"Does this mean... we really have to choose the social welfare system?"

Lu Yongchang's eyes flickered with uncertainty, and he muttered to himself with a furrowed brow.

The tragic state of human civilization on Proxima Centauri is still fresh in our minds.

In the past few years, with the help of information from the Human Union Academy of Sciences, the Proxima Centauri human civilization has finally managed to regain its footing—the public welfare system has been reactivated.

Due to resource scarcity, even with a social welfare system, the overall fertility rate of the Proxima Centauri civilization is barely on par with its mortality rate.

To put it simply...

The current human civilization on Proxima Centauri has completely lost all its potential for development without the help of external forces.

After absorbing a large amount of energy, the Proxima Centauri star was already in its twilight years.

This already resource-poor star system now appears even more desolate.

After experiencing such war and wasting so many resources, the human civilization on Proxima Centauri naturally lost hope of leaving the Proxima Centauri system.

Now, all their efforts are nothing more than a futile struggle on the brink of civilization's demise.

It is precisely because Lü Yongchang is well aware of this that he is so conflicted.

The social support system is an extremely sharp double-edged sword.

The human civilization on Proxima Centauri has already paved a rugged road for humanity at the cost of blood.

Although the road leads to a cliff, the People's Federation can still learn a lot of valuable lessons from it.

Lu Yongchang took a deep breath, looked at the holographic interface in front of him that was glowing with a faint blue light, and slowly got up from his seat.

"Zero, please contact Speaker Hong for me."

"receive."

...

Dawn Star No. 1 City, People's Union Parliament.

The gate slowly opened, and Lü Yongchang, with a solemn expression, quickly walked inside.

He navigated the corridors with practiced ease and arrived at the door of an office.

The office door opened automatically.

"Professor, please come in."

Hong Qiming's voice came from the office, followed by the sound of a chair being dragged.

Without any hesitation, Lü Yongchang stepped directly into the office.

Looking at the steaming tea on the desk, and then at Hong Qiming whose temples were already slightly gray, Lü Yongchang shook his head with a wry smile.

"It's come to this in the end."

He pulled out a chair next to his desk, sat down, and sighed.

“Yes…” Hong Qiming, behind his desk, sighed softly and asked, somewhat unwillingly, “Is there really no other way?”

Lu Yongchang hesitated for a moment, then slowly but firmly shook his head: "These are all superficial methods that only treat the symptoms and not the root cause."

"To cure it completely, we have to use strong medicine."

Upon hearing this, Hong Qiming also revealed a bitter smile.

"A strong medicine... I'm really afraid this strong medicine will bring down the People's Union..."

Lü Yongchang shrugged: "It's not as bad as treating hip problems."

"During this period, the Sociology Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted a large number of simulation calculations."

"The worst-case scenario is that civilization will regress by a few hundred years."

Hong Qiming's expression suddenly froze.

"Going back several hundred years? Wouldn't that have led to its collapse?!"

“It’s just the worst-case scenario.” Lu Yongchang chuckled and continued, “Those who have been awakened so far are all highly educated individuals. Combined with the current fertility situation, it can be said that now is the best time for the experiment.”

"If we miss this window of opportunity, once the environmental terraforming of Dawn Star is fully completed and a large number of humans awaken from hibernation, the reforms will be much harder to implement."

"By then, the consequences of failure would be absolutely unbearable for us."

Hong Qiming's bitter smile deepened. He shook his head, reached out, and gently tapped Lü Yongchang in front of him: "You... always have a reason."

"Fine, since the Academy of Sciences has already completed its review, the parliament can't hold you back."

"As the sociology division suggested, let's start with some tentative publicity."

...

Xu Ting.

An ordinary, yet extraordinary person, joining ordinary citizens.

She is considered ordinary because her job is simply that of a customer service representative.

She is not ordinary because she works at the SUPP (United States People's Congress).

Of course, in terms of the current population distribution in City One, Xu Ting, as a grassroots employee, is still just an ordinary person.

After waking from hibernation, she soon met her husband—a small transport ship pilot.

The two met, fell in love, and got married in the Ross 154 star system.

At the same time, they made many contributions to the Human Alliance, which earned them the right to awaken early on Dawn Star.

After waking up, Xu Ting and her husband Qi Yang began their life on Dawn Star.

Initially, due to the strong gravity on Dawn Star, the two had to wear exoskeletons and sleep in medical pods, resulting in a low quality of life. As a result, they gave up the idea of ​​raising the next generation.

However, as the human enhancement project progressed, the two people's quality of life improved significantly.

then.

Driven by their genetic instincts, Qi Yang and Xu Ting decided to have children.

But it was just a thought.

The high cost of raising children is something they cannot afford.

Even with the various maternity benefits enacted by the parliament, ordinary employees still dare not make that decision.

After all, who knows what will happen in twenty years?

Your former colleague might just become your boss.

Or perhaps, twenty years later, upon returning to their jobs, they will find themselves completely out of touch with the times.

Neither of these points is acceptable to them.

Therefore, the couple's plans were repeatedly postponed.