Chapter 33 A hot pot meal left no one alive

But Mo Siming quickly waved his hand to dismiss the unrealistic and beautiful thoughts that popped up in his head. Having the planetary commander as his superior was already enough to kill him. If he was really tempted, he might as well dig a hole and bury himself.

After thinking this through, Mo Siming quickly retracted his chaotic thoughts and took the initiative to appear within Shengxia's field of vision so that she could see him.

Soon, Shengxia arranged the kitchen staff and came towards him. Of course, the focus of the topic was the situation of the Independence Army.

"An Yuan's idea is that if you want to revive education, the current educational resources on Planet Volk are completely insufficient. We must request personnel support from the Federation. However, if you need teachers for basic education, they can send them over as an emergency. There are currently 322 children enlisted in the Independence Army, and 128 of them are obviously disabled or require medical assistance."

"So many?" Shengxia was a little surprised.

"This is already considered low. In previous years, if you hadn't destroyed the corresponding biological bases and relied solely on the independence army to seize the children, the number of casualties would have been far greater. Once winter was over, another group would have died."

"Even if we've taken down the criminal gang in the open, their underground operations haven't been destroyed yet. This winter, we'll have to bust all of these people. You'll definitely be able to catch them in a trap."

After Shengxia finished speaking, Mo Siming remained silent for a long time. Only when Shengxia glanced at him with a puzzled look did he speak cautiously: "Do you know that the thing in the world that you can't look directly at, besides the sun, is the human heart?"

Shengxia raised her eyebrows after hearing this, and Mo Siming continued:

"Even if you eliminate these existing hidden lines, new ones will soon emerge, making them difficult to control. Moreover, once these hidden lines are completely eliminated, once spring arrives, you will inevitably be surrounded and attacked by the forces of the surrounding star regions. The size of the star region forces woven by these hidden lines is too huge for a single planetary commander like you to handle. Add to that the arms syndicates they have been operating for a long time, and it will be impossible to eliminate them all."

Before Mo Siming could finish his words, he found himself being rudely pulled up by Sheng Xia's collar. Then, with a sneer on her face, she said, "You're a peacock in the social world."

Mo Siming: ...She is mocking his incompetence, right? That must be it!!!

"If you just give in like this, would other star-field forces dare to engage in direct war with the Federation, other than assassination? Planet Volk is the Federation's outer gateway according to the cosmic coordinates. Giving up Planet Volk would mean the Federation completely withdrawing from its rule over that star-field. Is the Federation willing to accept that?"

"The reason Volker is in such chaos is because the Federation and the surrounding star regions have been engaged in a long-standing proxy war on this planet. Now the Federation finds itself in a mess and unable to clean up, but it's unwilling to give up. This is the reason the two sides have reached a stalemate. Now is the best time to reorganize. Eight months. If you don't want to join, then leave on your own."

"Why should I leave?" Mo Siming's eyes widened, but unexpectedly, Sheng Xia sneered again, "It's better than having to watch a useless vase dangling in front of me every day."

Mo Siming:!!!

"You, you, you, you are so ungrateful." "Heh..." "What are you hesitating about? Do you really understand the difficulty here? What you have to fight against is not just a few organizations or a few star field forces, but..."

"Are you talking about interest groups within the Federation? If the human trafficking line is truly broken, perhaps the Federation is truly prepared to abandon Planet Volk completely?"

As soon as these words came out, Mo Siming fell silent again, and Sheng Xia was silent at this time. She knew that the water here was really deep enough. After all, the profit of human trafficking is a huge sum of money if it is counted as legal income. Since it is a huge sum of money, there are not only a few organizations or some star field forces who are tempted.

Sheng Xia couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. She then reached out and pulled Mo Siming to a distance where only the two of them could hear each other. "Children will grow up, and when they grow up, they will have their own children. Even the faintest light, once it has been lit in the eyes of these children, will not be extinguished so easily."

"You've seen too much darkness, but you have to believe that there is still light willing to fight against this darkness alone. Without mentioning the distant past, just look at An Yuan and the others and you will understand. Do you think the Independence Army survived because of your aid? But the truth is, they came first, and then your aid came."

"The Independence Army's mortality rate used to be very high, with the average age barely exceeding 32. Yet, every year, many volunteers still joined. Think about it: as a soldier, now that you've reached this point, isn't it time for you to step forward and be a hero?"

Mo Siming: ...

Is Shengxia questioning whether he has been hiding behind the scenes for so long that he has become completely accustomed to not showing up in anything, so much so that he has even forgotten his identity as a soldier?

He actually laughed. In his opinion, the military philosophy that Shengxia was currently instilling in the Federal Security Team and the corresponding police stations was incredible and incomprehensible. What did it mean to fight for the people? Being a soldier was just a profession. As long as you hone your martial arts, you should naturally do what you should do for the sake of profit. This was a violent group... a legal violent group.

But now Shengxia rejected this idea. If the army was really set up for the people, then she was basically denying her legal right to own an army. She... she was getting herself into trouble.

That was all, but now she wanted him to step up and be a hero. Is being a hero that easy? The last hero's ashes might be gone, and she's ready to be so radical and ruthless?

According to Mo Siming's original idea, wouldn't it be better to send people to take over these secret lines without destroying them at all? Then, if they have to pay tribute, they won't get nothing but arouse more opposition.

He truly admires Shengxia and hopes that she can stay on Planet Volk longer, but shouldn't she also reflect on whether she is going too far now? Can she be calmer when encountering matters related to the child?

With this thought in mind, Mo Siming was like a pufferfish that was hurt by anger. But Shengxia had no intention of comforting him any further. Seeing that he disagreed, she simply pushed him away, saying that she would take care of the future matters herself. In addition, these eight months would also allow him to observe the changes in the people of Volk Planet.

Change, what kind of change can there be?!

She set up welfare meals and free entry to the melting cave for all people, and was also planning to touch most people's cakes. She was just waiting to be hanged alive by the people she loved.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Mo Siming became. Even during the hot pot banquet for the executives of the major news media groups in the evening, he was still bloated. He ate with a strong sense of venting his anger, as if he wanted to fight to the death with the meat in the hot pot in front of him.

The people around him didn't know who had offended this former social celebrity, so they could only push the food plates on the table as far as possible towards him.

In fact, facing this steaming pot, the people who were invited to dinner all had some doubts and fears on their faces, fearing that the meat pressed into the hot pot would turn into their own faces when they were halfway through eating.

Perhaps sensing their confusion, Shengxia specially arranged for the kitchen staff to come out and explain how to eat the hot pot. They also asked the staff to record the "best time to cook food" sign when serving the dishes in the future.

Even though the kitchen staff had already explained how to eat hot pot, and Mo Siming had already started eating, the invited senior members of the news media still looked at each other in confusion and refused to eat.

After shaking the hot pot's signature "plum juice," Shengxia took the initiative to take the microphone from the kitchen staff. She thanked everyone for coming and mentioned that many important events had indeed occurred during her tenure as planetary commander. She thanked everyone present.

"To be honest, eating hot pot in winter is a wonderful thing. Watching the snowflakes falling outside, the family gathers together to share hot food, giving themselves a short break after a year of hard work. This is the meaning of winter. Unfortunately, I don't plan to let anyone here have a good rest this winter."

"Although individual columns have already matured on StarNet, and various individuals can serve as timely windows for reporting news and disseminating information to the outside world, all of you here are still an indispensable part of news broadcasting because you hold authority."

"When you speak out, regardless of whether the outside world likes you or cares about you, your broadcast will prevail. So if culture is an invisible war, then everyone here is the trumpeter in this war. Only when you speak out first can the rest of the world follow your trumpeter as a guide and charge forward."

"I know that for a long time, everyone's work priorities have been fluctuating with the changes in government, but in the new year, perhaps we can all have a common goal: hot pot."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone unconsciously turned their attention to the steaming pot, not understanding how the focus of their work had become connected to this pot.

"I hope that during the eight months inside the cave, everyone will focus on hot pot and report on a large number of positive events, thereby creating a new atmosphere of public opinion. In the past, on Volk Planet, when people mentioned winter, the first things that came to mind were death, riots, hunger, and suffering. I hope that this year, new words will emerge in everyone's minds."

"So, you must, during these eight months, delve into the lives of the people, listen to their voices, understand their thoughts, and then do the appropriate reporting and monitor public opinion. I will be closely monitoring the news you send out."

"Okay, now everyone can enjoy the hot pot delicacies specially developed by the Volk Planet Food Research Bureau."

The meal was eaten at a leisurely pace. Shengxia didn't even ask Mo Siming to help with any social events. Logically, this was what she had called him to do. Of course, at the moment, Mo Siming had no intention of helping with the social events. He was still immersed in Shengxia's unreasonable behavior and sulking.

After the meal was over, Mo Siming stood up and walked out without even saying hello to Shengxia. Before he could leave the banquet hall, he found that he had been stopped by many people.

"What on earth does the planet commander want to do?"

"You called us here just for this... hot pot?"

"Well, it's a bit spicy and the taste is unique, but I still can't believe it's just a meal?"

"They want us to report on matters concerning the people. What big a deal can they have?"

"Yeah, what does that even mean?"

"What do you think?"

Facing the eyes of the news media group's senior executives who were eager to know the answer, Mo Siming sighed deeply and realized that he seemed to have eaten a little too much without realizing it. He subconsciously reached out to hold his stomach, and then looked at the noisy senior executives in front of him and couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"You're right, she's just not in the right place." Mo Siming couldn't help but complain about Sheng Xia as soon as he opened his mouth. However, this made him grasp a key point. Sheng Xia asked the news media to focus on the lives of the people. Once the focus is placed on the people, isn't she really ready to kill some behind-the-scenes forces?

Damn it, she really meant it.

Thinking of this, Mo Siming couldn't help but close his eyes and sighed many times, making the senior executives of the news media group who surrounded him sigh in confusion.

After rubbing his solar plexus vigorously, Mo Siming refined Shengxia's ambitions for hot pot and told everyone.

"Is this possible? Replacing the original industrial chain with the hot pot economy?"

"She's dreaming."

"Yeah, this hot pot isn't that delicious. How can it possibly make up for the corresponding economic losses?"

Listening to a bunch of impossible words, Mo Siming felt even more annoyed. He couldn't help but wave his hand to indicate that no matter whether it was possible or not, since it was the media, he would build up momentum first. As for the rest... he would just leave it to fate.

"Move aside, um, I need to go to the bathroom."

As they watched Mo Siming walk away, the faces of the senior executives of the news media group were all gloomy.

At the same time, a researcher from the Food Research Institute, who had finished counting the popularity of the flavors and corresponding dishes in the banquet hall, told Shengxia that indeed, this group of people preferred spicy hot pot to plain hot pot, and also ate more vegetables than meat... Well, of course, it could also be that they were scared by Mo Siming.

After all, Mo Siming alone showed off nearly half of the meat in the entire banquet.

Upon hearing this statistical result, Shengxia couldn't help laughing out loud, and joked that Mo Siming must be in the bathroom now.

"But will this hot pot really be popular?" "Yeah, but judging from everyone's expressions, I can't tell they really like it."

The researchers at the Food Research Institute were inevitably very discouraged. They had originally been full of confidence and wanted to conquer this group of people with hot pot, but they didn't expect that the other party would only try it briefly.

"Think of it this way: they're all very picky eaters, but they didn't refuse and instead ate a lot of green vegetables and meat, even though I was putting a lot of pressure on them. This is the best sign that we're good."

The researchers from the Food Research Institute looked back at Shengxia and felt that their planet commander... was really optimistic.

Three days later, the first group of people entering the Rongdong Cave were finalized, including government hall staff and their families, police officers and their families, federal security team members and their families, reporters from various news media, staff and their families, teachers, doctors and other related professionals and their families.

There was also a group of secret personnel, including the basic education teacher team from the Independence Army and the corresponding underage children. Shengxia not only accepted all of these children but also equipped them with a corresponding medical team.

However, what Shengxia did soon caused unrest, as explained by the title of the alien domain star network report:

[The planetary commander abandoned the people. In the orderly opening of the melting cave, there is actually no place for the people? ]

[A domineering announcement that everyone could enter the Rongdong for free, but now they've broken their promise?]

[The entire Volk Planet government team has been relocated to the Rongdong Cave. This planetary commander ultimately broke his promise.]

…

With the continuous bombardment of messages, some people began to spontaneously gather at the entrance of the cave to ask when they can enter the cave. If it is not possible, they should charge money. They always feel that opening the cave for free is just a declaration, which will actually leave them behind.

Even the Independence Army received many inquiries about whether they could join the Independence Army in order to survive this cold winter.

But at the same time, Shengxia once again organized a gathering of senior news media personnel and used the public gathered from outside to show everyone the power of public opinion. Once these emotions of panic, suspicion, and confusion formed, it only took a few words from the alien star network media to incite a riot on the planet Volker.

"It's clear that our credibility is running low, but the reality is that Rongdong cannot be fully opened yet. So now is the time for you all to step in."

Although Shengxia has said so, the actual situation has not improved due to the bombardment of reports from major news media. On the contrary, the more frequently they report, the stronger the people's rebellious mentality becomes.

This situation lasted for a long time. Even An Yuan from the Independence Army couldn't help but contact Sheng Xia to ask her what she wanted to do. This is not the right way to test people. Their people are like matchsticks that have been gathered together. They only need a small fire and a riot is imminent.

Even if Shengxia came out to lobby at this moment, the public would not be so upset.

However, under such heavy pressure, a small opportunity arose: the shop owners and staff on the food street who had been invited by Shengxia to open shops there, without anyone persuading them, collectively registered and opened corresponding Star Network live broadcast accounts, took the initiative to speak on Shengxia's behalf, and live-streamed the current situation inside the melting cave:

"Everyone, you can see that the entire interior of the melting cave is still under renovation. In this state, if we let people in without batches, the work inside will definitely be chaotic."

"When we were invited here, we didn't believe the planetary commander would provide us with free melting caves to shelter us from the cold. But you see, in our food supply requirements, the planetary commander even emphasized that we should provide corresponding free meals. What does this mean? It shows that she really cares about ensuring that all of us can survive the winter safely."

"Yes, you can see all of us. Oh, and behind us, the five floors above and below are all dining areas. Don't listen to the rumors outside and start a riot. It will make things difficult for our planetary commander. If the melting cave is really not free, where will everyone go?"

…

With the emergence of these accounts, the public's anger gradually subsided, and some restaurant owners who followed the public's advice started live broadcasts around the clock. The public, in turn, watched these live broadcasts and became "off-site supervisors." They were also surprised to find that at the decoration site of the internal food court, the staff of the government hall and even their families were involved in the work.

But the people couldn't understand why their planet commander had remained silent until now.

During this period, the major news media outlets underwent internal restructuring. In response to the quality and subject matter of the corresponding news reports, Shengxia almost exceeded his authority and forced some personnel to step down. His actions were so swift that everyone was caught off guard. At the same time, several supervisory departments related to news media were established.

Mo Siming looked at the list of people stepping down and suddenly realized that Shengxia had cleared out some of the people planted by the alien forces. She was still so radical that she could replace a group of people without leaving any trace in a meal or a party.

After the changes in the news media had quietly concluded, Shengxia started a live broadcast. After informing the public of the detailed opening date of the melting cave and the screening date for the batch of names, she officially announced the establishment of the Volker Planet Central News Broadcasting Group. All major news related to Volker will be broadcast on this news network in the future.

At that moment, her report was no longer limited to the people of Volk Planet. She also provocatively informed the top leaders of the relevant forces in the star field surrounding Volk Planet that she had already controlled the right to report news about Volk Planet. As for the personnel they had planted there, their whereabouts were already unknown.

But now, even if we mobilize the army, a cold wave will come immediately. We either have to blow this ball up at once, or we can only wait until spring to hold the summer event.

Seeing Shengxia's arrogant face, the star network news in the surrounding star fields increased their efforts to smear him. However, this time, with the Volk Planet Central News Broadcasting Group's round-the-clock broadcast of the situation inside the melting cave, the public's emotions could no longer be incited. Instead, out of rebellion and boredom, they began to rant against each other across the Internet.

At the same time, Mo Siming, who was in charge of picking up people along with Wei Jie, Fu Qianshen, and Xizi from the Independence Army, received a text message from Shengxia. It contained only one sentence:

"You see, the Federation can also stand with the people instead of being superior to them."

This explains very well the underlying logic that the Federation has an army and that the army should be loyal to the people. However, perhaps from the very beginning the Federation did not think that it could take the people's route.

Mo Siming: ...

He silently glanced at Wei Jie and Fu Qianshen beside him, seeing them squatting on the roadside and chatting happily, he couldn't help but lower his head and sit next to them without saying a word. In an instant, the two of them looked up at him in surprise.

After a moment of silence, Mo Siming couldn't help but ask, "Do you guys... ever find our planet commander difficult to deal with?"

After another awkward silence, Wei Jie and Fu Qianshen nodded in agreement and said in unison, "So you think so too!"

Mo Siming: ...Okay, he finally found an organization!