Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 223 The First Post-Earthquake People's Union Meeting

7 month 15 day.

A month and a half after the earthquake, representatives and members of the People's Federation from all over the world came to Pinglu to hold the first offline meeting of the People's Federation.

Because the earthquake's epicenter damaged fiber optic network tunnels buried deep under the sea, networks between countries separated by oceans are now disconnected. And based on the current situation, repairs are not possible in the short term.

However, all countries need to understand the world situation, so the meeting of the People's Federation must be held. After several discussions, the first offline meeting was scheduled to be held in Beixing Pinglu.

In the large conference room, only about a dozen people were scattered around the wide and long conference table, which was in stark contrast to the size of the room.

Mary, a committee member from Soma, looked around and said, "It seems that North Star thinks there are still many countries that exist, hence the preparation of such a large conference room."

"..."

Everyone was silent for a while.

The last meeting before the magnitude 10 super earthquake had 28 committee members in attendance.

But only eleven people are present today, which means that the countries represented by the seventeen committee members have all disintegrated in this earthquake disaster.

“There used to be more than 300 countries on this planet, but in just over a year, only eleven remain.” The Black Flag Nation representative sighed, “The changes are really too fast.”

The bald-headed committee member from the Kingdom of Sisya scoffed, "Survival of the fittest. Countries with poor survival skills deserve this fate."

“That’s not quite right. As far as I know, the casualties in the Kingdom of Sisia were also very high. Did those who died deserve it?” The one who spoke up was the representative of the Kingdom of Sakura.

Commissioner Sisya glared at them, but then, as if remembering something, she smiled with feigned concern and said, "Your Sakura Kingdom is quite lucky to have relocated so many people. It's a pity that your land, which has existed since ancient times, has not been so fortunate."

"You! You are so rude!"

The sinking of the Sakuragi National Park island is the deepest pain in the hearts of the entire nation, and it is naturally difficult for the committee members to accept that it is being used by others to attack them.

dong dong.

Bei Xing's representative, Gao Liangwei, slammed his knuckles on the table: "Everyone, you've come all this way, did you come here just to argue?"

"..."

"The purpose of this meeting is very clear: the eleven remaining countries must help each other. The world's population is already small; if we don't work together, humanity will truly perish."

A member of the committee from a small country agreed, saying, "Yes, our country only has a population of just over two million. If we encounter any more disasters, we really won't be able to hold on!"

"We're a little better, but not by much."

"Our leaders hope to relocate the majority of the population to large countries like North Star and Solmara, leaving only a small portion of the population in the homeland, which would be safer. We hope that both countries can agree to this."

"We had the same idea."

Of the remaining eleven countries, only North Star and Soroma can still be considered major powers. Sisya could barely be considered one, but it suffered severe damage this time and certainly has no capacity to accommodate the populations of other countries.

“You are welcome to come to Soma; His Majesty would be very pleased.” Mary said with a hint of pride. “In our technologically advanced country, security is very high.”

In this disaster, the Soro Empire effectively replaced a large amount of manual labor with its various robotic technologies in disaster relief and aid work, with very good results. Gao Liangwei also said, "We in Beixing welcome this as well."

In this era where population is everything, a nation must have a population to continue its existence.

The problem is that we only have existing stock, not new stock.

In such times, almost no one chooses to have children, and the living die off in droves; this continuous decline is deeply disheartening. Therefore, if other countries feel unable to protect their citizens and wish for their citizens to move to safer places, those countries will generally agree to accept them.

"Speaking of which," one committee member asked curiously, "were the representatives from France and the United States not present this time?"

It is quite surprising that France, one of the most powerful nations, did not send any representatives to the conference this time.

Due to network isolation and inability to contact via satellite, the organizer of the meeting, Beixing, was also unaware of what was going on.

Gao Liangwei looked at Mary: "Does your country know what happened in France?"

The Solomon Empire and France were on the same continent, connected by land, and had once been allies. If anyone present knew anything about France and France, it was only Mary.

As expected, Mary nodded, her expression somewhat strange: "It is said that France and the United States suffered severe damage in this disaster, with all the major cities destroyed. In addition, due to the drastic changes that occurred before the earthquake, the official departments were unable to organize rescue efforts, so the casualties were also extremely high."

“A few days ago, Fahe informed us that a new king, Joel I, had been elected, who claimed to be ‘God’s spokesperson.’ The remaining Fahe people will lead a completely new life under his leadership.”

Everyone present exchanged glances, understanding why Mary had that expression.

France hasn't had a king in a long time; the last one was over two hundred years ago, after which the country transitioned to an electoral system. Why is it going back to the old ways now? And who exactly is this "Joel I"?

Mary continued, "Our analysis suggests that the decision-making group in France may have been completely wiped out in the previous chaos and this disaster. A new power has emerged and taken control of the country."

"'God's Spokesperson' sounds like it's related to the cult cases that Fahe has been unable to resolve," Gao Liangwei said seriously. "If this 'Joel I' is the mastermind behind the Fire Stealers cult, then his self-proclaimed kingship is an attempt to step out from behind the scenes and into the limelight. This is absolutely unacceptable!"

The other committee members from various countries also nodded in agreement.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the warlords of the Tulip Federation are fighting amongst themselves; other countries don't seem to care much. But if a religious force that worships the Firebringers comes to power, that will absolutely not be allowed.

Otherwise, once there's a first infection, there will be a second, and once the number of "infections" exceeds the critical point, humanity will be completely finished.

“We are still investigating this matter.” Mary was aware of the seriousness of the situation. “If it is confirmed that they are cult members, we will inform everyone and launch a joint operation to combat them.”

"it is good."

"That's how it should be."

"Next, let's discuss the disaster situation in each country and how we can help each other. In addition, the many secondary disasters caused by the earthquake also need to be properly dealt with, such as the volcanic ash that has accumulated in the far south. If it is not dealt with, it will only be a matter of time before it drifts to the populated areas of each country."

“And then there’s the Terra immigration issue,” Mary reminded us. “Our Sororo region plans to send some of its residents to Terra this year to get used to it and prepare for the future. I think North Star has the same plan, right?”

Gao Liangwei nodded: "Yes. Beixing also plans to conduct interstellar migration tests within the year, to provide humanity with an extra layer of insurance."

(End of this chapter)