Yu Cheng's predicament was a problem of the social system, a system that had existed since the tribal age of human civilization, and that countless dynasties had failed to solve.

The root of this problem lies in the inherent flaws of human nature.

Just as Nirasong once said, power is the most corrosive poison. When an honest, astute, and brave person gains power, they will quickly fall if they cannot resist the pleasure it brings.

This pleasure doesn't just include tangible benefits; it can be as small as a tiny thing.

For example, the attitude of others towards you, or the titles they use to address you.

Once you have power, you become accustomed to the respect and servility of others. When you're used to people speaking to you with a smile and calling you "Leader So-and-so," and then you encounter someone like Yu Cheng, who often has a cold, expressionless face and calls you by your name directly, won't you feel that this kid is being disrespectful? Won't you use your power to punish him a little?

Although, in terms of position, the personnel of the Logistics Support Department who distribute supplies are not considered Yu Cheng's leaders, due to the relationship of demand between them, it is too easy for them to make things difficult for Yu Cheng!

In this case, many people don't mind using the power in their hands to make someone like Yu Cheng suffer...

The conversation between Li Tianran and Yu Cheng was completely overheard by Nirasong, and the expression on its face was quite intriguing.

What Yu Cheng encountered confirmed what it had once said to Li Tianran.

Power is the most complex thing in the world.

It can distort good people and make honest people dirty!

It can make a tough person like Yu Cheng bow his head, and it can make a timid and introverted person become arrogant and unscrupulous.

It is the most wonderful and the most evil thing in the world.

"I'll solve this," Li Tianran said slowly and solemnly, "Give me some time."

Seeing the passionate young man forced to compromise with life, seeing the honest and tough man forced to bend over...

These were the scenes that Li Tianran least wanted to see.

It's like something beautiful being contaminated by extremely filthy filth!

"..." Yu Cheng smiled. He was waiting for Li Tianran to say this: "Actually, since the release of the lv2 seeds on Kuangxi Island, the food supply in the shelter has been much better than before, and we have also begun to prepare to restore the large tracts of land outside the shelter to cultivation."

Li Tianran nodded.

Although the food crisis for civilians has been greatly reduced after the distribution of lv2 seeds, as long as there are still corrupt officials in the human civilization system, this problem will still be exposed in the future.

If it is not resolved, it will always be a hidden bomb.

It might explode at any time.

Moreover, the power to allocate the lv2 seeds, crop growth accelerators, and other resources that Li Tianran distributed to various countries is still in the hands of these so-called Logistics Support Department personnel...

Most importantly... Almost everyone knows that Nancheng is his hometown, and Yu Cheng once helped Li Tianran. In this case, Yu Cheng is still being severely targeted because of his personality, to the point of being forced to be servile...

So what about the shelters in other cities?

How much pressure have the chief officials of those shelters been subjected to?

Li Tianran's brow twitched, and anger was brewing in his heart.

The world is never short of parasites and maggots. When the entire human civilization is united for survival, abandoning prejudices and fighting together, there are always some black sheep who hide in the safest rear, without facing the threat of war and death, yet do disgusting things!

In the past, Li Tianran devoted most of his energy to war and had no time to deal with these problems, but now, he feels that this problem has reached the point where it must be solved.

He absolutely will not allow the families of those fearless warriors who are fighting bravely and sacrificing their lives on the front lines to be harassed by officials, forced to starve and be servile!

This is simply an insult to the dead warriors, to Li Tianran, and to the entire human civilization!

"Take us to the shelter..." Li Tianran took a deep breath and said, "I have something very important to do today."

Yu Cheng was stunned for a moment.

Li Tianran pointed to Nirasong behind him without showing any emotion, and said softly, "It may be enough to change the fate of human civilization."

...

Inside the Nancheng shelter, within the tall gray city walls, rows of simple temporary dwellings made of colored steel tiles were as dense as beehives.

The thermal insulation of this material is very poor, basically equivalent to two layers of iron sheet plus a layer of foam, and in order to save resources, most temporary dwellings basically did not add a thermal insulation layer during construction.

In other words, this thing is in some ways even worse than the public toilets before the Cataclysm Era.

People can only rely on thick clothes and quilts to keep warm.

As for heating equipment...

Since the Third Cataclysm, the global coal reserves have been greatly depleted and cannot be replenished, and many thermal power plants have been forced to shut down. Relying on the remaining hydro and wind power plants cannot simultaneously meet the dual needs of war and people's livelihoods.

Therefore, in many shelters, electrical equipment is basically in a state of paralysis.

Such a life is extremely difficult, but fortunately, there is no need to face the threat of death, and there is no need to face those terrifying monsters directly. Thinking of those soldiers fighting bloody battles on the frontiers, the civilians in the shelters are already very happy.

At least they don't have to worry about waking up to find themselves surrounded by hideous sea beasts!

It was lunchtime, and almost everyone was queuing in the square, waiting for lunch to be distributed. The huge square was crowded with dense crowds of people, and at a glance, it was impossible not to be reminded of ants.

Yes...

In the face of such a disaster, humans, who were originally powerful and at the top of the food chain, have indeed become no different from ants.

Humans have become extremely small.

Li Tianran, Nirasong, and Yu Cheng entered the shelter by helicopter.

"Before the First World Anomaly, the total population of Nancheng was about 3.28 million, and as of yesterday, this number has dropped to 178,233..." Yu Cheng said softly, "Including the 8,000 city defense troops transferred from other places."

In less than half a year after the disaster, the population of Nancheng was only one-twentieth of its peak.

And such data is already very, very low on a global scale. The peak number of humans on Blue Star was 7 billion, and now there are less than 100 million, with a survival rate of only one-seventieth!

"In this harsh living environment, people die from disease every day, and no one dares to continue to have children... Even if the food problem is solved, the population is still declining every day." Yu Cheng's face was full of sorrow: "I really don't know when this day will end."

Yu Cheng's question was very heavy, and even Li Tianran couldn't answer it.

Will there be an end to the Cataclysm Era, and after the Fifth Cataclysm arrives, will there be a Sixth Cataclysm waiting behind?

The helicopter slowly landed in the square, without attracting much attention.

For the people in the shelter, the attraction of a helicopter at this time is not as great as a bowl of rice topped with lard.

Yu Cheng, Li Tianran, and Nirasong opened the cabin door and walked down.

A few seconds later, a huge sound from the loudspeaker came from the tallest warning bell tower in the shelter, and Yu Cheng's voice echoed in the entire square.

"Citizens, I am Yu Cheng, the chief official of the Nancheng shelter!"

The huge sound of the loudspeaker attracted people's attention. The tallest warning tower in the shelter had not sounded many times since it was built, and every time it was used, it meant that something big was about to happen.

The crowd in the square became restless.

Many people began to speculate whether a war had broken out on the frontier again, and the shelter would be affected again...

Or... is the war about to spread to Nancheng?

"What the hell happened?"

"Are we going to war again? It's only been stable for a few days..."

"Almost all the young people in the shelter have joined the army. If we recruit again, I'm afraid only us old guys will be left!"

The crowd was talking, and suddenly, their eyes noticed a figure standing next to Yu Cheng.

Someone was stunned.

He rubbed his eyes hard, and then, he trembled all over, pointed forward, and shouted excitedly and incoherently:

"That... that is, it's Li Tianran! It's Governor Li!"

"Governor Li is back in Nancheng!"