"O-one… One billion?… So many managed to survive?!"
This news shocked John to his core, while everyone else in the room looked confused. They had no clue how much one billion was. Only Amayeta and the lead scientist, Migsi, had some idea about its enormous size.
Sera just continued smiling kindly but proudly, while waiting for John to calm down. Eventually, he took a deep, shuddering breath and spoke while suppressing the tears in his eyes.
"I see. That's really fortunate… I hoped the other continents fared better than us, but I never imagined anything on this scale… For 28 years, I waited for anyone to contact us. I started to believe that nobody's left out there… Thank you for bringing me hope, Ms. Sera!"
The angelic woman nodded with appreciation. She gently patted the elderly man's wrinkly hand, and asked the question that's been bothering her all day.
