"Everyone has come all this way to discuss important matters, so let's get down to business first," a tall, stout middle-aged man behind Lu Sheng urged impatiently.
His words were immediately echoed by many people.
"Yes, let's see who's attending first, then we can discuss the next steps."
“Recently, refugees have been fleeing to our area every day, making it even more chaotic than during the polar night.”
"It's not easy to come here, who knows what kind of accident might happen on the way back."
Xu Bing is a man in his early thirties, about 1.8 meters tall, and rather thin. His neat buzz cut makes his cheeks appear slightly sunken.
He listened to their chatter, his face remaining calm and composed. Only after they had vented their pent-up resentment did he slowly speak.
“There are a total of 33 existing bases in the province, and we have notified them all through various methods. There are 18 bases present today.”
Everyone present nodded in agreement, expressing their approval of Xu Bing's data.
H Province is a vast province, and with the rapid changes in the environment and the complexity of population movement, many small-scale bases may exist today but disappear tomorrow.
In addition, given the current shortage of fuel and supplies, many small bases may not be able to travel long distances to attend the meeting even if they receive the news.
At this moment, all the bases present, regardless of size, at least have a certain degree of survivability and supply.
"So what? You called all of us here for a population census conference?" Zhang Xiaojuan listened intently for a long time but didn't get any useful information, so she bluntly complained.
The people present looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally focused their attention on Xu Bing.
Xu Bing chuckled, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "Recently, I've received quite a few alliance requests from bases, but the Yaoguang Base has limited capabilities and simply cannot undertake the task of uniting the entire region."
"Therefore, we invited the managers of all the bases to Yaoguang Base to discuss with everyone how to overcome the current difficulties together."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man with a youthful appearance next to him turned his gaze to Lu Sheng, "You may not know, but Ms. Lu, the base manager of a certain base, once worked with the K3 base to acquire a large amount of food and supplies, but she is a low-key person and has never publicized it. In fact, in terms of resource reserves, Ms. Lu's base is the real hidden leader."
K3's strength is undeniable. How can a little-known base be on par with K3? Judging from the tone, it seems Lu Sheng is in a dominant position?
The crowd, who had just been curious about Lu Sheng's identity, immediately erupted in an uproar.
Sun Tiantian clenched her little fists angrily, "Does this person have some serious illness? Isn't he deliberately making us the target of everyone's criticism?"
Lu Sheng leaned back in his chair leisurely, glancing at Xu Bing out of the corner of his eye.
The other person met her gaze without flinching, and even nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
After whispering among themselves for a while, someone suddenly mustered up the courage to ask Lu Sheng for help.
"Chief Lu, we are from Yong'an Base in S City. There is no farmland near our base, and we haven't found any new food for over half a year. Now the entire base is running out of food with every meal we eat, and we'll be out of food in another half month!"
"Our Liushun base is the same! The acid rain last time corroded all our farmland, and the potatoes and cabbages we stored before are almost all rotten. We've even eaten all the bark off the nearby trees. Base Chief Lu, please save us!"
“We know the living standards of K3. Since the base commander can take K3 with him to find supplies, he can definitely take us too! Please do us a favor and help us get through this food crisis.”
"The environment is getting worse and worse, and there are fewer and fewer survivors. We who are still alive should unite and help each other to fight against natural disasters!"
Lu Sheng rested his chin on his hand, watching the group with interest. "That's well said. The remaining survivors should unite and help each other. So, I'd like to ask, what kind of help can you offer me now?"
"You, you, and you, all of you, say something." She pointed her slender finger at the people who had just spoken the loudest.
The men, who had been speaking loudly just moments before, suddenly fell silent.
“We are currently short on resources and manpower… but if you help us, we will definitely repay you in the future,” one of the people from the small base said in a low voice, lacking confidence.
"Later? You can't even afford to eat now, and you're waiting for later?" Zhang Xiaojuan couldn't help but retort. "You're all grown men, and all you do is ask for things. Aren't you ashamed? I wouldn't be able to say something like that if I were you."
The man, his face flushed red from Zhang Xiaojuan's insults, stammered in his argument, "You and K3 must have split the grain you found equally, right? K3 had tens of thousands of people who couldn't finish it all, how could you possibly finish it in your lifetime with such a small group? What's wrong with sharing a little of this much grain with us?"
Lu Sheng smiled nonchalantly and took out a handful of glistening white rice from his spatial storage and scattered it on the table.
The unique aroma of grains immediately drew everyone's noses, and they couldn't take their eyes off the white and glossy rice.
That rice looks like new rice, and it's top-quality Wuchang rice from Northeast China.
"Mutual assistance is about giving and receiving. My one-sided help to you is called poverty alleviation. If you want food, you can trade it with me using crystal cores. First come, first served, large quantities get a discount."
"Why do you need more crystal cores...? There are so many, what's wrong with lending us some..."
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