Chapter 95 Forced Requisition

On the first day the Advance Force arrived, they did not aggressively occupy any areas. Instead, they dispatched sentries to establish outposts at various nodes on the mountain, while the main force set up camp right there in the square.

After the dispatched squads finished investigating the conditions of each area, they quickly established control over the food warehouses, fuel depots, water sources, and high ground.

That afternoon, the heads of each district were invited to the square's Headquarters to report on their general situations.

After the Hotel's general manager, Wen Jianhua, died, the deputy manager quickly took over. However, the Villa Area lacked a top-down leadership structure like the Hotel; with the head of the Rao Family dead, they were like a dragon without a head.

Upon receiving the notice, the matter was reported to Bai Xiao. Although she didn't manage affairs, she was the one who had killed the leaders of both districts, so everyone instinctively felt she should represent them.

But Bai Xiao knew nothing about the Villa Area's situation. Furthermore, she suspected this wasn't about distributing benefits, but rather the Disaster Relief Department wanting to understand the specific assets and personnel on the mountain—details she was unclear on. Thus, she had the Patrol Team leader go as the representative.

In the evening, the Headquarters broadcasted that everyone was to head to Mian Mountain Square at nine o'clock the next morning for registration. Those who resisted would be unable to receive subsequent rations and protection from the Disaster Relief Department.

...

The next morning, six registration points were set up in the square. The few vagrants and the Villa Area each occupied one, while the remaining four were split between the Food Street and the Hotel, with two each. Registration proceeded quickly and in an orderly fashion.

Everyone's identity, health status, skills, owned supplies, real estate, and relevant documentation were recorded into the registry.

Simultaneously, a representative of the Advance Force Headquarters announced to all residents on behalf of the City Disaster Relief Department:

1. All public survival supplies without owners and all properties on Mian Mountain without private ownership will be forcibly requisitioned. The residences of all personnel will be reshuffled and redistributed.

2. Starting today, Mian Mountain will implement a points system. Everyone can apply their strengths to participate in the construction of Mian Mountain—for example, going up the mountain to log, building new homes, or following teams down the mountain to salvage important city assets. Specific point exchange details for different roles can be found on the posted notices.

3. The Disaster Relief Department will only provide one basic meal per day. All other supplies, including housing, will be subject to the points exchange system.

4. Residents whose assets were requisitioned—such as housing, warehouses, central kitchens, and other real estate—will receive a fifty percent discount when using points to exchange for housing.

5. The Disaster Relief Department will publish a trade list. Anyone possessing items required by the list can come to trade them for points or engage in bartering.

...

In addition to the trade list and regulations, the wartime Public Security Regulations were also posted for clarification.

1. Theft, robbery, violent assault, and private duels are prohibited.

2. An absolute curfew will be implemented at night.

3. Rumors and incitement are strictly forbidden.

...

All in all, the bulletin boards in the square were covered with rain tarps and plastered thick with notices.

The Advance Force acted with lightning speed, requisitioning essentially all assets on the mountain except for personal belongings.

For the majority of people who had neither supplies nor real estate, they were more happy than anything, aside from some minor complaints about the housing issue.

Since the world changed, they had been trapped on the mountain. Heavy rain and flooding had cut off their communication with the outside world. As time passed, they began to feel as if they had been abandoned by the entire world.

Watching the supplies on the mountain dwindle day by day, people's moods and behaviors became increasingly irritable and extreme. To say they weren't afraid would be a lie.

The arrival of the Disaster Relief Department was no different from giving everyone a backbone. Although food and shelter now required labor to obtain more, they no longer had to live without hope, with everyone being allocated food at the minimum consumption level like before.

Only a small number of asset owners on the mountain were dissatisfied with the requisitioning. they believed the Disaster Relief Department should at least pay them a large amount of points in exchange for their assets.

Dozens of people were disgruntled and started a commotion right there in the square.

Bai Xiao stood in line, watching the farce in the square with cold eyes. It was the general trend; making a scene was useless.

When it was her turn to register, she quickly filled out her name, gender, age, and health status.

When she saw the sections for specialties, skills, and vocational preference, she thought for a moment and eventually wrote 'None'.

Requisitioned supplies and real estate: One detached small villa.

After finishing, she went to the bulletin board to look at the trade announcements, wanting to see what supplies the Disaster Relief Department needed and what she could trade to earn points to get herself a suitable house.

Since the fog and rain disasters began, external energy transport routes had been severed, power supplies were cut off, and water and internet services had quickly collapsed. A vast amount of resources were submerged underwater.

Although the City Disaster Relief Department was an official organization, they were truly not wealthy and were struggling to maintain things even now. The things they wanted were as numerous as ox hairs.

If the rules and security regulations only took up about one page in a corner of the bulletin board, the trade list covered all the remaining space with all sorts of items.

From large items like processing machinery, generators, boats, waterproof materials, gasoline, diesel, grain, and medicine, to small items like insulation materials, repair tools, ropes, and wire—the breadth of the traded goods was staggering.

While Bai Xiao was reading the trade list and considering what unimportant things she had to trade for points,

on the other side, Rao Junyu and his Bodyguard also came down from the mountain to register.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred. Rao Junyu stared fixedly at Bai Xiao's retreating back; he could never believe she was innocent.

"Come on, let's go report her!"

The Bodyguard grabbed him: "Young Master, there's no evidence. She won't admit it. Even if we report her to the Disaster Relief Department, what can they do to her? Besides..."

"What do you mean?" Seeing the strange look on the Bodyguard's face, Rao Junyu turned and grabbed him by the collar, questioning him urgently.

The Bodyguard said hesitantly: "The Madam indeed had a cooperation with The one surnamed Wen. Even if Xiao Zhang didn't betray the Madam, it's not impossible that The one surnamed Wen turned on her."

Hearing the Bodyguard say this, Rao Junyu could hardly believe it. He retorted angrily: "Nonsense! How could my mother possibly think much of him? What is he? A mere Hotel manager isn't even fit to carry my family's shoes!"

"Young Master! The villa on Mian Mountain was just an insignificant residence for the Rao Family. It was only because the environment here is good and it's close by that the Madam planned to stay for a few days to recover. Therefore, the supplies stored in the warehouse weren't much to begin with. Over the past month, for the sake of your safety, the Madam had no choice but to use supplies to win over the people in the area. The warehouse was already nearly empty a week ago. The Madam only cooperated and traded with The one surnamed Wen because she had no other choice."

Rao Junyu's expression became dazed as he couldn't help but recall the increasingly simple meals of the past few days and his mother's occasional anxious look. He truly hadn't expected that his family would one day find themselves in such a tight spot.

After a long while, he muttered to himself: "Even if that's true, that woman surnamed Bai is definitely not that kind-hearted. Who knows if she wasn't in cahoots with The one surnamed Wen? Maybe she was just double-crossing them. Even if we don't have evidence, didn't you see the security management regulations posted just now? Private duels with weapons and harming others are forbidden. She killed people after all and possesses lethal weapons. If we go and denounce her publicly, the Disaster Relief Department won't let her off easily just to establish their authority!"