Chapter 131 The Overwhelming Heavenly Might_1

Three weeks later.

Shui Wa was working on a giant orbital reflector, occasionally glancing at the far-off spot that was the size of a pancake. Reflected on his helmet visor was the planet, a water-blue color with hints of dark yellow.

An unprecedentedly catastrophic storm cloud, like a massive white beast, lay prostrate on this planet, slowly writhing.

Even from space, one could see superstorms frequently lighting up within the white cloud mass, raging with unstoppable fury.

Within the storm's central wind field, heaven and earth were in complete chaos. Furious winds swept through, destroying everything in its path with wind speeds reaching 115 meters per second (Storm Level 25), and the storm was still over the ocean.

There were no sky-high waves because, the moment they leapt up, they were already frozen by the bitter cold, a cold that seemed intent on freezing everything solid.

The ice-bound waves were then torn apart by the thundery hurricane, which hurled the ice shards into the clouds. Then, under the force of gravity, they fell back down, only to be swept up to the skies by the howling wind once more.

Air, icy water, mud, and rock fully mixed, further tearing apart everything in their path. Even rocky reefs would shatter under their impact.

This was the true embodiment of chaos, like an abstract splash of paint, endlessly colorful.

There was no distinction between light and dark here; it was like a monstrous beast spanning between heaven and earth or a bottomless black hole, rolling and swallowing everything. Everything seemed to lose its meaning here.

Hell could hardly be worse; its ferocity was beyond the limits of anyone's imagination. It was a forbidden zone for all life forms, where even single-cell organisms could not survive.

All we had left was shock and awe, nothing more.

None of humanity's creations could withstand the fury that nature was unleashing at this moment. We, small and fragile, had no choice but to submit and pray.

The catastrophic storm, now twice as formidable, ferociously bore down on Huaxia, which also faced the greatest challenge in its history.

Zhuang Yu came to the main control hall, where Mr. Lin Sen had also been these past few days.

Although Mr. Lin Sen couldn't be of much help, the Wallfacer was like the backbone for everyone. Faced with such a catastrophic storm, it was hard not to be distraught.

Zhuang Yu, "Mr. Lin Sen, these past few weeks I have manipulated the 'Synchronous Light Rings' to interfere with the key nodes of these three storms.

"Successfully driving 'Chaos' to move south first; at the same time, its power increased significantly, which is consistent with our plan.

"The intensities of the other two continental-level storms also diminished as 'Chaos' moved south first. Now, the pressure boundary has been temporarily weakened by 'Chaos', and they are moving southward too.

"The 'Synchronous Light Rings' over Europe can interfere slightly, releasing some of its energy. After being weakened, the storm, upon making landfall in Europe, is predicted to be a superstorm of Level 20 (with wind speeds of over 75 meters per second).

"Such intensity can be withstood by some robust buildings if not for the low temperatures. However, this is an extreme cold storm, with temperatures around minus fifty or sixty degrees Celsius. Rocks become brittle, and its power far surpasses an ordinary Level 20 storm. Every city in its path will be reduced to nothing. The losses they are about to suffer, even with their preparations, are immeasurable.

"However, with their prepared underground shelters and temporarily modified underground facilities, the vast majority of people should be able to survive.

"As for our 'Chaos', the Synchronous Light Rings are practically useless now, and we can only brace ourselves against this catastrophic storm.

"Fortunately, our underground shelters are built for military use. Thick steel doors and a deep-enough Underground City provide us with the most secure protection.

"Even if 'Chaos' could uproot the ground to a depth of three to four meters, it still wouldn't be able to shake our underground shelters."

Lin Sen, "Yes, if it weren't for our hard-working nature and steely resolve, it would have been impossible to build so many robust shelters with just a bit of resources outside the mainstream defense plan.

"It was their selfless sacrifice that allowed us to achieve the success of saving so many lives this time."

Zhuang Yu, with a touch of sorrow, said:

"The problem now is that many shelters only have enough food reserves to meet the minimum survival needs of their populations.

"Under these circumstances, problems can easily arise. Many places are overcrowded.

"If some unexpected accidents occur, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"But still, some people have not entered the shelters.

"Mainly, those in remote areas, too far away from safety. Even if the storm hadn't intensified, we would have been powerless to help;

"When we were building the shelters, no one had ever thought about accommodating all 1.4 billion people in the country. For those who haven't made it to the shelters, all we can do is pray for them!"

Lin Sen, "Under such a formidable disaster, their chances of survival are infinitesimal."

Zhuang Yu, "Mr. Lin Sen, don't feel too guilty. This time, Huaxia has mobilized almost all available personnel.

"In truth, not many people have failed to enter the shelters. A portion refused to become a burden on the government and rejected entry into the shelters.

"They are mostly lonely elderly and some patients with diseases. They didn't want to be a drag on others.

"Another portion understand that after the disaster, their homes will no longer exist. They wish to stay with their homes until the last moment.

"In many people's hearts, after this disaster, humanity will enter the pre-industrial age. Everything will need to be rebuilt from scratch in the following decades. Perhaps that's what they are truly despairing about.

"To be honest, I am quite despairing too. I understand that even if the storm had not intensified, none of this could have been changed.

"The industrial achievements that we've struggled for hundreds of years will all be gone. It might even take us more than twenty years to recover our industrial strength, and this realization makes us increasingly hopeless."

"This colossal might of nature almost crushed our last belief," he said.

Under such a staggering might, despair might as well be the norm, an unbearable burden for life.

Lin Sen might not be able to help humanity escape their plight in other ways, but he was capable of adjusting people's attitudes, allowing those in despair to regain their beliefs; Lin Sen was always the Spirit Master.

Lin Sen said, "The development of civilization has its own trajectory, and a setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. What seems unlucky may in fact be our chance at rebirth.

"In this era, under the planned economic system, people are gradually moving away from big cities because the pressure to survive is actually greater there.

"Material supplies in cities are often scarce, and small businesses have nearly vanished.

"In this age, there are only two types of people: useful and useless. The useful work, the useless fend for themselves.

"Yet in villages and towns, although incomes are very low, some fields can still be cultivated, and even bartering has resurfaced.

"Many people see the shortcomings of such a system, but no one can change it. At least, for now, it is the best route we have; no one knows what the future path holds.

"This natural disaster might just give us an opportunity:

"Firstly, the greatest contradiction right now is, on one hand, only a small elite are truly useful, and we are in desperate need of talent; on the other hand, the majority of society is deemed useless, with an unemployment rate as high as 68%.

"Industrial reconstruction demands a large number of talents, from high-level experts to basic laborers; everyone is useful.

"In the future, for quite some time, we will need to live in the Underground City. What we must rebuild is not just the national industrial system; we also need complete industrial systems in various subterranean levels, which all require extensive manpower.

"Ensuring that everyone can contribute to the future: that is the true resource for the future. The future is for everyone, not just for a handful of elites; history also needs to be created by everyone together.

"This is what our future needs, this is our opportunity, this is the true liberation of productivity. History is replete with such examples; so-called reform is about enabling more people to realize their value.

"Secondly, the current industrial system may not be suitable for future interstellar development. After overthrowing the entire industrial system as it is now, we can redesign an industrial system that fits the Interstellar Era.

"Retracing the road of industry and fully entering the era of large-scale industry might solve hidden issues within our current industrial system and help us uncover new opportunities and possibilities; a new industrial revolution could be born.

"Our technology tree may not be perfect either. Perhaps there are many yet undiscovered technologies, and those undiscovered new technologies might be where our real hope lies.

"Finally, we can surely stand up again after the disaster, and we will become incredibly strong. We will dare to challenge everything, and we will be reborn from the ashes!

"We grow through suffering!

"The Trisolarans want us to sink in despair, but we won't. We won't lament the unpredictability of fate.

"We won't pray to deities for salvation like insects, nor will we bow our proud heads to the Trisolarans.

"What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger!

"Let us find out if we truly qualify to survive in this cold universe…"

Mr. Lin Sen's words were spoken before all the members of the disaster prevention headquarters, and his rousing speech, laced with a hypnotic effect, reignited belief in many people.

His words would soon reach the PDC, and from there, more and more people became aware.

Indeed, his speech led the upper echelons of society to rethink the development path of the future. The lower classes, too, felt a renewed sense of belief, as they might have the opportunity to find work again after the disaster.

Even if they knew about Mr. Lin Sen's enhanced storm proposal, their hearts probably wouldn't bear a grudge anymore, but human emotions are always the most difficult to fathom.

Mr. Lin Sen's words seemed to encourage everyone, but in reality, he was also encouraging himself. Lin Sen was ordinary, and his endurance was not necessarily greater than others'.

When facing the southward-bound planetary storm and confronting such an immense natural force, Lin Sen might have truly realized how proud he had been all along.

Knowing the course of society's future development, can we change everything? Maybe we are indeed just insects.

We are so insignificant. We harbor the fantasy that humans can triumph over nature, not realizing that nature has never really taken a proper look at us.

Yet Lin Sen quickly adjusted his mindset. So what? After doing our utmost, whatever remains, remains!

In the original text, there was little written about the Great Ravine. From a global population of 8 billion, only 3.5 billion remained after 50 years of the Great Ravine, and at the lowest point, it was just 1.5 billion.

It's hard to imagine what humanity went through during those 50 years?

Cold and hunger alone cannot account for such a dramatic decrease in human population; there must have been an unprecedented super-disaster.

The effects of such a disaster were profound, to the extent that humans could only live underground even 100 years after the Great Ravine.

Facing such a disaster, how could humanity possibly summon the will to resist nature, or to resist the Trisolarans!

If the mental fortitude of Lin Sen was nearly overwhelmed, what of the people of this era?

Humanity could only hope for the meager existence and beg for years with life!

In this world, there is only regret, no repentance, and Lin Sen will not repent!

All this might be part of Lin Sen's plan, including his speech on developing big industry, also a part of the plan.

People in the future will fully realize how Lin Sen step by step changed the world, like retracing the path of industry, retracing the path of civilization. This might benefit human civilization, but ordinary people of the present certainly don't think so.