Chapter 314 - 312: The Situations of Various Countries
The series of disasters triggered by the meteor impact were an irresistible apocalypse for small countries.
The countries in the Europa region fared somewhat better. Although the small governments were powerless in the face of disaster, and order had collapsed due to social chaos even before the meteor impact, at least these countries were not wiped out by tsunamis like the South Seas Region. A substantial number of people managed to survive the first wave of the disaster through self-help.
However, survival in these places proved extremely difficult. Lacking governmental organization and appropriate responses, the survivors in these countries had to rely entirely on themselves, scavenging for usable materials from the ruins. Not only did they face various dangerous environments, but they also had to contend with other survivors, making every day a grueling struggle.
Those who had prepared for doomsday survival beforehand had some capacity to cope with such disasters, but the vast majority of ordinary people without such preparations could only wait for death.
On one hand, their governments had already collapsed due to the social chaos brought on by doomsday panic even before the disaster struck. On the other hand, these ordinary people lacked survival skills for the apocalypse; the vast majority may not even have been able to escape the first wave of disasters caused by the meteor impact.
In these regions, perhaps only true doomsday survivalists could likely make it through alive?
The situation in major countries was relatively better. At least these nations had the capacity to build shelters and military bunkers during peacetime, retaining some military power and organizational structures even after the disaster hit, thus enabling them to organize some social elites to take refuge and survive the initial disaster.
After the disaster, these nations also had the resources to resume production.
Moreover, for these Europa countries, without those that had to be supported with high welfare while always being a burden with multiple opinions, they could move more freely, focusing on rebuilding their nation with a core of social elites.
Of course, this elite model also has its problems. Without a large number of grassroots people, issues like labor shortages and slow development are inevitable. However, fewer people mean less burden, and slower progress is better than total collapse.
After all, there is a fundamental difference between the Europa countries and Flame Country. Their people’s compliance and the government’s control over the state are not as strong as in Flame Country. In situations where ordinary people cannot be restrained, elite groups are more suitable for these nations.
If there are still a few countries in the world that could retain their vitality in the face of disaster and rapidly start rebuilding afterward, on this blue planet, it would be only Flame Country, Federation, and Lucia.
The other two of the five major powers have already degenerated to being indistinguishable from average Europa countries. During peacetime, they might still have some strength, but in the face of an apocalyptic disaster that critically tests overall national power, they would find it hard to accomplish much.
Among the nations, Flame Country’s situation can be considered the best post-apocalypse. With a vast population and territory, not only is there a large number of survivors to serve as post-disaster labor, but there is also ample space to build shelters. They have also preserved a large amount of pre-disaster materials and production resources, allowing for a rapid recovery and commencement of reconstruction after the disaster.
As for Lucia, although this country has long fallen into decline, barely maintaining the facade of a major country, the heritage left by the red polar bear of the past is so vast that even after decades of its demise, Lucia has been living off this legacy for decades, still possessing the confidence and strength to handle disasters.
If you understand the history of Lucia, you would know that this country needs an iron-handed ruler; every famous monarch or leader in Lucia’s history is a symbol of strong-arm rule and power.
Thus, in this disaster, what Lucia lacks is not the strength to respond to the disaster, but a sufficiently powerful ruler, someone strong enough to steer the country, using all resources and means to survive the disaster and then rebuild the homeland.
Considering Lucia’s ability to rebuild a superpower from the ruins and embers after World War II, they actually do not lack the potential and opportunity for resurgence. It all depends on whether they can have a leader capable enough to govern the country.
As for the Federation, historically the world’s number one power on the blue planet, the situation is somewhat complicated.
When the meteor was falling, one headed for the Federation’s mainland. The Federation launched a nuclear missile to intercept it, but the result was not ideal.
The meteor still fell on the Federation’s West Coast, devastating the entire West Coast. Although it didn’t reach the worst-case scenario of hitting the Yellowstone Volcano and triggering an eruption, the outcome was not much better.
After all, the Federation’s previous nuclear missile carried radiation, which combined with meteor fragments and dust, scattered across most of the Federation’s territory, turning it into a wasteland apocalypse.
Moreover, due to the Federation’s unique political system, the federal government lost control over individual states post-disaster. Only a few states near the capital barely followed the federal government’s orders, and even that was merely following, not obeying.
As for the other states, the West Coast states have completely turned into wastelands. Without the barrier of the Rocky Mountains, even the central regions would be at risk of falling.
Now, fortunately, the Rocky Mountains are there, blocking the impact and subsequent secondary disasters of the meteor strike, as well as the radioactive dust from the previous nuclear explosion. This has preserved the central and eastern regions of the Federation east of the Rocky Mountains, yet they have fallen into a state of self-governance.
States like Florida in the south formed the Southern Alliance, while northern states like New York still nominally belong to the Federation. The Great Lakes region states like Wisconsin and Minnesota have independently yet loosely formed an alliance to resist the original Federation.
States in the central region like New Mexico and Texas have also declared independence, though their situations are slightly different.
These states, influenced by ethnicity, culture, and traditional customs, differ in style from other states in the Federation. The Texas people, known for their fierce independence, had long harbored independent intentions and were largely discontent with the local state government.
Thus, after the apocalyptic disaster, survivors in these places quickly formed small factions, governing themselves while starting to battle each other, turning almost the entire central plains of the Federation into a war zone.
If not for the cooling weather, these regions would have been engulfed by snow and ice, the desertified landscape indeed giving it a wasteland feel.
All these conditions significantly hampered the Federation’s ability and progress in post-disaster reconstruction. Although the Federation retained a considerable portion of its power, these forces were dispersed and could not be concentrated.
Now, nations have found themselves back at a new starting line, with some leading, others lagging, and some regrouping for a fresh start. Who can truly take the lead in this post-disaster new world ultimately depends on who can first break free from the clutches of disaster.