I accidentally joined a group of charlatans, so I immediately called the police and handed it over t

That line of scarlet warning text, as red as blood, abruptly appeared in the center of the phone screen.

It was like a basin of cold water mixed with ice crystals being poured hard into a pot of boiling oil.

The air in the command room, which had been boiling with excitement due to the discovery of "Genesis Biotechnology," instantly froze into ice.

The fervent expressions on everyone's faces froze in that instant, then crumbled inch by inch.

Chen Xi's heart clenched suddenly, as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Merit points?

Negative ten?

Restricting certain functions?

He knew all too well what this meant.

If we compare this cross-border communication group to a train heading to a mythological world.

Therefore, "merit points" are the only fuel.

Now, not only is the gas tank empty, but the gas station also owes them a huge sum of money.

If the system determines that the account is "maliciously overdrawing," it will be banned.

That monkey hair that had just been acquired, which was enough to change the fate of mankind, would become a thing of the past.

Are the wings of China's rise about to be broken before they even unfold?

Absolutely not!

"Minister Li, this is a big problem."

Upon hearing Chen Xi's words, he suddenly looked up.

When his gaze fell upon the glaring "-10" on the screen, the old general, who remained unmoved even in the face of a collapsing mountain, had his pupils contract violently.

He knows better than anyone.

This seemingly ordinary domestic mobile phone contains a software called "Heavenly Court Communication Group".

This is the true foundation of the "South Heaven Gate Project".

If the foundation collapses, a towering building will instantly turn into ruins.

"Immediately! Right now!"

Li Guobang's voice was deep and powerful, like thunder squeezed out of his chest.

"Call all expert teams! Level 1 emergency meeting!"

"Wake up everyone who's still sleeping, on vacation, or in seclusion deep in the mountains!"

"Five minutes!"

Li Guobang raised five fingers, his eyes sharp as knives.

"I need to know what this damn 'merit point' thing is within five minutes!"

The piercing alarm instantly shattered the tranquility of Base 001.

This time, it wasn't just the physics and biology labs that were up and running.

The entire think tank of the base, like a sophisticated supercomputer, began to operate at full power and overclocked frequency.

The huge circular conference table was filled with all sorts of people.

There were sociology giants dressed in suits and ties, and history luminaries in Zhongshan suits.

There were even a few elderly Taoist priests with white hair and beards, dressed in Taoist robes, who had been living in seclusion in the deep mountains as "specially appointed metaphysical consultants".

They were urgently connected to this meeting, which was crucial to the fate of the nation, through holographic projection.

This was an unprecedented clash.

Science and metaphysics, at this moment, sat at the same table for the same goal.

"Merit is the ledger of Heaven's Way."

An elderly Taoist priest from Qingcheng Mountain, stroking his long beard that reached his chest, broke the silence first.

His voice was aged yet full of energy, exuding a refined and otherworldly charm.

As the Taoist scriptures say: "Accumulating good deeds cultivates virtue, and the sage's heart is complete."

"Only those who have done good for Heaven and Earth and benefited all living beings can be considered to have merit."

"Conversely, if one does things that harm heaven and earth and turn away from living beings, then one will generate karmic force."

No sooner had the old Taoist priest finished speaking than a sociology luminary wearing thick-rimmed glasses immediately chimed in.

"In the words of modern sociology, this is actually a quantitative indicator of 'positive social influence'."

He pushed up his glasses and drew a curve on the whiteboard with a laser pointer in his hand.

"We can understand it as a sophisticated form of 'credit money'."

"Similar to the 'prayer power' pursued by ancient emperors, or the 'credibility' and 'popular support' in modern politics."

"When an individual's actions generate positive, observable benefits for a large group, the system will determine that the individual has gained 'merit'."

The experts exchanged ideas, their thoughts colliding intensely in the air.

Soon, a clear logical model was constructed.

Su Qingge stood in front of the main screen, holding an electronic pointer in her hand, her expression as calm as if she were analyzing a set of experimental data.

"Based on the theories of the experts, let's review the transaction we just completed."

She pulled up the record of Chen Xi sending spicy strips on the screen.

"Comrade Chen Xi sending red envelopes was itself judged by the system as a 'cross-border logistics service'."

"It's like sending a package and having to pay for shipping."

"And this shipping fee is deducted from Chen Xi's initial credit limit, which is also his initial merit points."

Su Qingge paused, pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, and her tone became sharp.

"However, this bag of spicy strips only satisfied Sun Wukong's cravings."

"It did not save a life, did not benefit the local community, and did not have any positive impact on society at the macro level."

"We invested costs but did not generate social benefits."

"Only giving out and not receiving is the root cause of negative merit values."

His insightful analysis sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

A sense of crisis hangs over everyone like a dark cloud.

If merit points continue to decrease, or even run out.

This sole passage connecting to the mythical world may very well be shut down by the system as a "worthless user".

Even Chen Xi, the host, may face unknown punishments.

That would be the end of the entire Nantianmen Project.

It is also the eternal regret of the Chinese nation for missing this opportunity to soar to the heavens.

"This must never be allowed to happen!"

Li Guobang slammed his fist on the solid wood conference table.

With a loud "bang," the water in the teacup splashed everywhere.

"We must top up Comrade Chen Xi's account immediately!"

The old general stood up, his eyes piercing as he surveyed the entire room.

"This is currently the most important, most urgent, and most paramount matter in the South Heavenly Gate Project!"

"As long as you can boost your scores, we'll provide the manpower, the money, and the power!"

"Present your proposal!"

How can one quickly, on a large scale, and with immediate results accumulate merit?

All the experts' attention once again focused on Chen Xi.

Chen Xi felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at, as if he had become a guinea pig.

"Poverty alleviation?"

Someone made a suggestion.

"Too slow," the sociologist immediately objected.

"Poverty alleviation is a long-term project, with the time to see results measured in years; it's a long-term solution that can't address an immediate problem."

"Donate to disaster relief?"

"no."

Su Qingge shook her head.

"Simply transferring money is unlikely to be recognized by the system as Chen Xi's direct merit, unless he personally goes to the front line to carry sandbags, but that would be too inefficient."

"Environmental protection? Planting trees?"

"There's not enough time!"

One proposal after another was put forward, only to be ruthlessly rejected one by one.

Time is passing by, second by second.

Every second of delay increases the risk of account suspension.

We have to be quick!

It needs to have a wide impact!

The credit must be clearly attributed to Chen Xi himself!

The entire command center fell into a deathly silence, with only the hum of the server cooling fans echoing in the air.

Li Guobang remained silent.

He strode to the huge electronic sand table.

That was a real-time 3D holographic map of the capital city of Yanjing, accurate to every street and every building.

His finger slowly traced across the map, his gaze sharp as a hawk surveying its territory.

Suddenly his finger stopped on a gray area in the West District.

It was a conspicuous scar in the bustling city.

Li Guobang kept zooming in on that area.

A street, winding and twisting like an earthworm, with potholes and dilapidated buildings on both sides, was clearly presented to everyone.

"Changchun Street".

Li Guobang read out these three words in a steady voice.

"According to the internal report submitted by the municipality last night."

"This road has been in disrepair for eight years due to historical property disputes and aging underground pipe networks."

"On sunny days you're covered in dust, and on rainy days you're covered in mud."

"The streetlights are out of order all year round, and the sewers get clogged every time it rains."

"Every day, more than 50,000 citizens have to endure the bumps and stench as they pass through this washboard road."

"Over the past eight years, we have received more than 13,000 complaints from citizens, which has been a major concern for Yanjing."

Li Guobang raised his head and looked around the entire room.

He suddenly reached out and pointed heavily at the dilapidated street on the screen.

"Let's start here!"

Li Guobang's voice resounded throughout the command room, carrying the force of thunder.

"Relay my orders!"

"Notify the municipal government to immediately activate the highest-level expedited administrative order!"

"Establish the 'Changchun Street Special Renovation Team' in the name of the Nantianmen Project Command!"

He turned around and fixed his gaze on Chen Xi.

"Comrade Chen Xi will serve as the commander-in-chief!"

"All resources should be poured into him!"

"Regardless of cost! Regardless of the reason! At any cost!"

Li Guobang held up three fingers.

"Three days!"

"I'm only giving you three days!"

"I'm going to turn this awful road into a model road of the highest standards in the country!"

"I want to transform the resentment of these 50,000 citizens into gratitude towards Comrade Chen Xi overnight!"

"This is the merit we need to accumulate!"

Once an order is issued, it is as weighty as a military command.

Chen Xi stood in the center of the base, looking at the red-headed document that popped up instantly on the screen in front of him.

Urgent Notice Regarding the Launch of the Emergency Renovation Project for Changchun Street and its Surrounding Environment.

At the bottom of the document, it was clearly written that the person in charge was Chen Xi.

He glanced at his phone again at the glaring "-10" merit point.

A feeling of utter absurdity welled up inside me.

To recharge his account, the country would build a road for an entire city.

He was like a spoiled child who wanted a star, but his parents simply bought the entire Milky Way.

This feeling was so heavy that he could hardly breathe, yet it was also so intense that it made his blood boil.

Is this what they call having the support of the motherland?

That evening.

Yanjing at night, Changchun Street.

The once quiet and dilapidated old street was suddenly awakened by a deafening roar.

Countless citizens, who were already asleep, leaned out of their windows in astonishment, still wearing their clothes.

They witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Hundreds of the nation's top-of-the-line heavy engineering machinery, like colossal beasts forged from steel, roared in from all directions.

The massive excavator bucket gleamed coldly under the searchlights.

A long line of heavy trucks, fully loaded with the highest grade asphalt, cement, and steel, stretched as far as the eye could see, their roaring engines creating a tsunami-like roar.

Countless top engineers and workers, dressed in uniform and wearing safety helmets, appeared as if divine soldiers had descended from the sky.

They don't need mobilization or adjustment.

Under the bright light of the searchlights that made the night as bright as day, they began their tireless work.

This is not an ordinary road repair.

This is war!

A war declared against poverty, backwardness, and negative merit points!

The nation's most elite infrastructure forces, like rivers flowing into the sea, converged on this dilapidated street, less than two kilometers long.

The overwhelming sense of oppression and power made every witness tremble in their soul.

A miracle that disregards cost, logic, and results is unfolding wildly on this ancient land.