Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 27 When That Day Truly Comes

May 22, 2030, the eighth day after rebirth.

Countdown – 24 days.

Cloudy with light rain.

It's called rain, but it's not much different from fog. It comes and goes, which is common in this season.

Because of what happened in Linhai, security for Su Xun has been strengthened once again. Not only has the number of people in the convoy increased, but Wang Junyou, who is acting as a double, has also been put in a separate car to prevent him from being taken down in the event of an attack.

The remaining few people were still in one vehicle, which made it easier to discuss work. However, the weather in Chongqing was really hot and humid, and there was no air conditioning in the military vehicle, which made Su Xun, a northerner from Linhai City, feel a little uncomfortable.

Jiang Yi took a small fan and fanned herself, but some of the cool breeze flew past her and landed on Su Xun's cheek.

"The atmosphere of military training is already there."

The group looked out the glass and saw groups of people in brand-new training uniforms running towards some unknown destination. Their camouflage uniforms, damp with moisture, and red ribbons stood out vividly.

Wang Wei nodded in agreement: "Given the current situation, we will use active-duty personnel as the backbone and reserves as the main force to continuously develop the militia."

"Within half a month, our reserve force will reach tens of millions and gradually enter the combat sequence, while the militia will reach about one hundred million before the cataclysm."

One hundred million militiamen—what does that mean? One-twentieth of ASEAN's population will be donning military uniforms, taking up arms, and becoming soldiers within a month!
Of course, the so-called militia hastily mobilized at this moment cannot possibly have the level of real professional soldiers. To put it bluntly, they are just 100 million ordinary people who have temporarily undergone a month of military training.

But this is already astonishing enough. Even when the militia in the East was at its largest under that old man's leadership, the size was only about the same as it is now.

The logistical support system for these individuals has reached a point where it requires the entire society to shoulder the responsibility, which clearly has a profound impact on every family and every individual in ASEAN.

The power of wartime mobilization was fully unleashed at this moment, and the support capabilities of modern industry were fully stimulated. All equipment, clothing, and food were distributed free of charge.

More and more soldiers in military uniforms appeared on both sides of the road, forming long lines, like a never-ending green river, surging endlessly. In this torrent, the military vehicle carrying Su Xun and the others slowed down.

Besides the soldiers in uniform, there were also many elderly people and young children following the group on foot.

What are those people going to do?

"Hiking training, everyone camping." Wang Wei was filled with emotion. It had been decades since the last time such a scene appeared in the East. He hadn't even been born then.

The saying "700 million people and 700 million soldiers, ten thousand miles of land and ten thousand miles of camps" is not just empty talk. It refers to the large-scale field training exercises of hundreds of millions of soldiers and civilians. Which country in the world can do that?
Only here, only on this land, only with these people who deeply love this land.

The new generation of young people who have grown up during the most prosperous thirty years of our motherland have reached the point where they can take over the baton. They do not worship the moon in the West, nor are they afraid of the fleets of the East. The spirit of the people of a great nation is something that a small country will never be able to comprehend, even in a thousand years.

A song was sung in the distance, which quickly drew countless soldiers from all around to join in the chorus.

Even through the thick armor, the people inside the vehicle could hear the sound. Su Xun listened intently; the song was—

It was a sunny morning.
The sound of pigeons whistling accompanied the reveille.
But the world is not at peace.

Even in times of peace, there are turbulent events.
……

Are you ready, brothers in arms?

When that day truly arrives

Rest assured, motherland; rest assured, loved ones.

To achieve victory, I must bravely advance.
……

……

The song was vast and powerful, filling the heavens and earth; the mountains and rivers trembled at its sound, and the plains fell silent in its presence.

In an instant, it seemed as if the entire city resounded with a battle hymn, and even the dark clouds on the horizon seemed to tear open, allowing the brilliant sunlight to pierce through the gloom and pour down upon the earth.

The people inside the car sang along softly, and for a moment no one spoke.

Ultimately, there is never a generation that has collapsed.

……

Not far from the convoy, at a stall in front of a small noodle shop, two blond, blue-eyed white men stared at the scene before them, utterly astonished.

"Should we still go?" "If you want to go, you go. I don't want to die."

This scene would be too shocking for anyone, let alone two foreigners with impure motives.

"Let's wait and see if any good opportunities arise."

"What are you two idiots doing sneaking around here!"

The noodle shop owner, noticing the two men staring at the military vehicles on the street, approached them with a suspicious look: "Hurry up, I'm closing down."

The white man, speaking with a strange accent, asked in confusion, "Closing so early? Why?"

"Hmph, what's the point of talking to you?"

The young boss sized them up and down, then tugged at the training uniform tucked under his arm: "Your old man's about to join the army, you idiots, hurry up and get out of here, or you'll get arrested."

The companion tugged at the man's clothes, and the two had no choice but to leave.

The shop owner stood there until the two disappeared from sight, then turned to look at the military vehicle that had already driven away before silently closing his shop door.

Although a level-one emergency preparedness has been activated, the plans for dealing with the apocalypse are indeed different from those for actual war, so ASEAN has not yet expelled foreigners from its territory.

Even though the East and West have been vying for power across the ocean for many years, the process of global integration has continued. In many areas, a situation of mutual interdependence has long been formed. The number of these people is quite large, and expelling them would be a major project that would require a lot of effort.

After being kicked out by the noodle shop owner, the two white agents quickly found a suitable spot again.

"Is that the so-called superconductor manufacturing plant over there?"

"Pshaw, what superconductor? It might just be a magnet. This kind of thing has happened in ASEAN before. Some people are used to using unknown things to defraud the Secretariat of subsidies and investments."

The person who spoke first fell silent for a moment, thinking to himself that this kind of thing seemed to happen more often in his own home.

He shook his head, not continuing the topic: "So, do we really have to kill that person? The president's message is that we should just keep an eye on him; there's no need for us to take the risk."

"Are you listening to the president or the chairman?"

"Of course it's the chairman's, since he's the one who pays me."

"Then kill him."

"Will this provoke conflict between us and ASEAN?"

The man paused for a moment before speaking, "That's exactly what we want—to stir up conflict. Only then will the conglomerates have a place to send their weapons, and only then will the internal divisions within the convention be contained. What, are you scared?"

For the two of them, this idea was not hard to understand. After all, what did the survival of the signatory countries have to do with the corporations? They could take this opportunity to use some drastic measures. If they could survive, great; if not, they could just start over.

After all, this country was already on the verge of collapse.

Even so, the agent's lips twitched. They could still see the seemingly endless training corps from this location. Who wouldn't be afraid?
It was terrifying but useless. Thinking of his family and the student loans he still owed, he had no choice but to take the risk.

He sighed, resignedly asking, "Then let's kill them. How? Or should we run them over with a car?"

The dump truck Iaijutsu is indeed highly efficient and convenient, and has won unanimous praise from spies and assassins from various countries. The downside is that it requires preparation before it can be carried out.

But there's not much else to do; it's just too difficult to carry out any sniping operations in this country.

"It's possible, but we don't have any informants in the area anymore."

Where is the informant?

"...I was drafted into the army."

"...Then let's look for those drug lords who were active locally before. There must be some of them."

"Do they have the guts?"

"If you give them enough, they won't have the brains to think about anything else."

(End of this chapter)