The moment this announcement sounded, it directly shook the world. Even fools now knew the world was going to be destroyed. Those earlier rumors had actually been true. The countdown to the world's destruction had begun, with only one month remaining. The entire world fell into panic, not knowing what to do.
The world, which had already been on the verge of collapse, finally spiraled completely out of control. Even nations could no longer contain it. Currency utterly lost its value—if the world was ending, what use were those banknotes? They were nothing more than a pile of wastepaper.
People began trying to use gold, silver, and jewelry for trade. This was the most common method of exchange in chaotic times, because gold, silver, and jewels would never depreciate and always held great value. But no one yet knew how the real world would be destroyed, nor whether such gold and silver could be brought into Apocalypse World.
If they could not be brought into Apocalypse World, then having more of them was useless. Moreover, Apocalypse World had its own currency system, so the value of gold and silver depreciated once again, and they could no longer be used as currency in transactions.
Bartering had become the most common method of trade. A world that had developed so rapidly, with such advanced technology and a sound monetary system, had abruptly fallen back into the trading methods of primitive society.
Most importantly, workers no longer went to work. The world was about to be destroyed—why would anyone bother working? Nearly everyone across the world went on strike. All production ceased, and transportation was completely paralyzed. What ultimately sparked the riots was supplies.
Now, even the military could not suppress those looting supplies, because there were too many cities, the military could