Chapter 80: Invest in the community, ideals never die!
The first rays of the rising sun poured down, and the warmth seeped through the armor into the flesh.
The panel prompt sound rang softly in my ears, and my heart began to feel warm.
Cheng Ye stood up on his knees and raised his hand. In the light that filtered through his fingers, he saw the sun slowly rising from the horizon.
It seems that it has never been so dazzling and so exciting.
A trance-like feeling of surviving a disaster suddenly hit me.
He knew that he might never be able to return to that familiar homeland, and even the memories of the civilized era were quickly fading away in the repeated battles.
But he turned around and looked at the busy pedestrian street, and saw the residents of Tianyuan Shopping Mall carrying infected bodies out of the alley with smiles on their faces.
Everyone who looked at him had an expression of respect and admiration that was difficult to conceal.
Cheng Ye let out a long sigh and sat back in the corner.
"Indeed, I don't want to go back."
He took out the blue medicine prepared by Master Tian and took another deep breath.
However, the refreshing minty feeling has weakened by 80% compared to the first time it was used.
Now it is almost the same as Fengyoujing, which can only barely dispel some drowsiness.
It wasn't that one night of fighting had exhausted him, but rather that the constant mental pressure during the entire Starfish incident had kept him on edge.
At this moment, I completely relaxed, and the dual fatigue, physical and mental, came over me like a tide.
It's hard to resist, and I don't want to resist.
Now, he just wants to wait for the infection wave warning in the buffer zone to be lifted so that he can go home and have a good sleep.
Once the security door is closed, no one can disturb him.
It would be best to sleep there for three days and three nights to drive away all the uneasiness after traveling to the wasteland.
Not far away.
Huang Sheng came over with dozens of boxes of heated nutrient solution and stood at the entrance of the pedestrian street to distribute them.
"Captain, it's time for dinner."
"Give me five packs."
Cheng Ye took the slightly hot nutrient paste, tore open the package with his teeth, and slowly sucked it.
Old Song came over and sat next to him without knowing when.
"Prosecutor Cheng, we've had a really good harvest tonight."
The old man rubbed his hands together, a smile forming on his face. "Please allow me to retract my previous proposal. The community will only take 10% of all contribution points."
According to the current count, Area B-7 has housed a total of 3,274 sources of infection tonight.
According to the principle of collective participation, since the Tianyuan community is the main force, the third-class happiness merits rewarded when the number is greater than 1,000 will also be automatically distributed to the community.
Needless to say, the honorary value is great, and it will also come with an additional contribution point grant of up to 3,000 points as community public funding expenditure.
In other words, almost everyone in Tianyuan Mall can get 1 contribution point tonight.
In the ordinary material system of the buffer zone, the purchasing power of 1 contribution point is approximately equal to 12 happiness coins.
This means that the mall earned nearly 50,000 happiness coins in one night, and the cost of repairing the mall was completely covered.
"Mr. Song, I don't have the final say on the points allocation. The drones above are recording everything."
Cheng Ye couldn't help but shake his head and pointed at the surveillance drone hovering in the air. "Whoever contributes more in the battle will naturally get more, and those who contribute less will get less."
He paused, then added, "Besides, the community has its rewards, and I have mine. They're two different things."
Old Song looked embarrassed, and said something that made Cheng Ye laugh: "That won't work either. This is too much money. We just want to improve the community environment and repair the facilities that we haven't been able to afford in recent years."
"It's too much money, way over budget. I don't know how to spend it!"
These days, there are people who have too much money but don’t know how to spend it?
Cheng Ye suddenly felt happy when he thought that the inner city had allocated a huge sum of 20,000 contribution points.
"Isn't the pedestrian street right next to the mall? Almost all the people there were gone this time, so the community just happened to bring the pedestrian street under its management."
"pedestrian mall"
Old Song twirled his beard, pondering, then shook his head. "This used to be under the management of the mall, but later, because there were too many outsiders and it became difficult to manage, the community simply gave it away. Now, no one would complain if we took it back, but the problem is that we don't know what to do with the land. We can't just turn the entire pedestrian street into residential areas, right?"
"If everyone lives on iron beds, crammed into the mall, that's fair. But if some people move out to live in spacious rooms, that's going to cause a lot of dissatisfaction."
"What's so difficult about this?"
Cheng Ye finished drinking a bag of nutrient solution, tore open another bag and said, "It's almost autumn now, and it's time to start construction in the buffer zone. We should demolish all the illegal buildings and dilapidated houses on the pedestrian street and rebuild a new pedestrian street."
"There are over 4,000 people in the mall. We can't all go out and do odd jobs like migratory birds. With so many women and children, if we want to develop the collective, we have to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. We have to give everyone a job so that the community can be stable. Otherwise, in two years, there will be no money for repairs and we will have to go back to the old ways."
"Is there work for everyone?"
Mr. Song couldn't help but be dumbfounded, thinking he had heard it wrong.
Cheng Ye had already stood up and looked towards the huge wall. "Well, the area around the huge wall should be completely destroyed. They won't allow reconstruction in the short term."
"This is our opportunity. As long as we quickly establish a safe trading area and allow scavengers to settle down on the pedestrian street, all problems will be easily solved. Even if we open a shop that only sells nutrient solution, the daily income will be enough to keep the community running normally."
"Also, I could repair weapons and armor, take orders for small commodities, and do OEM work. I could even set up a small factory inside the pedestrian street. Applying for qualifications isn't difficult; I can get one by going to the Public Works Department. Even if I just produce small industrial goods and sell them to other gathering places, I can still make a considerable profit."
“With money coming in, everyone has work to do. Once the internal and external circulation is activated, the collective strength can be gathered and the advantages of the Tianyuan community can be truly brought into play!”
He spoke with great enthusiasm, and his eyes seemed to have seen a bright future for the community.
Old Song was completely stunned. Looking at Cheng Ye's back, he seemed to see another Zhang Can in a trance.
Six years ago, Zhang Can, who had just joined the community, was the same. He also talked passionately in front of him about similar ideals, threatening to build a factory in the community so that everyone would no longer have to rely on odd jobs to make a living.
However, there is always a huge gap between ideal and reality.
The young kid who was just starting out had no idea how difficult it was to develop in the wasteland.
They just naively thought that they could dig out development funds from the barren and dry land just by talking and making big promises.
The result is what we have now.
Before he could lead the community forward, he was already tortured beyond recognition by the heavy pressure.
"Inspector Cheng Cheng."
Old Song stood up and pursed his cracked lips.
Six years ago, he did not interrupt Zhang Can's ideal because he had a similar dream.
At that time, he was also full of hope for the future of the community, so he could understand that passion.
But now, it’s time to wake up from the dream. People still need to move forward with their feet on the ground in order to walk steadily and quickly.
But he forgot that he knew that Inspector Cheng Ye came to the mall last night.
As if possessed by some incomprehensible force, he took another gamble, and bet a huge sum of money.
Fortunately, the bet won.
"The community doesn't have that much money, and we can't afford to waste our time this fall on a vain prospect."
Mr. Song's words were very serious, almost gritting his teeth, and he was prepared for Cheng Ye's displeasure.
But then he quickly made amends, "The celestial phenomena this year are very strange. This winter will definitely be very difficult. Therefore, autumn is the best time to store winter supplies. I hope you understand."
"I understand."
Cheng Ye nodded slightly. It turned out that pragmatic people are more popular.
His bold words just now, coupled with his lofty status as a prosecutor, would definitely make an ordinary person feel proud.
“I hope adults can understand.”
Old Song smiled bitterly and changed the address to the slightly more unfamiliar "Sir".
However, the next second, he was suddenly stunned, with an incredible expression on his face.
"Mr. Song, you lent me three hundred men last night to wipe out the infection in Area B-7."
Cheng Ye stretched out his hand and pointed his finger at the busy crowd on the pedestrian street.
Dalong was directing everyone to carry the infected body. When he saw his gesture, he scratched his head and smiled foolishly.
Erlong was squatting by the wall, seemingly still not out of Zhang Can's shadow, but when he saw him pointing over, he quickly stood up and nodded in response with a smile.
Every militiaman who had followed him through life and death last night trembled when he called out his name.
Finally, his finger landed in front of the mall.
There, a row of figures covered with white cloth lay quietly.
It was the person who died last night.
Twenty-six people in total.
Sixteen of them were attacked by the spewing fusion body, their vital organs were burned, and they could not be saved.
Ten people were accidentally injured by the stones and stray bullets thrown by Zhang Can while he was restraining him, and died on the spot.
Fortunately, these victims were all single and had not yet started a family.
But even as the mall was celebrating, everyone was still feeling a faint shadow in their hearts.
"I brought back 274 of these people."
Cheng Ye took a deep breath, his eyes determined. "I want all the residents of Tianyuan Community to know. I want the people of District B-7, and even all the communities in the buffer zone, to understand that the 26 people who sacrificed their lives following me, Cheng Ye, last night did not die in vain. Their efforts have brought Tianyuan not only a considerable amount of repair funds, nor a good opportunity to curry favor with the Inspector, but also the future!"
"future?"
Old Song pondered these two words over and over again.
He raised his head and looked at Cheng Ye again, but what he saw was not Zhang Can, but something that Zhang Can did not have.
That is a kind of confidence that cannot be described in words.
It's not about boasting, nor is it about self-admiration, nor is it about avoiding pressure.
But it is true that man can conquer nature and everything depends on human efforts!
"Maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I will invest some money in the Tianyuan Community, about 20,000 contribution points, to help the community rebuild the pedestrian street."
When it came to the main event, Cheng Ye sat down instead, with a lazy look on his face again.
"I will oversee the use of this fund and control the general direction of progress. Mr. Song, you should not mind me also investing in Tianyuan Community, right?"
A moment later.
Mr. Song was carried away on a stretcher.
Cheng Ye did not expect that the old soldier who had crawled out of the wave of infection would have such a violent reaction and almost had a heart attack due to excitement.
Fortunately, Zhu Xiang knew a lot of first aid knowledge and took action in time, so a tragedy of excessive joy turning into sorrow was avoided.
"Captain, what did you use to stimulate him?"
"What he wants."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Zhu Xiang was a little confused.
An old soldier in his sixties, accustomed to life and death and the cruelty of the wasteland, what else could he want?
"Don't you have any ideals?"
"Yes." Zhu Xiang was puzzled for a moment, then his brows lit up with joy. "Thank you, Captain. After this is over, I should be able to get a small management position in the Medical Department. I won't have to run around with those people anymore, doing meaningless and useless work."
"What do you want to do after becoming a manager?"
"Hmm"
Zhu Xiang was silent for a moment, then smiled calmly, "Let's promote the privatization of medical care. We have no control over the inner city's medical department, but the outer city's medical department has no competition now and has gradually entered a state of rigidity. In the past, new drugs to control sources of infection were often launched for trial, but in recent years, there has been no such thing."
"Suppressing the source of infection? Isn't that what the Infection Source Research Institute does?"
"No, this time the starfish anti-epidemic powder was also developed by the Medical Department. The research institute just put its name on it and provided some data on the substitute starfish."
He sighed, "If we could continue to research this, the anti-epidemic powder wouldn't have such serious side effects, and we might be able to save even more people."
"come on!"
Cheng Ye stood up and patted Zhu Xiang's shoulder heavily.
very nice.
Regardless of what the idealists' goals are, or how much they contribute to the buffer zone.
Are these contributions more positive or more negative?
One thing is beyond doubt.
From old soldiers in their sixties to middle-aged people in the system who are frustrated.
Everyone has an ideal hidden in their hearts, and still holds the lofty goal of changing the world, and is not defeated by the bleak reality of the wasteland.
As the saying goes, one person collecting firewood will not make a big fire, but many people collecting firewood will make a big fire!
As the ranks of idealists continue to grow, one day, someone capable of changing the world will emerge from among them.
But before that, one may have to go through cruel elimination screening and make many sacrifices.
bite.
At 7:41 in the morning, it was exactly eight hours since the stand-in starfish erupted.
In an instant, the message prompt sounds of the defense communication became one and covered the entire buffer zone.
It was like a new chapter had been opened. All the survivors suddenly picked up the defense communication card and clicked on the prompts.
[Xingfu City Broadcasting Station, survival warning lifted]
[Dear residents, when this message reaches your terminal, Happy City has successfully survived the terrifying wave of infection and is about to usher in the dawn of rebirth on the ruins after the disaster.
You may have spent the past eight hours fighting on the front lines, or curled up shivering under your bed.
Regardless of how we overcome this crisis, we express our sincerest gratitude. It is the perseverance of each and every one of you that has enabled Happiness City to overcome another critical juncture and brought us one step closer to our vision of "ultimate happiness."
[Currently, street defenses have not been removed. Please be patient: we will gradually clear the obstacles and restore normal order in the buffer zone within 72 hours.]
Please do not leave your home without permission. Starting from the release of this announcement, all checkpoints will be closed for 7 days. In addition to maintaining the internal environment and strengthening the isolation line, this will also allow inspectors time to review this wave of infections and prevent a recurrence of similar crises.
The medical center is currently overloaded. Please do not go there on your own. Report your injuries through the Defense Communication System. We will allocate medical resources based on the priority of your injuries to ensure you receive proper treatment.
The locations of infected bodies in each section have been announced via the terminal. Please click here for details. Private handling and concealment of infected bodies are strictly prohibited. The Public Works Department will organize personnel to clean up the infected bodies to prevent secondary infection incidents.
The Joint Command Headquarters of the Buffer Zone has decided that for the next 15 days, the supply of daily necessities will be centrally allocated by the Coordination Center. Each person will receive five bags of nutrient solution per day, free of charge. Residents are requested to collect as needed to help them through the supply allocation period.
[We are assigning dedicated personnel to repair damaged infrastructure. Please do not worry if there are power or water outages in the community.]
【.】
[Quick overview of the infection wave battle report:
Occupied sectors: 17 (A1, A2, A3C11, all areas)
Death toll: 132,500 (estimated)
Subsequent Disposal: We will uniformly withdraw the contribution points and happiness coins from the accounts of deceased individuals and use them in full for the buffer zone repair project. We thank every deceased individual for their silent contribution, and Happiness City will remember you.
[Finally, a warm reminder: Today is Monday, don't forget to return to work on time, thank you!]
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