Abandoned the Immortal Cultivator, returned to his hometown to farm and sing

Chapter 1373 1360.1942
The little girl was lucky.

After wandering the streets for three days, he was taken in by a kind elderly couple.

In a small but cozy little house in a working-class neighborhood.

The little girl was able to eat a hot meal and have a cup of hot milk, something she hadn't done in a long time.

After the meal, the old woman boiled a kettle of water on the stove, cleaned the little girl's body, and bandaged her wounds.

Ointment was also applied to her cheeks.

They then took off her once pretty but now tattered little dress.

She changed into a loose-fitting but very soft shirt.

I snuggled into the warm blankets, feeling the long-lost warmth, and drifted off to sleep.

But soon.

The little girl unconsciously called for her mother in her sleep, and tears streamed down her face, soaking her pillowcase...

In the flickering candlelight, the elderly couple looked at the poor little girl they had taken in, their two warm hands clasped together, and they let out a soft sigh.

"Sigh, what happened..."

The little girl didn't know what was happening.

She didn't know why her home was gone.

I don't know why her parents died.

Even the elderly couple didn't know what had happened.

All they knew was that chaos suddenly broke out, and countless people were jumping off buildings in the financial district.

Many, many people took to the streets to protest, and then were dispersed by the military and police.

Later, the military and police also joined the march.

They occupied government buildings and official residences.

But when they went inside, the country's top officials had already disappeared.

After they looted and vandalized the place, nothing changed.

The looting and vandalism then spread to the streets, with explosions and fires everywhere.

The supermarkets are empty, the bakeries are empty, the grocery stores are empty.

Later, the power went out, and the whole city was plunged into darkness.

Fortunately, there is still water and gas.

Fortunately, we still have each other.

Fortunately... there's another angel...
-
In fact, it all stemmed from the explosion that terrified the little girl ten days earlier.

Or rather, it originates from an even more distant past...

Ten days ago.

Port of Beirut, Libya.

A massive explosion destroyed 85% of Libya's food reserves.

They also destroyed the largest and only port controlled by the Lebanese government.

Whether this was an accident or intentional is still under investigation.

But the Lebanese government is no longer able to conduct an investigation.

This massive explosion has plunged Libya's already precarious economy into a deep crisis.

Looking back to 1997, not so long ago.

Libya implemented a policy of pegging the Lebanese pound to the US dollar, attracting remittances and foreign investment with interest rates as high as 20%, thus establishing a developed banking industry and a thriving tourism industry.

It quickly became wealthy and transformed into the renowned "Little Paris of the Middle East".

And in contrast.

The share of agriculture and industry has shrunk dramatically from nearly 40% to less than 5%, resulting in 92% of food being imported.

The Lebanese government, however, did not care. With money, what can't they buy?
Unfortunately, when it really comes down to it, money can't buy anything.

What if you run out of money?

When the world becomes turbulent, all investors and institutions lock up their investments and store cash.

When remittances from overseas Chinese to Lebanon plummeted from $120 billion to $65 billion starting in 2019, this seemingly solid castle in the air had become a crumbling, dilapidated building.

They can only survive by taking on debt.

In just a few years, China has accumulated a large amount of foreign debt, with the debt-to-GDP ratio reaching 97.2%. Even selling the entire country wouldn't be enough to pay off the debt.

The only way to pay off old debts is to borrow new ones and walk a tightrope.

Lebanon needs to import 12 tons of wheat every month, but with the rapid rise in grain prices, its meager foreign exchange reserves have been quickly depleted.

And then there was a huge explosion.

The Big Bang in a physical sense.

boom!
85% of the grain reserves have been completely wiped out.

This country, which has almost abandoned agricultural production, is simply unable to cope with this shock.

boom!
The only port was completely paralyzed.

This country, which relies on external supplies for almost all basic necessities, loses everything without its ports.

The last dilapidated building collapsed with an explosion.

First, grain prices skyrocketed; in just a few days, the price of bread increased 200 times.

Then, after the fuel reserves ran out, the whole country experienced a power outage.

Everyone took to the streets.

Government officials absconded, and civil servants, unable to receive their salaries, sided with the protesters.

Public transportation collapsed, garbage disposal collapsed, drainage systems collapsed, healthcare systems collapsed, law and order collapsed, fire services collapsed... the entire country collapsed.

The only industry that is still thriving is the black market.

The international community has responded actively to the crisis in Libya.

East Asia, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, immediately sent 400 tons of relief supplies, including medical supplies and food, by transport plane.

But for a country with a population of over seven million.

This is just a drop in the ocean.

As for why not use ships?
Because the port is gone.

Does Libya only have one port?

No, there are two other ports in the south.

However, those two ports are under the control of the milk tea shop, which is being sanctioned and unable to transport goods there.

Dongfang has repeatedly called for a temporary lifting of sanctions against milk tea shops to address the humanitarian crisis first and allow food supplies to be delivered.

However, it failed to pass in several votes.

Western "civilized societies" have been constantly making appeals and offering prayers, with great fanfare.

But nothing was done.

No, we can't say we did nothing either.

The central bank of Lebanon has declared bankruptcy.

The reason is debt default.

The central bank of Lebanon has applied for an extension of a $600 million foreign debt that is about to mature.

Logically, an extension should be granted, given the magnitude of the situation. In the spirit of humanitarianism, it should be extended for two or three years, or even with some reductions.

However, the extension application was not approved.

Borrowing money again was also unsuccessful; even borrowing new money to repay old debts was not an option.

Libya was forced to declare a debt default and was unable to repay its debts.

Boom! The second large bomb exploded.

The economy has completely collapsed.

The financial system completely collapsed, and the currency began to depreciate wildly.

The black market exchange rate plummeted from an initial 1500 Lebanese pounds to 1 US dollar to 15 Lebanese pounds to 1 US dollar.

People's savings were frozen, and the money in their accounts became unusable numbers.

The inflation rate surged by 200% in just a few days.

Currency became worthless.

You can't even buy things with money; it's like going back to the era of bartering...
-
The warmth the little girl rediscovered lasted only a few days.

The elderly couple's life savings were wiped out, and they couldn't even withdraw the small amount of foreign currency they had in the bank.

After the food at home was finished.

The elderly couple were forced to sell their possessions.

First came the clothes and bedding stored away in the trunk, then the gold and silver valuables, and finally the furniture and appliances.

Everything that could be sold was sold.

In less than a week, the once cozy little home has become bare and destitute.

In the beginning, a gold necklace could be exchanged for a bag of bread, which was enough to sustain the two elderly people and the family who ate little for a day.

Two days later, the old woman's entire set of emerald jewelry, which she had worn at her wedding, was exchanged for only three small loaves of bread, barely enough to fill her stomach.

On the fifth day, all the furniture, appliances, faucets, and light bulbs in the house were taken away.

All the old couple's belongings.

All they got in return was a tiny piece of bread the size of their palm.

Very dry, very hard.

The electricity is long gone.

The gas supply was also cut off four days ago.

Even the water... two days ago, due to insufficient energy, the water pumps could not operate, and the water supply system was paralyzed and shut down.

Fortunately, the elderly couple had filled all the buckets in their house with water before the water was cut off.

It can hold on for a while longer.

The old man picked up a plastic box from outside and wiped it clean.

Break the cake into pieces and throw it in, then pour in cold water and let it soak into a paste.

The family of three ate it bit by bit; this was their last meal.

It's all gone, absolutely nothing left...
-
Food is nothing in peacetime, yet we still use the Engel coefficient to calculate income and food expenditure.

When things really get chaotic, things can escalate faster than a rocket.

As we all know, a 10% shortage of grain does not simply mean a 10% increase in grain prices.

Instead, the number of people will rise to 10% and starve to death.

Lebanon lost 85% of its food supplies at once, and there has been no replenishment.

They have no agriculture, no arable land, and do not grow their own food.

So, will this catastrophe only end when prices rise to the point where 85% of the population starves to death?
As for hoarding and speculation, that's no longer important; it's nothing in the face of catastrophe.

The Middle East's model of prosperity has been reduced to ruins...

Just like what happened in the East.

1942.

In 1942, a pound of wheat cost twenty-two silver dollars, while the best irrigated land cost only ten silver dollars.

Two acres of land can only be exchanged for one pound of wheat.

People were worth even less; one silver dollar could buy two young women.

Men? Men are worthless; they'll follow you even if you only have a bowl of porridge with a reflection in it.

However, people will naturally seek a way to survive. Once everything that can be sold has been sold off cheaply, the next step is to flee the famine.

If you're lucky, you'll escape to a place where there's food.

They can survive.

If they are unfortunate, they will sell their children and even exchange children for food on the road to escape famine, and in the end they will also fall by the roadside and become food for others to walk on.
-
After the elderly couple finished their last meal, they coaxed the little girl to sleep wrapped in a few old clothes that they couldn't sell.

They didn't sleep.

Instead, they held hands in the darkness, sighing deeply.

Sigh, I have no choice but to leave.

The good news is that Libya is a small country.

Beirut is only 80 kilometers from the western border between Libya and Syria; it would take two days to walk there.

The bad news is that the neighbors to the west won't let us pass.

The old man learned this information when he went to the black market to exchange items.

They said the western border was blocked and crossing was not allowed.

Hundreds of thousands of people were stuck at the border, unable to advance or retreat, creating a chaotic situation.

It's like a giant powder keg; even the slightest spark could cause it to explode.

It would be too dangerous for the two elderly people, with a young child in tow, to go there.

Even if we manage to cross the border, will we really be able to find food?

Ugh.

The neighbors next door are in a bad situation too.

Agricultural and oil-producing areas are all occupied by terrorist organizations. The government has no money and can't even pay the army's salaries. The army is being downsized every year.

The workforce has been reduced from 300,000 to less than 100,000, and further reductions are planned.

It's all because they're broke.

The neighboring country earns $8.32 million a year, but spends $700 million just on food to provide cheap bread to its 20 million citizens, barely managing to survive.

If another six million Lebanese flood in, they will collapse.

If we head south...

To the south is the territory of the bubble tea shop, which is even closer, located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, less than forty kilometers away.

But there was the last remaining Lebanese army that had not yet collapsed.

They really will shoot.

Ugh.

What should we do?

Ugh.

Food? Where can we find food?
-
"Food! Where is the food?!"

The same worries were also raging in the operations room of the capital.

A large world map hangs on the wall.

The image above is filled with various lines and circles, thick and thin, red and green, layered upon each other, to the point that the original colors are almost indistinguishable.

Uncle Li stood angrily in front of the map, in front of a number of think tank experts.

He punched a spot in Libya.

He was yelling loudly in the conference room.

"A massive explosion at the grain depot paralyzed the port, preventing the import of grain from outside."

"When the central bank goes bankrupt, the economy collapses, currency becomes worthless, and you can't spend your money."

"This is a complete disruption of the supply chain."

Then it made a horizontal slash to the west.

"Six million! A full six million starving people will definitely break through the Libyan-Syrian border, and Syria will collapse as a result."

"Syria has a population of over 20 million!!"

Then he randomly drew several lines from the Syrian position upwards, to the right, and downwards.

"Then it's a snowball effect, with Turkey to the north, Iran and Iraq to the east, and the entire South China Sea Cooperation region, and the chain reaction will wipe them all out."

"Even if we can't finish playing, it'll be enough to make us drink a pot of wine."

What kind of words are these?

One of the people listening nearby was about to laugh.

Uncle Li noticed and glared at him fiercely.

Then he slammed a heavy punch onto the map.

"Still laughing. They've achieved their first goal, you know that!"

"The trouble we stirred up, the food prices we drove up, we killed millions, tens of millions of people."

"The media is all in their hands. Whatever they say goes. People in these countries that have been thrown into chaos won't listen to what we have to say. They will only believe what they see."

"All I know is that my life is getting worse and worse, so I'm quick to shift the blame."

He understands sarcasm and irony.

Then Uncle Li drew a large circle.

Enveloping the entire Middle East.

"The Middle East is in chaos. Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar—the situation we worked so hard to build up is completely ruined!"

Speaking of it.

Uncle Li paused for a moment, then let out a long breath.

"And their second objective..."

As Uncle Li spoke, he gestured with his finger, making a large circle from the Middle East, along the Mediterranean Sea, towards Europe.

"Here—Europe!"

"If the Middle East is in chaos, there will inevitably be another refugee crisis. The influx of refugees into Europe will inevitably cause social unrest."

“It is impossible to do business in turbulent places. European capital will inevitably flee in large quantities. They can easily intercept a small portion and that will be enough to cover the losses.”

"You don't make much money by driving up grain prices; it's Young Master Ou who's truly wealthy."

"As for how many people will die along the way, that's not even within their consideration."

Uncle Li got angrier and angrier as he talked.

Another punch landed heavily on the map.

"A blatant, overt conspiracy."

"Third World countries, look at this! This is what happens when you challenge hegemony, this is what happens when you follow the East. Let's see who dares to do it!"

"They can't handle us, but if they mess with the country, they're finished in an instant!"

"Let's see who dares to do it again!"

In the conference room.

Silence fell for a moment.

Since the port explosion.

All of the other party's plans were deduced.

This is a strategy that uses specific points to influence broader trends, a grander game of chess.

Their methods are truly ruthless; once they make a move, it's a sure kill.

All three projects were achieved, and the results were even more spectacular, intense, and extensive than anticipated.

The entire process, with each link connected to the next, is driven by the prevailing trend.

All they did was ignite a tiny spark.

The powder keg exploded on its own.

He is indeed a formidable opponent.

a long time.

Old Zhou then said in a deep voice, "Therefore, we must interrupt their plans from the very beginning, right now."

When he spoke, his face was gloomy and as black as the bottom of a pot.

I've already been unafraid to assume the worst of them, but I never expected it to get any worse.

They used the lives of tens of millions of people as weapons.

All they want is to maintain their so-called hegemony and continue to sit on the heads of people all over the world and act arrogantly.

Is this something a human can do?
He is simply not a human being!
"Disrupting their plans is easy; just transport the grain there. The problem is how to transport it, from where, and when."

Uncle Li's face was also gloomy as he spoke.

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper without him even realizing it.

After the incident, we have been thinking about solutions.

We've had several brainstorming sessions already.

Now only these three problems remain unsolved.

“Yes, how are we going to transport it?” Old Zhou also fell silent, walked to the edge of the map, and pointed to the Port of Beirut. “The port has been bombed, and it will be closed to traffic for a while.”

He pointed downwards, "There are two ports here, but they are under sanctions, and not many countries dare to ship goods from them."

"Are we transporting grain from here?" someone asked, raising their hand.

"Small-scale humanitarian aid is manageable, but transporting large quantities of grain..." Old Zhou shook his head, "Difficult!"

He then explained, "Although we don't need to worry about sanctions and we didn't provide any support in the first place, we're thousands of miles apart, and distant water can't quench immediate thirst, plus there's no reason for it."

"It's too far away over there."

"Even if we load and transport it now, it would have taken at least a month in the past, and that would have been without any obstacles."

"But in less than half a month, Lebanon will collapse, and the snowball will start rolling."

Old Zhou finished speaking.

Silence fell over the room again.

A long time passed.

Someone asked, "What about the surrounding area? Is there any food nearby?"

This time, Uncle Li stepped forward and shook his head.

He placed his hand on the map and clicked on each country one by one.

"Syria and Iraq can forget about it; with food prices rising like this, they're going to collapse too."

"Egypt is doomed. They've already collapsed. It was only thanks to Saudi Arabia's emergency $4 billion bailout that they're still alive."

“Persia has grain, but land transport is difficult due to the war-torn regions, so large-scale grain shipments definitely cannot get through.”

"Da Mao is fighting a war and can't take care of it at all."

"The GCC group has no chance either; they don't produce any food, it's all desert."

At this point, Uncle Li sighed, "Ah, if only Xiao Luo's farm in Dubai had started construction a couple of years ago, maybe it could have held up for a while."

Speaking of Xiao Luo.

Looking at the map.

Old Zhou suddenly thought of something.

"No, there's a place with food, and it's very close by."

As he spoke, Old Zhou stepped forward and tapped the very bottom of the Arabian Peninsula.

And then, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, his eyes lit up.

Once it's connected, everything is connected.

He smiled mysteriously and said, "If you can transport used cars, you can transport grain."
-
(End of this chapter)