2060

Xing Yue

It finally happened. It’s a strange feeling, seeing something I would give anything to prevent but completely unsurprised that it happened. Who could’ve thought that the ticking time bomb hanging around our necks would one day explode, despite politicians’ assertions that it won’t? I guess humanity deserves this, considering so many turned a blind eye. Ha… Ha, ha… This isn’t fair at all. I devoted my life to this, yet I’ll be going down with those who sunk this ship. Guess I’ll cook that premium instant noodle I’ve been saving for a special occasion. Happy end of the world.

2072

James

Well, since this is the only digibook I could find that’s still intact, I guess I’ll use this as my diary from now on. I wonder if I should be glad or feel sorry that the previous owner of this diary didn’t manage to open her instant noodle package. It’s incredible how long these things last.

I wonder why I’m writing this. Maybe it’s to leave a record of my existence after everything went to shit? To prove that I lived? Even though this digibook won’t last longer than a few decades? Ha…

I wonder why the research in this lab wasn’t ever made public. This shit might’ve been able to save the world. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I don’t care. Any hope would’ve been enough.

Honestly, I’m still in disbelief, even though it’s been ten years. The world actually ended. The post-apocalypse isn’t just a game or a movie anymore. It’s here. Now. I used to think seeing enough dead bodies would completely desensitize you, but… Heh. I guess real life’s different, huh? At this point, my nightmares are more of a nuisance than anything.

Some people are working together to survive, but a lot of people are still… Well, I don’t think they’re trigger-happy, but they’re certainly being jackasses. I was hoping I could make this place into my new home to avoid those fuckers, but I doubt it’ll hold for long.

Doubt I’ll write another entry, but I suppose I’ll leave this somewhere more obvious. Heck, maybe someone else will find this and use it to record a new history. Heh, who am I kidding? Humans are doomed.

2090

Luce

Whew! Thank goodness I saved this digibook before it went kaput! I knew it was the right idea to explore the underground lab here. Mom keeps telling me I won’t find anything valuable here, but I proved her wrong! Haha!

Uncle Jimmy seemed kind of surprised when I told him I found this. I guess it’s been a long time since he saw an intact digibook. He just fixed it up without telling anyone about it, which is great because I don’t need the others to try to snatch it away from me.

I’m really happy Uncle Jimmy managed to patch this up. So many of the digibooks I found are all destroyed. What a shame. I wish I could’ve read them.

Mom said we’ll need to move tomorrow, but she doesn’t want to tell me why. She thinks she needs to protect me from “the danger of this world,” but if I don’t even know what they are, how do I know when I should run away and hide?

Anyway, I won’t ever let this digibook out of my sight! I’m going to write down alllll the details of our journey to the new place that Mom said will be happy to welcome us! Apparently, the people there have been trying to rebuild society! I’m excited to see what that place looks like.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

2097

???

Wow, didn’t expect to find this piece of junk still functioning. I guess I’ll write something here to check if it’s still working. Let’s see…

I WISH I COULD FUCK TOM, KILL THAT BITCH I CALL MY BOSS, AND MARRY GINNY.

Yep, working well. Hope the reset function still works. Eh, who am I kidding? No one’s going to dig through any buried past entries anyway.

2111

Cherm

Why did Grandpa hide this in the storage? We could’ve used this to make records. Hmph.

I’m surprised the past entries are still accessible. So that’s how people felt in the past, huh.

I should continue the tradition and add an entry too, hehe.

I thought about what I should write, but I guess I’ll go with something comforting to the previous owners.

It has been 51 years since “the world” ended. I don’t see why everyone made such a big fuss about it. Things could’ve gone a lot worse, honestly. Most of the MINERVA repositories were intact, so smaller communities were quickly built in areas with one. Hmm, maybe this digibook originally came from somewhere further?

According to Grandpa, the world has changed for the worse, but I don’t think so. Sure, many buildings and infrastructures are destroyed, but people don’t live in those cramp buildings anymore. The environment is healing, but really slowly, and people don’t live like zombies in oppressive societies anymore. It’s weird how Grandpa will complain about governments being bad but also misses it. So strange.

Hmm, I’ll need to have Joelly check this digibook later. The screen keeps flickering.

2170

Emire

It has been a hundred and ten years since “the world” ended. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of our town, I asked Ms. Cherm if I could add another entry to this “diary.” Diary in quotes because this digibook will be on display at the town’s museum starting from tomorrow. Our town’s top software engineer, Pellen, successfully uncovered all entries buried within this digibook. So, now, it has become a valuable relic of the past.

To honor the tradition and follow Ms. Cherm’s footsteps, I shall briefly record what happened since she last typed an entry.

The conjoining of the continents has been a blessing in disguise. Though it wreaked an untold amount of destruction across the world, it ultimately brought humanity together. Before the calamity, the world was filled with strife. Entities known as countries were at each other’s throats, vying for dwindling resources. They refused to put aside their differences to save the world as they knew it. Meanwhile, the rich and powerful continued to ignore the problems of the world, blaming them on the common people. Ultimately, they perished in the disaster of their doing.

Though a hundred and ten years have passed, humanity still remembers the sins of their ancestors. We know how often our ancestors forget the lessons of the past, repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I believe it’s because they have never faced a catastrophe so apocalyptic that they couldn’t afford to ignore the consequences. We will make no such mistake. We will remember the horrors of the past and vow to do better, and we have done better.

The world as I know it no longer faces the issues that plagued the old humanity. No longer does anyone need to beg for food, be enslaved, or die in pointless conflicts. No longer do we discriminate against our fellow humans, who have all worked together to create the world I was born into. Though we may still stumble, we collaborate to resolve issues, not blame it on someone else.

Fiction in the Old World often portrays a world devastated by calamities as cruel and unforgiving. Cannibals, excessively fuel-consuming vehicles, and murderous psychopaths are all but exaggerations. The humanity of old often finds themselves unable to imagine a better world. Often, they would indulge in fantasies of what they pessimistically expect the world will be. Perhaps that is why “the world” has to end for humanity to take the next step because they have trapped themselves in a prison of their own imagination.

I believe I’ll stop here. I realize I’ve been “ranting.” Ms. Cherm does mention that’s a bad habit of mine. Despite the advancements this new world has created, such as better renewable energy and machines, the destruction of the old world is still present everywhere. I can’t help but wonder about the heights humanity could’ve reached if our ancestors had simply cooperated instead of competing.

In any case, thank you for reading this. Hopefully, when another entry has been made in this relic, the world will have become an even better place.