Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 258: Yongxing Community, Rules of the Adventure!

While Da Long was gone to invite Hou Genbao, the three district elders chimed in one after another, detailing the massive changes the buffer zone had undergone over the past month.Even though what they shared were merely disorganized fragments of daily life, looking back from his current vantage point, Cheng Ye could clearly see that the core concept of the Idealist Faction had indeed been perfectly validated in the buffer zone.

After the massive influx of population entered the buffer zone, there was no chaotic scene of people running amok and destroying the original order. Furthermore, it did not require the Police Department to invest all their vigor into 24-hour patrols and suppression to help newcomers learn the rules.

These communities, each upholding different philosophies, acted as natural screening layers.

As long as there were enough layers of screening, even people with extremely bizarre ideas could find a fitting organization in the buffer zone, and find spiritual resonance.

Once people integrated into an organization, they easily developed a sense of belonging. This invisible emotional bond became an important cornerstone for stabilizing the order of the buffer zone.

However, the three Elders of the Idealist Faction probably never expected that the population flooding into Happiness City would skyrocket to hundreds of thousands, or even millions, in such a short period.

Such a massive population surge directly forced the entire shelter city to hastily activate the Satellite City Model. This nearly completely disrupted their original step-by-step planning, forcing them to passively adjust and adapt to the current situation.

Advancing development through the Satellite City Model inevitably meant undergoing a rigorous round of screening and reshuffling.

Where some laughed, others would cry.

For communities to expand, others inevitably had to shrink or disband. This was the unavoidable growing pain and cost during the rapid development of the buffer zone.

Therefore, the original blueprint that envisioned allowing diverse ideas to fully clash to ultimately form a unified, inclusive circle was hastily adjusted into a dual system of community integration and community elimination.

The core objective of these rules was very clear: to force communities with different concepts to accelerate their integration. Regardless of the obstacles encountered during this process, the priority was to quickly absorb this massive demographic dividend and stabilize the shelter city's foundation.

As the Tianyuan Community's scale continued to expand, its influence radiated throughout the entire B District. All communities within the district were impacted to some degree.

In essence, it was equivalent to claiming territory.

Once Tianyuan brought the B6, B7, B8, and B9 districts under its jurisdiction, it would inevitably implement its own set of community management concepts and rules.

For those who did not agree with this philosophy, there were only two choices: either move to another district or stay and slowly undergo assimilation.

The former was certainly straightforward, but moving was easier said than done. Similar territory claiming dramas were playing out all across the buffer zone right now, and other districts were already firmly controlled by other communities.

If they could not defeat the Tianyuan Community, could they really expect to go to another district and wrest control from local tycoons who had been operating there for years? The only real alternative was to move to an outer satellite city and start from scratch.

As for the latter option, the Yongxing Community was currently experiencing this awkward phase.

They did not want to leave their deep roots in the B9 District, nor were they willing to integrate into Tianyuan's management system. They only wanted to guard their own little patch of land

and live out their days in peace.

Similar to the Tianyuan Community, Yongxing also had its own permanent base—a large logistics warehouse left over from the old era.

The warehouse had a total of three floors, covering an area of nearly eighteen hundred square meters. Factoring in the usable space of the mezzanines and lofts, the total usable area approached four thousand square meters.

After years of renovations, the warehouse could accommodate fifteen hundred people. The living space per capita was just over two square meters. While not exactly spacious, it was much more comfortable than the Tianyuan Community had been a few months ago.

More importantly, Yongxing had also occupied an additional eight hundred square meters of empty land surrounding the warehouse, connecting it to the main building, transforming it into a massive workshop and secondhand equipment trading market.

Yongxing Electronics was the main source of income for the Yongxing Community.

They relied on recycling semi-scrapped appliances and tools, repairing them, and then reselling them to the public.

In addition, they quietly engaged in some underground black market smuggling. For instance, electronic contraband needed by nearby gathering places would first be sent to Yongxing to be artificially aged and disguised as compliant items before circulation, allowing them to earn some extra income.

Logically speaking, with a stable livelihood and a fixed territory, Yongxing should have been living comfortably.

But the reality was that these clandestine little transactions were so insignificant that even the Police Department could not be bothered to crack down on them. The profits were extremely limited, only enough to barely ensure that everyone in the community didn't have to go out and fight for odd jobs, guaranteeing basic food and drink. Any thoughts of advancing further were simply out of the question.

Furthermore, precisely because of Yongxing's existence, some resources that would otherwise have been wasted were given a second life. This was considered a hidden value that the management personnel were happy to see.

However, recently, Hou Genbao, acting as the district manager, had been so anxious that he couldn't sleep.

He could accept the sudden rise of the neighboring Tianyuan Community. Privately, everyone knew that Tianyuan had gotten lucky and connected with an Inspector. With frequent funding and support from above, even the Pedestrian Street, which used to be no different from a slum, had been completely renovated, looking so grand that it nearly rivaled the inner city.

As a community right next to the B7 District, once the Pedestrian Street became operational, Yongxing would also be able to siphon off some of the foot traffic.

But who could have anticipated that the higher-ups would suddenly implement a community integration policy, giving Tianyuan a legitimate excuse to expand outward?

First, the B6 District was placed under Tianyuan's jurisdiction, followed by the B8 District. Just as Hou Genbao was anxiously wondering if his turn was next, an official announcement five days ago completely shattered his illusions.

Even the B9 District, where Yongxing was located, was to be managed by Tianyuan!

Unsurprisingly, on the afternoon the announcement was published, Poison Hand Dragon arrived with hundreds of Tianyuan militiamen and presented two choices: either the entirety of Yongxing moved away, or they had to hand over thirty percent of their community's profits to Tianyuan.

Yet Hou Genbao knew very well that their meager profits—after deducting the warehouse rent, daily community operational expenses, and guaranteeing everyone's basic necessities—left almost nothing behind. How could they possibly squeeze out thirty percent to share with Tianyuan?

The two sides had reached a deadlock. Neither was willing to yield, and the atmosphere grew noticeably more tense by the day.

Perhaps in just a few days, a violent conflict would erupt between Yongxing and Tianyuan.

Everyone in the Yongxing Community had a gun, so they weren't afraid of Poison Hand Dragon acting rashly. However, Tianyuan ultimately held the moral high ground of official jurisdiction. Putting everything else aside, if Tianyuan simply demanded that Yongxing clear out the extra eight hundred square meters of worksite they occupied, it would be a fatal blow to Yongxing, which relied entirely on that area for its livelihood.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Hou!"

"Uncle Hou, I'm almost done with my orders over here."

"Uncle Hou, this month's electricity bill arrived. I hung it up in your workshop."

"Uncle Hou, the Water Ghosts fished up another batch of goods. They're all radios, and they don't look damaged inside. I bought them at twenty percent of the market price. Take a look at their condition."

"Uncle Hou..."

Inside the work area built from plastic tarps and simple steel structures, it was as bustling as a market.

There were a good three or four hundred people from the Yongxing Community keeping their heads down and refurbishing old goods. The stalls were laid out row upon row, looking quite similar to the layout of a vegetable market.

Recently, a large number of newcomers had flooded into the buffer zone, resulting in an exceptionally strong demand for secondhand appliances and tools. This gave Yongxing's business a rare boost.

He occasionally stopped walking, quietly checking the workers' restoration progress and offering a few words of precise guidance.

Other times, he would give a slight nod, revealing a look of approval for those who did well.

In Yongxing, Hou Genbao was the absolute authority.

All fifteen hundred people relied on him to put food on their tables. He was the only one capable of keeping the peace and managing those who tried to reach out and take advantage of others.

As he neared the end of the stalls, two middle-aged men hurried over, standing respectfully before him.

"Uncle Hou, Zhuangwa confessed. We also found the batch of circuit boards he stole."

"Oh?" Hou Genbao's eyelids twitched slightly. He probed calmly, "What did he use the money from selling the boards for?"

"He said it was to treat his seriously ill old father. However, he was scammed by the people from the shantytown. They sold him fake medicine, and after his father took it, he passed away."

"I see," Hou Genbao replied heavily. He pulled a dead twig from his pocket and bit on it. After a moment of silence, he added, "Let's go see him. The kid has had a hard life."

The three of them wove through the busy stalls and exited the electronic market from the other side.

At this time of day, most people were working. The electronic market wouldn't see a flow of customers until after six in the evening.

Stepping into the warehouse, the conditions inside were much better than the Tianyuan Community had been initially.

Silver-white bunk beds were arranged in orderly rows, showing no signs of patching or repairs. The bedding on each bunk was half-new, clean, and tidy. The air was relatively fresh, thanks to three high-powered industrial fans spinning tirelessly, exchanging the air between the inside and outside of the warehouse.

The three navigated through the maze of the warehouse, eventually stopping outside a specially partitioned corrugated iron room.

The two middle-aged men quickly stepped forward and pulled open the door.

Hou Genbao bent down slightly and ducked inside. His calm, unfathomable eyes clearly reflected a frail young man tied to a pillar.

The young man was covered in wounds. The bloody gashes across his abdomen, with the skin and flesh torn open, had clearly been inflicted by a whip.

He hung his head weakly, but upon hearing the familiar footsteps, he forced himself to look up and managed a miserable smile. "Uncle Hou..."

"Mhm," Hou Genbao grunted through his nose, walking over to sit on a stool in front of the pillar.

He looked Zhuangwa up and down, his tone betraying neither joy nor anger. "With your father seriously ill, the community would naturally provide him with medicine for his treatment. Why did you have to go steal circuit boards? You really thought you were being clever."

"The community's medicine quota for each person is so small it couldn't possibly cure my dad! If I waited until he was completely beyond saving and given up on before I started stealing, it would have truly been too late..." Zhuangwa's lips twitched. His voice was hoarse, and every word seemed squeezed through his teeth, carrying an unspeakable despair.

He took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly turning vicious. "My dad is gone, and I have nothing left to live for! Tianyuan has been pushing us so hard lately. I'll go find a way to take out Poison Hand Dragon. Without their leader, maybe they'll..."

Slap!

A sharp, resounding slap suddenly struck Zhuangwa's face. The sheer force behind it slammed his head back against the pillar, producing a dull thud.

"What the hell do you think you are, daring to call him 'Poison Hand Dragon'?"

Hou Genbao pulled a crumpled rag from his pocket and methodically wiped the hand he had just used to strike him. His tone was laced with icy chill. "If you dare call him that today, are others going to start calling me 'Black-hearted Hou' tomorrow?"

"Yes! I was wrong!" Zhuangwa's head spun from the blow, his ears ringing loudly, but he still hastily nodded and admitted his fault. "It's my dirty mouth. It's Ping Dalong, Uncle Ping!"

Hou Genbao's gaze softened slightly, yet it still carried unquestionable authority. "Zhuangwa, tell me, what are the rules of our Yongxing?"

"The three rules of Yongxing..."

Zhuangwa froze, looking as if all his strength had been sapped away. His eyes grew vacant as he spoke, his voice dropping lower and lower, yet every word remained distinct. "Rule one: The collective comes first, the community is paramount. All matters must prioritize the community's foundation and the livelihood of our neighbors."

"Rule two: Forge an alliance of brotherhood, facing hardships together. Share in the glory and endure the disgrace as one. There is absolutely no justification for only looking out for oneself."

"Rule three: Profits must be obtained through proper channels, and development requires courage and integrity. Anyone who embezzles public property or secretly harms the collective... will be stripped of their membership according to district rules, purged from our ranks without any leniency!"

By the final sentence, Zhuangwa's voice trembled uncontrollably. He lowered his head even further, not daring to meet Hou Genbao's eyes.

"Then tell me, how should I deal with you now?"

"According to the rules... my arms and legs should be broken, and I should be thrown into the wilderness to fend for myself."

Zhuangwa gritted his teeth as he finished, suddenly looking up, his eyes brimming with desperate pleading. "But my dad is gone, and I have nothing left to live for! I only beg Uncle Hou to let me atone with my life. If the community has any dangerous tasks, I'll be the first to charge in! I only ask that my death can clear my sins, so my dad won't have to suffer shame in the underworld because of me!"

"Sigh..." Hou Genbao let out a soft sigh and slowly stood up.

He walked over to Zhuangwa and slowly placed his hands around the young man's neck. His fingertips were freezing. His tone sounded like a murmur, "Zhuangwa... it's a troubled time right now. I simply cannot let a foolish brat like you go out and cause more trouble for our Yongxing."

"Un... Uncle Hou!" Zhuangwa's entire body began to violently tremble. He could clearly feel the hands around his neck gradually tightening, making it difficult to breathe.

He pleaded incessantly as tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Yet, those tears contained little regret; they were filled more with deep-seated resentment—resentment over his father's death, resentment over his own fate.

Crack.

A faint yet distinct snap of bone echoed in the cramped corrugated iron room.

A single clear tear squeezed out from the corner of Hou Genbao's eye, but he quickly wiped it away.

He turned and walked back to sit on his stool. Once again, he pulled out his rag and meticulously wiped the marks off his hands, as if nothing had just happened.

"Zhuangwa's debt, along with the fact that the gang from the shantytown set him up and scammed him... add all of it to Yongxing's tab. We'll settle the score later," he said without lifting his head.

"Yes, sir." The middle-aged man standing on the left quickly stepped forward. He deftly untied Zhuangwa's corpse from the pillar and shoved it into a pre-prepared burlap sack.

The middle-aged man on the right hesitated for a moment before offering a hushed word of advice. "Uncle Hou, honestly, sparing Zhuangwa's life wouldn't have been out of the question. Maybe later he could have..."

"We can't afford to spare him at all."

Hou Genbao immediately cut him off, his tone resolute and decisive. "The current situation is too chaotic. The policies from the higher-ups change by the day. It's not just Tianyuan eyeing us; those communities outside are also jealous of our territory. If his old man were still alive, I could have given him a chance to redeem himself for the sake of the elder. But now, he has zero attachments. Letting him go would be like releasing a ticking time bomb,"

"and the first one he'd bite might just be our Yongxing."

After speaking, he looked up at the two men and added, "Old Xu, tell the old folks in the community to keep their eyes peeled lately. Don't go around stirring up trouble. No matter what happens... wait until we've hashed out a result with Tianyuan before doing anything."

"Yes, Uncle Hou." Old Xu quickly nodded in agreement, not daring to raise any more objections.

Only Hou Genbao remained in the corrugated iron room. He sat on the stool, staring at the burlap sack on the ground, his fingers absently rubbing the hem of his shirt.

In this chaotic world, guarding one's little plot of land always required an iron fist, even if beneath that iron fist hid countless unspoken grievances and helplessness.

Right at that moment, the sound of two hurried sets of footsteps echoed from outside. However, upon reaching the door, they quickly slowed down, clearly afraid of disturbing the person inside.

Soon after, a light knock came from the door.

"Uncle Hou?"

"What is it?"

"Tianyuan's Ping Dalong is here. He says Tianyuan wants to have another chat with our Yongxing."

"Alright. Invite Da Long to the reception area first. I'll be right there." Hou Genbao responded. As he stood up, he couldn't help but glance at the burlap sack on the floor again, giving a slight shake of his head.

People's hearts were restless.

Zhuangwa's case might seem like an isolated incident, but it was actually a microcosm of Yongxing's slow decline toward weakness.

Back in Yongxing's prime, everyone's medical quota was four hundred Happiness Coins. But over the past few years, it had been slashed repeatedly, now leaving a mere eighty coins. At best, it was enough for basic over-the-counter medicine. If anyone encountered a serious illness or severe injury, they could only watch helplessly as the person wasted away.

Today, Zhuangwa was pushed into taking desperate measures. Who could guarantee that others wouldn't follow suit tomorrow?

He went to the faucet in the corner and meticulously washed his hands. Facing the blurry mirror on the wall, he forced out a placid smile before turning to head toward the reception area on the other side of the warehouse.

From a distance, he saw Da Long sitting on a wooden chair, rubbing two shiny iron balls in his hands. Standing behind him were Huang Yong and four stern-looking militiamen. Hou Genbao quickly picked up his pace.

"Da Long, sorry to keep you waiting." Hou Genbao piled on a smile and took the initiative to greet him.

"Houzi, sit." Da Long shot a glance at him. Despite clearly being a guest, he assumed the posture of a master, casually gesturing for Hou Genbao to sit on the nearby wooden stool.

Hou Genbao hurriedly sat down, his backside perching on only half the stool. He then immediately stood back up to grab a tin kettle from the floor, eagerly pouring Da Long a cup of water. As he poured, he complimented, "Da Long, this blue work uniform of yours looks incredibly sharp! It clearly isn't made of ordinary material."

"Is that so?" Da Long chuckled, raising a hand to touch the red Tianyuan Construction Team logo on his chest. He abruptly changed the subject. "I'll give you an opportunity. What if I let you and your subordinates wear these uniforms too?"

Hou Genbao's heart tightened, but the smile remained plastered on his face as he repeatedly shook his head. "Da Long, you must be joking. How could my people handle Tianyuan's heavy labor? They're only good for minor repairs and odd jobs. If I really forced them to do construction like you guys, they'd probably mutiny against an old fossil like me."

With that, he shifted the topic back, lowering his posture as he offered, "However, if you need extra hands, I could send some people over to do chores. Consider it Yongxing paying rent to Tianyuan."

"Rent?"

Da Long suddenly slammed his water cup onto the table. The sharp "Bang" made Hou Genbao's heart shudder.

Da Long leaned back slightly, his gaze carrying an extra layer of frost. "The rent you pay to the Department of Livelihood for this warehouse every month is four thousand Happiness Coins, yet you dare try to pawn off 'chores' as rent for Tianyuan?"

"Da Long, you can't put it like that."

Even with Da Long's arrogant attitude, Hou Genbao could only swallow his pride and apologize with a smile. "The rent for the Department of Livelihood is a rule set by the higher-ups."

"If Yongxing doesn't pay, we'll be kicked out. But both Tianyuan and Yongxing are communities. How can we calculate things using that standard?"

"So you're saying you think my Tianyuan lacks the ability to kick your Yongxing out?" Da Long's tone turned freezing cold in an instant, his lips twisting into a high sneer.

"Ping Dalong! You're just here to pick a fight, aren't you?" Old Xu, standing beside Hou Genbao, could hold back no longer. He stepped forward and angrily retorted.

"Oh?" Da Long lifted his eyelids, shooting a direct stare at Old Xu. The fierce glint in his eyes made Old Xu subconsciously take a step back, swallowing the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue.

The atmosphere in the reception area instantly congealed, and even the air seemed to carry the scent of gunpowder.

"Old Xu, Da Long and I are discussing important matters. Don't interrupt." Hou Genbao hurriedly stood up. First, he cupped his hands to apologize to Da Long, then he turned to quietly reprimand Old Xu.

Old Xu's face flushed red, but he could only resentfully retreat a step and fall silent.

Hou Genbao turned back to Da Long, lowering his posture even further. "Da Long, our Yongxing genuinely wants to discuss cooperation with Tianyuan. However, thirty percent of our income truly exceeds what we can bear. You also know that we only scrape by through repairing old electronics and flipping secondhand goods. Once you subtract rent and community expenses, there's basically nothing left. Besides, your Tianyuan has the backing of Inspector Cheng, with endless funding pouring in from above. You guys don't lack this bit of petty change from us."

He gritted his teeth, looking as though he were making a massive concession, wearing an expression of someone throwing caution to the wind. "How about this: ten percent! We are willing to give ten percent of our income to Tianyuan as rent. What do you think?"

Ten percent would certainly leave a painful dent in their finances, but Yongxing would still be able to maintain a superficial peace.

Hou Genbao assumed Da Long would try to bargain or perhaps reject the offer entirely. But to his surprise, Da Long's expression suddenly changed. His previous cold hardness vanished, replaced by a look of genuine intrigue.

'Is it negotiable?'

Hou Genbao's heart skipped a beat, and he inexplicably felt a pang of regret. If he had known Da Long would budge so easily, he would have started by offering five percent. Shouting ten percent right off the bat felt like a massive loss.

But before he could think on it too deeply, Da Long suddenly sat up straight, leaning forward to probe, "What did you just say? Repeat it."

"I... I'm willing to give ten percent of our income to Tianyuan as rent," Hou Genbao stammered, unconsciously repeating himself.

"Not that sentence! The one before it!"

"The one before?" Hou Genbao's mind whirred as he recalled their previous dialogue. "I said... your Tianyuan doesn't lack this bit of petty change from us?"

"Even further back?"

"...Your Tianyuan has the backing of Inspector Cheng?" Hou Genbao finally caught on, speaking with hesitation.

"Exactly! That's the one!" Da Long slapped his thigh hard, an excited expression surfacing on his face. "Inspector Cheng wants to see you. Are you going or not?"

"What?"

Hou Genbao's heart jolted. Thick shock instantly flashed through his eyes, which was quickly replaced by wariness. "What does Inspector Cheng want...?"

"Calling you over is naturally a good thing. Otherwise, replacing your Yongxing would only take a single word from him."

Da Long stood up and rolled his neck. "Houzi, I came all the way out here today, so you're going whether you want to or not. Are you saying the face of Poison Hand Dragon isn't enough to invite District Manager Hou for a trip?"

"Da Long, how could I refuse after you put it like that?"

Hou Genbao hurriedly rose to his feet, a smile piled onto his face. Inside, however, a turbulent mixture of shock and astonishment churned violently.

'That Inspector Cheng is finally back?'

'And it's a good thing... To Yongxing, what exactly constitutes a good thing?'

'Could it be that we'll be like Tianyuan and receive Inspector Cheng's backing to grow big and strong?'

He forcibly suppressed the myriad of emotions in his heart and made an excuse. "Da Long, give me a moment. I'll go change into some clean clothes. I can't look too sloppy when meeting the Inspector."

With that said, he hurriedly led the two men away, constantly instructing them on the way out, "If Inspector Cheng is coming, you all better act sharp and energetic, understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Hou. We'll definitely keep a tight ship here."

Only after the two had left did he enter the private ten-square-meter room partitioned deep within the warehouse. He dug through his closet, pulling out a pair of relatively youthful-looking jeans and a short-sleeved shirt to change into.

Standing before the blurry mirror, Hou Genbao stared at his own face.

The middle-aged man's face was riddled with exhaustion. The corners of his eyes and mouth drooped downward, making even a forced smile appear stiff.

Over the past month, dealing with pressure from all sides and handling the community's messy affairs meant he barely got any proper rest. His weariness was impossible to hide.

After a moment of thought, Hou Genbao bent down and pulled a slightly dusty miscellaneous box from under his bed. Opening it, he took out a small bottle of hair gel. Facing the mirror, he clumsily sprayed some onto his messy hair, doing his best to make himself look a bit more presentable.

"I never thought the day would come when I, Houzi, would sit face-to-face with an Inspector of Happiness City..."

Looking at his reflection, he couldn't help but laugh at himself in self-deprecation.

Yet, within that laughter, there was an inexplicable trace of relief and anticipation that even he hadn't noticed.