2013

2013 is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel that Xuanshe released after Silent House. It is divided into three volumes—2013 I, 2013 II, and 2013: A New World—published in succession by Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House. The story begins on December 21, 2012: a super solar storm triggers a reversal of Earth's poles, violent crustal shifts follow, and volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis strike one after another, leaving humanity facing extinction. Only the chosen "elites" are able to board the secretly pre-built Noah's Ark. Those aboard begin counting time from Year 0001, entering a new era; those not chosen, who survive by various strokes of luck, await their own "2013." The protagonist, Yu Lei, is one of the abandoned: his girlfriend boards the Ark while he remains on the surface, struggling to survive amid ruins, bitter cold, and scarcity, all the while holding on to the hope of reunion. As solar radiation mutates, survivors begin awakening to all manner of superpowers, while the Ark faction commands the most advanced technology and abundant resources the world had at the time—and so the confrontation between superpowers and high technology unfolds. In the second volume, the abandoned survivors form an alliance and rise up against the Ark faction's suppression; the Ark's leadership senses the threat, and the mysterious "Cain" project comes to light. The third volume, 2013: A New World, shifts the stage to post-disaster Africa, telling the story of Yu Lei and the others seeking a new home through flight and reconstruction. At its core, the book asks "how do you keep living after the end of the world," weaving together survival in the wasteland, superpowered combat, and the emotional choices of the young.