Chapter 71: Community support, collective strength!
With Zhang Can taking the lead, seven more people who came out later chose to leave.
The huge Tianyuan Mall is the place most likely to experience a large-scale outbreak of infection according to the data calculated by Xingfu Chao.
Out of four thousand people, only eight infected bodies escaped to the outside world.
“Is this the case in every community?”
Cheng Ye withdrew his gaze and looked at Dalong.
He didn't think there was something wrong with the Xingfu supercomputer, but most likely the built-in database of the supercomputer was outdated.
It is very likely that the data used is from 13 years ago, when the nightmare fluke last attacked.
After being instilled with idealistic ideas, the buffer zone has now undergone drastic changes.
Whether it is good or bad, this time the substitute starfish is the best test.
"Of course not, Master Cheng. Since the bigwigs above allow us to talk about collective interests, they naturally have to tolerate people who only care about their own interests."
Dalong smiled and was about to explain and brag.
In a sense, the eight infected bodies flowing into the outside world can be regarded as an honor for the Tianyuan community.
But before he could finish his words, the three district elders who had been sitting on the stage walked over.
"Hello, Prosecutor Cheng."
Mr. Qu in the middle bowed slightly and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have made such a fool of myself here. It's really a waste of your time."
"Mr. Qu is too polite."
Cheng Ye stood up and the two shook hands.
Even through two layers of rubber gloves, one can still feel the rough texture of Mr. Qu's palms, which has been worn down by time.
Being able to survive from the old era to the new era in this chaotic wasteland era and cross the threshold of sixty years old.
It’s certainly not easy, and I must be carrying a lot of stories.
"Dalong's answer just now was a little inappropriate, please don't take it to heart."
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"Since the nightmare fluke incident, the buffer zone has entered an era of self-governance. These over half a million people have given rise to thirty to fifty different ideologies: some, like our Tianyuan Community, have attracted thousands of members, while others have only a few dozen or even fewer than a hundred. But ultimately, everyone is just trying to survive. Ideologies themselves are neither good nor bad, and it's even harder to judge the superiority of groups or individuals."
Elder Qu paused, his eyes darkening. "Only with this wave of infection hitting us right now, all communities are being tested. Only those that can survive naturally have the right philosophy. Before we get through this, it's still unknown whether Tianyuan Community's current distorted, outdated philosophy will work."
"An old-fashioned idea?"
Cheng Ye nodded slightly.
The current Tianyuan community is indeed somewhat similar to his understanding of the clan model in the Lingnan area, but it is not exactly the same.
Everyone has a mission, and they take collective interests as their priority and take pride in them, without considering personal gain.
But as Mr. Qu said, whether it is right or wrong needs to be verified by a wave of infection.
"Let's not talk about the future. Right now, Mr. Qu should be happy. I think the verification was successful."
Cheng Ye exclaimed in admiration.
“If every community could be like Tianyuan Community, then…”
"Your Excellency, this will not work."
Mr. Qu hurriedly shook his head. “The collective can only play a role in times of crisis. In terms of normal development, our Tianyuan community doesn’t even rank in the top ten.”
After the words fell, the expressions of the elders on the left and right sides changed slightly, but they did not stop the elder in the middle from continuing to speak.
"This model has lasted for nine years, and its drawbacks are gradually becoming apparent. The consequence of all this talk of community is that individual capacities are constantly being squeezed. No one dares to take risks, and they can't afford to be kicked out if they do. Honestly, the Tianyuan community hasn't produced anyone talented enough to enter the inner city in a long time. Even those who form caravans are few and far between, and even fewer go out to scavenge."
"Look at the interior of this mall. We haven't had the funds to renovate it for over four years. Everyone still has to buy their own beds. Some beds have collapsed, but we can't afford to replace them. We just use screws and patches to hold them together. Broken water pipes in the rooms have to be repaired individually. Many people can't afford it, so the entire mall has to pool funds, and the gap is getting bigger and bigger."
After the rally ended, people gradually returned to the rooms converted from various shops.
Mr. Ou knew all the rooms like the back of his hand. He pointed out each room one by one and talked about the stories that had happened in them.
These shopping malls inherited from the old times may have more complete infrastructure than residential buildings.
But in terms of service life, it is significantly shorter than the latter.
Things like broken water pipes and burned circuits have happened more and more frequently in recent years.
According to the concept of Tianyuan Community, this kind of renovation should be collectively funded, but now everyone is having a hard time making a living, and everyone has to go out to work for food. Where is the extra money to raise funds?
"People's hearts still need money to support them. Without money, their hearts will fall apart quickly."
"Achan is one of the few talented people in our community who dares to go out and work hard. It's a pity that God was blind and chose him instead of anyone else."
Mr. Qu kept talking and Cheng Ye listened quietly.
For some reason, he really enjoyed listening to these "old people" talk about the past years in the wasteland.
After all, the earth's memory is rapidly fading as the living environment changes. The faster you integrate into this wasteland, the greater the chance of survival.
"During the last heavy rain, I saw people from the Public Works Department helping with flood control?"
"Yes, if we were alone, there would definitely be a flood that night."
Mr. Ou was stunned for a moment, a wry smile spreading across his face. "Actually, the people at the Public Works Department have been very kind to us over the past two years. Because the probability of serious incidents in the Tianyuan community is very low, the workers there are very hardworking and never ask for compensation."
"But as the environment becomes more stable, if you want to eat meat, you still have to rush forward and grab food from other people's bowls. If you really do this, the community will fall apart, because the easiest people to prey on are always those you know."
Cheng Ye was slightly stunned by what Mr. Qu said.
Indeed, he was just thinking about how Tianyuan Community would respond when the disaster struck, but he didn't consider whether Tianyuan Community was developing smoothly on a daily basis.
The influence of ideas is not only reflected at this time, but will also silently penetrate into every corner of daily life.
No wonder Mr. District would say that there is no good or bad, and it is difficult to judge the superiority or inferiority.
Different periods have different advantages, and we cannot only look at the performance of a certain stage.
"What do you want here?"
"Come and see."
Cheng Ye nodded and told the truth, "I live nearby. I heard that there might be a wave of infection in Tianyuan Shopping Mall, so I came to check out the situation."
"Understood."
Mr. Qu nodded and said, "My last name is Song. Everyone has called me Mr. Song for so many years. I haven't used my real name for a long time."
"Mr. Song, you're welcome. You're already a living fossil in the buffer zone."
"Haha, Prosecutor Cheng really knows how to joke."
After being praised by Cheng Ye, Mr. Song also laughed even though he could only see his eyes.
Being able to come this far and unite more than 4,000 people, is it sincerity or pretense?
He really only needs to look at someone to know most of it.
"Since Inspector Cheng lives nearby and is willing to visit us, I have a humble request. I wonder if I could tell you."
"But it's okay."
Cheng Ye took a deep breath. He could actually guess what Mr. Song wanted to say.
As expected.
Mr. Song staggered and bent down, and the other two elders from the districts also lowered their backs.
Under Cheng Ye's gaze, he spoke earnestly, "To be honest, with the wave of infection coming, this is the only way for the Tianyuan Community to survive. It's also the key to proving the success of our collective philosophy. As long as the community still exists after tonight and the model is successfully verified, this philosophy can continue to be promoted and new members can be recruited."
"Master Cheng, although our Tianyuan Community lacks skilled fighters, everyone is a skilled worker. We can still gather 300 people for your deployment to eliminate the impending threat in Area B-7. Afterwards, we will only take 40% of the contribution points to repair the mall, and the remaining 60% will be yours."
"Since Mr. Song is so willing, why doesn't the community organize its own manpower?"
Cheng Ye paused and asked back.
Elder Song was visibly startled, then shook his head, his eyes wandering. "We can't organize ourselves. It's hard for a group to have a leader. We need someone to follow us in order to form combat effectiveness. Thirty years ago, when Happiness City was first founded, I could handle a gun and could easily fight off hundreds of infected people by myself."
"The two brothers beside me are also warriors who crawled out of the tide of infection. This is what convinced 4,000 people and made them willing to follow us in fighting for our ideals."
"But today, I am old, and they are both old too. Achan was the one I chose as my successor, but he didn't make it to the day he took over."
"Um."
Cheng Ye nodded, and suddenly had the illusion that he was recruiting soldiers in ancient times.
No wonder even a powerful man like Liu Bei claimed to be the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan when he started the rebellion. Now that he has the title of prosecutor, he actually has some of the same appeal.
But before he came, he had never imagined that Tianyuan Mall would be in this state, and that the people inside could actually maintain their special ideas even in the wasteland.
"I'll see what happens. Before that, you still have to guard the mall."
"Don't worry, Inspector Cheng. We may not be as good as other communities when it comes to going out, but when it comes to staying home."
Mr. Qu grinned, suddenly confident, "This is our specialty. There aren't many communities in the buffer zone that can outperform us."
"Sir, if you don't come out, we'll have to rush in."
Seeing Cheng Ye finally walk out of the mall, the guards in front of the checkpoint breathed a sigh of relief.
They couldn't help but be nervous. Who could have known that after verifying their identities, the checkpoint headquarters actually sent a message asking them to ensure the safety of Inspector Cheng at all costs.
What should I do about this?
Fortunately, the Tianyuan community is generally stable and no serious incidents have occurred in many years.
If it were a noisy community, they would have been eager to go in and see what was going on.
"Thank you for your help."
Cheng Ye took out the defense communication and looked at the time. It was ten minutes before half past nine.
It's curfew time and the guards will have to evacuate in half an hour.
"After the Blood Dragon Legion enters, will they deploy troops to each area?"
"No," the guard explained, shaking his head. "Because of the zoning, the Blood Dragon Legion's primary role is to prevent the spread of infection. They'll prioritize deploying forces to areas with large-scale outbreaks to prevent these infections from spilling over into other areas and causing a chain reaction."
“If the infection wave in Zone B-7 is not particularly severe, the pressure may be relatively small or relatively high.”
The guard's words were a bit twisted, but his meaning was very clear.
There won't be a large-scale wave of infection, and don't expect soldiers to come to support you in the short term.
For ordinary residents who are looking forward to rescue by the Blood Dragon Legion, it may be a bit disappointing.
But I have to say that it is in line with Cheng Ye's own expectations.
Compared to the corridors full of infected bodies, the legion's firepower line covered the entire area, with stray bullets flying everywhere.
As long as there are not too many infected bodies, he will not be afraid with his current strength.
"Ultimately, this is the upper limit of the number of individuals who can be infected through contact infection. If it could catalyze the formation of tens of thousands of infected rot vines, then it would be truly hopeless."
On the way back, Cheng Ye suddenly felt a strange restlessness in his heart.
In the previous three months, he had been concentrating on the inspector assessment and knew almost nothing about the true appearance of the buffer zone.
I just have a stereotype that the people here will be forced into chaos when a wave of infection hits.
But when the wave of infection really arrived and he was able to step back and observe and think, he suddenly realized a fact:
Happy City has survived for over thirty years under the threat of waves of infection every winter. If it had been thrown into chaos by disasters every time, how could it have developed to where it is today?
It's not just that the defense here is strong, but also because the humans who have taken root here also have unimaginable resilience, so they can stand firm!
"It's really a bit forced to turn the way of making money into the infected body."
Considering the size of Tianyuan Shopping Mall, renovating it would cost at least tens of thousands of happiness coins, which would cost thousands or even tens of thousands if converted into contribution points with greater purchasing power.
Cheng Ye pondered and turned straight into Uncle Dong's store, pushed the door open and went down to the basement, intending to take out the six high-explosive bombs.
This thing is absolutely prohibited in the buffer zone.
Even when he asked as an inspector, the people at the weapons sales point told him that he could only receive them for free when they agreed to distribute them, and he could not actively purchase them in any other capacity.
I think they think the threat of gun outflow is still controllable. After all, everyone has a gun, and the deterrent effect is dispersed.
If the high-explosive thunder is thrown randomly by some idiot, the damage it causes will definitely be more deadly than the infected body.
But now he had other ideas. If the threat of the infected body could be controlled, he might as well go out and kill them, and nip the infection wave in area B-7 in the bud.
"Uncle Dong left me so many books?"
After opening the secret compartment, Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh.
Next to the six silver high-explosive mines were two piles of books, at least twenty in total.
He casually flipped through the top two volumes, and found that they were all handwritten notes on how to deal with the infected, with the signature of "Winter Team" at the bottom of each page.
"Thank you, Uncle Dong."
He shouted towards the rattan chair where the old man used to sit, and picked up two piles of books to prevent the rainstorm from flooding the basement again and soaking these books that might contain 'information'.
Walking into the community, half of the lights are off at this time on normal days, but tonight they are brightly lit.
The voltage flickered on and off, as if a monster hidden in the darkness was breathing slowly.
Kick the security door shut and put all the books in a corner.
Cheng Ye took off his raincoat and hood, slumped down on the bed and drank three bags of nutrient solution in succession before he let out a long sigh.
He has prepared everything that can be prepared, from equipment to weapons.
All the information that needed to be found out in the plan has been obtained, and there are also unexpected surprises.
For a mere trainee inspector, it was no easy feat to make so many preparations before the wave of infection hit.
He had a vague understanding that after the big shot mentioned by Old Song... No, to be more precise, after the idealists deliberately relaxed the restrictions of the buffer zone rules.
The identity of prosecutor brings not only privileges, a stable job and many hidden benefits, but also responsibilities and obligations.
For a hunzi, these responsibilities and obligations are a heavy burden.
But if it falls on the shoulders of beginners or people who are determined to change the status quo, it becomes a springboard for advancement.
As long as you are well prepared and seize the opportunity to leap, you can bounce to a higher place and instantly gain unimaginable voice. You don't have to stay in a circle rigidly, fighting for benefits and taking sides.
But it is too early to think about these things now. We should wait patiently for the wave of infection to come.
Cheng Ye looked out the window, and a flash of lightning suddenly tore through the night sky, reflecting tiny silver rays in his pupils.
The rain is falling even harder!
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