In Bangzi culture, language is not only a tool for daily communication, but also the core of art forms such as music and drama.
As more and more singers and actors lose their voices, Bangzi Country's previously brilliant cultural industry has suffered a devastating blow.
The idol group that was once popular all over the world no longer has their singing voices on the stage, only their silent dancing figures.
Theatrical performances have also become silent body movements,
Bangzi Country's variety shows have been suspended because no one can host them.
At the same time, the family is also involved in huge ethical controversies.
Some wealthy Chinese who are not infected have tried to immigrate to other countries, but faced strict scrutiny of ethnic screening, most of them have been turned away.
When Bangzi Country fell into chaos, Jiang Huai hid in the dark and watched everything coldly.
Can Bangzi Country continue to function after being deprived of its language?
……
Time is as ruthless as running water, five years later.
The streets of Bangzi Country became extremely quiet.
People communicate in sign language or simply make gestures with their eyes.
The once glorious Seoul now looks like a huge ruin.
On the streets of Bangzi Country, there is only the low sound of wind passing through the abandoned high-rise buildings. The neon lights that once lit up the night sky have long been extinguished, replaced by dead silence.
From Seoul to Busan, every corner of Bangzi Country is shrouded in silent despair.
Those "mute" people who survived tried to maintain the remaining order by relying on gestures and words, but they were still unable to restore everything that was gradually collapsing.
The disappearance of language is not just the end of sound, but the collapse of the foundation of entire civilization.
The school became empty.
Teachers are no longer able to teach through words and can only write lines of text on the blackboard, trying to make children understand what language used to be.
However, all this seems to be a futile attempt.
Because children who inherit the virus are born without vocal cords, even if they open their eyes and try to understand the words, they cannot truly perceive the meaning of the language.
"Teacher, why can't we talk?"
A little girl gestured with her hands, her eyes full of confusion and sadness.
The teacher was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and wrote on the blackboard with a trembling pen:
"Because it is the curse of our blood."
This sentence deeply hurt every Bangzi student in the classroom.
Without language, business operations become extremely difficult.
Trading requires complex gestures and textual explanations, an inefficient way of communicating that has brought markets to a virtual standstill.
Important industries that originally supported the country's economy, such as high-tech manufacturing and the cultural and entertainment industries, had already collapsed in the early stages of the virus's spread.
The international market will no longer accept any products from the country.
Although the virus is not contagious to people of non-Bangzi origin, people in other countries still have a strong sense of distrust of products from the Bangzi country.
"Who knows if their product may bring any curse?"
"The issue of Bangzi's bloodline is too scary, it's better to stay away from it."
The economic collapse brought more serious consequences——
There are food shortages, the medical system is paralyzed, and the social security system has completely collapsed.
The people of Bangzi Country began to struggle in despair, snatching the remaining resources, and even large-scale chaos broke out.
……
Ten years later. Islanders are unable to have children.
As generations of people age naturally, kindergartens and schools in the island nation gradually close.
Pediatricians and teachers became disappearing professions.
Many families choose to adopt foreign orphans, but this action does little to change the overall demographic structure.
In just a few years, the population of the island country has decreased at an alarming rate, and the city has gradually turned from prosperous to desolate.
At the cultural level, the island nation’s traditional arts, handicrafts and other cultural essences that rely on intergenerational inheritance are under unprecedented impact.
The ancient kabuki theaters, pottery workshops, and kendo halls began to become neglected.
Some artists try to preserve traditions using digital technology, but these efforts are in vain because there is no new generation to inherit these cultures.
Although the buildings in historical cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto are still magnificent, there are few pedestrians on the streets, and the bustling scenes of the past have become a distant memory.
The island nation is heading towards an end without a successor.
In Tokyo, the capital of the island nation, a silent silence now permeates the once bustling streets.
Those busy and vibrant business districts no longer have the hustle and bustle they once had.
The big-screen advertisements on the streets are still shining brightly, but there are no longer smiles on people's faces, replaced by a kind of indifference and emptiness.
There are still a dazzling array of products in the shop windows, but the footsteps of customers are becoming increasingly rare.
At the entrance of the mall, the queues that used to line up to buy the latest mobile phones and clothing are no longer replaced by empty aisles.
Only the elderly and a few tourists of non-island origin occasionally enter the store, but then leave in a hurry.
Young faces have almost disappeared, replaced by bewildered middle-aged people and children, or families who have given up having children and have no future.
People still go to work on time and go home on time, but their eyes are no longer full of hope.
The rhythm of society still exists, but its core has been completely disintegrated.
There are no children laughing, there is no sound of strollers being pushed in the mall, and the swings in the park are empty.
The islanders have lost the motivation to reproduce and the goal of working for the future.
Even those people who are keen on entertainment and cultural activities are beginning to get lost in silence, as if every moment of life is like a meaningless repetition.
Among the thousands of households in the island country, the once warm families have gradually become cold and cold.
Without the laughter of children, there are no young lives in the family that need care and education.
The former couples, faced with each other's emptiness and helplessness, gradually fell into deep loneliness.
Many families began to become broken. Some people chose to divorce, while others chose to endure silently, and their lives became gloomy and hopeless.
They began to realize that their bloodline would no longer continue.
In some families, there are more and more quarrels between husband and wife, and the care they once had has become increasingly indifferent.
Without children, their lives seem to have lost their direction.
Those desires that once wanted a child can now only be buried in the bottom of my heart and turned into a deep sigh.
Some families choose adoption, but that adoption does not bring the true joy of childbirth.
Even in the presence of adopted children, parents often feel an inexplicable sense of alienation.
This feeling is getting stronger and stronger, as if all family concepts are beginning to collapse invisibly.
Those elderly parents also began to get sick frequently, their bodies gradually aged, and the loneliness and regret in their hearts became deeper and deeper over the years. (End of chapter)