Provincial Government Building.
Conference room.
An important meeting was underway.
"The losses from this war were enormous. According to the statistics submitted by each county and city, industrial output above a certain scale has fallen by thirty percent compared to before the war. The output of heavy industry, our most important sector, has even fallen by fifty percent. This has already seriously affected supplies to the troops.
"Our province's primary task this year is to restore productivity as quickly as possible and prepare for the difficult conditions that may arise in the new year!" the senior official said, rubbing his brow. He looked utterly exhausted, but continued, "There's also this year's conscription. Let's discuss what numbers would be appropriate..."
A knock sounded at the door.
The conference room fell silent.
The secretary in charge of the meeting minutes, seated in a corner, immediately stood and went to open the door. The visitor was the office director, who struggled to contain his excitement as he said, "Leaders, something huge has happened!"
February 17 of the new year.
The second year since the Second Mutation.
The winter sunlight was dim and yellow, carrying a hint of lazy weakness.
By noon, an undercurrent began spreading outward in every direction from Jiangnan University at a speed of one or two meters per second.
Human cultivation methods had already been widespread for twenty years.
Even people who were exceptionally uninformed and never paid attention to the world knew a little about them. Some had even practiced for a while.
Especially in this wartime era, when life was precarious and no one felt safe.
Not all ten out of ten, but at least four or five people in every ten practiced every day.
So when rumors appeared during a speech by the strongest man in Jiangnan