Resurrection Empire

"What's meant by one-to-one?"

"It means making a public promise: for every person who willingly becomes a volunteer for the Mengdu Group, they can designate another person to live in the satellite town of the Mengdu Group's headquarters city."

Ren Zhong was silent for a moment. "Very insidious."

"Yes. If it were done through voting, forcibly transforming the wasteland people into commodities, nearly half would inevitably die in panic riots, and at most, the Mengdu Group would get half the so-called volunteers. If the wasteland people had more weapons, the intensity of the resistance would spiral out of control, possibly resulting in fewer than half surviving. Under the grim prospects of the Pu Cha, this method of boiling a frog in warm water proves more effective, and at least thousands might fall for it. As for the others collectively boarding the airship to the so-called New Town, who knows where they'll end up."

Ren Zhong nodded.

If citizens genuinely do not regard the wasteland people as their equals, then the promises made to the wasteland people are just empty words, like telling pigs in a pig farm, "Eat well, grow big, and I won't kill you," it's the same thing.

Ren Zhong sighed again, "What then?"

"If the sampling car comes back empty-handed tomorrow, this will go from a possibility to a certainty. But..."

"But what?"

"But all the wasteland people previously registered have indeed had their registrations canceled. I can't exactly force people to march to their deaths just to make up the numbers."

Ren Zhong was silent for a long time, "Just take it one step at a time."

Ma Dafu: "There's another matter. Ma Xiaoling, please step outside for a moment."

Ma Xiaoling, who had been watching stocks, grumbled as she left the room.

Then, Ma Dafu took a black sleeve from his pocket and handed it to Ren Zhong, while also taking one out for himself and attaching it to his wrist watch, tightening it.

Ren Zhong took the hint and followed suit.

"Since last night, I have been unable to check your threat index and rebelliousness index at all."

Ma Dafu spoke solemnly.

Ren Zhong, hearing this, was not surprised, "I understand. I've been too kind to the wasteland people. Clearly, this matter of monitoring the citizens has gone beyond your mayoral authority. But don't worry, I'm a decent businessman, I can balance this well."

"Then that's fine. Keep this with you."

"What's it made of? How much does one cost?"

"I had my daughter hunt Ruined Beasts and make it herself. It's made from the skin of the dark velvet pangolin found in abandoned mining pits and can effectively absorb external sounds."

Ren Zhong nodded in understanding.

...

On the morning of the 71st day, the Mengdu Group's buy-life car indeed returned empty-handed.

By about afternoon, a mysterious message began to irreversibly spread among the wasteland people.

"Due to Ma Dafu's incompetence, Starfire Town has been declining, for more than ten years no Fifth Level Professional has emerged among the wasteland people. The Association has decided to place the professional development index at the highest priority in this Pu Cha. If no one can represent Starfire Town to pass the combat power assessment, revocation is imminent."

This was a matter of life and death, nothing could stop its spread.

In just one afternoon, this piece of information had spread to almost every wasteland person's ear in Starfire Town.

Beyond this core message, there was another element targeting Ren Zhong, who had separated from the wasteland class and become a Second Level Citizen within just two months.

...

"Ren Zhong has already become a Fourth Level professional and possesses formidable strength."

"Ren Zhong has wholly taken over Yang Bingzhong's entire industry, and Yang Bingzhong's industry was built with the blood and flesh of Starfire Town's wasteland people."

"Although Ren Zhong is now a citizen, he has the responsibility to participate in the combat power examination of Pu Cha on behalf of Starfire Town's wasteland people."

In the office, Wang Zhaofu read the intelligence gathered by informers with a worried expression, cursing, "Damn it, this is disgusting. Purple Crystal Mining and Mengdu Group are both supposedly among the Nine Major Enterprises, why play such a vicious hand over a mere Starfire Town? It's disgraceful."

Ren Zhong was calm, smiling: "Nine Major Groups remain Nine Major Groups, but the ones doing these things must just be some small fries from a subsidiary. They've studied me well, not only do they know I'm a Fourth Level professional, but they've even studied my character, going as far as to use moral coercion. Interesting."

Ren Zhong knew who had "betrayed" him; it must have been Ma Shu.

Among the outsiders, only Ma Shu, who had failed to assassinate him with mercenaries, could estimate his true combat power.

Ma Shu was quite interesting as well.

Wang Zhaofu waved dismissively, "Who cares about any of that; anyway, Ren ol' buddy, you're not strapped for cash, we can just leave whenever, and no one can say otherwise."