I farmed in military academy and crushed the entire intergalactic world.

Chapter 372 A Tragic Civilization
In Xinjiabei, government employee Huang Xueling sat at her desk, sighing.

Huang Xueling used to be incredibly busy, but since all of their contestants were eliminated, her work has become much more relaxed.

"Didn't the boss say when the holiday would be?"

The male colleague next to him shook his head: "The higher-ups are still waiting for the qualifiers to end so they can see if logistics can be restored."

Huang Xueling's brows were tightly furrowed.

Previously, all imported goods were subject to consumption tax, at the current rate. Tobacco, alcohol, automobiles, and petroleum were subject to customs duties.

Huang Xueling and her colleagues' job is to collect tax revenue in this area.

As frontline workers, they deeply felt the impact of being enveloped by the beam of light on the entire national economy.

This isn't just being cut in half, it's practically being broken in half.

Their country was once primarily a trading port, but later successfully transformed into a global high-tech hub with four pillar industries: high-end manufacturing, finance and professional services, trade and logistics, and digital economy and innovation.

These four industries are highly dependent on globalization.

The sudden trial of civilization was like a bolt from the blue, leaving this small country riddled with holes and scars.

"Will this month's subsidy be paid normally?" Huang Xueling felt very uneasy.

Their country is a city-state island nation whose economy and people's lives are highly dependent on imports.

They had only been under the beam of light for five days when prices rose significantly.

The Sheng Siong Supermarket downstairs from Huang Xueling's house used to be very cost-effective; three packs of vegetables cost less than 2 Singapore dollars, enough for one person to eat for a week.

When she went to the supermarket again yesterday, three bags of vegetables had already risen to 4 Singapore dollars, and the fruit discount section that she used to see was empty. She could no longer find grapes at 2.35 Singapore dollars per pound!

The supermarket sales assistant said that the supermarket warehouse is running low on stock, and if I go to buy groceries today, the prices will probably go up again.

Huang Xueling glanced at her colleague, her eyes filled with sympathy.

I'm single, but my colleague has a family to support; he has three children!

When the subsidy was mentioned, my colleague looked worried: "I don't know. Without the subsidy, I don't know how I'd get through this month."

To encourage childbirth, their country provides a S$500 Childcare Support Voucher for children aged 12 and under. For families with multiple children, they have also increased the Child Development Account Start-up Allowance and provided Medisave Supplements, among other things.

Added up over a year, this is quite a large sum of income.

If subsidies are stopped, coupled with rising prices, it will significantly impact a family's quality of life.

The two looked at each other again and let out a long sigh in unison.

Huang Xueling opened the "Your Dad Is Still Your Dad" live stream and saw the flood of comments from Chinese netizens. A mix of emotions welled up inside her: "When it really matters, it's still better to be a citizen of a great power."

Just as China has the confidence and strength to handle crises, its people feel so at ease when facing crises.

Huang Xueling watched the celebratory videos from Chinese netizens with envy. The people in the videos were laughing so happily and enthusiastically.

My colleague said sourly, "What's there to be happy about? In three days, we still have to participate in the Civilization Trial, right? Oh well, we're not that bad off. We just can't go abroad and are a little short of supplies."

Huang Xueling forced a bitter smile; this was the only way she could console herself.

She picked up the empty cup on the table, intending to go to the tea room for a cup of coffee, but when she glanced out the window out of the corner of her eye, she was struck dumb and stood there stunned.

The pale yellow light that had enveloped the entire country suddenly began to ripple.

Clusters of human-shaped, swaying halos of light appeared out of thin air and slowly descended from the sky.

"What...what is this?" Huang Xueling raised her arm to block the glaring light from around her, squinted at the clusters of light.

The halo is not a uniform color. If you look closely, you can see something flowing inside, like a walking, breathing kaleidoscope.

The government and police responded quickly.

The police raised their guns and fired at the halo.

The bullet passed through the halo and disappeared without causing any damage to the humanoid halo.

On the main street, a squad of soldiers driving an improved HIMARS rocket launcher fired multiple rockets at the halo in a very short time.

The halo flickered slightly, then exploded outwards like a flower. Before the soldiers could cheer, they returned to their human form. The soldiers' joy froze on their faces, their pupils contracted, and they uttered the same question as Huang Xueling: "What is that?!"

These halos did not issue a declaration of war, nor did they reveal any advanced technological weapons.

They are like snowflakes, like colorful sunlight, like flowers that only exist in the brushstrokes of artists, and only exist in dreams.

They were so beautiful and dreamlike that even their descent from the sky was exceptionally graceful, like a performance art piece.

Huang Xueling's mind went blank for a moment, and the fear in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a satisfied smile, as if she were seeing an old friend.

She seemed to hear a voice resounding within her own heart.

She followed the voice, repeatedly revisiting the memories buried deep within her heart.

Yes, she is not actually a native Singaporean; she comes from a fifth-tier town in China.

It was a small town nestled among the mountains.

The town's streets are narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side. The ground is paved with bluestone bricks that have existed since the Ming Dynasty.

The streets are lined with two-story wooden houses with tiled roofs, bearing the marks of time.

During the plum rain season, a light drizzle drips from the eaves onto the bluestone bricks, and the air is filled with moisture, creating a misty, rainy atmosphere.

"You must study hard, get out of here, and live a good life."

"Your uncle won't lend us money to send you to school. I'll sell everything I own to make sure you go!"

"You must become successful, do you hear me?!"

The familiar woman's voice grew clearer and clearer.

Huang Xueling's feet moved uncontrollably, leading her to the familiar two-story building. She pushed open the door and walked through the dark main room.

This two-story building was not her destination; the mud-brick house behind the main room was.

She saw a thin, small girl with two pigtails, hunched over a dilapidated wooden table, wiping away tears as she did her homework in the dim light.

A short, thin figure stood beside the wooden table, his face obscured, repeatedly striking the little girl's back with a feather duster: "I'll let you play! I'll let you play! Do you even deserve to play? Do you even deserve to play!"

That figure, standing in the shadows, was so familiar it sent shivers down my spine.

Huang Xueling felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by a pair of large hands, and those painful, angry, and repressed emotions surged up like a tide.

She rushed over, snatched the feather duster from the black figure's hand, and burst into tears, hysterical.

"I've made it! I've immigrated! I'm living a good life now, and I'm never coming back. Go ahead and hit me! You can't hit me anymore! I've flown away, but you're stuck living in this dilapidated house. Do you regret it? Tell me, do you regret it!"

Huang Xueling's voice, breaking down, echoed over the small town.

The drizzling rain finally stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sun reappeared.

Golden sunlight streamed inch by inch into the damp adobe house from outside the courtyard gate.

Finally, the light shone on the small, thin woman's figure.

That's not how a woman looked when she was young.

Her hair was completely white, and a layer of yellow, wrinkled skin clung to her bones, making her look like an old tree that had come to life.

Her eyes, which were like a flame, appeared dull and lifeless due to cataracts.

His features, which had appeared somewhat harsh due to the hardships of life, revealed a satisfied smile the moment he heard Huang Xueling's voice.

She opened her mouth, only managing to utter a few weak breaths: "It's Nier back."

She reached out, seemingly wanting to touch Huang Xueling's face, but due to some concerns, she ultimately withdrew her hand, as if saying to herself, and also to Huang Xueling, "I'm relieved that you're doing well."

She unloaded the burden in her heart, her figure transforming into specks of golden light, merging into the sunlight outside.

Huang Xueling snapped out of her intense emotions and scrambled to her feet, reaching out to grasp the last glimmer of golden light.

Like an abandoned cub, she let out a piercing, heart-wrenching cry: "Mom! Mom! Come back, don't leave me. Please, don't leave me again."