Becoming an Emperor Starting from the World of The Wandering Earth

Once Murphy started that fire, he had no intention of letting it go out.

The propaganda department has never stopped.

The entire process—from data capture via SkyNet to copy generation and account matrix distribution—is executed flawlessly.

Today I'll post "Houston factory closes down, owner hangs himself in the middle of the night," tomorrow I'll post "Unemployed worker, desperate, robs convenience store at gunpoint," and the day after tomorrow I'll do an in-depth analysis, "What comes after electricity prices? Who will UEG's next target?"

Some of these things are true, some are half true and half false, and some are pure fabrication.

But nobody investigated, and nobody cared.

People just need a reason to be afraid and a place to vent their frustrations.

By the time those bureaucrats realized what was happening and tried to release some kind of "public sentiment-stabilizing" press release, the comment section was already riddled with insults.

Even more interesting is what Thomas is doing.

The Ministry of Public Security's reduction of police force is officially stated as "optimizing resource allocation and prioritizing the protection of core areas."

The translation is: City Hall, Energy Center, Affluent Area – these places must be preserved.

The rest of you are on your own.

The number of patrol cars on the streets surrounding the Southeast Industrial Zone decreased from three times a day to once every three days, and then eventually they disappeared altogether.

Those gangs that were originally suppressed suddenly sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Holt's 13 gang had been fighting the Crippled Gang for months, and they were almost at a decisive point when the newly emerged Bloods gang stabbed them in the flank and seized control of two city blocks.

The bandits, not to be outdone, took advantage of the chaos to claim the dock area as their own territory.

There are also a bunch of small gangs whose names I don't know, in groups of three or five, or a dozen or so, carrying guns bought from the black market, who dare to roam the streets.

Today you rob me of a warehouse, tomorrow I'll burn down your stronghold, and the day after tomorrow we'll agree to a fight.

Those who died were all low-level henchmen; nobody cared, nobody asked, they were just dragged to the suburbs, buried in a hole, and that was it.

Meanwhile, Wilson's business was booming under these circumstances.

The threshold of Price Supplies shop was practically worn out from being walked on so many times.

All sorts of people come here.

Gang procurement, self-defense group representatives, and ordinary workers with nowhere else to turn, all clutching their last bit of credits, hoping to exchange them for a gun to guard their homes.

Wilson accepted all comers; as long as they paid, he would sell the goods.

Of course, major clients are given priority.

For example, recently the 13th gang placed another order for 300 M17s and 10 PKPs.

The crippled gang also sent people over. They wanted about the same things, but in smaller quantities, but they wanted to charge extra and expedite the process.

Wilson accepted orders from both sides and delivered on time to both.

Whether they use the goods to attack the other party or someone else is none of his business.

This leads to another situation.

Chaos was brewing, gangs were clashing, and the bureaucrats finally couldn't sit still any longer.

........................

Austin City Hall Conference Room.

Texas Governor Spencer Edwards, Houston Mayor Roy Giles, members of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, the head of the Harris County Office of Emergency Management, and numerous county representatives were present.

The conference room was packed with dozens of people.

"Gentlemen."

After looking around, Governor Spencer spoke first.

"I won't say anything more. Ever since that female BZ from UEG made some kind of electricity price adjustment, you should all know the situation in Houston and even the whole of Texas."

Upon hearing this, everyone present showed expressions of indignation.

Since the establishment of UEG, although various countries still wield considerable power, they have been forced to abide by the Wandering Earth Law promulgated by UEG in certain aspects.

One of these is that UEG personnel have extensive authority over energy matters and can adjust and schedule them at will.

As a result, that female broker named Betty pulled this stunt, which completely messed things up for everyone.

"So what I wanted to ask everyone today is, how should we solve this?"

As he spoke, Spencer's gaze fell on Houston Mayor Roy Giles.

Upon seeing the governor's gaze, Roy immediately straightened up.

"Governor, if I may be so bold, Houston's police force is already stretched thin. Almost all the police force in the industrial areas has been forced to withdraw, leaving only a few. It is simply unrealistic to try to suppress the situation now."

Roy took a deep breath. "So I suggest mobilizing the National Guard."

These words immediately sparked a low murmur of discussion in the conference hall.

Spencer didn't speak, but turned his head to look at a middle-aged man in a dark gray uniform sitting on the other side of the long table.

That was Brigadier General Curtis Brennan, the deputy commander of the Texas National Guard.

Brennan met his gaze and shook his head.

"impossible."

When Roy heard Curtis refuse without even thinking, his brows furrowed immediately.

"General Curtis, what time is it now? If things continue to fall apart in Houston, it won't just affect Houston itself, but the entire Texas energy supply and logistics network! The National Guard has this responsibility..."

"No, we have no responsibility."

Before Roy could finish speaking, Curtis interrupted him.

"Mayor Roy, I know you're anxious, but you also need to consider the current situation. Theoretically speaking, I'm currently under the temporary control of the UEG."

"And don't you know how many resources the planetary engine construction has consumed, and how many people the UEG has conscripted to the construction site? The active personnel I can currently mobilize are less than 40% of their full strength."

"The rest are either at the engine construction site or in the supporting projects of Project Ark. The same goes for weaponry; the heavy equipment has long been centrally allocated by the UEG."

He paused, then leaned back.

"So I'm no longer responsible. And even if I could get the personnel, what about the money? Who will pay for the salaries, ammunition consumption, and equipment maintenance? The governor knows the state's financial situation better than I do."

"The federal subsidies haven't arrived for three months. UEG only recognizes the Wandering Earth Law; they don't care about local matters."

Roy opened his mouth, then closed it again.

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

At that moment, Philip Morris, a member of the Public Safety Commission sitting diagonally opposite Roy, adjusted his glasses.

"Governor, Mayor Roy, I have an idea."

Spencer glanced at him: "Speak."

Philip leaned forward. "Mobilizing the National Guard is indeed very difficult, we understand that. But is there another approach? Perhaps we could publicly recruit volunteers to supplement the force, after all, large-scale chaos is something no one wants to see."

As he spoke, Philip opened the document in front of him and pointed to a few lines of data.

"According to the committee's statistics, the current police coverage density in the Southeast Industrial Zone is only one-fifth that of the city center. If we could set up three more precincts there, even small ones, and equip them with sufficient personnel and equipment, we could at least stabilize the situation."