I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 762 - 660: The Current Situation in Europe

Compared to the domestic prosperity and the increasingly better life of ordinary citizens, Europe isn't as fortunate.

Due to the differences in social systems, the lives of high-level bureaucrats and wealthy people in Europe aren't greatly affected; they were prepared for the disaster early on.

These people are wealthy and powerful enough to ensure a good life even in a post-apocalyptic world created by the disaster.

Of course, some of them felt that Europe wasn't safe enough and went to the Federation early, preparing everything over there.

Originally, in their plans, the Federation, the strongest nation on Blue Star, should be able to guarantee their safety and allow them to enjoy a luxurious life even during the apocalypse.

But they did not anticipate that the meteorite would strike the Federation, and the eruption of Yellowstone Volcano directly buried the entire Federation.

However, Europe was mostly unaffected by the meteorite strike, so most people lived well.

Though living well only applied to the aristocrats who had prepared before the disaster; the common people were left to struggle in cold and hunger.

Before the disaster, European countries had built shelters at all costs, but they couldn't compare with a state like Flame Country with strong mobilization capability or share the luck of inheriting a superpower's legacy like Lucia.

During the Cold War, European countries built facilities like underground bunkers, but those had long vanished after the Cold War ended.

The majority of European citizens found themselves abandoned by the elites, fighting for survival in the cities.

Fortunately, after the initial disaster passed, European elites realized that if they wanted to continue ruling the country, the common folk were indispensable.

Moreover, as leaders of a country, they weren't shortsighted enough to completely abandon their nation's citizens; the inability to manage them before the disaster was due to a genuine lack of capability.

Once the situation stabilized, the elites began to gradually aid the grassroots masses, counting and managing them again as valuable human resources for rebuilding cities.

Though times were still tough, working for the government in exchange for food allowed some ordinary people who couldn't loot to survive.

As alien invasions began, however, life became brutally difficult and unbearable, even in such a post-apocalyptic setting after the disaster.

Countries had to transport a large amount of supplies to the frontline to resist the alien invasion, pulling troops from maintaining city security to fight, and drafting able-bodied civilians to replenish forces.

This led to the already improving security in cities plummeting to rock bottom.

Despite knowing battles were happening at the front, some ill-intentioned individuals couldn't resist causing trouble, starting zero-cost shopping sprees and even forming their own forces to oppress and enslave ordinary citizens who couldn't loot.

Countries, aware of these issues, dispatched remaining troops to quash them, but with limited manpower and stretched resources, efforts were akin to covering new problems while old ones reappeared, bringing minimal relief.

Factories and mines controlled by national governments were alright, and some major cities maintained decent security in parts, accommodating ordinary civilians.

But in smaller cities, national governments lost control to local factions, becoming strongholds for these forces.

While not directly opposing national governments, they still belonged to government jurisdiction on the surface, even turning in resources, but maintained a local division stance.

This situation troubled the national governments and worsened life for the grassroots population.

Local factions wouldn't consider cordiality; towards the ordinary people they ruled, they exploited them like slaves, extracting every bit of value.

Many of these grassroots citizens lacked food, warm clothing, and even fuel for heat, struggling in cold and darkness, with some freezing to death daily.

Among these factions, some were slightly foresighted, treating ordinary people a bit better, offering them some food and shelter, so they wouldn't freeze to death outright.

But most factions focused solely on their own comfort, unconcerned with the lives of the enslaved grassroots residents, treating them like livestock to be exploited for their last value.

Many, overwhelmed, tried to escape faction-controlled cities, but in exhaustion and cold, they lacked food, warm clothing, and transportation.

Escaping the city, they only met death.

The difference being dying in slavery, or freezing to death in the wild with a longing for freedom.

Europe has retreated into a dark medieval state, cities and villages becoming independent entities, and countries reduced to conceptual titles, with official powers one of the strongest among numerous factions.

Though they disliked this fragmented landscape, countries couldn't stop it, as most military forces were dedicated to combating aliens, unable to suppress domestic divisions and fragmentation.

This situation forced countries to stabilize their current territories and maintain the status quo.

Europe's gun prevalence wasn't as high as in the Federation, so although local factions occupied areas, they lacked military power to oppose regular forces, maintaining tax collection.

Given access to resources and manpower, countries couldn't cleanly eliminate factions, so they begrudgingly maintained the status quo.

But for Flame Country, this situation was unacceptable.

On one hand, fragmented factions hindered Flame Country's work of collecting European nation "civilian" technology and resources. On the other, it threatened to affect the fight against alien invasions.

Initially, Flame Country didn't want to meddle, as these were domestic issues for European nations, but things changed drastically when one of its material exchange teams was robbed and its members kidnapped.