Natural Disaster Strikes: I Stockpiled Billions and Carved My Way Through the Apocalypse

"Commander Lin! This is the situation at the shelter." A man in standard combat uniform reported to him: "In addition, our casualties are: 12,867 killed, 3,579 seriously wounded, and minor wounded... 30% of the troops have frostbite. Furthermore, our reserve supplies have been used for disaster relief, and the inventory in the warehouses is no longer sufficient to support continued disaster relief."

The man sighed and said, "The reply from the capital is that each region should use local resources for disaster relief, as the higher-ups are no longer able to provide support."

The group of people below looked at each other in bewilderment.

Without the funding and grain allocated by the government, how could they source materials locally?

More than half of the city of K is submerged and is now under ice.

Even if you want to get it, you can't.

"There's another issue. Because of the loss of communication, there have been numerous riots down below. Many people have spontaneously formed small gangs and started burning, killing, and looting," the man continued, reporting. "Some even stormed the prison, releasing many criminal gangs. The local police force is limited and simply cannot complete the arrests. And we are also out of manpower."

The man paused for a moment, then said, "In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary. Those who burn, kill, and loot should be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

"Sir, the top official of K City invites you to the shelter," someone called out, and came in to report.

“Okay, I understand.” The man nodded. “Go check out the shelter.”

At this moment.

The atmosphere inside the shelter was unusually tense.

"Why hasn't Lin Zhen arrived yet?" The top leader paced back and forth in the room: "With his support, I will be able to completely control the shelter."

Someone nearby chimed in, "Yes, things are in chaos up here, and the local governments are all acting independently. Holding Lin Zhen back is like holding back the government; he has tens of thousands of men under his control."

Someone else spoke up: "I heard that quite a few people on Lin Zhen's side have been injured or fallen ill from frostbite. If we want to win him over, won't we have to bleed a little? But our shelter's medicines are controlled by others. What if Lin Zhen sides with someone else for these medicines?"

The room fell silent instantly.

A similar conversation took place in the second-in-command's room.

"Gentlemen, this is a matter of life and death," the second-in-command said. "My reliable sources indicate that not only is the higher-ups in chaos, but the province is too. No one is reading the application reports I submitted to higher authorities. The Southwest Shelter, Northwest Shelter, and Northeast Shelter have all begun to centralize the management of their smaller shelters. Nominally, it's called centralized management, but in reality, it's about stripping local shelters of their power. If our K City Shelter is swallowed up by the Central Shelter, our good days will be over."

"Whether we become dragons or worms depends on you all. The top leader is already preparing to win over Lin Zhen and make the K City Shelter independent. We need to get rid of Lin Zhen before the top leader does. Only when I become the person in charge of the shelter can we have a good life. You haven't forgotten the tricks you played when the shelter was built, have you? Nobody knows about them, have they?"

With the second-in-command employing both carrot and stick tactics, his subordinates couldn't sit still any longer and began to express their opinions.

"What are you saying? Of course we'll listen to you."

"Yes, yes, the top leader was parachuted in from above, and we were never convinced by him. You, on the other hand, rose through the ranks from the bottom, and we know you well, so naturally we support you."

Director Lin's eyes flickered, and he echoed, "That's right, that's what I think too. I'm so frustrated being the director of this shelter. It's much better if you take the position; I feel much more at ease working under you."

The second-in-command was very satisfied with Director Lin's statement: "Old Lin, you've been with me for so many years. I would never mistreat you, no matter who else I treat unfairly. Don't you have a large batch of medicines? Lin Zhen is currently short of medicines, so send him a batch right away. A helping hand in times of need is better than adding flowers to brocade."

"Yes, I'll go right away." Director Lin slowly got up and walked quickly outside, but his eyes were filled with gloom.

Want to use your own resources to pave the way for him?

What a beautiful thought!

Even if he were to deliver it, he would do it himself, not on behalf of someone else!

Wei Lie and Mu Jiuyue quietly moved into Villa No. 1.

Everyone living in Villa No. 1 came over and reported to Wei Lie one by one the news they had just found out.

"General Wei, I just received inside information that things are completely chaotic at the top. This sudden and severe cold snap has claimed the lives of more than a dozen people overnight. The temperature in the north is even lower than here, reaching nearly minus ninety degrees Celsius. The Northwest, Northeast, and Northern shelters are the areas with the highest mortality rates. Many of those in actual power died on the spot without even leaving a word. As a result, these shelters have already undergone a round of power transitions. As for the capital, it exists in name only."

"There are also some very small shelters that were built too hastily and are simply unable to withstand the nearly minus 100 degrees Celsius cold, with a mortality rate exceeding 30%. Therefore, it is imperative for large shelters to merge with smaller ones. Many small shelters have already completed their relocation. Shelters in the southwest, south, southeast, and east are also preparing to implement a merger policy. According to regulations, our K City shelter will be merged into the central shelter."

"However, according to my intelligence, K City does not want to be merged in. K City has a relatively advantageous terrain, which blocks some of the cold waves, so the temperature is not as low. However, the capacity of K City's shelters is limited, and they are already operating at overcapacity. Therefore, several leaders in K City want to separate and operate independently."

"Because the capital is in complete chaos, several powerful figures have passed away one after another, leaving them powerless and communication between superiors and subordinates ineffective. As a result, each of the various shelters is preparing to operate independently."

"As the most capable representative in K City, Lin Zhen will face the challenge of being courted by both the top leader and the second-in-command. Whoever he sides with will become the next leader. Lin Zhen is a man of great integrity. He withstood the pressure, overruled objections, and opened all the warehouses under his jurisdiction to distribute food, even using his military reserves to support disaster relief efforts. This is how K City's mortality rate was kept at around 20%."

"But Lin Zhen's actions have also angered many people above him. All his requests for the allocation of supplies have been rejected. If Lin Zhen wants to lead his team and support so many people, he must choose one of them as a partner. Now, of the satellites in the sky, 80% have escaped Earth's gravity and flown into outer space. 10% have been destroyed and become space debris. 10% have fallen to Earth and sunk to the bottom of the sea."

"Currently, Lin Zhen urgently needs medicine, especially frostbite medicine. His team has already lost a lot of members due to frostbite. Given Lin Zhen's character, he will most likely choose sides as soon as possible. Mr. Wei, that's the situation on my end."