49 Apocalypse Rules

July 15th.

A month and a half after the earthquake, Human Federation representatives from all over the world gathered in Pinglu to hold the Federation’s first in-person meeting.

The earthquake’s epicenter in the ocean had destroyed the deep-sea fiber optic network cables, severing internet connectivity between countries separated by oceans. Based on the current situation, it seemed impossible to repair them anytime soon.

However, every nation needed to understand the global situation, so the Human Federation meeting had to be held. After much discussion, the first in-person meeting was set to be held in North Star.

Inside the vast conference room, only a dozen or so people were scattered around a long, wide conference table, a stark contrast to the chamber’s immense size.

Mary, the commissioner from Soloma, looked around and remarked, "It seems North Star expected many more surviving nations, preparing a conference room this large."

"..."

A silence fell over the attendees.

At the last meeting before the magnitude-10 superquake, there had been twenty-eight commissioners in attendance.

But today, only eleven were present. This meant that the seventeen nations those other commissioners represented had all collapsed during the disaster.

"There were once over three hundred countries on this planet. In just over a year, only eleven are left." The commissioner from Black Banner Country sighed. "Things change so fast."

The bald commissioner from Sisiya Country snorted coldly. "Survival of the fittest. Countries with poor survival capabilities deserved this end."

"That’s not right. As far as I know, Sisiya Country also suffered immense casualties this time. Did all those who died deserve it, too?" the representative from Sakura Prayer retorted.

Commissioner Sisiya glared at him, but then a thought seemed to strike him, and he smiled with feigned concern. "Your Sakura Prayer was quite fortunate, managing to evacuate a good number of people. A pity your ancestral lands weren’t so lucky."

"You! That’s incredibly disrespectful!"

The sinking of Sakura Prayer’s homeland, their island nation, was the greatest source of pain for its people. To have it used as a weapon against him now was something the commissioner could not accept.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

The North Star representative, Gao Liangwei, rapped his knuckles sharply on the table. "Everyone, you came all this way. Was it just to argue?"

"..."

"The purpose of this meeting is clear: for the eleven of us, the last remaining nations, to help each other. The world’s population is already sparse. If we don’t pool our efforts, humanity will truly face extinction."

A commissioner from a small nation agreed. "Yes, our country’s population is only just over two million now. If we face another disaster, we really won’t be able to hold on!"

"We’re slightly better off, but not by much."

"Our head of state hopes to transfer the bulk of our population to major powers like North Star and Soloma, leaving only a small number behind on our native soil. It would be a safer arrangement. We hope both nations will agree."

"We have the same idea."

Among the eleven surviving nations, only North Star and Soloma could still be considered major powers. Sisiya might have barely qualified, but it was hit so hard by the disaster that it certainly lacked the capacity to take in refugees from other countries.

"You are welcome to come to Soloma. His Majesty would be very pleased." Mary’s expression was tinged with pride. "In our technologically advanced nation, the security guarantees are very high."

During this disaster, the Soloma Empire had relied on its various robotic technologies to replace a great deal of manual labor in disaster relief and aid efforts, with excellent results.

Gao Liangwei added, "North Star welcomes you as well."

In an era where population was everything, a nation needed people to continue its existence.

But the problem was that the existing population was all they had; there was no growth.

In times like these, almost no one chose to have children, while the living died off in droves. This constant decline with no growth was utterly despairing. Therefore, if other nations felt they could no longer protect their own people and hoped their citizens could move to a safer place, the destination countries would always agree to take them in.

"Speaking of which," one commissioner asked curiously, "did the representative from Fahe Country not come this time?"

It was quite surprising that Fahe Country, one of the major powers, hadn’t sent a commissioner to the conference.

With the internet down and satellite communications also unreachable, North Star, the conference organizer, had no idea what had happened either.

Gao Liangwei looked to Mary. "Does your country know what happened to Fahe Country?"

The Soloma Empire and Fahe Country were on the same continent, connected by land, and were former allies. If anyone present knew of Fahe’s situation, it would be Mary.

Sure enough, Mary nodded, her expression a little strange. "According to our reports, Fahe was hit hard. All its major cities were destroyed. This came after a major upheaval just before the quake, so their government failed to organize a rescue effort. Casualties were extremely high."

"And a few days ago, Fahe informed us that they had acclaimed a new king, Joel I, who calls himself ’God’s Spokesperson.’ The remaining Fahe People will supposedly be led by this person toward a new way of life."

Everyone present exchanged glances, understanding now why Mary had worn such a strange expression.

Fahe Country hadn’t had a king for ages; the last one was over two hundred years ago, after which the country had transitioned to an electoral system. How could they suddenly be regressing like this? And who was this "Joel I" anyway?

Mary continued, "Our analysis suggests that Fahe’s entire leadership group was likely wiped out in the preceding chaos and the recent disaster. A new power has risen and taken control of the country."

"’God’s Spokesperson’... that sounds related to the Cultist incidents that Fahe was never able to completely stamp out," Gao Liangwei said gravely. "If this ’Joel I’ is the mastermind behind the Fire Worship Cult, then by proclaiming himself king, he’s trying to move from the shadows into the spotlight. That is an absolutely unacceptable development!"

The other commissioners all nodded in agreement.

One could look the other way while the warlords of the Tulip Federation fought amongst themselves; the other nations didn’t have the bandwidth to care. But a religious power that worshiped the Fire Thief coming to power? That was absolutely forbidden.

Otherwise, the first would be followed by a second. Once the "infection" spread past a critical point, humanity would be well and truly finished.

"We are still investigating the matter." Mary understood the gravity of the situation as well. "If it is confirmed that they are Cultists, we will notify everyone, and we will conduct a joint strike."

"Good."

"As it should be."

"Now, let’s discuss the extent of the damage in each country and how we can assist one another. Additionally, the numerous secondary disasters caused by the earthquake need to be properly addressed. For example, the volcanic ash accumulating in the far south—if not dealt with, it’s only a matter of time before it drifts over our populated regions."

"There’s also the matter of immigrating to Terra," Mary reminded them. "We in Soloma plan to send a group to Terra within the year to begin acclimatizing and prepare for the future. I imagine North Star has a similar plan?"

Gao Liangwei nodded. "Yes. North Star is also planning interstellar immigration tests within the year. It’s another layer of insurance for humanity."