, placing it on the table.

“In the year 2026, the ‘Hongze Battle’ occurred on Hongze Lake… Hmm, that’s in 2026.” Luofeng recalled one historical event after another. Among the various subjects he studied, his strongest subject was math. However, he was most interested in history. Whenever he read about the history of the 21st century...

He couldn’t help but be astonished.

It was a period of significant change for humanity!

“Ahua.” Luofeng approached his brother.

“Brother, what’s up?” Luohua set down his book.

“How many key points are there in this book?” Luofeng asked his brother.

“There are 139 key points. I’ve marked them for you. You can ask me about them.” Luofeng handed over his history book. When Luohua heard this, he smiled and took it. “Alright, it’s a rare opportunity to quiz you, so listen up, I’m going to ask you questions. If you answer incorrectly, you’ll be embarrassed.”

“Go ahead.” Luofeng smiled and settled back on the sofa.

“Who, single-handedly, killed the ‘Tiger-Headed Monster’ on the banks of the Yangtze River, rescuing hundreds of thousands of people and allowing them to successfully relocate to the southern base, ultimately sacrificing himself? Where was he from? How old was he when he died? What is the specific date of this event?”

Luohua carefully flipped through the pages before asking.

“The hero who sacrificed himself was ‘Dong Nanbiao’, posthumously awarded the four-star hero medal. He was from Taixing, Jiangsu. He was 39 years old at the time of death, and the event took place on June 18, 2018...” Luofeng frowned.

Luohua pressed further, “What is the exact date? What day in June 2018?”

“Um, I think…” Luofeng was a bit uncertain, “I think it’s June 18.”

“Ha! You got it wrong on the first question.” Luohua shook his head. “The heroic ‘Dong Nanbiao’ indeed hailed from Taixing, Jiangsu, and died at 39, but the event’s exact date was June 16, 2018.”

“Ah!”

Luofeng slapped his forehead, shaking his head with a wry smile, “I often confuse the 16th and the 18th. Ask me another.”

“Alright, pay attention for the second question.” Luohua seemed quite excited. “In 2023, during…”

The two brothers continued their Q&A, and time flew by.

“I’ve asked you half the book’s questions. I asked 68 questions, and you got 63 correct, 5 wrong.” Luohua looked at the wall clock. “Mom and Dad will be back soon, so I’ll ask you the last question for today. Next time, I’ll ask the other half.”

“Last question? Okay, go ahead.” Luofeng's attention was highly focused.

“This question is the most basic. Can you summarize the key events of the ‘Great Nirvana Period’?” his brother Luohua asked.

Luofeng’s expression grew serious. The history of the Great Nirvana Period is one of the most crucial parts of human transformation: “At the beginning of the 21st century, the world faced several outbreaks of viral flu, starting with the SARS outbreak in 2003, followed by the H1N1 influenza in 2009, and culminating in the even more terrifying R-type flu in 2013. The R-type virus mutated into over twenty variants during its spread, making epidemic prevention increasingly difficult, leading to death cases appearing in every country.”

“With the implementation of prevention measures, the pandemic was brought under control.”

“However, in January 2015, the R-type virus mutated into its most terrifying variant, known as the RR virus!”

“While the previous R-type virus variants were mainly transmitted through bodily fluids, with some variants capable of spreading through water—though they had a short lifespan in water—the RR virus could be transmitted through bodily fluids and water flow. The most frightening aspect was that… it could even be transmitted through the air! It could survive in the air for an astonishing three hours!”