Becoming an Emperor Starting from the World of The Wandering Earth

Release one today, release one tomorrow, and release another the day after tomorrow.

Let this topic slowly ferment, slowly spread, and gradually extend from a local forum to every corner of the Texas internet.

People talked about it during their leisure time, while waiting in line for relief, and even during those few minutes they took a break from work in the factory.

They talked about the factories that went bankrupt, the workers who lost their jobs, and the skyrocketing electricity prices.

Then, when the topic has gained enough traction, release something even more exciting.

For example, a factory owner who was still struggling to stay afloat couldn't afford the electricity bill, so he sat alone in the workshop at night, facing the old machine tools, drank half a bottle of liquor, and then hanged himself from the roof beam.

For example, an unemployed worker, after waiting for two weeks without finding work, picked up a gun and vented his frustration wildly.

These things don't need to be real.

Or rather, it doesn't need to be proven to be true.

It is true as long as people believe it.

Once this sentiment begins to spread, those who are truly facing difficulties will ignite the fire themselves.

They would protest in front of UEG's office building, smash the gates of factories that were still operating, and flock to the black market at night to exchange their last few credits for a weapon that could save their lives.

Those small factory owners who were barely managing to stay afloat will become utterly desperate in this atmosphere, close down prematurely, kick out their workers, and cause even more people to lose their jobs.

Those gangs would take advantage of the chaos to expand their territory, rob people, food, and weapons, turning what was originally a relatively stable neighborhood into a mess.

This is what Murphy wanted.

Muddy water.

The muddier the water, the bigger the fish can be.

And those who struggle in the muddy waters, those who go mad with panic and despair, those who are cornered by the world and can only cling to any sliver of hope.

They will become Murphy's most devout followers.

I'm not the kind of casual believer who just gives a like online and forgets about it after watching a video.

They are truly willing to kneel down and give their lives.

Because Murphy gave them more than just food and shelter.

It is the only light that can be seen in this world that is about to collapse completely.

Outside the window, the distant horizon was completely dark.

Only this one light in the factory stubbornly shines.

Murphy thought for a few seconds, then continued to ask:

"Skynet, with the current production capacity and inventory of the factories, if all twenty-odd factories in the Southeast Industrial Zone go bankrupt and unemployed people flood in, how long can the relief fund last?"

The screen was silent for two seconds, then the data stream began to scroll.

"Calculation in progress... The current factory reserves and vertical farm capacity can support continuous operation for the existing relief scale for about four months."

"If all the newly unemployed people flood in, based on the minimum daily survival standard per person, the rate of consumption of supplies will increase to 2.3 times the current rate, and the time that reserves can last will be shortened to about seven weeks."

Seven weeks.

Murphy frowned slightly.

"And then what about seven weeks later?"

"If the reserves cannot be replenished in seven weeks, the relief channels will face the risk of running out of supplies. At that time, based on the current emotional model of the recipients, the probability of a mass incident is about 78%."

78 percent.

Murphy didn't say anything, but just stared at the number for a few seconds.

Then he stood up and walked to the window.

In the distance, towards the southeast industrial zone, several chimneys were still emitting smoke.

But there are several fewer than a month ago.

It won't be long before there are even fewer.

The owners of those chimneys and those small factory owners are probably standing at the workshop entrance, staring blankly at their electricity bills.

They didn't know what to do, or how to go on living like this.

But Murphy knew what to do. He returned to his desk and pressed the communicator on it.

"Garcia, come here."

Three minutes later, the office door was pushed open.

Garcia strode in, still holding an account book, clearly having been busy.

"gentlemen?"

Murphy cut to the chase: "How much cash does the company have available right now?"

Garcia paused for a moment, then opened the ledger.

"Sir, your current account balance is approximately 24 million credits. There's also a recent payment of about 6 million, which is expected to arrive in three days. If we include the emergency reserve fund, we can allocate another 8 million, bringing the total to around 38 million."

Murphy nodded.

"Very good. Starting today, use all available funds to procure supplies."

Garcia's hand paused.

He looked up at Murphy, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Sir, all the funds? Thirty-eight million?"

Yes, all of them.

Garcia took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone steady.

"Sir, may I ask what supplies you are purchasing?"

"Buy everything you can—food, fuel, and all the power generation equipment on the market, as much as you can get."

Garcia's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Sir, thirty-eight million... to buy them all?"

Murphy looked at him, said nothing, and simply nodded.

Garcia stood there, his mind racing.

What are you trying to do, sir?

Garcia didn't ask the question aloud, but the expression on his face said it all.

Murphy looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Garcia, stop thinking about it. Just know that spending this money is much more useful than saving it."

Garcia opened his mouth, but in the end he just nodded.

"Understood, sir. I'll arrange it right away."

He turned to leave, but Murphy's voice came from behind him again.

"etc."

Garcia turned around.

Murphy took a credit card from the drawer, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"There's five million here, which is my personal reserve fund, and I'm investing it all in."

Garcia stared at the card, remained silent for two seconds, then stepped forward and put the card away.

"Yes, sir."

"If you don't have enough money, you can contact Irving's side and ask them to transfer some. Just say it was me who said it."

This time, Garcia didn't ask any more questions, just nodded, and then quickly walked out of the office.

The door closed, and the office fell silent.

Murphy sat back down in his chair, his gaze fixed on the gray sky outside the window.

Forty-three million is a large sum of money, but it's still not enough.

If the plan is followed, Houston and even the entire state of Texas will become increasingly chaotic.

He can exchange food for energy in the shop, but not energy.

Although it had previously acquired many small energy sites, the plant's power generation capacity is now several times greater than before.

However, if we want to withstand subsequent electricity price increases without any casualties, we will need to produce on a larger scale.

That's why he asked Garcia to hurry up and make the purchase.

Of course, this kind of purchasing had already begun before, just not on such a large scale.