In fact, the act of Chen Xin digging a shelter in advance is illegal in terms of procedures, as he had neither construction approval nor engineering filing.
But in the face of the impending apocalyptic natural disaster, the entire country has entered a state of emergency. All the manpower and resources of the municipal departments have been devoted to the transformation of existing civil defense projects, and the state even encourages self-excavation of shelters, so no one is bothering with the underground bunker Chen Xin dug himself.
Civil defense engineering has been a nationwide project in the Flame Country since the 1970s, and although it's not noticeable on the surface, there are actually large amounts of civil defense works in major cities, it's just that people usually haven't paid attention to them.
For example, the underground parking lots of shopping malls or residential areas seem to have nothing special apart from the series of lead-gray heavy iron doors at the entrances and inside, but in reality, this is civil defense engineering. These underground parking lots have triple protection capabilities, allowing them to be used as air raid shelters and refuges in wartime or even under nuclear war conditions.
And now, in the face of a possible meteor impact, the state is not only actively defending but also vigorously transforming these civil defense projects to be used as shelters where residents can live for an extended period.
Because of the high temperatures generated by the meteor impact, along with the ensuing dust clouds and toxic smog, the surface will become uninhabitable for humans for the next hundred years, with subzero temperatures and endless nights being the only landscape humanity will witness on the surface for decades, if not a century.
So under such circumstances, the shelters transformed from underground civil defense projects will become the last homestead where humans can live and reside for the next several decades or even hundreds of years.
Originally, these civil defense projects were not designed for long-term habitation, they were merely meant for short-term refuge.
And now, with humanity possibly living underground for decades or even hundreds of years, it becomes very necessary to transform these civil defense projects.
Especially as the meteor impact will bring extreme climates of short-term high temperatures and freezing cold, placing higher demands on the ventilation and air exchange facilities of these civil defense projects.
Therefore, while the nation, alongside other countries worldwide, actively prepares for the meteor's arrival, the municipal departments and engineering personnel across the country have also been mobilized to upgrade these civil defense projects and, more critically, expand them.
Large underground facilities like subway stations and underground malls are being planned as future underground cities.
After all, facilities like subway stations which are deeply buried underground and can be connected with other subway stations, are indeed excellent choices for conversion into underground cities.
And this was actually one of the reserved functions when metro stations were being constructed and planned.
During the Second World War, when Germany bombed London, the citizens of London escaped the devastating air raids by sheltering in subway stations.
Apart from renovating civil defense projects, stocking various supplies has also become a focus of the state's disaster response.
In the short term, there's no shortage of food for the nation, as the Flame Country's grain reserves are enough to feed the nation for three years. However, most of this grain is concentrated in granaries across the country, and now efforts are needed to transport and distribute the grain from the warehouses to shelters planned in various cities.
All work is proceeding with tense order, although some might want to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble or rob resources. Under the implementation of the emergency state by the nation, it's no longer the police but the army maintaining order. Naturally, those who wish to court death are dealt with harshly by the military, fulfilling their desires.
Under the comprehensive planning and firm control of the nation, most of the shelters have been completed on schedule, and resource reserves are in place, allowing people to enter and take refuge.
Meanwhile, as it's considered that the possible impact location of the meteor might be the Pacific Ocean, coastal residents are being relocated inland. Although this results in significant economic losses for the nation, in the face of a potential massive tsunami, the state cannot prioritize economic interests at the expense of endangering several hundred million people in the Southeast coast.
As the co-founder profoundly said, "Lose people and land, you'll lose both; preserve people and lose land, you'll preserve both." As long as people survive, cities can be rebuilt if lost, but if all the people are lost, who will carry out disaster recovery and rebuilding?
In just a few short months, the nation must prepare contingency plans for the meteor impact and carry out disaster preparedness across the country. Even for a nation like the Flame Country, with a government possessing strong control, it must mobilize national strength and unite from top to bottom to barely complete most of the work within such a short span.
In countries where government's control is insufficient, society has already plunged into a state of collapse.
In small countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, since their governments lack the capacity to cope with such a crisis, the national order has already collapsed, and society has plunged into an unruly chaotic state.
In these regions, for a packet of food, people might draw guns and duel, leading to deaths. A life could be worth less than a piece of bread.
At such times, in these regions, humanity has reverted to the most primitive state of survival of the fittest, hardly stronger than animals; their only thought is how to stay alive.
Although this is the same as what people in order-restored regions are pondering, the ways both sides achieve this purpose differ vastly.
If it were in the past, other countries might have extended a helping hand to these chaotic regions facing disaster, but now all nations can barely manage their own affairs. Even the strongest five powers on Blue Star can only ensure self-preservation amid this global catastrophe.
In fact, even among the five powers of Blue Star, only the Flame Country, where the government has strong control over the nation, is in the best condition. Although Britain and Gaul haven't fallen into a state of disorder, society remains incredibly chaotic, with a large number of demonstrations and riots exhausting their governments.
As for Lucia, the situation is much better than Britain and Gaul. Especially as a former superpower, Lucia has inherited most of the legacy of that old red regime. Thanks to this red legacy and its geographical environment and climatic conditions, Lucia hasn't faced much chaos in dealing with this global catastrophe and is faring much better than Britain and Gaul.
As the only remaining superpower on Blue Star, the Federation's situation appears somewhat bizarre.