Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 158 Team Composition, Light Industry Plan!

The excitement of the demolition ceremony continues.

There are many talented people in the community. Some people play and sing on their old accordions, while others do somersaults and acrobatics. The sounds of gongs and drums and laughter blend together, and the atmosphere becomes more and more lively.

However, the three district elders did not remain seated on the stage, but instead returned to Tianyuan Mall together.

Old Song was the oldest, and after being exposed to the cold wind for more than an hour, his face turned a little pale. The other two elderly people were also worried that he would catch a cold, so they accompanied him back.

"I'm getting old, my health isn't what it used to be." Sitting on the worn-out sofa in the reception area, Old Song took a sip of hot water from his enamel mug, and only then did his expression become a little more lively.

He shook his head with a wry smile, "I used to be on duty in the snow, squatting for a whole day and night without feeling cold. Now, even just a short while in the wind, the cold seeps straight into my bones."

Cheng Ye sat opposite him, looking at the old man's white hair at his temples, and felt a little emotional.

Old Song's generation survived the crueler old era, and the injuries and illnesses they suffered have long taken root in their bodies.

How long I can live from now on depends entirely on my personal beliefs.

He smiled and changed the subject, his eyes sweeping over the newly renovated mall. "Mr. Song, has the mall been renovated?"

"It was finished a couple of days ago." Mentioning this, Old Song's eyes lit up. He put down his enamel cup, and his tone became more proud. "Perfect timing, I also need to report to you on the community work during this period."

"Please don't, I'm counting on you to continue leading my team in the future." Cheng Ye chuckled.

Old Song immediately understood the implication in the words, and a smile flashed in his eyes, but he did not respond immediately. Instead, he stood up and led Cheng Ye to walk around the mall.

On the first floor of the mall, the wooden floors that had warped due to dampness were all replaced and replaced with smooth, light gray tiles, so there was no more creaking sound when you stepped on them.

The few mottled and dilapidated load-bearing columns outside have been painted with a vibrant green paint, which makes the whole space seem more lively.

"The biggest headache before was the wiring problem."

Old Song led Cheng Ye to the main power distribution box in the corner of the first floor, pointed to the brand-new metal box and said, "The wiring in this box used to be a mess like a spider web, and it would trip the circuit breaker frequently. Now it has been replaced with a complete control unit, and the circuits of the entire mall have been reorganized and replanned, with separate circuits for lighting and equipment. We are no longer afraid of overloading."

Cheng Ye leaned over to take a look. There were flashing indicator lights inside the box, and a circuit diagram was pasted next to it, clearly marked. It was indeed much neater than before.

“The water system has also been updated.” Old Song led him to the stairwell. “Before, there were only two water collection points on the first and fifth floors, and everyone had to wait in a long line to get water. Now, water pipes have been re-installed on each floor, and simple filtration devices have been installed.”

The blue water pipes are exposed, and in such an old-fashioned building, it's impossible to run concealed wiring anymore.

However, the overall path is very neat and orderly, and it doesn't look uncomfortable.

In addition, the toilets, which used to have long queues during peak hours, have been improved. The number of stalls on each floor has increased from ten to twenty. Simple partitions have been erected, the walls have been painted snow-white, and even some "Keep Hygiene" signs have been posted. They are much cleaner and tidier than before.

But the most noticeable change is the elevated shops in the mall that used to be as densely packed as those in Kowloon Walled City.

Previously, these bunks were stacked on layers of scrap metal frames, with the highest point almost reaching the ceiling. There was only a narrow gap between the bunks, just wide enough for a person to pass through, making it messy and oppressive.

Now, all the rotten iron frames have been replaced with brand new silver steel pipes, and the tattered quilts and mattresses have been uniformly replaced with new dark blue quilts.

Furthermore, the height of the berths was strictly limited, retaining only two-thirds of the original height and changing it into upper, middle, and lower berths similar to those in a train sleeper, which saves space and prevents people from feeling cramped.

"The mall originally had 4,200 registered permanent residents."

Standing in the middle of the stall area, Old Song said with a hint of relief, "Even if some of them work away from home and don't come back often, it would still be too much to squeeze 3,500 people in. Fortunately, the Civil Affairs Bureau coordinated with the community to buy the vacant area near the vegetable market at a low price a while ago, and we have now settled 2,000 people there."

"Oh, is it that fruit and vegetable market from before?"

"Yes, after the previous wave of infections, there were already ventilation and drainage facilities. We did some simple renovations, and it's quite comfortable to live in."

He paused, then added, "We prioritized families with children and individuals who have contributed to the community. Now they are comfortable sleeping on both sides, and many people are unwilling to move away."

This is change.

It's a change that brings even more happiness than the pedestrian street outside.

Several middle-aged people, suffering from colds, were lying in bed. When they saw Cheng Ye approaching, they quickly sat up straight, their faces showing a slightly embarrassed but incredibly sincere smile.

"Mr. Song, you did a great job."

Cheng Ye exclaimed sincerely, "Distribution is a big issue. It's not easy to get so many people in the community to listen and for everyone to live a good life."

Upon hearing this, Old Song finally smiled and turned to Cheng Ye, "Prosecutor Cheng, if there's anything you need this old man to do, just say so."

"Not just me, no one in the community would refuse you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other two district elders behind him quickly nodded in agreement.

"Well!"

The group returned to the reception area. Erlong, along with several former militia members, had arrived at some point and were standing at the door.

"Sir, my brother told me to come and wait for you first. He'll be here soon after he finishes finishing up the demolition compensation." Erlong hurriedly stepped forward, his tone respectful.

Cheng Ye smiled and nodded, and they chatted about some small talk first.

Regarding the changes brought about by the fog, the refugee camp outside the buffer zone mentioned again how amazing the fish reserves of the White Water River were.

Before long, Da Long indeed led a few people in quickly.

In no time, more than twenty people gathered in the reception area. Da Long introduced them one by one: there were cadres in charge of community management and people's livelihood, militia backbone members in charge of security, and representatives of the workers who had previously renovated the mall. They were all capable people in Tianyuan Community.

They clearly realized what Cheng Ye was about to say.

As for Wang Kang, he didn't join in the fun; instead, he led his men to the back to process the fish.

Once everyone was seated, Cheng Ye cleared his throat and got straight to the point: "You've all heard about the satellite city construction, right?"

"I've heard about it!" Da Long nodded first, his tone filled with excitement. "The radio station has been building up momentum these past two days. I heard that the first batch of 12 satellite cities will be built together, and the subsequent satellite cities will be launched one after another within a week."

"Yes, Da Long is right."

Cheng Ye nodded, took out a folded map of the surrounding area from his pocket, spread it on the table, and drew a large circle on the map with his fingertip. "The construction of satellite cities is the core development plan for Happiness City in the next step. In the future, we will extend outwards along the ruins of the entire Sichuan City, building a ring of satellite cities to form a large encirclement and defense circle."

Actually, this concept of a defensive perimeter was not explicitly mentioned above; it was something he deduced himself based on the layout logic of satellite cities.

After all, the core significance of satellite cities is "multi-point coordinated defense," and in the future, they will inevitably be divided into first-level, second-level, and third-level defense zones.

The outermost satellite cities will automatically form isolation zones, keeping infected and mutated creatures in the wilderness at the very edge.

Further in, the dangers are filtered out layer by layer by the satellite cities, and by the time they reach Happiness City, the remaining threats are already negligible.

This is precisely why the size of the three checkpoints has been gradually reduced so as not to affect the basic operations.

"And I will probably choose one of the locations next and lead the team to build a satellite city."

Cheng Ye got straight to the point, his fingertip landing directly on the small dot marked "Dabo Town" on the map, his tone frank.

You might need to be careful with your words when dealing with those above you, but you must be completely sincere with those in front of you who will work for you and might even risk their lives for you.

No one wants to leave the safe buffer zone and face the danger of death in the wilderness.

Especially since many of the people present were retired veterans of the pioneering corps, they knew better than anyone what building a city outside meant. If they tried to hide anything, they would be the first to notice the flaws.

To get people to follow you through thick and thin, you need two things: sincerity and a genuine exchange of benefits.

Before everyone could fully process the news, Cheng Ye continued, "My choice of Dabo Town wasn't just a random decision. First, the geographical environment here is profitable. The fish reserves in the Baishui River are astonishing, and we can accumulate a valuable amount of development funds just from the fishing industry, without having to rely on government funding all the time. Second, Dabo Town can be linked with our Tianyuan Community's pedestrian street to form a closed loop of 'fishery supply + trade circulation,' which can double our profits."

"Why do you say that?"

Cheng Ye flipped the map to the back, where he had drawn three large outlines earlier, with neat handwriting.

He pointed to the first box on the left.

【handicraft】

"Let's talk about handicrafts first. In my opinion, there are so many women and children in our community who have nothing to do every day and can only rely on community subsidies and their husbands to go out to work to support them. This is a very unreasonable community structure. It's not that they don't have labor power, it's just that they haven't found suitable work. They can't be supported forever, or they can't do some odd jobs, which is a waste of time and doesn't earn much."

"What I'm going to assign them are stable jobs that are not difficult, highly repetitive, but offer considerable income."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Ye's fingertips slid down to the bottom of the frame, where a simple doorway illustration was drawn, with a few bold black characters written next to it.

[Big Wave Fish Processing Plant]

"This is the first industrial layout in Dabo Town."

Pointing to the illustration, he explained, “The fish caught from the Baishui River will not be transported directly to the pedestrian street or other places for further processing, as that would be too time-consuming and increase transportation costs. We will build a processing plant to process the fish in batches: cleaning the internal organs uniformly, then slicing and dividing them into pieces according to demand, and then packaging them in three specifications: ‘fresh for consumption,’ ‘marinated for preservation,’ and ‘dried fish.’”

“Inspector Cheng,” said the old man to Old Song’s left.

As the person in charge of community work allocation, he naturally understood what Cheng Ye was talking about better than others.

"I have a question I'd like to ask you."

“Mr. Zhou, please don’t be so polite.” Cheng Ye turned to look at him, his tone still calm.

"Is the fish processing plant you mentioned located in Dabo Town, or in the buffer zone?" Old Zhou's eyes flickered slightly, his tone carrying a hint of caution.

This is something everyone cares about but no one dares to ask directly, since Dabo Town is on the edge of the wilderness, and it would be too risky to send the women and children of their families to work there.

“Of course it will be built in the buffer zone.” Cheng Ye couldn’t help but smile, his tone firm. “How could we build the factory outside? Sending women and children to venture into the wilderness is not in line with our business practices.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the tense atmosphere in the room visibly relaxed.

Men have no problem going out on adventures, but no one wants to expose their families to the threat of infection sources and mutated creatures.

If the factory were within the buffer zone, this job would be completely free of "life-threatening danger," leaving only solid profits.

Cheng Ye, observing this, then asked, "I just heard from Old Song that the community has already acquired the vacant area near the vegetable market?"

“Yes.” Old Zhou nodded and explained, “We contracted the entire fruit and vegetable market from the Civil Affairs Bureau. The prices are indeed cheap, but there is an additional condition: we have to take on all the basic maintenance work in Zone B-7, such as sweeping the streets, cleaning up garbage, and repairing pipes. Most of the work is not heavy, so it’s just right to arrange for women and children to do it.”

"Your income isn't high, is it?"

"Yes." Old Zhou looked a little embarrassed. "We need two hundred people to work in shifts, and each person's monthly salary is 10 Happiness Coins."

Monthly salary, 10?

Earning 5 packs of nutritional syrup in a month?

No wonder Old Zhou was embarrassed to say it out loud; this is hardly a salary, at most a symbolic subsidy to reduce some of the pressure on the community and families.

However, he did not deny the arrangement. Instead, he nodded and said, "The location of the vegetable market is indeed good. It is large and spacious, and it also has ventilation and drainage facilities left over from the old era."

"But the processing plant definitely can't be located in the vegetable market. There are too many people and too much attention, and the wastewater and fish scales generated during processing are difficult to handle. I plan to set up the processing plant in the southern suburbs, find an empty plot of land to lease, so that it will be easy to adjust whether to expand the factory or add production lines in the future. As for the vegetable market, we can set up a few fish stalls there to sell fresh fish products, making it convenient for residents to buy them."

As he spoke, Cheng Ye stretched out his hand and made a "2" gesture: "Initially, I need to hire at least this many people for this processing plant."

"Twenty people?" Old Zhou guessed instinctively.

In his view, most of the small workshops in the buffer zone have a scale of ten or twenty people, so two hundred people would be an exaggeration.

“Wrong, it’s two hundred people!” Cheng Ye shook his head, his tone serious. “You may not have a concept of how amazing the fish reserves in the Baishui River are. As long as the fishing teams are arranged properly, catching 30,000 to 50,000 fish a day is not a problem at all. Assuming each person can handle 200 fish a day, two hundred people are just enough to keep things running. If we want to expand the scale of fishing later, we will have to recruit more people.”

Assuming each person can handle 200 cases, it would require at least 200 people.

After a quick calculation, Old Zhou cautiously asked, "Prosecutor Cheng, there are over 800 women, elderly people, and children in the community who can work diligently. Even if we exclude the 200 people responsible for the basic maintenance of Zone B7, we can easily select 200 people from the remaining 600-plus. The only question is, how exactly is the income of this processing plant calculated?"

Compared to Mr. Song's style of valuing relationships and sentiments, Mr. Zhou was clearly more pragmatic and shrewd.

But this is exactly what Cheng Ye wants. He doesn't want to create an image of someone who takes advantage of others' kindness, but genuinely hopes to achieve an equal and win-win cooperation with Tianyuan Community, so that everyone understands what they can gain, and only in this way can the cooperation last.

"Initially, it was piece-rate income, with 1 coin for every 20 fish processed. Later, when the fish market opened up and the production line was streamlined, it was changed to daily wages, with each person receiving 10 Happiness Coins per day, ensuring no less than that amount."

10 coins per day?
hiss.

A collective gasp filled the arena.

This income, though not much, is compared to the income of men in the buffer zone who do dirty and hard work.

The real comparison should be made with the basic maintenance work in Zone B7, which only pays 10 coins a month, a difference of 30 times.

“Just talking about numbers might not give you a sense of what’s going on.” Seeing the disbelief in everyone’s eyes, Cheng Ye turned to Da Long and said, “Xiao Kang should have finished processing the fish with his men. Go and call two of the workers in and have them tell you how difficult it is to process a fish and how long it takes, so everyone can have a better idea.”

"Okay! I'll go right away!" Da Long replied and left quickly.

In less than a minute, he brought two young women from the backyard of the mall. Their hands were still covered in fish scales and water droplets, and their fingertips were red from the cold, but they had smiles on their faces.

"Sir, this is my wife Bai Qiao, and that is Erlong's wife Jiang Lanlan." Dalong introduced the two women with a slightly naive smile, making no attempt to avoid suspicion by putting his own relatives in front.

This might be considered a favor in other places, but the atmosphere in Tianyuan Community is different. Having one of our own people speak out first makes it more convincing to everyone.

"Hello, Prosecutor Cheng." Bai Qiao and Jiang Lanlan quickly greeted him. Although they were a little reserved, they were still quite poised and generous, without being awkward or evasive.

"Thank you for your help. I was wondering if it's troublesome to handle a fish?" Cheng Ye asked gently, trying to put the two of them at ease.

"It's alright, not too troublesome." Bai Qiao spoke first, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hem of her clothes. "We used to handle fish outside, but we haven't done it much in recent years, so we're a bit rusty. But we'll get used to it quickly."

"How long does it take to process one?" Cheng Ye asked again, looking at Jiang Lanlan.

"I haven't specifically calculated it." Jiang Lanlan thought for a moment and answered seriously, "If you include scaling, gutting, removing the internal organs, cutting it into pieces and washing it clean, it should take at most five minutes for a fish, right? If it's a big fish, it might take six minutes, and if it's a small fish, it can be done in three minutes."

This happened faster than Cheng Ye had anticipated.

The four main types of fish are relatively easy to kill, but the black and white striped fish are really difficult to kill. Their skin is very slippery and they can even bounce off your knife.

Moreover, this is not just a simple fish-killing process; it includes subsequent cutting and cleaning.

Although slower than a professional fish butcher, this speed is already quite impressive for an ordinary woman.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou immediately started calculating in his mind, and couldn't help but show his delight: "At five minutes per message, that's 12 messages per hour; two hours is 24 messages, earning 1 coin. If I work 12 hours a day, wouldn't I be able to earn 6 coins?"

This algorithm is somewhat idealistic.

Repeating the same action for a long time will inevitably slow down your speed and make you tired.

Conversely, once everyone becomes more skilled, the time to process a fish may be reduced to three minutes, further improving efficiency.

With this increase and decrease, the daily income is guaranteed to be at least 5 coins.

For women who can only live on community subsidies, this is enough for them to support themselves and even supplement their family income.

After the initial surprise, a new worry arose in Old Zhou's mind. He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Inspector Cheng, can these fish be sold? Hiring so many workers will cost over a thousand coins a day, thirty to forty thousand coins a month. What if we end up losing money?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent, and all eyes turned to Cheng Ye.

Old Zhou's worries are everyone's worries.

If things get off to a good start but then turn into losses and stop, the women losing their jobs isn't a problem, but if it damages Cheng Ye's relationship with the community, that would be a much bigger problem.

"Don't worry, since I dare to open a factory, how could I not be able to accurately calculate the profits and sales channels?"

Cheng Ye wasn't surprised by this question, and then pointed to the second small box.

【Business】

Unlike everyone else present, what he was most worried about was actually the first step, namely the fishing process.

This is the most dangerous link in the entire industrial chain. Although the Baishui River has abundant fish, it also harbors mutated organisms and sources of infection. Once there are deaths or injuries, or an outbreak of infection, it will not only cause panic among the workers, but also undermine everyone's confidence in Dabo Town.

In contrast, sales are the easiest part to solve.

Instead of explaining his own plans, he looked at Old Zhou and asked, "Old Zhou, who do you think we should sell our fish to? Or rather, who are the people with the most purchasing power right now?"

Old Zhou replied almost without hesitation: "It must be the bigwigs from various departments! They have official positions, stable salaries, money in their hands, and they're willing to spend these things."

“Wrong.” Cheng Ye shook his head slightly, then turned his gaze to the others, “Everyone can also share their thoughts.”

A brief silence fell over the room as everyone pondered the words "spending power".

After pondering for a moment, the old man Qu to the right of Old Song suddenly spoke up, "Prosecutor Cheng, do you mean those newly arrived migrants outside?"

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye was taken aback. "What did Elder He mean by that?"

Old He smiled, his wrinkles smoothing out, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes: "I used to lead the pioneering corps, and I was lucky enough to become a company commander. Da Long, Er Long, and these militiamen in the community, they were all soldiers I led back then."

Old He usually seems taciturn, but it turns out he's the one who's truly unassuming.

"Back when we were pioneering the land, whether it was in the local settlements or the sheltered cities, the main consumers were actually us pioneer soldiers."

Old He continued, his tone tinged with self-deprecation, "It's not because we're rich, but because we have stable military pay. And the work is tiring, and we might encounter danger at any time, so no one minds spending money. When we're tired, we want to eat something good, and when we're thirsty, we want to drink something refreshing. Even if we can't save any money by the end of the month, we still want to make the most of the moment."

As he spoke, Da Long, Er Long, and several militiamen couldn't help but laugh, their faces flushed with embarrassment.

Those were tough times; eating in the wind and sleeping in the open was the norm. But every time we received our pay, we would get together to have a meal at a local farmhouse restaurant in our encampment. Even if we only ordered a plate of stir-fried ant-wolf meat and a bowl of strong, cloudy liquor, we felt great.

Looking back now, the hardship was real, but the carefree joy of living in the moment is also truly unforgettable.

"Old He is right."

Cheng Ye stopped being mysterious and his tone became serious. "After the satellite city starts construction, Happiness City will focus on subsidizing migrants from outside in the short term. As long as they are willing to work in the satellite city, they can get a stable wage, which is much higher than working as temporary workers in the buffer zone. These people are the most powerful consumers right now!"

“They’ve just come from the wilderness and don’t have much savings, but they have a stable income and have just escaped the days of not knowing where their next meal would come from. They’re definitely willing to spend money to improve their lives. Buying a fresh fish is better than eating nutritional supplements every meal. By selling them fish, we can not only earn back our wages but also make their lives more comfortable. It’s a win-win situation.”

Sales are definitely not as simple as Cheng Ye makes them out to be.

How to transport the fish to various satellite cities? Should we set up fixed stalls or sell them on a mobile basis? What price should we set that is acceptable to the migrants while ensuring a profit?

These are all questions.

But clearly, this is not the time to discuss these details; we need to start the construction of Dabo Town first.

Seeing that the eyes of the people in the room were getting brighter and brighter, and that they had obviously been persuaded, Cheng Ye immediately turned his finger to the third small box.

【light industry】

“Dabo Town has a hydroelectric power station that can provide almost unlimited electricity, which is the foundation for industrial development. What I want to do is to develop light industry based on the income from the previous fishing industry.”

"Have you noticed something? Although Happiness City's basic industries have developed, it's still almost entirely lacking in consumer goods. For example, the cheapest laptop in a general store costs 25 coins, but once the industrial chain is established, it can be reduced to 10 coins. Another example is room renovations after the satellite cities are built. If we set up a light bulb factory, how many people would come to us for business? As long as we can seize the market first, even in a niche market, there will be a continuous stream of funds to develop the town and the community."

When it came to the final pie, Cheng Ye spoke extremely quickly, giving almost no time for others to react.

This is meant to foster cooperation and solidify everyone's resolve, rather than a plan that can be implemented in the short term.

Honestly, he also wanted to build a television set in Happiness City, instead of just a radio, so that people could watch some programs to relax after get off work.

I want to assemble a film crew to shoot documentaries that record the characteristics of infection sources and wilderness survival skills, to help more people survive in the wasteland.

They even want to engage in automobile manufacturing and develop intelligent equipment. The basic industries of Xingfu City have already taken shape. As long as the satellite cities can be developed and the consumer base reaches a certain scale, these are not just pipe dreams.

But these things are too far away for the community members who have not yet completely escaped poverty!
Saying it out loud would seem unrealistic.

Why not plant the seeds of "light industry" first, and when Dabo Town really develops, everything will fall into place naturally?

"Brother Cheng, all the fish are cleaned!" Wang Kang wiped his hands and walked in from the side entrance of the mall, his tone carrying a hint of regret. "I wanted to practice more, but everyone took turns cleaning four or five fish, and it was all done in no time. I just sharpened my knife!"

These words sounded like a report on the progress of the fish catch processing, but Cheng Ye couldn't help but smile.

Xiaokang, you've come at just the right time.

Sure enough, this sentence struck a chord with everyone.

The three district elders' expressions shifted slightly, and the hesitation in their eyes completely disappeared. The others also clenched their fists.

"Prosecutor Cheng, we'll work for you!" someone shouted first, and then the others echoed, "Yes! We'll go to Dabo Town with you!" "As long as we can make money and settle down, we're not afraid of any hardship or fatigue!"

The sounds of responses echoed throughout the reception area, making the air feel even hotter.

"Great! With everyone's support, I feel much more at ease!" Cheng Ye's smile widened, but then he changed the subject, "But let me make this clear from the start, I have to set some rules. If you work for me, you have to follow my rules."

As he spoke, he pulled out another neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket, clearly having prepared it in advance.

"This is a modification I made based on the rules of the pioneering corps back then, combined with the situation in Dabo Town, and I've added some details. Mr. He, could you please take a look and see if it's reasonable?"

Old He quickly took the paper, unfolded it, and began to read it carefully. There weren't many rules, only ten in total, most of which were similar to the discipline of the pioneering corps.

For example, obeying orders, not hoarding supplies, and looking out for each other when on missions.

However, there are two points that are significantly more favorable. First, there is the compensation. Not only will the family members be given priority in being assigned to work in the processing plant, but they will also receive sufficient compensation after their death to resolve any worries about the future.

Secondly, there are merit rewards. As long as you perform well in construction, fishing, and defense, you can earn merits. Once you accumulate enough, you can exchange them for resources and even be given priority in being assigned better jobs and retiring earlier.

The only difference from the rules of the Corps is the last one.

Cheng Ye explicitly demanded that everyone who followed him to Dabo Town must be "absolutely obedient."

Even orders that seem counterintuitive should be executed first, and the reasons should be inquired about afterward.

However, a further explanation was added later: all orders were based on the premise of "not sacrificing human lives or harming collective interests," and were solely for the purpose of mitigating short-term risks and ensuring long-term development.

After reading it, Old He couldn't help but nod in praise: "Prosecutor Cheng, your rules are very practical! Especially the two clauses on pensions and merits, which are even better than the treatment of the Production and Construction Corps back then. Everyone will definitely be willing to abide by them. As for the clause on absolute obedience, I think there is no problem. Dabo Town is a new place with a complicated situation. If everyone has their own ideas, it will be easy to cause trouble."

He paused, then looked at everyone present. "You're all people I trained, so you should understand the importance of obeying orders. Prosecutor Cheng won't send you to your deaths. As long as we follow him and work hard, we'll definitely have a good life!"

“Yes! Old He is right!” Da Long and Er Long were the first to respond, and the other militiamen nodded in agreement.

"Then I can rest assured." Cheng Ye felt relieved; the most difficult step had finally been taken.

Perhaps in other people's eyes, it was perfectly reasonable for him to recruit people from Tianyuan Community based on his status.

But only he himself knows how difficult this step is.

Getting a group of people who are used to the stability of the buffer zone to go back to the wilderness and actually do real work is completely different from taking them out and then having to clean up their messes.

"Mr. He, I'll trouble you to take care of the selection of personnel later. Prioritize those who have family ties, are reliable, and can follow instructions. We don't care about the number of people, we just need everyone to be of one mind."

"Don't worry!" Old He patted his chest and assured him, "I'll go and compile the list right away. Within three days, I'll definitely have three hundred reliable people to start resuming training. With me here, I guarantee that everyone will follow the rules and you won't have to worry about anything!"

Old Zhou quickly added, "I will also arrange the workers for the processing plant. Tomorrow I will explain the treatment and rules to the residents, and conduct interviews and screenings one by one to ensure that those selected are quick and efficient and can work reliably. There will be no compromises!"

Seeing this, everyone else chimed in, busy taking on the task, but Old Song remained silent.

Finally, when things were almost settled and Cheng Ye got up to leave, he said leisurely, "Prosecutor Cheng, this old man's body can no longer withstand the ravages of the wilderness. I won't go with you to Dabo Town and cause any more trouble."

"But don't worry, I'll take good care of this pedestrian street for you, I promise!"

(End of this chapter)