A national broadcast began at 12:00, during which the president outlined the next steps until the situation normalized. The first priority was children. Until 17:00, only school buses and taxis were allowed on the streets. Schools would divide students who didn’t fit in the school buses by zones. A teacher would accompany each group of students in the taxi, returning to the school to pick up more kids. Taxi drivers would receive a voucher from each student, which they could later cash in for a hefty sum. It was good business, so almost every taxi driver was on the street.

In the meantime, the police and army would maintain order. All stores were required to remain closed until 17:00. After that, police and army reinforcements would ensure security, and people would be allowed onto the streets and into stores in shifts based on their national ID numbers. Those with IDs ending in 0 would go first, followed an hour later by those ending in 1, and so on. Purchases were limited per person. Stores were ordered to stay open until 3 AM to accommodate everyone.

Anyone injured was advised to wait at their door with a white flag or cloth. The army would conduct rounds to provide primary care or transport those in need.

Alex (patting Morgan): Well… looks like it’s under control for now. We have food for more than two weeks if we stick to mostly rice and pasta, but let’s both use our time in the street to hit the supermarket and pharmacy today. And let’s order delivery too. They’ll probably overcharge, but it’ll help keep our food stocks intact. Once cars are allowed again, we can join everyone at Ricky’s.
Ellie: Is that really necessary? Wouldn’t it be easier to hole up here until the dust settles?
Alex: Probably, but what if it doesn’t?
Ellie didn’t want to think about that scenario.
Ellie: I know… it’s just that so many people in one house for who knows how long won’t be easy.
Alex: I know, but if the worst comes to pass, we’ll be glad we went. Otherwise, it’s just a couple of uncomfortable days. If things stabilize by Monday, we can come back.
Ellie: OK. Are you going to try to sleep?
Alex: Yeah, but I’ll take a bath first. I’m sweaty and bloody. Should’ve done it before getting bandaged.

Alex couldn’t sleep, so he spent the day watching news shows and reading about God’s message. The Message, The Warning, and Advent of a New Phase were the most popular names it had been given.

By nightfall, the situation began stabilizing around the world. Some areas remained out of control, but most were managing, borrowing rules from COVID lockdowns. However, a few countries seized the chaos to settle old scores, invading or retaliating against rivals.

Alex flipped through TV channels.

TV Show 1: “We repeat, the six measures implemented by the government are as follows…”
Next>>
TV Show 2: “Sixteen countries are still unable to regain full control. The two in the worst condition are…”
Next>>
TV Show 3: “Our God is disappointed, but in His infinite mercy, He gave us another cha—”
Next>>..
TV Show 4: “How will this affect the fútbol league?”
Seriously? Next>>
TV Show 5: “The government can’t just shoot at people; human ri—”
Idiots. Next>>
TV Show 6: “It means monsters! And the power to fight them!”

Ooh, interesting. A debate. Let’s see if they have anything good to say.

Guest 1: I agree, we’ll probably start seeing new creatures and magic, but it really depends on which fantasy worlds this will resemble. There could be hordes of monsters, or they could be rare.
Guest 2: If they’re rare, the world won’t change much. The key to survival will be society’s adaptability. If things spiral out of control, we’re in trouble, but if we stay organized, it might not be a huge shift.
Anchor: If the worst-case scenario happens and the world fills with monsters, what should we do?
Guest 2: Well, it depends on the monster. If dragons come, leave the cities and build small towns.
Guest 3: Everyone is supposed to have a chance. There won’t be a dragon invasion.
Guest 1: I highly doubt it. I’d say there’s less than a 1% chance. Cities should be walled, and armies should actively clear out nearby monsters.
Anchor: So we should stay in the cities?
Guest 1: As long as there’s order, cities should be safer than the countryside.

Guest 2 and 3 nodded in agreement.
Anchor: And what do you recommend if we’re faced with monsters?
Guest 3: The most common strategy for success in most fantasy worlds is forming a team. Each member specializes in different tasks to maximize survivability and damage output.
At least they’re covering the basics.
Guest 1: Agreed. Party-building is key to success.
Anchor: And how should a party be composed, ideally? The more people, the better?
Guest 2: It depends. The common roles are usually: Tanks, who specia—

Anchor: I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have breaking news!