201: The truth about the Civil War

He looked at the red lines on the map and thought to himself: Can Thor alone really cause problems for the United States?

Even the most powerful god can't defeat an entire nation, right?

Unless that nation is already failing.

The snowstorm outside had eased a little, and the streets were very quiet.

He pressed his terminal, the screen lit up, and White Snow Princess's face appeared.

She was wearing a dark long coat, and the background was blurry; she must have moved to a new location.

"Something up?" she asked.

"I want to know," Shen Xiaochuan said in a low voice, "Did Thor do this on his own, or was someone supporting him from behind the scenes?"

White Snow Princess didn't answer immediately; she pulled up a file.

On the screen was a list of high-level gods in the United States, with half of their avatars marked in red.

"It wasn't just him," she said. "We've been investigating for three years.

The interior of the United States has been in chaos for a long time.

The year the Soviet Union collapsed, their intelligence System began to rot.

Half of their high-level officials took our resources, and the peace faction even secretly signed three cooperation documents.

Thor wasn't the first to help Huaxia, but he was the strongest."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the list; he had heard of some names, but didn't recognize others.

But there were too many red dots for it to be a coincidence.

"The failure of the S-rank mission was just the beginning," White Snow Princess said. "The cold wave arrived, resources were scarce, the warmongers wanted to seize territory, and the peace faction wanted to protect the people's livelihood. The two sides were at each other's throats.

Before Thor died, he altered the energy agreement, handing control of the eastern power grid to people from the Free United States."

By the time the Federation realized it, more than forty cities had already lost power."

She paused. "NATO didn't just fall apart now.

Over the past six months, Denmark, Italy, and Portugal have all cut off military ties.

They no longer believe that the United States can protect them."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded.

He recalled the words written on the title page of the "Selected Works of Mao Zedong" he saw yesterday—"People's war is the ultimate divine technique."

So, it wasn't just a slogan; it was a genuinely effective method.

"What about the alien civilizations?" he asked.

"Three mid-tier races withdrew their support for NATO last week and turned to sign technical agreements with us instead.

They said, 'A more stable civilization is worth investing in.'"

The corners of Shen Xiaochuan's mouth twitched.

He knew what this meant.

Faith doesn't lie; whoever allows ordinary people to live better will have more Believers.

The United States can't hold on, not just because of Thor's affair, but because the entire System cannot withstand the disaster.

"So," he said, "it's not that Thor betrayed the United States, but that the United States lost the hearts of the people first."

White Snow Princess nodded. "We didn't win everyone over; we just helped those who already wanted change to find their direction.

Thor was just the leader, not the root cause."

Shen Xiaochuan closed the list and opened the global faith map.

The light points of the Huaxia Alliance were expanding, like water slowly flowing across dry land.

The light belt on the North American continent had broken, gathering towards the east on one side and shrinking towards the west on the other.

"You said he isn't dead?" he suddenly asked.

White Snow Princess nodded. "The body was fake.

His divine fragment was sent to the ruins of the ancient battlefield in the southwest; that is our extraction point.

As long as the conditions are ripe, he can return.

I can't say too much right now, but you can consider him still alive."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't ask again.

He stared at the map for a long time until his eyes grew sore.

The world has changed, not because of a great war, but because many invisible cracks slowly broke the great powers.

He used to think the era of gods was about fighting strength, but now he understands that it's about who can provide food, warm shelter, and ensure children don't freeze to death on the streets.

He turned off the terminal and took a deep breath.

It was almost dawn outside, the wind and snow had stopped, and the streetlights were turning off one by one.

The patrol team changing shifts walked by, their footsteps crunching on the ice.

He turned away from the window and put on his jacket; the copper gear on his cuff brushed against the table, making a faint sound.

The corridor was short, and it only took a few steps to reach the living area.

After opening the door, there was a small hall, and further ahead was the kitchen.

The stove fire was burning, porridge was cooking in the pot, and Lilia was frying eggs at the stove.

The butter had melted, and the aroma wafted out.

She heard the movement, turned back, and smiled. "Up already? Heard the United States was in chaos last night?"

"Yeah," Shen Xiaochuan sat down. "But they can't be bothered with us."

"That's good," she said, placing a golden fried egg by his bowl. "I was worried there would be another war and we wouldn't have enough supplies."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak; he took a sip of the porridge first. It was scalding, so he blew on it twice before drinking.

The rice grains were soft, with a hint of firewood smoke. He looked down at the steam rising from the bowl, his eyes slowly relaxing.

"Is it cold today?" Lilia asked.

"Better than the last few days," he said. "The power supply is stable, and neither the Hospital nor the nursery has lost power."

"That's good," she wiped her hands and sat down opposite him. "Goudan practiced until midnight yesterday; I saw him when I passed by the Training Ground.

His legs were swollen, yet he was still running."

"He's the commander of the Black Tortoise Legion now; he needs to establish his authority." Shen Xiaochuan picked up the fried egg and took a bite, the yolk flowing out and mixing into the porridge.

"You men always want to climb higher," Lilia shook her head. "Actually, just being alive is enough.

Look at this city; the lights are on, the food is hot, and we can all eat together. Isn't that better than anything else?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked up at her.

Her hair was tied up neatly, there was a little dust on her face, but her eyes were bright.

She was right.

He had fought so many battles, built a divine nation, developed industry, and fought for resources; wasn't this exactly what he was aiming for?

People can cook in peace, people can eat their fill before training, and people can sleep soundly at night.

He didn't speak and lowered his head to continue eating.

The porridge was almost gone, and Lilia added another spoonful for him.

There wasn't much left in the pot, and she planned to cook another batch.

"Go do your work," Shen Xiaochuan said. "I'll handle it myself."

"Alright," she said, clearing the dishes. "I'll go check the cotton quilts in the warehouse later; three blocks reported insufficient heating last night."

"Register them, and give priority to the elderly and children," he said.

"I know," she smiled. "Do you think I'm an outsider?"

Shen Xiaochuan smiled too.

He stood up and placed the empty bowl into the sink.

It was bright outside the window.

The accumulated snow began to melt, water dripped from the eaves, making a tinkling sound.

Smoke rose from the factory chimneys in the distance, with a steady rhythm.

A fuel-powered vehicle drove past the street corner, its exhaust pipe puffing out white mist that quickly dissipated.

He walked towards the main control room with slow steps.

He met two on-duty workers on the way, and they nodded to each other.

No one mentioned the affairs of the United States, and no one asked what to do next.

Everyone understood; live there, do your job, and that's it.

He pushed open the door to the main control room, where the lights were soft.

On the big screen, the power was normal, and the five vassal divine domains were connected stably.

He sat down and touched the copper gear on his cuff with his finger.

The object was cold, but after touching it for a long time, it warmed up.

He opened the log and wrote a line: "Today's inspection focus: follow up on the aging wiring problem in the old town, and prioritize handling community feedback."

Just as he finished writing, the terminal vibrated.

A new message popped up: [Azure Dragon Legion report: logging in the Eastern Barren Forest Belt is 37% complete, and the second batch of charcoal production is expected to start tomorrow].

He finished reading and clicked confirm.

Sunlight shone in and landed on the corner of the table.

He didn't look at the screen but gazed out the window.

A flock of sparrows landed on a utility pole, chirped a few times, and flew away.

The wires swayed.