The spell's range covers the entire territory of China? Hand it over to the state.

At the same time, just as Su Yun was preparing to unleash his skill.

Kyoto, a large warehouse-style supermarket.

The aisles between the shelves were packed with people. The sounds of shopping carts colliding, children crying, and the repeated announcements of "Please keep order" from the loudspeakers all mingled together, creating a chaotic mess.

"Stop pushing! I got that box of salt first!"

A middle-aged man in a respectable suit was now shamelessly sticking out his backside, desperately protecting a box of table salt in his shopping cart.

Behind him, an older woman, clutching the other corner of the suitcase, shouted in a deep voice, as if she'd just swallowed a bass cannon: "Young man, how can you not respect your elders? You have children waiting to be fed at home! You have to give them this salt, whether you like it or not!"

"The government has issued a notice that there's enough food. Are you guys planning to pickle yourselves into cured meat by taking this box of salt home?" A young man nearby couldn't help but complain.

The man in the suit, sweating profusely, adjusted his askew glasses, his tone revealing an anxious "I'm the only one who's sober in a world of fools" attitude: "You know nothing! We have enough food, but what about the supply chain? Factories shut down, logistics paralyzed—even if you have money, you won't be able to buy anything! This is called strategic reserves! This is called hedging against risk! Have you read 'The Doomsday Survival Guide'? Salt is hard currency!"

"Yes, yes, yes! There's also toilet paper! Let's go grab a few more rolls!"

This panic is not a disorderly riot, but it should not be underestimated.

We are all intelligent people. Precisely because we are intelligent, we think more and calculate more carefully, so we are more aware that on the verge of the collapse of order, any shortage of supplies may trigger a chain reaction.

This phenomenon has begun to appear across the country and is becoming increasingly common.

……

On the other side, thousands of kilometers away, at a western border crossing.

The situation here is even more chaotic than in the supermarket.

Beneath the majestic golden city walls, millions of people, like a vast swarm of black ants, were pouring into Longxia through the only "gate of life".

This is the evacuation team.

They had endured a hellish catastrophe outside, watching bustling cities turn into ruins and their friends being torn apart by monsters. Now, having finally set foot on their homeland, their nerves, stretched to the limit, not only failed to relax but were completely shattered by the drastic change in environment.

At the registration desk of the temporary resettlement site, one of the tables had been overturned.

"I need to see your leader! I need to see him now!"

Zhang Wei slammed his dark blue passport onto the table, spitting all over the face of the staff member opposite him.

His once expensive bespoke suit was now wrinkled and stained with oil, and his bloodshot eyes no longer held the pride of an elite, but rather the fear of a startled wild animal.

"Sir, please calm down."

Old Zhou, who was in charge of registration, was a grassroots cadre in his fifties. His voice was already hoarse. He was holding a half-empty bottle of mineral water and hadn't even had time to unscrew the cap to take a sip.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!"

Zhang Wei tugged at his tie, even threatening to jump onto a chair and shout, "I own three properties on Wall Street! I'm a partner at a hedge fund there! Every minute of my time is worth thousands of dollars! I spent all my liquid assets on this plane ticket home! And now you want me to sleep in a dormitory? To eat instant noodles with these... these people?"

He pointed to his fellow countrymen around him, who were dressed in rags and had pale faces, his fingers trembling.

"I've paid taxes for so many years! I've donated to my hometown before! Even in times of crisis, you can't treat talented people like pigs, can you? My professional skills can help the country rebuild its financial system! I want preferential treatment! I want a private room! I'm a germaphobe!"

Zhang Wei's roar caused a commotion among those around him.

"So what if you have a little money? Everyone's a refugee returning from war."

"Exactly, everyone's the same, why should you be treated differently?"

A commotion broke out in the crowd, with shouts of abuse rising and falling.

Old Zhou's dark face was full of helplessness and exhaustion. He wiped the sweat from his face and said, "Comrade, it's not that I don't want to make arrangements for you. With tens of millions of people pouring in all at once, our resource allocation takes time. Everyone's having a hard time, can't we be a little more understanding? Have some hot water first, fill your stomach first..."

"I don't want hot water! I want a promise!" Zhang Wei lost control and shoved Lao Zhou violently. "Were you guys not prepared at all? Did you trick us into coming back? This place is so chaotic, what if monsters break in? Who will be responsible!"

This push was like igniting a powder keg.

Several young people who were already full of resentment rolled up their sleeves and were about to rush up and beat someone up. The armed police officers maintaining order were blowing their whistles frantically, and the scene was on the verge of getting out of control.

"I don't believe you! I want to go to another resettlement site! I want to find someone I have connections with!" Zhang Wei shouted hysterically. In fact, he knew in his heart that this was unreasonable, but he couldn't control himself.

The panic of losing everything, the sense of falling from the clouds to the mud, turned him into a mad dog that could only bark wildly.

……

Kunlun Palace, Conference Room No. 1.

On the holographic screen, scenes of chaos from various places are being played in real time.

"It's all in chaos."

The Minister of Civil Affairs frowned as he looked at the alarming public security index.

"Comrade Su Yun's 'passing on the torch' is still powerful, but the side effects are also obvious. Everyone is too clear-headed, and therefore more calculating. Everyone is looking out for their own future. In the past, this would be called being prepared for a rainy day, but in the face of disaster, it's just internal strife."

"That's human nature."

Long Yi leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

In an extreme environment like the apocalypse, even if Confucius and Mencius were alive today, they could still turn into wild beasts when they were starving and terrified.

He wouldn't criticize these people for it.

"Therefore, food alone is not enough, nor is intelligence alone."

"He still has a breath left."

"What's wrong?" the Minister of Civil Affairs asked.

"Ambition."

"They need to know that these 9.6 million square kilometers are not just a cold, impersonal geographical concept, but a home. In this home, as long as there is fire on the stove and food in the pot, even if there is a raging flood outside, no one can do anything to them."

"Since everyone is panicking, let's light a requiem lamp for each of these 1.4 billion people."

As he spoke, Long Yi turned to look at Su Yun.

at this time.

Su Yun had already raised his hand.

Suddenly.

A totem pole, pure white as jade, silently materialized in the center of Conference Room No. 1.

It is neither as vibrant and green as the previous bronze pillars, nor as passionate and unrestrained as the crimson pillars.

It is warm and understated, with a faint halo flowing across its surface, like a piece of fine jade polished over five thousand years.

The pillars are not decorated with swords, spears, or halberds; instead, they are carved with musical instruments.

Bianzhong (a set of ancient Chinese bells), guqin (a seven-stringed zither), pipa (a four-stringed lute), xiao (a vertical bamboo flute)... and lines of poems and songs written in flowing, elegant script, depicting scenes of farming, weaving, ritual, and music.

[Host's intention detected...]

The skill "Glorious Era" is being activated...

[Judging in progress... The talent "Territory is Territory" has intervened.]

[Approved. Current coverage area: 960 million square kilometers + territorial waters.]

[Drawing upon historical context...reshaping concepts...]

[Selected subjects: The Duke of Zhou's establishment of rites and music, the spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the grandeur of the Tang dynasty, the century of national calamity, the red will...]

[Extracted concepts: composure, integrity, sense of belonging, unity...]

-

[Skill mutation complete.]

【National Totem: A Glorious Chapter in a Prosperous Era】

[Description: Etiquette expresses one's aspirations, music harmonizes one's voice. The Chinese nation is renowned for its grandeur of etiquette and the beauty of its attire. This is an elegance etched into its very bones, a composure that remains unperturbed even in the face of adversity.]

[Effect: Forcibly dispels negative mental states such as "panic," "anxiety," "mania," and "aggression" from all friendly units within the territory's boundaries. Grants all units the "Prosperous Spirit" buff—mental resistance +1000%, greatly increased empathy, and a high degree of identification with the concept of "compatriots."]

[Special Effects: Elegant Traditional Chinese Style. You will hear echoes from the long river of history, a supreme spiritual massage.]

[Current cost: 200 mana (already deducted), maintenance cost: 0 (due to the "popular will" characteristic, the cost is compensated by national fortune).]

[Note: We all eat on this land, what's all the fuss about? Show some respect!]

Su Yun's lips curled up slightly, and he gently plucked a string in the air with his finger, as if he were plucking an invisible string.

The white jade totem suddenly disappeared.

It turned into a gust of wind.

A breeze that cannot be seen, yet can blow into one's heart.