When Night Fell

The first night after the Ground Return Plan began.

Public discontent is gradually building.

Even when Lu Bai was in his own room in the residential area, he could sense the undercurrents in the external environment.

First, there are the frequent disturbances.

During that afternoon, Lu Bai lost count of how many small-scale conflicts had occurred at the Forward Base.

The impact is not large, affecting at most three or four people, and most of the time it is just one person standing up to express their dissatisfaction.

These small-scale riots are usually suppressed violently by the armed forces shortly after they begin, but they quickly reignite.

If you suppress one side, another will emerge.

The seemingly endless security conflicts have left the armed forces responsible for maintaining order exhausted.

Initially, the Coordination Committee only arrested the radicals in an attempt to ease the antagonism between managers and those being managed.

Unfortunately, this happened far too many times afterward, especially among the armed forces soldiers working on the front lines, who found it unbearable and simply shot and killed the troublemakers on the spot.

However, the more they do this, the stronger the latent anger of the people becomes.

This has led to the public viewing armed forces personnel with undisguised hatred.

Correspondingly, the soldiers on duty viewed these civilians as potential rioters, with their weapons' safety left on, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

The situation has now developed to the point where it is almost out of control.

It was only because the authorities still possessed overwhelming military power that a riot that affected everyone was not completely broken out.

The Coordination Committee is clearly aware of this, but faced with a situation as chaotic as boiling water, it currently has no good solutions.

Let's not forget that getting over 100 million people back to the ground within seven days is an almost impossible task, so where would we find the extra energy to address the public's psychological issues?

There's no other way but to drag it out for now; after all, a full-scale rebellion hasn't happened yet, has it?

Of course, it would be unfair to say that the Coordination Committee made no effort at all.

At least Lu Bai noticed that the security level within the Forward Base had been raised to a higher level after the conflict.

The patrol team, which used to come every half hour, now comes every ten minutes, obviously because a lot more people have been deployed.

Meanwhile, the number of drones hovering overhead has roughly doubled.

As for the exit of the civil defense project, Lu Bai did not go there to check it personally, but he heard that an additional armored brigade had been dispatched there to ensure stability along the way.

These practices, in the view of the Coordination Committee, are a guarantee of civilized order at the Forward Base. However, the roles of manager and managed naturally predetermine that there will be mutual suspicion between the two sides.

Will the measures taken by the Coordination Committee ultimately help maintain stability or exacerbate conflicts?

Observing the atmosphere at the Forward Base, Lu Bai rationally concluded that it was highly likely that the latter was the more favored side.

Tsk~

Lu Bai unscrewed a bottle of chilled soda, shook his head to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and then took a swig of the soda.

Feeling the carbon dioxide rushing into his nostrils, he reflexively frowned slightly, and after a moment, he muttered thoughtfully.

"Surely we won't even make it through tonight?"

The night grew deeper.

Amidst the piercing sound of broadcasts, the Forward Base entered a state of high alert.

Ordinary residents in the residential area will no longer be allowed to move freely, and they will have to submit a report and apply for permission before leaving their prefabricated houses.

Fortunately, this regulation had already been announced in the afternoon, and residents who still chose to stay in their residential areas were already mentally prepared for it and would not feel dissatisfied because of the restriction on their movement.

But it was precisely because of this regulation that many people gave up the idea of staying at the Forward Base.

Many people would rather pitch tents around the Forward Base than move into the prefabricated houses in the residential area.

Incidentally, nearly 20 million people have returned to the ground in almost a day.

Even though only a small portion of the people chose to pitch tents around the Forward Base, such a large number still created a sea of tents stretching for more than twenty miles.

Lu Bai had seen it once during the day, and it was indeed magnificent.

He estimated that it would take several hours just to cross this temporary rest area spontaneously built by the locals.

Many more people, carrying several days' worth of supplies, embarked on their long journeys.

Even when they reached a point more than 50 kilometers away from the Forward Base, they could still see other people traveling the same distance.

With so many people around, it's hard to feel lonely or afraid; at most, you might feel a little lost about the future.

Feng Yixuan's face appeared outside the window. She was afraid that Lu Bai hadn't noticed her, so she knocked on the glass window twice in advance.

"Deputy Captain Lu, have you eaten?"

"Are you done with your work?" Lu Bai glanced at her before looking away.

Feng Yixuan chuckled, "I just took a break, and I was planning to come back and have dinner with you two, but it seems like Li Shan hasn't finished yet. I checked, and there's no one in his room."

After the conflict broke out, the Forward Base was short-handed, and in order to deal with the rapidly escalating situation, these City Direct Military were naturally mobilized urgently.

As members of the City Direct Military, Feng Yixuan and Li Shan were considered much more useful than ordinary soldiers by the Coordination Committee, so they were immediately conscripted and assigned to maintain stability in a different area.

In fact, Lu Bai also received a transfer order, but he turned his head and forgot about it, since no one dared to cause him any trouble anyway.

"I still want to live a life of leisure and idleness in City Direct Military, I dare not blatantly slack off like you."

Feng Yixuan pushed the door open and waved to Lu Bai: "Who knows when Li Shan will be back? Let's go get something to eat first, I'm starving."

Li Shan, whom Feng Yixuan was nagging about, was currently in the office of the Garrison Department under the Coordination Committee, looking troubled.

"So, based on what I understand, it's most suitable for you to carry out this task."

The portly director adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the bridge of his nose, and noticed that Li Shan's expression was a little off. He then added in a friendly manner, "Team Member Li, if you have any difficulties, you can tell us, and we'll figure out a solution together."

Li Shan hesitated for a moment, then said, "If it's just about scouting, any fast team member can do it, right? It doesn't have to be me."

The director sighed, "As you know, our security detail is short-staffed right now, and in terms of secrecy, your [Wind Riding] is the most suitable."