Chapter 449: Chapter 167: The Cycle of History, 2 Batches of Satellite Cities Launch!

The rainstorm came with extraordinary ferocity, almost resembling the kind that occurs when the summer rain front has just passed.

Torrential rain poured down on the ground, splashing up water droplets half a foot high.

The Buffer Zone quickly accumulated water, especially the few old streets in the city center, where the water had already reached ankle height. As pedestrians waded through, their pants legs immediately became soaking wet.

The refugee tent area outside the Happiness Defense Line also experienced a bit of commotion due to the downpour.

The canvas tents flapped wildly in the wind, and many people emerged in the rain to reinforce their tents, afraid of their shelters getting flooded.

Fortunately, the order in the refugee community had gradually been established recently, and the guards responsible for maintaining order quickly arrived. The commotion among the crowd was soon quelled.

Before long, spotlights atop the defense line also abruptly lit up, piercing the rain curtain with a pale beam of light, illuminating the entire tent area as if it were daylight.

Thousands of figures wearing black raincoats streamed out of the tents, holding shovels and clearing the drainage ditches along pre-planned routes.

Although this rainfall came suddenly and wasn’t within the weather forecast.

Happiness City had long prepared a comprehensive contingency plan. Each person moved swiftly, shoveling out the clogged mud and debris to ensure that the accumulated water could follow the channels to the distant lowlands, avoiding flooding in the tents.

Meanwhile, a pickup truck marked with a "Checkpoint" sign was heading towards the Inner City against the storm.

The wheels rolled over the accumulated water, and the splashes dragged behind them like trails left by a small boat cutting through the water.

Ding Yishan sat in the passenger seat, looking at the waterlogged streets passing by outside the window, clicking his tongue; "They’ve been repairing this for so long, yet the drainage still isn’t working..."

For nearly half a month, the Buffer Zone has been repairing its underground pipe network, but after a rainstorm, it still ended up looking like this.

This indicates that the Buffer Zone’s drainage system has long been unable to meet the demand and needs a complete overhaul.

Though he sighed, he couldn’t hide the delight in his eyes.

As soon as the vehicle entered the parking lot of the Inner City conference venue, before Jiang Chuan had stabilized the car, Ding Yishan grabbed the folder on his lap and dashed into the rain.

Over the past week, they have convened large and small meetings nearly twenty to thirty times.

But today’s meeting was more important than any other.

Inside the venue, quite a few people were already seated, all heads of departments in the Buffer Zone.

As Ding Yishan entered, everyone stood up and nodded in greeting, but few spoke.

These days, for the Satellite City construction and refugee resettlement, everyone had stayed up late to the point their eyes were bloodshot, with daily sleep compressed to less than four hours. It truly could be said they were "battling" with their lives. By now, they no longer had the energy for pleasantries.

Being able to hold on meant waiting for the turning point, allowing for a moment to catch their breath.

And today, it seemed this was the time for that turning point to arrive.

Soon after, Hou Rui strode into the venue with a stack of documents, his face nearly overflowing with joy. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He had no extra introductions; he went straight onto the stage and waved the documents in his hand: "Everyone! We’ve just received satellite confirmation from Firewood Shelter City that the Void Mist engulfing our entire Stone Province has completely dispersed!"

"Good!"

As soon as he spoke, everyone in the venue stood up suddenly, and applause thundered.

Everyone displayed long-missed smiles on their faces, and even the weariness around their eyes seemed slightly diminished.

Compared to the drainage troubles caused by the rainstorm, the Void Mist was the real "time bomb" hanging over everyone’s heads.

Before it dispersed, no one dared guarantee whether it would suddenly erupt again, trigger larger-scale cooling, or release more unknown infection sources and Guardian Extraordinary from the Fog Cave, disrupting the construction plans for Happiness City.

Confirming the dispersal of the Void Mist was undoubtedly terrific news.

Happiness City no longer needed to be distracted by the threats from the mist, only focusing on dealing with the infection sources already gathered outside the defense line.

Even the sweep circle could be fully expanded from the current fifty kilometers to the surrounding two hundred kilometers. With a broader Safe Zone, the construction of the Satellite City could be more solidly pursued.

Hou Rui, after the applause subsided, picked up another document and spoke with an increasingly stern tone: "However, everyone must not become complacent. Based on previous Void Mist data statistics, after a large-scale Void Mist ends, the probability of another eruption within one month is 3.5%, within three months it’s 19.7%, and within six months, it’s 28.3%. Although the likelihood of another eruption decreases over time, the risk still exists."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room: "Next, all departments must remain vigilant. Especially the patrol intensity along the defense line can’t decrease, and the Satellite City’s early warning equipment must be quickly installed. Only by stabilizing the situation can we confidently advance subsequent construction."

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, their voices even louder than before.

The news of the Void Mist dispersal acted like a calming pill, easing much of the tension in the venue. Hou Rui’s reminder of "not relaxing," instead, invigorated everyone’s spirits even more.

Next, as usual, various infrastructure information began to be mutually synchronized.

"The seventeen mercenary groups from the Sea Province have been completely eradicated by us, with over 450 people captured in total. Based on the current interrogation information, the employers should be... Rainbow Light Shelter City, Phantom Sea Shelter City, White Feather Shelter City, Jiuchuan Shelter City, and diplomatic pressure will be arranged for further engagement."

"The explosion that occurred in Wenlu County the day before yesterday seemed to be caused by someone infected with an explosive bee within the refugees, but it’s still unclear whether this was intentionally delivered or brought out from the Void Mist. A detailed report will be provided within two days."