Chapter 381: Winter Reserves Before Contact

The “Passing the Torch” piece, composed of *The Darkest Hour* and other content, was having a viral effect.

It reached countless people across the world who had internet access. And those who saw it were eager to share it with those who hadn’t.

Fear is contagious, but like a disease, no one enjoys the feeling.

Much like the nationwide excitement during the resurgence of Hua Country’s military power, the current emotional impact on the public was having a similar effect.

Whether everyone wanted to see it or not, the name “Dawn Association” spread across the globe in an instant.

People used search engines, word of mouth, and even library books, trying to learn about them through every possible channel.

And just like everyone who had ever searched for information on the Dawn Association before, the information they could find through existing channels was pitifully scarce.

Many finally understood the meaning of “Hidden World Guardian.”

“It doesn’t matter if a considerable portion of the limited information is filled with slanderous remarks. It’s for the best if everyone treats ‘Dawn’ as a joke.”

Records like this, hidden away, were being unearthed by people from who knows what corners.

Many people believed that if not for the special circumstances this time, the Dawn Association might have continued to maintain its low profile.

The various official bodies of the World Alliance also offered their own explanations.

It wasn’t just because of Dawn’s habit of staying low-key, but also because Dawn’s existence was a trump card for humanity and the world—one that shouldn’t have been revealed under normal circumstances.

But people lacked confidence at this moment. Many were already accustomed to belittling their governments and harboring an attitude of distrust. They desperately needed an anchor for their hope.

Left with no choice, the Dawn Association, as a key member of the World Alliance, agreed to the Alliance’s request. Following “The Great Dark Purge,” they were once again revealing themselves to the world.

Qin Xiaoxia was a little surprised that the member states of the World Alliance had proactively revealed the “history” of “The Great Dark Purge.”

Although the propaganda claimed it was to free people from excessive, ignorant fear, the act itself also painted Dawn with a brush of tragic historical grandeur, winning them public sympathy.

This open and honorable attitude, whether genuine or not, did much to dispel any misgivings about Dawn and was conducive to social unity.

Just as the Special Security Team and other key agencies in the World Alliance had analyzed, people needed an “idol.” A high-profile, positive idol could have an unprecedented inspirational effect.

Especially when this idol fulfilled all the fantasies of the vast majority of people.

This influence continued to build and spread.

When the entire world was digging into the Dawn Association, the force unleashed was infinitely more powerful than the previous internal investigations conducted by governments.

After all, no matter how powerful a government was, it couldn’t go rummaging through every household’s closets, nor could it search every single corner.

But now, the public’s enthusiasm had a comparable power.

The scarcer the information and the more mysterious they were, the more fatal their attraction to people became.

And leading the world to victory was the mission of the “New Dawn” to begin with, so Qin Xiaoxia “cooperated with public opinion” by strategically sprinkling some “tidbits of information” or “little histories” in the right places.

As long as it wasn’t impossible to find, people would dig it up, no matter how obscure. And so, some deeply hidden historical information came to light.

At home, in villages, at neighborhood gatherings, and on all major social media platforms, people refused to miss out on this feast of self-encouragement.

Every shred of information about Dawn received massive exposure in an incredibly short time.

Heroes. Unsung Guardians hidden behind the world.

The pioneers who were the first to raise the torch of resistance in the darkest ages of antiquity.

Their fighting figures and footprints covered the world; the blood they shed was scattered across the vast earth.

A hundred years, a thousand years, several thousand years!

Dawn’s actions were just like the death-defying oath of the Nine Great Sages during the Darkest Hour!

Unyielding until death, even when fighting alone, even when facing betrayal.

There was also an interesting little interlude.

Back when Qin Xiaoxia was taking Pipi from Russia’s special Guardian unit, he had delivered a “monologue for Dawn.”

Those words had deeply shaken everyone present, causing the entire Guardian and Special Security Team contingents to stand and salute.

A Russian Guardian soldier, also participating in the online discussions, couldn’t contain his emotions and released the words spoken by the Dawn Magic Controller in response to General Rozov’s question.

“Throughout the long ages, we have stood on the front lines against the Demons, never retreating… This does not necessarily mean we are a group of particularly brave people.”

“It is simply that within our hearts, there is a deeper fear…”

“We fear the extinction of humanity and the living creatures of Earth. We fear the destruction of the world. And we fear even more that our descendants might be reduced to livestock, like pigs and sheep!”

“From body to soul… reduced to mindless walking corpses!”

“We may be a band of madmen, or perhaps we truly are terrifying monsters, but we love this world more deeply than anyone!”

Even Qin Xiaoxia, the very author of those words, had underestimated their power.

Confidence and courage aren’t built in a day; they were slowly growing through the mutual discussions and heated debates of the past day or two.

But because of this “Dawn Monologue”…

An immense, widespread sense of respect grew explosively. The worship of heroism is a constant, global theme, and this reaction far exceeded the predictions of all the high-level officials in the World Alliance, including Dawn.

Even those who worried that Dawn’s prestige had now grown past the warning line had to admit that they, too, were captivated by Dawn’s presence. They were more willing to believe that a Dawn like this would always adhere to its principles.

Many experts and scholars also believed that Dawn’s Magic Power oaths possessed considerable binding force. On this point, Huang Jiutian—the only Magic Awakener within the World Alliance member nations and recently promoted to Senior Colonel—gave his firm affirmation.

Modern weaponry, together with the powerful Ancient Guardians, formed the bedrock of people’s confidence.

The phrase “to wipe away our past humiliation” particularly thrilled many young people, giving them the feeling that humanity was launching a counterattack from the brink.

A considerable number of Evolvers who had previously hidden themselves even chose to answer the nation’s call and register with their local police departments.

…

「Kyoto, Special Security Team Headquarters.」

Tao Xingzhi was smoking as usual, watching the various streams of information in the strategy hall with several of his most capable subordinates. He let out a soft puff of smoke.

“Even if it involves deceiving the public to some extent, at least the results are better than we expected…”

Jiutian, Liu Yue, and the others beside him knew what he meant.

No matter how much they trumpeted their resolve to win to the general public, even using slogans about wiping away past humiliation, neither the nations of the World Alliance nor Dawn dared to be the slightest bit complacent about the coming Dark Tide.

Still, it was naturally a good thing that the public was willing to believe it. It was better than being consumed by fear and chaos.

“Notify all allies and all units. Memorandum Plan, Step Two: Winter Stockpile. It can now begin!”

“Yes, sir!”

…

With the issuance of this order, the people, temporarily freed from the suppression of fear, began their own preparations in a more orderly and practical manner.

The efforts in some rural areas were even more significant.

Special seeds, collected through various channels months prior, were distributed by local government departments.

The rice harvested from the paddies planted by Uncle Lu in Qingzhen was among them.

Of course, this wasn’t for people to eat, but for them to find suitable places to plant.

Many apocalyptic works, though nonsensical, highlighted one point that all analysts cared about: food.

It was undeniable that in some deep mountains and old forests, fruit and melon yields had greatly increased. However, humanity’s staple foods were still starch-based, and obtaining resources from those remote areas was difficult—at the very least, it couldn’t keep up with the enormous consumption rate.

The yield of the new crops was far superior to previous ones, and their Life Force was more tenacious. In the laboratory, after the rice ears were harvested, there was a high probability they would sprout and grow again in the right season. Even the planting requirements were significantly lower.

Preparations for the Dark Tide were all-encompassing. To avoid a future food crisis, every preparation in the “Memorandum” was crucial.

It had to be said that having the populace participate in the preparations was a brilliant move. It not only saved manpower but also filled the sense of emptiness in everyone’s hearts.

Even though many understood that what they planted wouldn’t necessarily belong to them, the recent wave of propaganda and the appearance of Dawn made more people willing to believe they would be the beneficiaries of it all.

This was also mentioned in the *Rini Debate*: a period of explosive enthusiasm for work and production among the populace, where social cohesion and trust in the maintainers of order reach an unprecedented stage. In reality, the “initial chaos” had been defused by the World Alliance through various means right as it began.

PS: Second chapter for Sunday.