Uninvited Guests from Afar

Mike didn't believe in achieving absolute balance—he wasn't gifted with the world-altering talents of a grand strategist.If it were the Mike of peaceful times, he might have been lost in hesitation, confused about the right course of action.No matter what approach he took, it would still resemble the act of cultivating loyalists, which had its own dangerous implications.But the Mike of the present wouldn't falter in such indecision. After surviving the apocalypse, he dedicated his time to learning, constantly recharging his knowledge by studying the wisdom and experiences passed down by the predecessors.Some of this knowledge resonated deeply with him and was incredibly helpful for his current role.In any situation, one had to be pragmatic; governance was about practical measures, not blind idealism.In this instance, Mike's goal was clear—he needed to address internal risks and foster stronger individuals, a practical starting point.Even if future dangers arose from this, would it be wise to abandon progress because of potential issues?The most pressing concern right now was surviving each month's apocalyptic disasters and ensuring everyone's safety.Only once safety was ensured could the collective strength be considered, and only then could Mike balance other matters beyond mere survival.Some things took precedence over others, and leaders must avoid being tied down by personal morality or ideals. They needed to think in terms of the bigger picture.So, Mike wasn't going to hold back this time. He didn't care if people criticized his decisions in the future.What mattered to him was whether the "blade" he forged would be strong enough to protect everyone's safety.With that in mind, any survivors involved in the replacement plan had to sign a vassal contract, and their talents must grow significantly through the plan, ultimately benefiting the group.Take Chen Dafu, for example. The potential for his growth was immense—given enough destroyed shelters to cultivate his strength, he could become a monstrous powerhouse.Chen Dafu was Mike's top candidate for the first batch of strong individuals, especially given how tightly he was tied to Mike's cause. His "close friend" Lu Nianxin and "romantic interest" Xiao Yan were just the start—his sister, Chen Xiaoling, had already effectively bound him to Mike's cause.Mike's first priority was to ensure that the first group of enhanced individuals was genuinely committed to sacrificing for the common good, not just using the plan to accumulate survival points, then turning on the regular people.Such behavior was unacceptable.Aside from Chen Dafu, Mike also planned to lower the bar slightly, choosing more suitable survivors.Their individual strength didn't matter too much—Mike had enough survival points to nurture even the weakest of them into power.What mattered was their loyalty to the nation and their willingness to sacrifice for the collective.Anyone who met these criteria would earn Mike's trust and support....Mike felt confident about his plan, and he had discussed it with Jiang Xiaoci.The idea had first come to him during the second apocalypse, and now, the plan had taken shape. Details were refined, candidates were preliminarily chosen, and all that was left was to wait for the third apocalypse to stabilize.For the next ten days, Mike did nothing but focus on managing the stabilization of the third apocalypse, diving into the details of city management, personally handling key tasks.It's worth mentioning that, despite leading disaster relief operations, Mike never forgot his daily parasitic replication and talent rewards.But his luck seemed to have waned; for ten consecutive days, his talent rewards were all standard A-rank bonuses.While A-rank rewards weren't insignificant, Mike's power only grew incrementally without any major breakthroughs.He speculated this might be due to his recruitment of Dongfang Zhiyuan.Mike could feel that whenever he gained a significant boost in power, received strong talents, or acquired powerful items, his progress would plateau for a while.The duration of this lull seemed to depend on how extraordinary his last gain had been.And judging by Dongfang Zhiyuan's actions over the past ten days, Mike felt that even if he went an entire month without receiving an extraordinary talent reward, it would be expected.During these ten days, the old man didn't just dispel the fog over Jinling; on the night the city was fully lit, he personally traveled to Xinchang.Mike didn't know how he managed it, but when he checked the monitoring view, he saw the old man already spreading light across Xinchang.In just two days, two cities were illuminated—providing the basic security needed to survive the third apocalypse for hundreds of thousands of people!Once his tasks were complete, the old man returned to Jinling to oversee the situation, strengthening policies for disaster relief, improving civilian support and development, enhancing military organization, and reinforcing survivor morale and collective beliefs.Dongfang Zhiyuan's methods and policies deeply impressed Mike, offering him an epiphany.Through his actions, the old man proved himself to be as capable as Jiang Xiaoci, if not stronger in some areas.At least from Mike's perspective, Dongfang Zhiyuan was far superior to Jiang Xiaoci when it came to domestic affairs.Jiang Xiaoci was brilliant, but her expertise lay more in strategy and human psychology—like a military strategist.When it came to domestic management, she was competent but rarely outstanding. She didn't excel at handling the many intricate details of life during the apocalypse.For instance, the replacement of shelters, population surveys in two cities, resource allocation for city technology, public opinion, and marriage issues during the apocalypse—all of these were poorly addressed under Jiang Xiaoci's leadership.It wasn't because she didn't recognize the importance of these issues, but because she couldn't manage military development and still pay attention to the minutiae of civil governance.These details were subtle at first, but they became more apparent as Jinling stabilized and entered the third apocalypse.Civil affairs were crucial, and often the smallest issues affected the collective mood.Dongfang Zhiyuan was a master of these details, while Jiang Xiaoci wasn't.Mike wasn't about to expect someone like Jiang Xiaoci—who was once a spy leader—to outshine Dongfang Zhiyuan.Thankfully, Jiang Xiaoci was wise enough to recognize this and didn't try to challenge the old man's authority. Instead, she willingly accompanied Mike, ensuring things ran smoothly.Mike was glad to see this dynamic. The new policies and decisions made by the old man kept him more than satisfied.What stood out in Dongfang Zhiyuan's leadership was his growth potential as a talent. Every time he made a decision for the collective, his light grew stronger.The more he managed, the brighter his light shone.However, Mike wasn't about to let Jiang Xiaoci slack off.While it was delightful to have her by his side, for the sake of the collective's safety and growth, Mike planned to entrust her with the task of selecting and investigating survivors for the replacement plan.This was her area of expertise—no one was better suited than her to identify potential candidates.After ten days, Mike confirmed the "dual management" approach for his cities—Dongfang Zhiyuan on the front lines, Jiang Xiaoci handling the behind-the-scenes tasks.With the first batch of replacement workers now confirmed, including Chen Dafu and Wang Daniu, Mike's plan had gained momentum.Of course, there were also several unfamiliar names, but these were all people Jiang Xiaoci had personally vetted. Mike trusted her judgment.Jiang Xiaoci's philosophy was simple: loyalty to the group didn't matter as much as whether someone had weaknesses that could be controlled.Once the initial group was selected, she started implementing the next phase, with Chen Dafu taking the largest share of the responsibilities.Chen Dafu's task was the complete destruction of shelters in Xinchang, a role he was uniquely qualified for.Anyone else caught destroying shelters without authorization would be treated as a murderer—destroying someone's shelter in the apocalypse was like erasing their very existence.With the old man and Jiang Xiaoci managing the cities together, Mike found that stability was increasingly within reach.But the world had other plans.On the seventeenth day of the third apocalypse, just as Mike was waiting for his next talent reward, he received an urgent message from the Xinchang command center."Commander! An emergency from Xinchang!""A reconnaissance team went missing yesterday and failed to return. A patrol team discovered their bodies today!""After assessing the situation, we've confirmed: the team was killed by other human survivors!""Outside Xinchang, unknown survivors are hunting down the members of the scouting teams!"