When the news of the final laying of the two thrusters was announced, the entire civilization fell into a frenzy. No matter which ship it is, it becomes a sea of joy. Even some of the ships that were classified as fifth-class cities have been released from energy restrictions and supplies, and people can get fine food and supplies that they can't get for a month of hard work at a very low price. Even the air smelled of celebration.

People know that this news does not only mean a victory in some macro situation, but also means that everyone cares, and at the same time, it is related to everyone's specific problems. For example, now that this great project has been successfully completed, can the resources allocated to them in the past be returned to their original territory? Is the classification of cities abolished? Are there any restrictions on the availability of resources? Will the tax rate be reduced to the level it was before the disaster?

In comparison, these are the things that touch the hearts of the people the most. At the same time, almost everyone is optimistic. The reason is simple: one really can't imagine what kind of justification the government can use to suppress the improvement of living standards. Isn't the development of technology just to make people's lives better? What should have been paid has been paid, what should have been done has been done, and there is no need for us to continue to maintain a lower standard of living than that of ancient humans.

Under this great expectation, Shen Qingyuan finally woke up from hibernation.

When Shen Qingyuan regained consciousness, he found that he was not in the hibernation cabin, but in the rescue room. There were all kinds of pipes and instruments that I didn't know the purpose of, the air was filled with the pungent smell of medicine, and there were no political councilors waiting next to them, only doctors and nurses in white coats.

Seeing Shen Qingyuan wake up, a doctor stepped forward, took off his mask, and said, "Führer, you're awake." ”

"I ...... What's wrong? ”

Shen Qingyuan said with difficulty, only feeling like a ball of cotton was stuffed in his throat. The lungs were also burning with pain, and every breath felt like a steel file was constantly rubbing.

The doctor whispered, "Führer, because you are already extremely weak, you have had an accident in the process of recovering from hibernation. But don't worry, we've got it covered. ”

Shen Qingyuan closed his eyes and silently felt his body. He clenched his fist hard, but his fingers only moved slightly. He tried to lift his legs, but they felt like they had been hit with lead, and he couldn't lift them no matter how hard he tried.

Sensing Shen Qingyuan's movements, the doctor hurriedly said, "Führer, please stay relaxed." There are seventy-three devices in force at the moment, and if you push too hard, it could cause another problem with your organs. ”

"Can I still stand up?"

The doctor shook his head in silence.

"Oh......" Shen Qingyuan muttered in reply, his eyes looking at the ceiling with some hollowness.

The doctor whispered, "Awakening you from a coma is already the limit of our capabilities and current technology. ”

Shen Qingyuan ignored it, and instead asked another question: "How long can I live?" ”

"Ideally, you have a month or so left to live."

"A month...... Shen Qingyuan muttered, "I don't know if there's enough time." What's going on now? Why are you waking me up? ”

The doctor said, "I don't know. I just received a wake-up order signed by all the members of the Council of Affairs, and I took a wake-up measure against you. ”

"Very good, call Lei Zhen."

General Lei Zhen, who was tall and had a stern expression, strode into the ward and saluted Shen Qingyuan on the hospital bed. The doctors exited their rooms.

"Is the project complete?"

"Yes."

"When will it start?"

"Anytime."

"Are there any surprises?"

"Everything was planned."

"Good."

Shen Qingyuan closed his eyes a little tired and stopped talking. Lei Zhen operated on the portable computer on his wrist a few times, and after a while, several people wearing sterile suits and carrying boxes in their hands walked in. With the cooperation of the doctors, they installed some strange instruments on Shen Qingyuan's body. After completion, one person turned on a certain projection device, and Shen Qingyuan's figure was projected.

Shen Qingyuan in the virtual projection had a faint smile on his face, his figure was tall and straight, and he was full of confidence and domineering in his gestures, just like decades ago. This figure is in stark contrast to Shen Qingyuan, who is lying on the hospital bed and unable to move, and can only rely on various equipment to maintain his life.

Without anyone operating, the virtual image turned around on its own and said to Lei Zhen, "Let's go, let's go to the conference room." ”

General Lei Zhen saluted again, turned and left the room. The projection equipment was turned off, and Shen Qingyuan's figure disappeared.

In the conference room of the Political Affairs Committee, nine of the ten members of the committee, except for General Lei Zhen, were all seated, but the seat of the head of state was always empty. The door to the conference room was opened, but only General Lei Zhen entered, and the expected figure of the Führer did not appear.

Lei Zhen ignored the puzzled eyes of the committee members, but operated on his wrist a few times. The projection equipment above the conference room was turned on, and Shen Qingyuan's figure appeared in the conference room.

"I'm sorry everyone, but I can't come here due to some special circumstances, so I can only attend the meeting this way. Since you have decided to wake me up, something must happen. Now report back to me one by one. ”

This way of participating, while bizarre, is not unacceptable. The committee members reported to Shen Qingyuan in turn, describing the various changes that have taken place in civilization in the past few decades from the overall situation.

"It's good that everyone has done their part during my hibernation. Now that the Super Planetary Accelerator project has been completed, let's get ready to go. However, there is one more thing that needs to be told to everyone, when the Courier program enters the third stage, and we really set off, the existing economic policy needs to be adjusted again. You need to plan your own field and promote it to the community, and it is important to ensure a smooth transition. ”

This is what it should be, and the committee members are mentally prepared for it. As everyone knows, existing economic policies are only for emergencies and cannot be sustained for long. Now that the planetary accelerator has been built, it is natural that it will be canceled.

For a moment, the conference room fell completely silent.

Shen Qingyuan's figure slowly glanced at the committee members—the camera equipment representing Shen Qingyuan also rotated at the same time, taking in the reactions of the committee members.

"I order that the residence tax rate be increased by 10 percent and the consumption tax rate by 5 percent, and at the same time, robot jobs will be abolished, robot workers will be replaced by human workers, the weekly working hours will be extended, holidays will be compressed, and the supply of various daily necessities will be further restricted......"

Although as far as the current political system is concerned, it is not in accordance with the regulations for the head of state to directly order the adjustment of tax rates or the economy, but in today's world, when Shen Qingyuan has essentially implemented dictatorship, no one will be stupid enough to care about these things. Anyway, nearly a hundred years ago, Shen Qingyuan was already doing this.

What surprised the committee members was not Shen Qingyuan's direct intervention in the economy, but Shen Qingyuan's so-called economic adjustment.

Residence tax rate increase? Consumption tax rate increase? Eliminate robot jobs? Compress your vacation?

Why? Is it necessary? Does this make any sense other than to provoke a stronger backlash from the population? Especially now that almost all the population is looking forward to more easing.

Han Luochang was so shocked that he forgot the speaking procedure: "Führer, why do you want to do this?" ”

Shen Qingyuan said lightly: "The resource reserves are limited, and in the voyage of more than 2,000 years, we must use energy sparingly. ”

"What about the elimination of robot jobs? What's the obsess? ”

"Being idle all the time is not good for social stability."

Han Luochang only felt a rush of hot blood into his brain, making Han Luochang want to directly grab Shen Qingyuan's collar and knock his head open to see if his brain was already muddy. Not only Han Luochang, but even Wu Wei, who had never been the only one who had always been Shen Qingyuan, also widened his eyes in surprise, and even Professor Laird, Commissioner Donald, who had nothing to do with economic work, also had an incredible look on their faces.

Shen Qingyuan's so-called reason is completely untenable. Anyone with basic wisdom knows that doing so is not good for civilization. originally thought that the economic adjustment announced by Shen Qingyuan would be a relaxed policy, but no one expected that Shen Qingyuan would further tighten it.

Shen Qingyuan glanced at the committee members again, and said lightly: "Whether you understand it or not, you must implement it." ”

General Lei Zhen sat quietly in his seat, his head hanging slightly, as if he had not noticed what was happening in the conference room. So people knew that General Lei Zhen still supported Shen Qingyuan. And as long as General Lei Zhen supports it, then it is useless even if all the other committee members oppose it.

"Yes."

After a long silence, the commissioners finally responded.

"Very well, adjournment."

Shen Qingyuan's figure disappeared, and General Lei Zhen was the first to leave the conference room.

After these economic adjustment policies were announced, although various experts and scholars have interpreted them from countless aspects and come to the conclusion that this move is very necessary and meaningful, the boiling public opinion is still like being poured down by a basin of cold water and calmed down in an instant. After a moment of subsidence, a stronger rebound arrived.

A hundred years of repression, a hundred years of sacrifice and dedication. I thought that I would finally come to the end of the bitterness and persist until it was time to turn over, but who would have thought that the suffering would continue, and even worse than before?

Anger exploded like a bomb. Just one day after the announcement, countless people spontaneously took to the streets.