The Imminent End of the Stalemate: The Anomaly Behind the Scenes

"Is it difficult?Of course, it's difficult!The apocalypse is cyclical, and the Earth is teeming with danger, with lurking threats in the shadows.To protect the people of the Four Cities in this chaotic situation, while aiming for zero casualties and ensuring their quality of life—it's a mission to truly embody the 'disaster relief' slogan.To put it bluntly, the difficulty of this task is as clear as day.But nothing in the world is easy. All Mike seeks is peace of mind—doing what aligns with his values.They say, 'What the higher-ups do, the lower levels follow.' Mike's unwavering attitude, from start to finish, has had a direct impact on every staff member of the Jinling disaster relief team.Not even mentioning the naturally loyal workers, those who transitioned from gifted individuals into managers are the hardest to control.Human nature is unpredictable, and with even a small amount of power, some can become arrogant.But with the right political climate above them, Mike's strong leadership and supervision serve as a sword hanging over everyone's head.It's not just about harming the people's interests—any misuse of power, no matter how small, will immediately trigger a strict internal investigation by the "Anti-Corruption and Apocalypse Integrity" team.Throughout any era, where there are management institutions, corruption will inevitably follow.It's human nature and unchangeable, but what matters is the attitude at the top.The first batch of workers stationed in Dantu allowed the citizens there to truly understand Jinling Group's ideology.It wasn't something unfamiliar—just the same ideology we had during peacetime.Work for the people, serve the masses.If something bad happens, report it actively.It's not that the darkness and cruelty of the apocalypse can't descend upon the people, even the smallest misstep that harms the citizens—such as hoarding resources—would lead to severe punishment.While Mike's staff might not have perfect hearts, no one dares defy these values. For now, the people of Dantu are satisfied.At least in their chat channels and interactions with the staff, Mike hasn't uncovered any wrongdoings or complaints.What Dantu citizens still need time to adjust to, however, is how Jinling Group has centralized gifted resources and shelter allocations.In essence, this is a method to concentrate useful resources for the collective defense against external threats—a routine and rational strategy. But the people of Dantu, used to a freer lifestyle under Li Aiguo, initially struggled to adapt.There is no perfect solution in this world—how can you demand collective safety while resisting collective support?Under Li Aiguo's guidance and Jiang Xiaoci's planning, the adjustment period was brief. Within just a few days, Dantu citizens quickly adapted.The resources taken by the collective were minimal—only the excess resources that the Dantu people couldn't use themselves.Instead of letting them rot at home, it made more sense to pass them on to the collective, to those in need.The return on this was enormous, especially since Wang Chen personally eliminated the ghost fog from Dantu, making it the second city after Jinling to restore light.The residents of Dantu no longer had to worry about heart demons or the oppressive ghost fog, and this was the first practical outcome from Jinling Group.Especially when they realized that even Xinchang didn't have the same privilege, their sense of pride and being valued was incomparable.By the fifth day of the stalemate, Dantu had essentially fully integrated into the Jinling Group, with management systems both inside and outside the city set up and intercity resource exchanges underway.On the sixth day at noon, Mike received the news that the ghost fog in Xinchang had been dispelled by Wang Chen.This wasn't because Xinchang wasn't important, nor was it because the fog-disposal work had been deliberately delayed; Xinchang was simply in the middle of training new combatants with battle talents.The ghost fog was a natural training ground, and Xinchang requested a delay in its removal.Xinchang had a clear positioning within the Jinling Group: Jinling handled central management, top-tier talent output, while Dantu managed logistical resources and special talent classifications.For Xinchang to stand firm within the Jinling Group, it needed to offer something substantial.What could Xinchang offer?Of course, combat-experienced gifted individuals!Before being liberated by Jinling, Xinchang had been caught in constant internal strife among various factions. While not every citizen was a fighter, many had combat experience due to the intense recruitment by various powers.With an abundance of combat-oriented gifts, Xinchang's gifted army was the perfect breeding ground for Jinling's need to improve its military capabilities, fulfilling Mike's goal to diversify and bolster the apocalypse defense forces.Mike, however, was too busy with other matters to involve himself in these developments.He had become, in the past few days, the most idle person in the entire Jinling Group. Outside of his daily gaming sessions, his biggest concern was the rewards for his gifted abilities."Congratulations! You've triggered today's gifted reward: S-rank Tech Item, 'Strong Electromagnetic Shield Module.'""Electromagnetic Shield Module: Can be loaded into shelter, rooms, or other tech-based structures, creating an electromagnetic-controllable environment within a 100km radius (including sky and underground). It can deliver electromagnetic strikes to enemy units and provide supportive attacks and physical enhancements to friendly forces.""Damn it! Another S-rank reward, where's my grand prize?!"Mike waved his fists in frustration as he looked at the new item in the shelter's inventory.Over the past six days, he'd been eagerly awaiting the powerful effects of his level 5 shelter ability, hoping for something higher. With a 33% chance of S-rank rewards, he still hadn't received anything grand."Is it because my talent level is too high, so the chance of a grand prize is lowered?" Mike muttered. "Or maybe it's because I sent Lin Yue to Dantu to organize the special gifted military units, so my luck has dropped?"But even so, he couldn't believe he hadn't received any grand prize after six days. "This talent ability just leveled up, come on, give me something good!"Mike sighed and suddenly laughed at himself. "Guess I'm getting spoiled. I used to be thrilled with D-rank items during the early days of the apocalypse."Now, after six days of S-rank items, he felt indifferent, though he wouldn't say he was disappointed. "Alright, let's wait and see. A reward a day, I don't believe I won't hit a grand prize sometime soon!"Mike raised an eyebrow, confident that as long as his shelter was level 5, the chances of S-rank rewards were high. With just one grand prize, his strength would dramatically improve."Let's wait it out, I've got time."His thoughts wandered to the situation in Guangling. "If the mastermind behind this doesn't act soon, Guangling will fall. Their plan for the Jiangnan region could be finished."The situation was at a breaking point, and Mike couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right as he flipped through the latest front-line reports."