Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 770

Chapter 770: Chapter 256: Yongxing Community, Hou Genbao!

During the interval when Long went to invite Hou Genbao, the three Elders of the Zone engaged in a detailed discussion about the significant changes that had occurred in the Buffer Zone over the past month.

Even though what was spoken were merely fragments of everyday life, from the current perspective, Cheng Ye had already clearly realized that the core concept of the Idealist Faction had indeed been perfectly validated in the Buffer Zone.

After the large influx of population into the Buffer Zone, no chaotic scenarios of wanton rampage that disrupted the original order had emerged, and the police department wasn’t required to invest all its energy into 24-hour patrolling and suppression to help newcomers learn the rules.

These communities, each holding different ideologies, acted like natural layers of filters.

As long as the levels of filtering were sufficiently numerous, even people with extremely bizarre ideas could find a compatible organization in the Buffer Zone and seek spiritual resonance.

Once a person integrates into an organization, they quickly foster a sense of belonging, an invisible emotional bond that has become an essential foundation for stabilizing the order in the Buffer Zone.

However, the three Elders of the Idealist Faction probably never imagined that the influx of people into Happiness City would surge to hundreds of thousands, even millions, in a short period.

This massive wave of population directly forced the entire Shelter City to hastily adopt the Satellite City model, almost entirely disrupting the original step-by-step planning, leaving it no choice but to passively adjust and adapt to the current situation.

Advancing development through the Satellite City model inevitably involves a harsh round of selection and reshuffling.

Where there is laughter, there is crying.

Where some communities expand, others inevitably must shrink and dissolve, an unavoidable pain and cost in the rapid development of the Buffer Zone.

Therefore, the originally conceived blueprint of ‘letting diverse ideologies collide fully to finally form a unified inclusive circle’ was forced to be hastily adjusted to a rule where community integration and elimination coexist.

The core purpose of this rule is very clear, to force communities with different ideologies to accelerate their integration, no matter how many obstacles are encountered in the process, first quickly digest this wave of massive population dividend and stabilize the basic framework of Shelter City.

As the scale of the Celestial Essence Community continues to expand, its influence has already radiated across the entire Zone B, impacting all communities within it to some extent.

Essentially, it’s akin to a land grab.

When Celestial Essence encompassed Zones B6, B7, B8, and B9 under its jurisdiction, it inevitably would implement its own community management concepts and rules.

For those who don’t acknowledge these concepts, there are only two choices: either move to another area or stay and be gradually assimilated.

The former is certainly straightforward, but moving is easier said than done; currently, the entire Buffer Zone is staging similar ‘land grab’ games, and other areas are already firmly controlled by other communities.

If one can’t defeat the Celestial Essence Community, running to another area doesn’t ensure competing with long-established local forces; the only solution is to move to the surrounding Satellite Cities for a fresh start and development.

The latter is what Yongxing Community is experiencing now, in this awkward stage.

Not wanting to leave the rooted Zone B9, nor willing to integrate into Celestial Essence’s management system, just wanting to guard one’s own piece of land and live peacefully.

Similar to Celestial Essence, Yongxing also has its fixed base, an old logistic warehouse from the past.

The warehouse has three floors, covering nearly 1,800 square meters; counting the mezzanine and attic, the usable space is close to 4,000 square meters.

After years of renovation, the warehouse can accommodate 1,500 people, with an average living space of just over 2 square meters per person, though not spacious, it’s more comfortable than the Celestial Essence Community from a few months ago.

Critically, Yongxing also occupies nearly 800 square meters of open space around the warehouse, integrating it with the warehouse, transforming it into a massive workspace and second-hand equipment trading market.

Yongxing Electronics is Yongxing Community’s primary source of income.

Relying on reclaiming semi-defunct appliances and tools, repairing them for second sale.

Additionally, it secretly engages in some underground black market business, such as electronic contraband needed by nearby gatherings, which will first be sent to Yongxing for antiquing, disguised as compliant products before circulating for some extra income.

Logically, having a stable livelihood and fixed territory, Yongxing should be thriving.

But the reality is, this under-the-table small business is so minor even the police department doesn’t bother cracking down on it; profits are indeed limited, barely sufficient to keep everyone in the community from scrambling for odd jobs outside and to ensure basic food security; wanting to progress further is impossible.

Moreover, thanks to Yongxing’s existence, some resources that should have been wasted are reused, something appreciated as ‘hidden value’ by management personnel.

Yet, recently, as the district administrator, Hou Genbao hasn’t been able to sleep soundly.

Though he can accept the sudden rise of Celestial Essence next door, as privately discussed, everyone knows Celestial Essence got lucky by hooking up with the Inspector, receiving frequent funding and support from above; even the once equally slum-like pedestrian street has been transformed anew, imposing enough to rival the Inner City.

As a community adjacent to Zone B7, once the pedestrian street is operational, Yongxing can also divert some popularity.

But who could’ve thought that policies suddenly pushing community fusion would give Celestial Essence legitimate reasons for outward expansion?

First Zone B6 was incorporated under Celestial Essence’s jurisdiction, then Zone B8; Hou Genbao was anxiously pondering whether his own turn was coming when five days ago, the announcement from above shattered his illusions thoroughly.