Fifty million a day, trapped in the county town, can't spend it all.

Mu County, in southern Sichuan.

Zhang Yang sat in the back of the taxi, his eyes bloodshot, gazing out the window at the old buildings that were gradually awakening in the morning light.

"Brother, you're going to a club so early in the morning? You're really addicted?" The driver glanced at Zhang Yang through the rearview mirror and asked half-jokingly.

Zhang Yang snapped out of his daze and forced a smile: "Would you believe me if I said I went to do the research?"

"Yes, some people even go out of their way to learn English, but unfortunately we can't learn it here."

The driver gave me a knowing look.

"..."

Zhang Yang wasn't addicted; he genuinely went to conduct research.

After all, this was the only way he could figure out the economic situation of Mou County, which he had come up with after working through the night and racking his brains.

The prosperity of prostitution has always been a barometer for judging the state of the economy.

The car stopped at an intersection waiting for the red light.

Zhang Yang brought up the system panel he had bound to last night:

[County-level cashback system]

[Host: Zhang Yang]

[System Rules: Daily rebates are given to each registered resident of Mou County, multiplied by 100.]

Current resident population: 500,328.

[Today's cashback has been issued: 50,032,800 yuan, transferred to your savings card ending in XXX7.]

Below the panel, there is a string of small red text.

[Special Note 1: When the permanent population of Mou County reaches 100 million, the system will trigger an upgrade, unlocking a wider range of consumption privileges and more hidden functions.]

[Special Note 2: The initial binding period is 3 years. If the upgrade task is not completed within 3 years, the system will automatically unbind the account, and all disbursed funds will be fully recovered. The used amount will be registered in the host's name as a loan with an annual interest rate of 30% (Note: Even if no disbursed amount is used, interest will still be paid at the bank deposit rate after three years.)]

[Remaining days until system unbinding: 1094 days.]

Looking at the red countdown, Zhang Yang felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

......

Four days ago, his supermarket in Shanghai, which he had run for four years, went bankrupt, and he returned to his hometown of Mou County with only 30,000 yuan left.

When he got home, his mother glanced at his luggage, didn't ask any questions, and silently turned and went into the kitchen.

His father sat on the sofa, turned the TV volume down a notch, and said, "It's good that you're back. You were unwanted by your parents when you were away, and the housing prices in Shanghai are outrageously expensive. With the little money you earn, thinking you can buy a house is just wishful thinking."

"Not to mention finding a wife, what woman would want to live in a rented apartment with you?"

Zhang Yang seemed somewhat helpless about this, since these were all the truths.

After resting at home for three days, he began to investigate in the county town on the fourth day, trying to find a business to do, only to find that the economic situation in Mou County was even worse than he had imagined.

It's a small, third-tier county town with a permanent population of 500,000. It's not accessible by high-speed rail, and the only businesses that can be done there are noodle shops and barbershops. There isn't even a proper shopping mall.

Rumor has it that Wanda Group once said it would cover every county in the country, but this was the only place it missed.

It didn't happen before, and it's even less likely to happen in the future...

Upon returning home that day, Zhang Yang began to doubt whether coming back was the right or wrong decision.

His father noticed something was wrong with him and comforted him, saying, "If all else fails, come drive a truck with me. We can at least make a living that way..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang became even more depressed. That night, he moved a case of beer to his bedroom, intending to get himself drunk and have a good night's sleep.

After drinking two bottles, he slipped and hit the back of his head hard on the floor when he got up to go to the toilet. His vision went black and he passed out.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he groggily opened his eyes, and a pale blue light screen floated directly in front of him.

That's right, it was at that moment that he got bound to the lousy [County-level Return on Investment System].

At first, Zhang Yang was overjoyed. The moment he bound the account to the system, more than 50 million yuan was deposited into his bank account.

To verify its authenticity, he ran out of his house in the dark at 1 a.m. and found a 24-hour ATM on the street corner to withdraw 1000 yuan.

As the ten bright red bills were dispensed from the cash dispenser, Zhang Yang slapped himself hard across the face.

It hurts!

Everything is true.

Fifty million a day! Tomorrow I'll be a billionaire! I'll never have to struggle for a living again...

He stood next to the ATM, staring at the stack of banknotes, his mouth agape. He then pulled out his phone, ready to send red envelopes in the WeChat group and enjoy the feeling of suddenly becoming rich.

He entered 200 directly, and then entered the password.

The screen displayed the message: Insufficient balance.

???

Zhang Yang was completely bewildered.

With a balance of 50 million, is there not enough left to send 200 red envelopes?

He then tried to top up his Shanghai mobile number with 100 yuan, but the payment failed.

I opened Taobao and ordered the latest model of mobile phone, but the payment failed.

Time and time again, whenever the recipient was not in Mou County, the system would indicate insufficient balance.

Zhang Yang broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

He turned around and ran to the nearby night market stall, ordered twenty skewers of grilled meat, scanned the QR code to pay 100 yuan, and the payment was successful.

I opened the food delivery app, ordered drinks from the county town, and paid successfully.

He spent the entire night trying dozens of times before finally figuring it out.

It seems that the 50 million can only be spent in Mou County, and not a single penny can be spent elsewhere.

At this moment, Zhang Yang began to study the system carefully. When he noticed the row of small red text at the bottom of the panel, his brain went blank.

Within three years, the permanent population of Mou County must be increased from 500,000 to 1 million; otherwise, not only will the system disappear, but every penny he has already spent will become his debt.

By then, he won't be a billionaire, but a penniless man with hundreds of millions in debt, and he'll never be able to turn his life around.

He originally thought he had won the grand prize and could live a carefree life, but now he realizes that it's not a windfall at all, but a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

I originally thought I'd exploit a system bug, and at worst enjoy the benefits for three years. Even if the system unbinds me then, my life would have been worthwhile.

But... what kind of place is Mou County? The average salary is three thousand yuan, a bowl of noodles costs eight yuan, and the starting fare for a taxi is five yuan.

He earns fifty million a day. At that rate of spending, even if he indulged in every imaginable vice, he couldn't spend it all even if he ate until he died. More importantly, there's practically nothing to enjoy in the county town...

I can see it, but I can't touch it; it's like my heart is being torn apart.

That's fucking ridiculous!

After calming down, Zhang Yang began to ponder the system's special prompts.

If I successfully complete the system task, will I avoid the embarrassing situation of having money but not being able to spend it?

One million people?

He took out his phone, opened the official website of the Mu County People's Government, and found the data released by the Statistics Bureau last year: Mu County's permanent resident population has been declining for five consecutive years, with a decrease of 12,000 people in the past year alone.

At this rate, this place will definitely become a ghost town in the future.

Zhang Yang leaned against a lamppost, gazing at the distant skylight, his mind racing.

Why can't we retain our population? Because we can't earn money. Without money, there's no consumption; without consumption, businesses can't thrive—it's a vicious cycle...

To understand the situation in Mou County, we must first figure out one question: how much money do the people here actually have?

How do you touch it? Look at entertainment consumption.

He opened the group-buying app, searched for entertainment and consumption projects in Mou County, selected foot massage, which had the highest price, and clicked on the top-ranked foot massage shop.

The deluxe set meal is 168 yuan?

Is this the consumption ceiling in Mu County?

Zhang Yang put away his phone, sighed, and hailed a taxi by the roadside.

......

The morning breeze outside the window blew wildly through the car window, giving me a jolt.

He closed the system panel, took out his phone, opened the group-buying app, and started looking at it. The more he looked, the more outrageous it seemed: the club he was going to was known as the pinnacle of health and wellness in the county, with the most expensive luxury foot massage package costing only 168 yuan, and there were also options for 128, 98, and 68 yuan.

Based on the most expensive deluxe package at 168 yuan, with 50 million yuan flowing into the card daily, it means Zhang Yang could wash feet 290,000 times a day...

You can wash it until it's completely gone and still not be clean!