What? The Apocalypse Should Come with a Sense of Urgency?

Mike realized that his earlier concerns had indeed been overblown in the face of the nation's strategies.Of course, that was a good thing—the stronger the national military, the less pressure Mike would face."Now I can relax. The military's still pulling their weight."Mike sighed in relief and smiled faintly before opening the chat channel. He was eager to gauge the mood and reactions of the people during the Third Apocalypse, to check if there were any other needs or issues emerging.

The chat in Jinling was different from the atmosphere in Xinchang; Mike had emphasized many times that the public needed to feel free to speak up, whether to complain, praise, or be sarcastic.The important thing was giving people the space and authority to voice their opinions.If no one spoke up, how would rescue workers realize their shortcomings and learn from the feedback to improve?Problems needed to be addressed, and listening to the public was key.

In Jinling, there was even a "City Speaking Department" specifically responsible for disseminating public policies and monitoring the chat channels for citizen feedback.The more critical the citizens were, the more important it was to reflect and learn from it.Of course, this policy had a high-pressure system, which unfortunately led some rescue workers to intimidate outspoken citizens due to performance pressures.It became a habit for some to ignore the problems and instead target those raising them.Mike had a zero-tolerance policy for such abuse of power. If any rescue worker was caught threatening the public, they would face severe punishment.

The credibility of the disaster relief efforts was already fragile, and if internal corruption undermined the unity and morale, how could they manage future disaster responses?

Now, in the Jinling chat channel, Mike noticed people were excitedly discussing military reports."Hey guys, have you seen the battle report for the war dungeon? Our military just cleared the 2000 challenge in a few hours!""Honestly, I thought the A-level difficulty would be tough, but now I realize it's basically no different from F-level.""What are you talking about? A-level is easy! We need S-level next! More intensity! Jesus himself wouldn't stop us!""The military's strength is unquestionable, but I'm really curious—how are they so strong? Doesn't seem to make sense. I bet they have some hidden mechanisms for getting stronger, but how did they build up strength in the F-level war dungeons earlier?""Yeah, I've been wondering the same... Remember how, after every F-level dungeon, the military would keep running them over and over? Maybe that's the key, but we don't know what exactly they gained from it."

"But hold up! Why is everyone talking about the military reports? Can we focus on the real issues here? The Third Apocalypse just started—shouldn't we feel some urgency?"Among the fervent discussions, occasional voices of doubt popped up: "Are we seriously just talking about military stuff? It's the apocalypse, we're talking about life and death here!""Urgency? Why should we be urgent? Do you feel urgent? Because I don't.""What do you want me to be practical about? I haven't even seen a single Heartthief Demon yet. The command center keeps mentioning these weird monsters and fog crises, but I haven't seen any of that! How am I supposed to feel urgency?""Seriously, Jinling's handling it too well—there's no atmosphere of the apocalypse. I open the window, and every ten minutes, a patrol passes by. It's too safe.""The Third Apocalypse has barely started, right? The fog seems like a joke. Every part of the city that should be lit up is lit up. I almost want to sign up for an outdoor exploration team.""Damn it! Don't even mention it! Makes me mad! I'm supposed to be the strongest mind in the apocalypse, but all I wanted was a real challenge to show my skills, and after two hours in the city, all I've seen is fog! The rest of the crisis is practically nonexistent!"

Mike watched the conversations for a while before he saw a shift in topic. People had stopped discussing the military and were now venting about Jinling's disaster response efforts.Some were still complaining about the lack of apocalypse atmosphere: "So you're saying that disaster relief is too effective and that's a problem?"Mike couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. After the major consolidation during the Second Apocalypse, many survivors had improved their capabilities. Now, anyone could swap their talents, and they could exchange work points for advanced items and talent recruitment tickets.Additionally, the relative safety during the Second Apocalypse meant that most survivors had accumulated a fair amount of resources.

With the Third Apocalypse starting, many hoped to make a name for themselves, show off their skills, and gain more attention and resources.But now, there was no chance.The new commander, Dongfang Zhiyuan, had immediately dispersed the fog, effectively neutralizing the greatest threat of the Third Apocalypse.People were left bored, resorting to discussing the military reports instead.With nothing else to do, they began to resign themselves to the idea that the Third Apocalypse would be boring. The focus had shifted to the following months, hoping for more intensity.

Mike could see this clearly now."It seems people do appreciate the relief efforts, but we can't let our guard down. We need to maintain the status quo and continue pushing forward."He still had a reflective attitude, even though things were going well. "Jinling's relief work still needs improvement, and Xinchang's disaster management can become the next focus.""Once we've fully understood the mechanisms of the Third Apocalypse, I'll think about sending people to Guangling.""They haven't canceled that mission, nor have they said anything about the new commander there. I'll consider it my responsibility and make sure it's done well."

Mike hadn't forgotten the Guangling mission. He was eager for intel about the situation there—not just due to the task at hand, but for the sake of preparedness.The change in command would likely cause tensions, and Mike didn't want to get directly involved, but he needed to be cautious about his own safety and that of the people.Guangling was close to both Xinchang and Jinling, and Mike wasn't about to let any rogue commanders be a threat to their stability.

After a final check of the chat channel, Mike saw that there was little strong reaction regarding disaster relief. He closed the chat, and began monitoring personnel in both cities, adjusting policies and assignments accordingly.Even without leaving his office, he could keep tabs on every major detail.

The day passed quickly.From Mike's surveillance, he was confident that Jinling's Third Apocalypse threat had been reduced to nearly nothing. In fact, he felt the earlier reports had been overly cautious—the probability of encountering the fog crisis or Heartthief Demons in Jinling was almost zero now.For an entire day, no new monster events had occurred.

Only then did Mike approve the departure of the external exploration team, which he had authorized the day before. Their mission was to actively explore the fog crisis zone.This was a special team, a third-apocalypse organization designed to recruit the most capable survivors from the city. Each team was tasked with entering the fog and mapping its mysteries.The goal: turn the fog crisis into a stable resource for Jinling, much like a dungeon or puzzle room.Of course, given the danger, Mike had set up strict guidelines, emphasizing that casualties were inevitable. However, the promise of rare resources was too tempting, and many survivors eagerly volunteered.

Mike had also ensured that A-level combat and intellectual units would take charge of the operation to minimize risks.The survivors would not only receive full support from the command center but also priority access to any resources gathered from the fog, below A-level in rarity.With these policies in place, the number of volunteers quickly reached the target, though Mike would still monitor the situation closely.

If the death rate was too high, he'd pull the plug—people's safety was the top priority.Mike didn't expect the fog to provide all the resources he needed, especially with the self-sustaining growth cycles already established in Jinling. But he'd taken a calculated risk, one that would pay off—if it didn't cost too much.

He was also considering delegating some of the shelter replacement work to Xinchang.He couldn't do it all alone. Not only was his time limited, but he also noticed whispers of discontent among the people, jealous of the points he'd collected and the resources he'd earned.No one seemed to care what he used the points for—mainly to buy items that would benefit the collective. But the perception was different.

Though these voices were small for now, Mike knew better than to ignore them. In the world of power and survival, it was always best to address problems before they grew.