Gene from the 13th Department of Bright City

May 1, 2221

7:13 am

In the courtyard of Section 5 headquarters, many people are waiting to check their test results. Due to what happened at the beginning of this year, the accident, and the Pioneer Plan, the start of the Acting Section was moved forward a week, starting at the end of March. , so the results were obtained so quickly, and the number of people taking the exam this year was relatively small.

Many people happily updated their identity information at the score inquiry kiosks set up in each of the five subjects. This year's passing score was relatively low, with 80 points required to pass. Many people cheered.

It seemed that many people had passed the exam, and cheers kept ringing out. Another reason why many people were happy was that none of the people who passed the exam were forcibly assigned to subject 3.

This is the reason why most people are happy. They don’t have to be assigned to subject 3. Although most people are assigned to subject 5, most people in the city now have a good impression of subject 5, although many people are not assigned to subject 5. I want to go to the subjects, but my rejection of subjects 5 is not as great as in the past.

Those who passed the exam began to enter the large conference room on the first floor of the headquarters under the arrangement of the members of Section 5. Although some who failed to pass were discouraged, the people of Section 5 encouraged them to come back next year.

A man with a sallow complexion and a skinny appearance looked at his score, which was only 79, just one point short. He pressed his forehead in annoyance and stood in front of a small pavilion.

"Can you please be accommodating? I'm only 1 point short. I can do it even if I go to subject 3."

"No sir, rules are rules."

The man raised his hand, and white particles overflowed from it.

"I'm a mutant, can't I do that?"

The people in Section 5 in the pavilion shook their heads.

"It's even worse when it comes to mutants. Mutants need to be at least 5 to 10 points higher than the passing score."

The man's eyes widened, and then the clerk pulled out the exam rules. Indeed, if mutants wanted to take the exam, their scores would have to be 5 to 10 points higher than ordinary people.

The man turned around and walked away in despair. In order to get a stable job, the man who was originally a mountain worker spent his savings and went to many training courses. In order to prepare for the exam, he spent a year. During this period, there was basically no income.

The man still has a wife and children. Now he doesn't know how to face the family waiting for him when he goes back. When the man was about to walk out of the gate of Section 5, he stopped again, turned around and walked quickly to Section 5. After seeing a director at the gate of the department, he immediately went up and explained the situation.

"I can even go to Section 3, okay?"

"Sir, although I personally understand your situation, the system is the system and cannot be changed. Please continue to work hard after you go back and work hard next year."

The corners of the man's eyes were twitching slightly, and he was choked with sobs in his throat. He didn't know what to say. Looking at these people who had passed the exam and entered the headquarters of Section 5 with joy, the man still stopped. He almost couldn't hold on any longer. I thought I would definitely be able to survive, but now my hope has become elusive.

More and more people entered, and more and more people left. The man was still standing at the door of Section 5. During this period, someone came over to persuade the man to go back and come back next year, but the man couldn't stand it anymore. He closed his eyes and saw a blur in front of him. It was dark and my mind was empty.

Finally, at around 8 o'clock, the man could only leave Section 5. When he stepped out of the headquarters of Section 5, he started walking away with a sad smile. He just wanted to take a sip, and now there were only two in front of the man. There are two choices: work in a grain base, or continue to work as a mountain worker, but the competition in the latter is quite high.

The desperate man walked step by step towards a shop opposite. He didn't know what to do. At this moment, he just wanted to take a sip to relieve the pain in his heart.

Soon the man ordered a bottle of wine and found a place to sit down. He stared at the table quietly. The man deliberately found a place on the second floor near the back street. He just wanted to get drunk quickly. There were two people at home. Children put a lot of pressure on the life of the whole family. When Angus Construction started in the past, the man made a lot of money and bought a house, but now Angus Construction has not started yet.

"Sir, let's see if you have any difficulties. Maybe I can help you."

As soon as he heard "Help you", the man looked up. It was a man wearing a mask and sunglasses. The man nodded without thinking much.

"I am from a pharmaceutical company. Sir, would you like to help us research drugs?"

As he spoke, the man opposite took out a stack of documents from his wallet. After a while, the man laughed in surprise. There was a tube of potion placed on the table.

"All we need is that you sign a contract, try out our new medicine, and give us feedback every day. This is a strength-enhancing medicine made to work with mutants' bodies. It has now entered the experimental stage, and it has the permission of Congress."

The man opposite said that he pulled out a license authorized by Congress. The man nodded in belief. As long as he signed his name, he could get 100,000. The man signed the document without hesitation and took the potion.

"The injection experiment can begin after 12 o'clock tonight. Sir, I hope you can abide by the confidentiality clause in the contract and not tell anyone."

As he spoke, the man wearing a mask across from him took a paper bag with a thick stack of banknotes inside. The man immediately took it and held it in his arms. At this moment, his unhappiness and anxiety disappeared.

"We will call your husband tonight. You only need to go to the designated place. We will have someone to check your physical data. You only need to inject the medicine in advance."

At this time, on another street on the ground floor, a man with unkempt hair took over a tube of potion and money.

"Please note that this potion has adaptability issues, so sir, you have to inject it in advance and then run over. This will increase your strength and make it easier for us to run over after you inject the potion." Only then can we record body values ​​more accurately.”

"Of course, just give me the phone number."

The unkempt man was about to leave when the person behind him reminded him again.

"Please abide by the contract, sir, otherwise you will be legally responsible."

The man immediately smiled. Although he was a little suspicious, the documents given by the man who claimed to be a pharmaceutical company and the authorization documents from Congress were all authentic. The man didn't think much and left with a lot of money in his arms.

At this time, on a street on the ground floor, in a small restaurant on the street, a group of people were discussing when the Pioneer Project would start. It has been two months since the end of February, and many people have passed the review. After signing the contract with the Congress, some people couldn't wait and would run to ask the congressmen from time to time, but the congressmen said that the time announced by the Congress would prevail.

The enthusiasm for the Trail Blazers project has cooled down from the initial high, because no one knows the exact time when the project started.

Some people even think that this project will not start in a short time, and they feel like they have been cheated. The most worrying thing is the problem of Angus construction, which has not started yet.

The situation at the bottom is not as slightly better as many people thought, but is getting worse. Many small businesses at the bottom can no longer survive. The market at the bottom has always been sluggish. Except for the relatively stable food industry, Other industries are very bleak, and consumption at the bottom level is also declining on a monthly basis.

Depression has become the scene on many originally lively streets on the ground floor. Some shops have simply closed. Some petty theft incidents often occur. Many people have to go to the agricultural bases in the east to work, and they have to sign at least a one-year contract. Many people can't stand it.

It is in such a depressed situation that most people are in a dilemma, but in order to make a living, a large number of people went to work in the agricultural bases in the east.

Nowadays, the amount of food output every day is very high, and the prices of some foods have even dropped. Most of the businessmen in the middle and upper classes are watching. Some businessmen have even evacuated the industries at the bottom and laid off a large number of employees. .

Located in the lobby of the District 99 District Office, Hu Youran and Duke stood quietly in the lobby, waiting for the council members who had gone out to come back. This was the 20th lower-level district that Hu Youran had visited.

Hu Youran came down for no other reason than to remind the councilors of the district office that reducing the underlying industrial structure is currently the most effective way to deal with the depression. The next five years will be extremely difficult for the city. Hu Youran knows very well. Although the Pioneer Plan can bring hope to people at the bottom in the long term, how to get through it in the short term is not simple.

People in the upper class have completely given up on the market at the bottom because they no longer have any confidence in the market at the bottom. The only thing that the Pioneer Plan can drive is the economy of the middle and upper classes, while the bottom class can still only continue to live in hunger and cold. But now the actions of the congressmen have made the situation at the bottom even worse.

The middle level has also been implicated. Hu Youran has collected a large amount of economic data in recent years. These data cannot explain anything. The only problem that can be explained is that the best way for the bottom level now is to do nothing, no matter what they do. , when Angus Construction cannot start in a short period of time and the Pioneer Plan cannot be implemented, it is the safest way not to act rashly.

The current actions of the councilors in District 99 make Hu Youran extremely worried. They are also doing the same thing as some other district councilors. In order to increase employment in the region, some tax support has been provided. Because of the increase in employment, the overall income in the region has also increased. Only then will there be an increase and there will be taxes.

The congressmen were too anxious, especially the younger congressmen who wanted to show their strength, and did not listen to the advice at all. Coupled with some secret money and power transactions, the entire lower-level environment has actually deteriorated.

The behavior of the business department also made Hu Youran feel uneasy. In order to give the depressed lower class people some hope, a series of loose policies have been introduced recently, and a large number of family-style workshops have begun to increase rapidly.

It is very dangerous to only focus on interests and give up long-term considerations. Although most of the congressmen whom Hu Youran persuaded verbally agreed to some things by Hu Youran, in fact, after so many months, they still tried their best to do everything as before. ways to increase employment.

The interests of middle-level businessmen have actually been damaged, and the stable market at the middle level has begun to be gradually destroyed.

Finally, Hu Youran saw the member of the 99th District Power Office returning, and he walked over with a red face.

"Mr. Hu Youran, Mr. Duke, thank you both for coming here. Please come inside."

It was just after 10 o'clock. As soon as he entered the office, the congressman started to talk complacently. He felt very happy that he had solved 30 employment problems this morning.

"Congressman Romil, I just hope you can slow down or stop the production value in the area."

The congressman named Romil was a little surprised for a moment, but he soon laughed.

"Mr. Hu Youran, what do you mean by this? Stopping production, doesn't that mean that most people in our district will drink from the northwest wind?"

Duke explained with a smile.

"The tax money can be saved first and gradually increase the living allowance of the people in the region. This is what I mean."

Romil shook his head arrogantly.

"At present, our district has received a large number of orders from some middle-level merchants."

Hu Youran's face darkened. He naturally knew how they got these orders. The lower-level councilors often went to some middle-level merchants and won a large number of orders at low prices. Then they started family-style workshops in the area to Delivering finished products to middle-level merchants at very low prices will greatly damage the stability of the overall economy. The merchants and people at the bottom will make money, but the people in the middle will suffer, and once this loss occurs It is difficult to recover from the beginning. The economic volume carried by the middle class is far larger than that of the lower class.

Nowadays, District 99 transports a large number of disposable utensils, as well as some daily necessities, etc. Compared with the items produced by the middle class, the quality of these items is lower, and the price is only one-third of that of the middle class.

Hu Youran explained.

Using the simplest disposable item made of thermal insulation material as an example, he opened the light and shadow panel.

"At the middle level, the average supply price of this kind of box is 1 yuan for 10 boxes, and the actual manufacturing cost is 5 cents. But now this kind of box supplied to some middle-level merchants in your area only costs 8 cents, and the manufacturing cost is up to 3 cents. Mao, actually you made 5 mao for every 10 boxes.”

Romil smiled and nodded.

"It's true, Mr. Hu Youran, is there any problem? The market is like this. Although our quality is slightly worse, it definitely meets the safety production standards. If you don't believe me, you can take it for inspection."

Hu Youran shook his head.

"What about the middle-level companies that produce this kind of boxes? Have you ever thought about the problem of mutual conversion of production capacity? If the middle-level market is taken away by you, the original price of 1 yuan for 10 boxes will not come back. They In order to compete with you, many people can only lower their production capacity and shrink their profit costs. They can only earn 30 cents. The taxes and consumption of the middle class, including living standards, are higher than those of the bottom class. If the middle class companies can continue to make profits If tax revenue decreases, tax revenue will also decrease. Once tax revenue decreases and businessmen have no money in their pockets, they may lay off some employees. After the laid off employees lose their jobs, competition for middle-level jobs will increase, and in the end many people may return Going to the lower level will only create a vicious cycle. Although the lower level makes money in the short term, what will happen in the long term? Many businessmen are unwilling to come to the lower level, and all you can rob are some of the life products at the bottom. orders, but what about other high-tech products?”

Romil looked at Hu Youran suspiciously and shook his head.

"Mr. Hu Youran, do you want us to watch everyone lose their jobs? If you don't have anything else to say, I have a meeting later, so I'll excuse you now."

Hu Youran was about to say something when he was stopped by Duke. Romil walked out, and Hu Youran sighed helplessly.

In the economic structure of the upper, middle and lower layers, the only thing that cannot have problems is the middle layer. Once problems occur in the middle layer, the bottom layer will be more difficult. If the bottom layer continues to do this, it will destroy a stable middle market, and the middle layer will be destroyed. In order for enterprises to continue to survive, the only way is to reduce production capacity. The consequences of reducing production capacity are unpredictable and the market will be completely disrupted.

In the end, many middle-level companies were forced to give up low-profit industries. Although people at the bottom got this part of the industry, if so many people compete, it will end up in a mess that is difficult to control. If it reaches this point, the middle-level companies will begin to completely divest their capital and transform, the middle-level companies will also start a great depression, and finally the bottom-level companies will only fall into a situation of overcapacity with no one to take over.

Hu Youran and Duke have repeatedly proposed the economic concept of mutual conversion of production capacity in recent TV programs, but many lower-level congressmen still ignore it.

The best way now is not to increase employment, but to save for the future orchard plan that will benefit people at the bottom. This is the right approach. Taxes can even be used to provide protection for local people who participate in the pioneer plan. , the hoarding of materials, and the hoarding of items and tools needed for development, instead of letting Congress use tax dollars that still need to be built to support the orchard plan.

It's a pity that no one can listen. In Hu Youran's simulation calculations, the orchard plan and the Angus construction plan can coexist. If all the tax revenue returned to the region is used to prepare for the orchard plan, it will be solved. A big part of the trouble, rather than a waste of tax dollars, is destroying a stable market at the middle level.

No one wants to listen to what Hu Youran says. Although the lower class has been depressed recently, due to the active efforts of congressmen, employment is increasing significantly every day.

Hu Youran pressed the table sadly, Duke patted his shoulder and shook his head.

"Go back. Even if you travel to 60 districts, they still won't stop, because there are many people with vested interests in this world. If you debate for your own interests, everyone is an orator, haha."

Hu Youran nodded. The economic plan he proposed, which seemed beautiful and could make the lives of the lower class people better in the future, was impossible to implement.

But according to Hu Youran's calculations, the people at the bottom only need to endure for two years at most. Once the Orchard Project and Angus Construction start at the same time, there will be another wave of employment in the city, and the pressure within the city will also increase due to the Orchard Project. And reduce a lot.

"There is another way. Let Section 5 prepare a lift for us immediately. Let's go to the upper level to find Representative Freya."

Seeing that Hu Youran still refused to give up, Duke nodded.

"Maybe there's nothing Freya can do about it."

Duke just whispered something, but Hu Youran still walked out, and he could only follow him.

Soon, people from Section 5 prepared a lift for them to take them to the upper-class family area. Now Freya is pregnant and can only work at home.

At 11:18 in the morning, the lift slowly landed on the lawn of Abron's house. Freya, accompanied by two maids, was already waiting at the door of the mansion.

"I'm very sorry, Councilor Freya, and thank you for agreeing to our request for a meeting."

"Please invite the two of you inside."

Freya said as she led the two of them into the mansion, and soon arrived at her living room on the second floor.

Charles was also at home. He didn't know why these two celebrities in the city came to his home, but there were some things that Charles wanted to ask Hu Youran, the city's leading economist.

"Please take a seat, two."

As soon as Freya finished speaking, Hu Youran started talking all at once.

As time passed by, the smile on Freya's face disappeared, and she looked at the light and shadow panels created by Hu Youran with a solemn expression.

"Please believe me, Councilor Freya. The best thing to do now is to let the lower-level regions stop competing with the middle-level to compete for the market. As well as reserve tax dollars, you can sign an intra-regional contract with the Blazers. These taxes are not in vain to support them. Instead, they will gradually return it to the region after the land they reclaimed becomes profitable.”

Freya nodded.

"I believe you, Mr. Hu Youran. In fact, we have noticed this problem as early as half a year ago. The depression also gradually started eight months ago. Many businessmen who had been robbed of their profits evacuated the bottom level out of anger. It’s just that there is nothing we can do now. As long as I can give orders in my relative position, I can make the lower-level congressmen listen to me in terms of medical treatment. The same is true for several other factional congressmen. Recently, reformist congressmen have emerged from the bottom. Since last year, some MPs without affiliation have gathered together and begun drastic reforms at the bottom."

Duke smiled. He had known it for a long time. As a qualified sociologist, Duke would often go out on his own to observe and inquire in some places. The ninth major faction among the members, the reformists, had emerged. Obviously they did not want to obey the management of the eight major members, but gathered together and began to use their methods to benefit the area where the bottom class was located.

The out-of-control situation at the bottom actually started when Angus Construction was suspended. Duke already knew this, but he did not tell Hu Youran clearly because Duke was born with a character that did not want to offend anyone. Many congressmen at the bottom They are all having a heated fight with the local business departments, and both parties are benefiting from each other.

Furthermore, Duke does not want to add to the city's burden. Many things cannot be solved by a system, a document, or a rhetoric. The bottom level has been reduced to a quagmire.

"We will try our best to find a solution."

Hu Youran nodded and kept saying thank you gratefully.

"I've already had lunch prepared. If you two don't mind, you can have lunch and rest for a while, and we'll discuss it in detail."

Freya smiled politely, and Hu Youran and Duke nodded. She would never refuse a warm-hearted person like Hu Youran. The situation in the city was more dangerous than ever before. This was the conclusion reached by Freya and the other seven people. .

The demographic dividend that was finally accumulated in the past has long since disappeared due to frequent construction problems in Angus and various reasons. The internal pressure has become so great that Freya will feel anxious when she opens her eyes every day, so the orchard plan is It is imperative that 12 Branches have successfully revitalized some land. The next step is to reclaim and revive it, build an ecosystem, and finally plant it.

Freya looked out the window at Angus's house opposite. The lawn had not been taken care of for a long time and was overgrown with weeds. The Angus couple basically did not come back now, but were busy at some major construction sites. .

Freya also asked Jean, and Jean said that construction will definitely start in August this year at the latest. This made Freya feel at ease a lot. The gods are still working day and night to directly solve the technical problems in the construction. There is simply no way to help leaders solve problems in the orchard plan.

Freya looked at the lawn outside the window. The two people behind her had already gone down first under the leadership of the housekeeper. It seemed that Charles wanted to talk to the two of them about something. Freya bit her lip and pressed her belly. , she didn’t know what to do. Let each district reduce the benefits of various industries. This may be the best way at the moment, but once it is reduced, it means that the city will usher in a new round of dissatisfaction.

No matter how we weigh this matter, we cannot get a solution that has the best of both worlds, or there is no solution that has the best of both worlds.

In order to allow most people to have jobs, small family-style drug workshops have basically spread all over the ground floor in places with good sunlight. Freya has tried her best, but now she may soon face a new round of overcapacity. question.

"Mother! Miguel is asleep."

Freya's tense expression relaxed for a moment. She showed a smile and nodded. She looked at Michelle behind her, who was almost 6 years old. She was already very sensible. Now she was taking care of her younger brother Miguel. She does the diapering, putting her to sleep, etc., and the servants only help with bathing.

"Come here Michelle."

Michelle walked straight to her mother's side, stood up straight, and Freya gently stroked her forehead.

"Grow up quickly, Michelle. When you grow up, you can help the city solve many problems."

Michelle nodded.

"I will work hard mother!"