The Final Day! Embracing the New Apocalypse!

For the past five days, Mike had been overwhelmed with the management and coordination of two locations, nearly without a moment to breathe. Although he remained confined to his bedroom, he was able to remotely control the situations in both places through the connection to visual and military communication systems.

On the first day, Jiang Xiaoci had been willing to help him out with a few matters. But by the second day, she had gradually withdrawn from the spotlight, allowing Mike to handle most of the tasks on his own.

Whether it was the logistics of the New Chang rescue, training new rescue personnel, the planning of Jinling's new city construction, or the large-scale recovery of the city's industries, Mike had been the one to propose and issue numerous management policies for various parts of the cities.

At first glance, these tasks seemed tedious and overwhelming, easily giving one the impression that progress would be impossible. However, once Mike dove into them, he found them much less difficult than he'd imagined. In fact, he felt as though he was playing a game of civilization, naval exploration, or city-building—though more hardcore, of course. As long as he focused, thought of the bigger picture, and methodically planned each step, everything fell into place with surprising order.

Of course, Mike didn't think this was due to some extraordinary gift or special management experience. He was keenly self-aware, understanding that, though he had grown and improved over the past two months, he was still far from being someone who could manage 200,000 survivors across two cities. The real reason Mike could handle it was the gradually improving structure of Jinling's city departments and the departments still under construction in New Chang.

After transferring the management authority to Mike, Jiang Xiaoci didn't abandon her responsibilities. Instead, she retreated into the background, focusing entirely on internal personnel and organizational management. With her strong leadership, the city management in Jinling, which had already begun taking shape, became even more comprehensive. In total, 23 departments were established, covering military, civil, medical, and construction fields.

During Jiang Xiaoci's retreat, she conducted a thorough review of Jinling's internal operations, including large-scale personnel adjustments and promoting numerous talented individuals. In response to the rising issues of corruption and negligence among middle and lower management—problems that had begun to surface as life in Jinling stabilized—Jiang Xiaoci cracked down hard on the problem.

The people of Jinling knew one thing well: if you wanted to live a good life, you'd be better off offending the leader than offending Miss Jiang. Whenever she stepped in, there was no room for anyone to try any tricks. If Miss Jiang was involved, it was simple: follow her orders without question.

Locally, they would say she was simply too clever for anyone to outwit. Anyone caught trying to deceive her was either stripped of their management rights, placed on the permanent blacklist, or in some extreme cases, executed.

Jiang Xiaoci's firm stance on personnel management ensured that Mike's commands were fully implemented. She emphasized that loyalty to Mike was paramount, and only those who could assist him with true talent and dedication would be promoted. If anyone failed in this regard, no matter how virtuous, they wouldn't be trusted with key positions.

Mike quickly realized that his success was largely due to Jiang Xiaoci's meticulous adjustments in the personnel structure. It allowed him to lead without the worry of infighting or sabotage. His decisions were implemented without delay, and any errors or oversights were quickly corrected by the think tank from Jinling's command center. This team consisted of military advisors, economists, cultural experts, and other talented individuals who had been recruited by Mike. While none of them could match Jiang Xiaoci's acumen, the sheer number of minds meant that every gap was quickly identified and filled.

This think tank formed what could be called Mike's "cabinet," and every decree he issued was first reviewed by Jiang Xiaoci, who provided final approval. Thanks to this support, Mike felt as though he didn't need to strain himself to manage the two cities. Indeed, within just five days, he had already made substantial progress.

In Jinling, under Mike's leadership, major construction projects advanced significantly, basic survival issues for the city's survivors were addressed, military logistics were fully organized, and the framework for community mental and entertainment needs was established. Meanwhile, a new team of grassroots workers and volunteer rescue squads were formed.

In New Chang, Mike successfully established a command center for Jinling, which provided vital disaster relief materials to the city. Survivors from Jinling also volunteered to join the relief efforts, bringing hope and vitality to New Chang. By the fifth day, the threat of the flesh-eating fungi in New Chang had been eliminated, and the city's key areas were free from its presence.

More crucially, Mike integrated the local armed factions into a formal military structure, scattering them across Jinling's various departments to dilute their power and influence. Meanwhile, he made a daring move by keeping Liu Wenbo and Chen Xun—his old comrades—in charge of New Chang's management, despite objections from his advisors.

The most important reason for this was Liu Wenbo's position. Though he was a frail and unpredictable commander, he still represented the will of the nation, and removing him would be seen as a destabilizing action. It would be seen as overstepping, and Mike knew he couldn't afford to risk alienating the people of New Chang at this critical time.

Five days of intense work had left Mike deeply absorbed. He spent every day focused on one task after another, with little time for himself. On the sixth day, as he woke up early and made his way to his desk, a single file caught his attention.

It was a plain yellow envelope, sealed with the Jinling command's official stamp.

"Another policy suggestion?" Mike mused, frowning slightly. There didn't seem to be any significant policies up for discussion at the moment. Most of the management work had moved into fine-tuned details.

He opened the envelope, revealing a piece of white paper with red lettering on it. The title immediately caught his eye: "Analysis and Recommendations for the Third Round of Apocalypse – Jiang Xiaoci."

Mike froze.

"Almost forgot… we're entering the third month of the apocalypse soon."

Glancing at his watch, his expression darkened. The second month was ending tomorrow, and the third round of the apocalypse was just days away.

"Good thing Xiaoci reminded me… I've been so caught up in everything lately."

He skimmed through the document. It was filled with useful suggestions, but both he and Jiang Xiaoci knew that preparing for an unknown type of apocalypse was largely futile. The only real preparation was the disaster management system that Mike had in place himself.

Mike sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's tough… who knows what the third round will bring?"

He glanced at the clock again. Only one day left to prepare. Two cities. Hundreds of thousands of lives.

His face hardened. For the first time, Mike felt the crushing weight of responsibility.