Decision

Upon seeing Speaker Xiao enter, everyone present immediately fell silent.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Xiao Zhengyan, the city council chairman, remained calm and, in a straightforward manner, gave a general overview of the current situation in the Underground City.

These people present were not ordinary citizens; they all had some knowledge of this kind of information.

Therefore, they knew very well that this was just an appetizer, and the real message they were about to receive had not yet been presented.

The Baldy interrupted Xiao Zhengyan at the opportune moment, pretending to be nonchalant, and said, "Speaker Xiao Old Jiang, I don't understand these things. Just say what you want to say."

Xiao Zhengyan glanced at the Baldy, his eyes showing a hint of approval at the Baldy.

"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point."

Xiao Zhengyan turned to his secretary and gestured for her to close the door to the lounge.

He only spoke after the solid wood door was completely closed.

But when he opened his mouth, it was like a thunderbolt to everyone's ears.

"Gentlemen, the City Council has decided to abandon Shelter No. 9."

Upon hearing this, everyone present, except for Lu Bai, inevitably experienced intense emotional fluctuations.

This is by no means a decision that can be made lightly.

It's important to know that several hundred years have passed since humanity officially entered the era of Underground City.

From the perspective of an ordinary individual, this period of time is long enough, long enough that a generation has completely forgotten what life on the ground is like.

Even an individual would find it difficult to make such a decision, let alone an entire political group.

"Yes, I'm not joking."

Xiao Zhengyan glanced at his watch and added, "Right now, all levels of personnel should have begun operations aimed at evacuating Shelter No. 9."

A brief silence fell over the lounge, as everyone seemed to be struggling to process the news.

After a moment of silence, Pu Xueli belatedly remarked, "Quite decisive."

Logically speaking, going to the ground is not such an outrageous choice.

On the one hand, the explosion of the Heavy Element Reactor itself means that the Underground City will lack energy and will no longer be able to support its current population of nearly 200 million.

To prevent the Underground City from being overwhelmed by its bloated population, we must find another way to accommodate these hundreds of millions of surplus people.

On the other hand, the city council itself was already preparing for war against the Mona people.

From the very beginning, the preparations made did not include any consideration of placing the battlefield in the Underground City.

The explosion of the Heavy Element Reactor, in a way, actually pushed things a little further towards the surface.

As for the other reasons, they seem insignificant and not worth elaborating on.

After his reflections, Pu Xueli precisely posed a crucial question, "How many people remain in the Underground City?"

"Tentatively set at 100,000 people."

Xiao Zhengyan had no intention of hiding anything.

Yes, the so-called abandonment of Shelter No. 9 is merely a high-sounding excuse.

Given the current state of the shelter, even without the Heavy Element Reactor, it can still comfortably support nearly a million people.

Even a fool could see that compared to the unknown ground and the impending war, this was a different story.

Staying in the Underground City is actually much safer.

"Have all the places for these 100,000 people been decided?" The Baldy stroked his smooth head, his expression calm.

"That's natural."

Xiao Zhengyan's gaze swept over everyone present; he didn't think anyone would have any objections.

After all, relatives of people like them will definitely be allocated a spot.

Just like in previous meetings, it's not that no one has proposed other solutions, but ultimately only the solution that faces the least resistance at the meeting is implemented.

As for the hundreds of millions of people who must leave the shelters?

It's their own fault for not offering their opinions at the meeting.

Seeing that everyone quickly understood and accepted the news, Xiao Zhengyan smiled.

He wanted to ease the atmosphere in the lounge, so he clapped his hands and asked casually, "Speaking of which, was it one of you who did the lighting Underground City?"

"Well done. Without this move, the city council probably wouldn't have been able to control the situation so quickly. This alone is a great achievement."

Everyone in the lounge chimed in with agreement.

Seeing that Lu Bai didn't object, the Team Six Captain explained, "According to Deputy Captain Lu, this lighting can be maintained indefinitely if he wants to."

Upon hearing the title "Deputy Captain Lu, "the Baldy's expression froze.

In the City Direct Military, the deputy Captain surnamed Lü was the only one in his Team Ten.

"So it was Deputy Captain Lu's ability all along?"

Xiao Zhengyan seemed quite close to Lu Bai, and said kindly, "I've heard Xue Yin mention you before; you truly are the most outstanding talent in our Underground City."

"Xiao Xueyin?"

Lu Bai still remembered that guy with sickly pale skin.

Xiao Zhengyan stepped forward and patted Lu Bai on the shoulder encouragingly. "I've seen Captain Yan's report. The successful capture of the Can Society leader and the destruction of the Can Society hideout are enough to make you competent for the position of Captain."

The Baldy next to him swallowed hard, recalling how he had just told Lu Bai that he was there to "gild his resume," and felt so embarrassed he wanted to disappear.

It's worth mentioning that the others present also looked at Lu Bai with intense astonishment.

Many of them had dealt with the Outlaw leader of the Can Society, and knew very well just how difficult he was to deal with.

Therefore, Lu Bai's ability to capture the club president truly made them dare not underestimate him.

"Alright, let's stop this small talk."

Xiao Zhengyan turned around, his face regaining its serious expression. "To ensure the smooth progress of the relocation, everyone must work together with one heart."

Whether it was out of respect for Speaker Xiao or out of a genuine intention to get things done, everyone in the lounge responded solemnly.

Xiao Zhengyan pressed a button on his communication device, and the door to the lounge reopened. Immediately afterwards, two secretaries entered the lounge carrying tablets.

"The City Council has already assigned tasks to everyone. I hope you can carry them out as soon as possible. I have other matters to attend to, so please excuse me. If you have any questions, you can ask my two secretaries."

After saying that, Xiao Zhengyan took a step to leave.

However, at that moment...

One of the secretaries, who was holding a tablet computer, suddenly said in surprise, "Speaker Xiao, the Secretary-General has sent a new message."

Xiao Zhengyan tried his best to control his expression, but it still revealed a hint of panic.

He had previously arranged for his secretary to protect Xiao Xueyin. This secretary had been with him for so long and knew he would be very busy, so unless something major happened, he would never send a message to bother him.