Chapter 80: Conflict of Interests
"What a pity for so many economic powerhouses along the coast; this time, the economic impact truly cuts to the bone."
"The destruction of Tianjing, Tianhai, and Tianzhou has dealt too great a blow to the economy. These three cities alone accounted for ten percent of our entire Huaxia's GDP, and a large number of top-tier talents were concentrated there. This time, they were practically wiped out by nuclear bombs in one fell swoop. The death toll in these three areas reached sixty percent of their resident populations."
"Adding in the destruction from the tsunami, analysts have given us a figure of twenty percent. After comprehensively assessing all factors, our actual total losses stand at around twenty percent, encompassing both material and human costs," the middle-aged man in charge of statistics, standing beside the Chairman, reported, holding a document.
"Gentlemen, the focus of this meeting is not on statistical losses, but on determining our future development policies. Reconstruction plans must begin as quickly as possible. We cannot sustain the tens of millions of refugees created by the tsunami and nuclear bombs for too long. Currently, this single item consumes billions in supplies every day. We must immediately resume production." The Chairman, seated centrally, steered the conversation back on track.
"Since it has already been decided that the coastal regions will become the front lines, the original three major cities will inevitably no longer be economic centers after reconstruction. Therefore, we need to re-establish several large cities inland to replace the economic centrality of the original three."
"I propose Tianqing."
"I propose Huajiang City."
Sensing the immense benefits behind the reconstruction of the economic centers, everyone in the assembly hall began to vie for the interests of their respective factions. After all, with different backgrounds came different allegiances. With the coastal factions, whose influence was almost entirely annihilated by the Hai Clan disaster, now sidelined, the inland factions engaged in fierce competition.
"Minister Li, why aren't you joining the fray?" Two men seated beside each other quietly conversed, taking advantage of the heated arguments on stage.
"Me? I won't even mention it. My roots were in Tianzhou. After a few nuclear bombs, I'm just like you now—nothing left but myself. Even if I fought for it, I wouldn't have many reliable subordinates. Better to be an idler. These nuclear bombs are even more ruthless than the Disciplinary Committee; they just sweep everyone away in one go."
The two officials, having seen through the vanity of the world, quietly sat in a corner, watching the bigwigs from the various inland factions battle it out. Thinking of how they too once fought like this for the interests of their own factions, a sudden wave of emotion welled up in their hearts.
Central-Northern Italy.
Since Rome had all but turned into ruins and all connecting transportation had ceased operations, Bai Mo had no choice but to carry his suitcase and begin walking towards the city closest to Rome.
Half an hour later, a travel-worn Bai Mo arrived in E’ninuosi, fifty kilometers away. He casually bought a newspaper from a roadside stall, then entered a coffee shop to read the detailed reports of recent events.
"Hai Clan invasion... nuclear attacks... tsunami disasters, all caused by them. Of the thirty-two cities attacked by nuclear bombs, Huaxia accounted for three." Bai Mo quickly skimmed the newspaper, his mind beginning to analyze the situation in Huaxia.
"Nuclear bombs, tsunami, and it was also one of the Hai Clan's landing battlegrounds. My house in Tianhai, its surface structures, probably don't have much left. I hope the underground laboratory isn't too damaged; it still stores some extremely important samples. I really didn't expect Huaxia's three major cities to be obliterated."
"Next, I need to return to the country, transport the equipment from the laboratory in the ruins of Tianhai to the rear of Huaxia, and then continue experimenting with the samples collected in the suitcase."
Draining the remaining half-cup of coffee in one gulp, Bai Mo placed the money under the coffee cup and left alone with his suitcase. Ever since he discovered his true speed, he had tried to minimize conversations with others, as listening to dialogue that unfolded at only one-fifth or one-sixth of his perceived normal speed was not a comfortable experience.
During his few days in Rome, Bai Mo hadn't had the chance to bathe. Although the Life Field covering his body and his psychic power could prevent dust from settling on him, bathing was ultimately a habit formed over many years. He decided to rest for a night in E’ninuosi first, and then consider traveling to an airport in Northern Italy to return home the next day.
Soon, intending to get a good rest, he found a hotel in E’ninuosi.
Luxuriating in the bathtub, Bai Mo forgot about the tens of thousands of mutated creatures he had killed over the past few days, forgot about the thousands of zombies he had eliminated, and even cast aside De Bu Luo Yi and the surviving Austin and others whom he had casually dispatched. His mind was clear and empty, his entire body's muscles relaxed, his eyelids gradually began to droop, and then... then he fell asleep in the bathtub.
As Bai Mo slept, his body, after days of relatively high-intensity activity, quietly began to undergo some changes.
Muscle by muscle, having completed their spirit energy permeation, they began to tremble, gradually merging into his Life Field. The trembling muscles released a large amount of heat. A portion of this heat was re-utilized by his energy-absorbing skin, while the unabsorbed remainder was continuously released into the air and the already cooling water in the bathtub, using his skin as a medium.
As Bai Mo continuously released heat, the temperature of the water in the bathtub steadily rose. Later, it even began to gurgle and bubble, showing signs of boiling. The entire bathtub seemed to be making soup with Bai Mo in it.
During the process of the muscles merging into the Life Field, trace amounts of metabolic waste were left behind. These wastes dissolved into the water through his skin, and the water in the bathtub began to fill with a strange, faint reddish hue, like droplets of ink diffusing into clear water. Of course, Bai Mo, still sleeping soundly in the bathtub, was completely oblivious to all of this.
As time passed, the "bloody water" in the bathtub began to boil. However, a hundred-degree Celsius water temperature was merely the perfect sleeping temperature for Bai Mo, protected as he was by his formidable Life Field. The water continued to boil ceaselessly, and the steam rising from the bathtub, after gradually filling the entire bathroom, began to spread into the room.
The large amount of steam spreading into the room soon triggered the smoke alarm. Water began to spray from the ceiling, and simultaneously, the alarm blared.
Upon receiving the alarm, the security personnel initially thought it was another alarm caused by an unruly guest smoking in their room, so they sent the female room service attendant to Bai Mo's room to remind him. But Bai Mo, in such a deep sleep, couldn't even be roused by the room's alarm, and naturally, he completely missed the attendant's doorbell.
Feeling a bad premonition, the attendant, finding no response after ringing the doorbell several times, hastily took the room key and opened the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she found herself assailed by a large amount of steam. The entire room was enveloped in a swirling mist.
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