Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 191 Collective
The outcry is as loud as a mountain!

When Su Xun stepped onto the platform, the cheers in the square grew even louder. This was the first time he had faced so many people in such an occasion. Hundreds of thousands of people shouted, red flags waved, and the sound resounded throughout the world.

"Commander-in-Chief—!!!"

Amid cheers, Su Xun smiled and raised his hand to greet the surroundings. He couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions. The enthusiastic and vibrant people before him were the greatest recognition for himself and for the millions who had worked hard and even sacrificed themselves to resist this apocalypse.

Feng Zhengze, Qin Chang, and others took their seats in turn. Feng Zhengze was originally supposed to give the opening speech for the competition, but seeing the enthusiastic atmosphere, he handed the microphone to Su Xun.

"Say a few words. Everyone should want to hear you speak. Just say anything."

Despite the last-minute change in the schedule, Su Xun did not back down. Instead of using a microphone, he spoke directly to the square.

"Friends, comrades, hello!"

His voice blended into the wind, and even with so many people shouting, it still reached everyone's ears.

The noise in the room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder cheers. They didn't know how much strength it would take to accomplish this, but they felt as if the commander-in-chief on the platform was truly speaking to them.

Of course, the wind-type extraordinary beings present, especially those who had reached the third tier, were well aware of the true value of this.

Zou Ping and Wu Xu both looked at Qi Lei, who just gave a wry smile: "Don't look, you're about to pee your pants..."

This was a joke, but the respect expressed was genuine.

The crowd fell silent, listening quietly to Su Xun's speech.

Su Xun paused slightly before speaking: "In the six months since the Great Cataclysm, we have faced too many dangers and achieved remarkable results."

"Many people attribute all of this to a certain person, or a certain group, or frankly, to me."

Su Xun's voice quieted the crowd down slightly, and they gazed at the podium from afar.

"But, my fellow countrymen, what I want to say is that, in reality, everyone, everyone present and everyone who is not present, all the living and the dead, all the people of today and the people of the past, are all those who experience, witness, suffer, and save this great catastrophe!"

"Without the bloody battles fought by millions of soldiers on the front lines, there would be no peaceful and stable internal environment in various safe zones, and without the hard work of every worker in the factories, we would not have the abundant supplies we have today."

"Hospitals, schools, transportation, media... even just a child who knows how to keep quiet during a transfer."

"Without the support and cooperation of each and every one of you, we would not have achieved such a glorious victory today!"

"On behalf of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, I extend my highest respect and gratitude to each and every one of you!"

The square had fallen completely silent, and many people even had tears in their eyes. Even if the Corps did its best, it could not guarantee that everyone would be at ease. Under the great catastrophe, some people always suffered too much. In the beginning, how many people had just experienced the pain of losing their families and loved ones, and then turned around and went into the workshop to start production?
How many people suppress their own grief and then go on to comfort others?
Now, all their past efforts and grievances have received the most direct recognition. At this moment, a special emotion suddenly welled up in the hearts of those present, as well as those listening to the radio and watching the live broadcast, and it was unprecedentedly strong.

This feeling, called cohesion, love, and a sense of identity, makes them deeply aware that they are part of this large collective. The collective's victory and prosperity make them proud. Regardless of profession, ability, race, or gender, everyone knows at this moment that their work has meaning and their sweat has not been in vain.

The hard work of millions of workers is converging into the driving force for the survival and progress of this collective, becoming part of the great cause called rejuvenation!

"Fellow countrymen!" Su Xun's voice continued, "Today, twelve thousand extraordinary individuals from the Corps and all walks of life are here to compete."

"The grand competition not only provides an opportunity for extraordinary individuals to showcase their strength, but also allows more people to understand the extraordinary."

"Similarly, it's also so that the extraordinary individuals in the Legion can be inspected by each and every one of you in this grand competition!"

"Our purpose is to reassure our compatriots that the million extraordinary individuals in the Corps have the strength, ability, and willingness to defend the safe zone, the base city, the motherland, and every citizen of the motherland!"

"I hereby declare the grand martial arts competition to begin!"

Applause and cheers erupted again, even more enthusiastic than before, the sound waves crashing over us like a tidal wave!

In that instant, Su Xun felt a stirring in his heart, as if he could sense a vague and immature force being exerted upon him.

But at this moment, his strength, which had already reached the limit of the fourth rank, truly advanced a little further. This was a situation that had never occurred in his previous life, even when he reached the ninth rank. Su Xun was both familiar with it and unfamiliar with it.

The power of a swarm! Once a large swarm is formed, it will benefit the individuals within the group. In his previous life, only zombies or low-intelligence mutated beasts enjoyed this treatment. But now, Su Xun is seeing a swarm that truly belongs to humans for the first time.

She was born from the emotions stirred up in countless people at this moment. Perhaps when these people calm down from their fervor and face the trivialities of life again, this group will dissipate into nothingness.

At this moment, countless people in various cities are still filled with confusion and doubt, not understanding their significance to the Corps. Only when these people truly realize their historical mission and are willing to fight for it can this powerful force be truly unleashed.

There’s a long way to go!
Su Xun calmed himself down and sat down again, watching as the many extraordinary individuals went to the arenas set up in various parts of the square—there were so many participants that there was obviously more than one arena.

Taimon has sixteen cities under its jurisdiction and has taken in some of the disaster victims from Haizhou. The total number of survivors is nearly 20 million. Now, the people in the coastal areas have been relocated inland. Most of those who remain in the coastal base cities are military families and employees in the military industry and their families.

The current Xinfu Base City has a total population of over four million, with 60,000 extraordinary individuals, and this number is increasing every day.

Of these 60,000 people, half are currently first-tier superhumans. This is because for people with superpowers, there is no threshold from first to second tier, and they can pass through this stage quite quickly.

Those participating at this time account for one-third of the total number of new second and third-tier extraordinary individuals, representing the maximum number that can be mobilized while maintaining basic defense capabilities.

This was also to meet the basic need of demonstrating strength, and now it seems that the effect is quite good.

(End of this chapter)