Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies Chapter 1573: Absorbing Population

Ma Wenzheng's political ideology class began among the first batch of Shadow Troop members.

When an individual merges into a collective, it is like water flowing into the sea, and soon a sense of collective honor is born from shared goals and beliefs.

Or rather, in an apocalypse like this, faith is an excellent placebo. It gives people a reason to keep living and provides comfort to their souls.

Outside the classroom, Xing Tian, who had been kicked out, scratched his head in confusion, feeling completely bewildered.

But when he heard the unified voices coming from inside the classroom, an emptiness crept into his heart. It felt as though he had been excluded from the Shadow Troop entirely.

Inevitably, a sense of panic began to well up inside him.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, the thought of potentially facing rejection from the entire Shadow Troop from now on made him feel deeply uneasy.

After the class ended, everyone walked out of the classroom chatting and laughing.

Compared to the tedious and grueling training, this kind of class was much more relaxing.

But when they spotted Xing Tian standing outside the classroom, everyone's expressions turned a little strange.

"Xing Tian, how does it feel to be out here?"

A Transcendent asked with a grin, and those around him immediately wore mocking looks on their faces.

Xing Tian twitched the corner of his mouth. "Go play somewhere else!"

He turned his head away, ignoring the team members' ridicule.

Imperceptibly, a thin, invisible barrier seemed to have formed between them.

Xing Tian didn't leave. He waited outside the classroom the entire time. Only when Ma Wenzheng finally walked out did he step forward to meet him.

"Teacher Ma, could I have a word with you?"

Xing Tian said.

Ma Wenzheng looked at Xing Tian and said with a smile, "Of course you can!"

"About... what happened in class earlier, I'm sorry. You should know me well enough to understand that I didn't mean any offense toward you."

Ma Wenzheng gave him a long, deep look, then said very seriously, "Xing Tian, we're old friends by now. But the past at Qingpu Base is the past. Right now, you are a member of the Shadow Troop, and my role is that of a teacher. So I hope that during class, you can maintain a proper attitude."

With that, Ma Wenzheng broke into a warm smile.

"Of course, once class is over, we're still friends!"

Xing Tian nodded.

"I understand."

Even though he said that, deep down, he still felt somewhat unconvinced.

Ma Wenzheng continued, "You should understand that the Shadow Troop is a force the Supreme One built with tremendous effort. So its importance here goes without saying!"

"If you refuse to cooperate with the courses here, isn't that the same as going against the Supreme One?"

Xing Tian's heart skipped a beat. Although he and Zhang Yi were old classmates, he knew exactly what kind of person Zhang Yi was.

If anyone stepped out of line on something this critical, Zhang Yi would show absolutely no mercy.

He quickly said, "I know I was wrong today, and from now on, I'll change! Please, don't tell him about this!"

Ma Wenzheng looked at Xing Tian, a deep and meaningful smile playing on his face.

"I can give you another chance. You'd better seize it well!"

He reached out and patted Xing Tian on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.

The next day.

Everyone noticed that Xing Tian had undergone a dramatic change.

He had become the most active advocate for maintaining order within the Shadow Troop. He shouted the slogans the loudest, and whenever he saw members with a lackadaisical attitude, he would speak up to remind them.

In response to this transformation, Ma Wenzheng gave him direct encouragement, praising his loyalty to the Shadow Troop organization and to Zhang Yi in front of everyone.

As for everything happening here, Zhang Yi was completely unaware.

He was far too busy right now to manage every single matter across Tianshui City.

Therefore, Yang Xinxin had been handling all of it, including Ma Wenzheng's training program, which she had personally directed.

What Zhang Yi cared about most right now was the construction of the Tianshui Forbidden Zone.

With the shelter as its core, it was expanding outward in concentric rings, gradually increasing the base's area and defensive capabilities.

Moreover, he had now broken free of his previous way of thinking. To solve the labor shortage, he began opening Tianshui City's borders, allowing people from other cities to migrate there.

The results of this approach were immediate.

Zhang Yi's reputation throughout the Jiangnan Region needed no introduction. His name thundered in everyone's ears.

But in the past, he had forbidden people from other cities to enter Tianshui City, to prevent troublemakers from causing chaos here.

He simply couldn't be bothered to act as a regional enforcer of order, so completely sealing off the city had been the best option.

However, to build the Tianshui Forbidden Zone, and also for the aerospace engineering projects that might come in the future, he needed to increase his available labor force.

The moment the news of Tianshui City opening its borders spread, it attracted a massive influx of outsiders.

Everyone yearned to receive Zhang Yi's protection.

In just over a month, Tianshui City's population skyrocketed from ten thousand to eighty thousand!

And more people from farther away were still arriving in droves.

Tianshui City currently possessed abundant resources, capable of sustaining a population of up to three hundred thousand while providing relatively comfortable living conditions.

Under extreme conditions, it could accommodate one million people.

However, Zhang Yi's short-term plan was to first accept one hundred thousand. Once the initial phase proved successful, he would continue opening the borders.

Solving the two great challenges of population survival, food and energy, was not much of a problem for him.

Through his cultivation efforts, a number of support-type ability users had emerged in Tianshui City.

Similar to Li Jian, plant-type ability users could accelerate the cultivation of crops.

Transcendents in the coastal areas, meanwhile, could enter the ocean without any protective gear to catch fish, providing Tianshui City with an abundant and continuous food supply.

Lu Dahai had once reported to Zhang Yi on this matter.

Lu Dahai said, "I come from a fishing family. Back in the old days by the sea, I could go out alone and haul in a thousand catties of fish in half a month! The able-bodied young adults in the entire Chaoyu Base, those who can go out to fish, number over a thousand. If each person catches a thousand catties, in half a month we can bring in over a million catties of fish!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yi clapped his hands and shouted, "Badass!"

"But I think it would be more efficient to use trawlers and head into the deep sea."

"The current machinery is obsolete. The fuel era is officially over. From now on, we'll use spirit stones to replace it."

"I'll have Lu Keran retrofit the boats at the harbor, so we won't have to worry about energy. You can go out and fish just like in the old days."

In such a low-temperature environment, there were far too few fish near the coast. To catch in bulk, they would have to venture into the deep sea.