Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 42 The Grim Situation
"An emergency seminar on the fourth rule of the apocalypse is now beginning!"

In the conference room of the Post-Apocalyptic Rules and Countermeasures Research Office, the person in charge, Gao Liangwei, made a solemn announcement.

"This is a survival rule similar to the first one, [sleep deprivation], which is extremely dangerous! If we don't prepare a proper response, many people could die!"

"That's right. This time, the rules for 'June Snow' seem to only require staying indoors, but in reality, transporting food and other supplies is a big problem!" said a meteorological expert.

"As you may know from watching the weather forecast, snowfall is divided into six levels: light snow, moderate snow, heavy snow, blizzard, heavy blizzard, and extremely heavy blizzard. My assistants and I just used instruments to observe for a period of time and confirmed that this snowfall will reach the level of an extremely heavy blizzard, with 30 millimeters falling within 24 hours!"

"It might even surpass a massive blizzard! Because this is a massive blizzard under apocalyptic rules, the snowfall won't decrease within a month!"

The meteorologist's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

"This means that without human intervention, the snow depth on the streets will exceed 50 centimeters by this time tomorrow!"

After the meteorologist finished speaking, everyone present gasped in shock.

The snow accumulated to over 50 centimeters in just one day. What does that mean? It means you could sink right up to your knees!
And this is just the amount of snow accumulated in one day; the entire rule will last for thirty days...

"This massive blizzard will severely impact public transportation!" a transportation expert said. "It's likely that transportation in many places will be suspended, with only a very small number of underground rail lines still operational."

A logistics expert said, "Have you all considered how to transport essential supplies to the public when the snow gets too deep and transport vehicles can't move? Currently, a large number of people are relying on the Bureau of Livelihood and Security to provide free food and other supplies. If transportation stops, they may starve to death!"

"We can't ignore the temperature issue either." The temperature expert said with a worried look, "The continuous heavy snow will soon cause the temperature to plummet below zero. But don't forget it's June! It's usually the time when the weather is gradually getting warmer, and people in various places are seriously unprepared for winter insulation."

"Mental health issues also deserve attention. When people face such extreme environments for a long time, their mental state can deteriorate rapidly, potentially leading to self-harm or harm to others..."

"Damn fire thieves, did they deliberately choose this time to introduce such a rule?!"

"There are just too many problems: transportation, logistics, temperature, supplies... and so on! The rules this time are probably..."

The discussion gradually descended into chaos, with everyone talking at once.

Moreover, because many experts had a very poor assessment of the situation, a pessimistic atmosphere permeated the entire conference room.

"Stop right now!" said Gao Liangwei, the person in charge, firmly. "It's not time to give up yet!"

As soon as he spoke, everyone fell silent.

"I know the situation is very serious, but don't forget where you are. This is the Countermeasures Research Office, built at the cost of enormous national resources. Its purpose is to help the general public cope with the challenges brought by the rules. If even you panic, what will happen to the people?"

As Gao Liangwei finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement, their spirits lifted. The pessimistic atmosphere in the meeting room vanished, and the experts began to offer practical and effective advice.

A logistics expert said, "Based on my years of experience in the logistics industry, the best way to ensure high logistics efficiency is to concentrate resources." Another disaster relief expert agreed, "That's right. In this situation, dispersing transportation capacity will only delay rescue efforts. The most urgent task is to concentrate people in various locations within large buildings as much as possible. Only by transporting large quantities of survival resources in a unified manner can we maximize the reach of the rescue efforts."

Upon hearing this, someone remarked, "Those remote villages and places, I'm afraid..."

Disaster relief experts and logistics experts fell silent.

In this situation, silence is tantamount to giving up.

Everyone is well aware that, given the current situation, ensuring rescue efforts in major densely populated cities is already very difficult, let alone in some remote areas with inconvenient road access.

Gao Liangwei said, "Continue."

The experts continued to offer constructive suggestions.

"To reduce the impact of snow accumulation on roads, I believe it is necessary to continuously deploy a large number of snowplows 24 hours a day."

"Although it's a severe blizzard, the wind isn't very strong. Perhaps we could send helicopters to try low-altitude flights, continuously dumping large amounts of salt and de-icing agents onto the ground to help clear the snow and reduce snow accumulation."

"Don't forget to consider the electricity problem!" an electricity expert said seriously. "With a sudden drop in temperature, people will use air conditioners, electric blankets, water heaters and other devices for heating in large quantities and in concentrated areas. This will cause a surge in electricity consumption in various places, and power plants may be overloaded! Moreover, over time, the thick snow may collapse some power cables... If all these factors cause a power outage due to the inability to bear the weight, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Everyone nodded deeply upon hearing this. Indeed, in modern society, a prolonged power outage would cause panic among the public that is no less severe than some disasters.

"The same applies to water," another expert said. "A sudden drop in temperature could cause many water pipes to freeze and burst. If the water supply is cut off, it will also cause serious problems."

"Also, there are warm clothing items. It's June now, and many people may not have prepared warm clothes. In addition to food, relief supplies should also include these kinds of items."

"The Shenghua Store does have a [Thermostatic Technology Underwear]..."

"Most of the Ascendants have purchased the [Gene Optimization Fluid] and simply don't have enough Ascendant Coins to buy underwear. Besides, that underwear can only provide a constant temperature for a maximum of 6 hours a day, but there are still 18 hours left! It can only be used as an emergency."

After the experts shared their opinions and proposed solutions to some specific problems, they all looked at Gao Liangwei, the person in charge, waiting for his final decision.

Gao Liangwei said in a deep voice: "Time is of the essence. Everyone, immediately enter all relevant information and response methods, such as personnel gathering, road clearing, material transportation, water and electricity management, and cold-weather protection, into the computer. The recorder will then compile this into an electronic manual and distribute it to emergency response departments in various locations so that they can carry out rescue operations according to the manual."

After saying that, he paused and then said, "As the military representative and person in charge of this research lab, I would like to add one more point. Each building where civilians are concentrated must be staffed with an armed squad equipped with military gear."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Gao Liangwei.

Gao Liangwei's face was cold and his eyes were sharp as he said, "Have you all forgotten what happened during the period of the first rule? Don't overestimate human nature. Back then, some people dared to harm others in order to get [Sobering Peppermints], and now they're still willing to do the same for survival supplies. At critical moments, having an armed squad present can suppress the murderous intent of these people."

(End of this chapter)