Chapter 305: Investment Reform and Generous Rewards! |
"Whoa, you're just a Trainee... no, wait, this is your first field duty, and you're going to execute three missions at once?"
Li Matai leaned close to the Defense Terminal's screen, clicking his tongue in astonishment as he read the contents.
According to the rules, most Trainee Inspectors would choose the closest mission location for their first field duty, needing only to complete a single task to meet the standard.
Only highly experienced High-Tier Inspectors would pursue efficiency like Cheng Ye, taking on multiple missions and executing them concurrently.
He carefully scanned the mission details and added, "Well, even though there are no tough nuts above difficulty level 3, the window before winter is already short. Even if the routes align perfectly, you still need to leave as much buffer time as possible. Don't rush it too much."
"No, no, no, these missions are far more than just conveniently on the same route."
Cheng Ye returned to the main interface and opened the gallery function, which contained the detailed supplementary mission notices sent by Jiang Chuan.
[1. Notice Regarding the Upgrade of Mission Rewards for the Black Branding Mountain Gathering Place: In March of the New Era Year 35, this Gathering Place submitted a cooperation application to Happiness City. Due to a prolonged lack of personnel traveling to Guang Province for field duty, the mission has remained unaccepted. The reward has now been upgraded to the difficulty level 3 standard.]
[2. Notice Regarding the Upgrade of Mission Rewards for the Twin Moon Lake Gathering Place: This Gathering Place terminated its nutrient paste cooperation agreement with Happiness City in August of this year. We now need to complete the recovery of core cooperative resources. Due to a prolonged lack of personnel traveling to Guang Province... the reward has therefore been upgraded to the difficulty level 2 standard.]
But this year was a special case. Most High-Tier Inspectors were still out on assignment and hadn't returned, while Low-Tier Inspectors had to stay behind for guard duty and handle the contract management of Satellite Cities. Field duty missions in Guang Province had been delayed time and time again, resulting in almost all of them receiving varying degrees of reward upgrades.
"Look at the route." Cheng Ye slid his fingertip across the screen. "Starting from East Peace Town and heading east, traversing six hundred kilometers of mountains and ridges will take us straight to Twin Moon Lake. Going another one hundred and eighty kilometers forward brings us to the border between Guang Province and Shi Province. Black Branding Mountain is right in the middle of the Guangshi Mountain Range, and passing through that mountain range puts us right in Guang Province territory."
"From that border, heading forward about another three hundred kilometers is the Light Rainbow Shelter City. We won't need to make any detours for these three missions; we just push straight ahead. The total mileage is roughly twelve hundred kilometers."
If not for the fact that upon arriving at Light Rainbow, he still needed to find Luo You to investigate information related to Yiyi's abilities, Cheng Ye would have been tempted to take on five or six more missions to complete all at once just based on these upgraded rewards.
After all, the difficulty and the rewards were severely mismatched. The payout for each mission was enough to make anyone drool.
"A difficulty level 2 mission giving a difficulty level 3 reward?" Li Matai stared blankly. "Is there really no one going to Guang Province this year?"
"I checked the field duty reports. Over the past three years, only thirteen Inspectors have gone to Light Rainbow in total, and last year there were only three
of them."
""
Cheng Ye explained as he continued to operate the screen, "With Light Rainbow infiltrating the various shelter cities of Guang Province, there are fewer and fewer factions willing to trade with us now. The rewards for regular missions were already a tier lower than acquisition missions. If they didn't upgrade the rewards now, I reckon no one would be willing to take these Guang Province missions for the next couple of years."
He paused before adding, "And after the update, the mission rewards are now linked to Satellite City development."
"Let me see." Liu Bi reached out and took the Defense Terminal, his eyes immediately falling upon the dense text on the screen:
[Optional Mission Rewards for Black Branding Mountain (Choose One of Two):
1. Regular Reward: 4500 Contribution Points and 500 Contribution Credits, subject to increase based on high-value discoveries. 2. Satellite City Reward: 150 Development Points and any one D-rank production technology.]
[Optional Mission Rewards for Twin Moon Lake (Choose One of Two):
1. Regular Reward: 2500 Contribution Points and 200 Contribution Credits. 2. Satellite City Reward: 80 Development Points and a certain amount of any D-rank production resources.]
[Optional Mission Rewards for Escorting the Merchant Caravan (Choose One of Two):
1. Regular Reward: 500 Contribution Credits. 2. Satellite City Reward: 100 Development Points.]
"These rewards..." Liu Bi muttered, looking at the screen with a slight frown.
"Too low?" Li Matai hurriedly leaned in. Upon clearly seeing the numbers, he gasped in shock. "My god, why is it so high?"
While field duty missions appeared to be issued by the Inspection Station, they fundamentally stemmed from Happiness City's own needs. All funding was borne by Happiness City, making the Inspection Station act more like a subcontracting middleman.
In the past, even if the mission rewards included Contribution Points, the amount would be far lower than the Contribution Credits. The ratio between the two was roughly one to three. For example, if the reward was 500 Contribution Credits, the Contribution Points would never exceed two thousand.
But now, the amount of Contribution Points had skyrocketed, bringing the ratio almost close to one to one.
If converted into Satellite City Development Points, it was even more absurd.
Based on the current exchange rate, the Satellite City reward for the Black Branding Mountain mission alone was equivalent to fifteen thousand Contribution Points, and it even came with a complementary D-rank production technology.
"This isn't right. Are they trying to encourage contracted Inspectors to go out on field duty?"
Liu Bi stroked his chin, muttering to himself, "Besides, there probably aren't many people who would actually choose the Satellite City rewards, right?"
Taking the hard-earned rewards an Inspector made from field duty and using them to develop a Satellite City didn't seem like a good deal no matter how one looked at it.
After all, not every Satellite City was like Dabo Town, explicitly granted by an Elder for personal ownership and autonomous management.
Take East Peace Town, for example. Song Hai was replaced the moment the higher-ups said so. If someone poured massive resources into building it up only to lose everything in the end, no one would be able to stomach that.
"Brother B, you're looking at this the wrong way," Cheng Ye interjected. "Although these Satellite City Development Points can only be used for Satellite City construction, it makes perfect sense if you change your perspective: these points are tradeable. For instance, let's say I don't manage a contracted Satellite City, but I have 150 points in my hand. If I sold them to you at a fifty percent discount, would you buy them?"
"150 points converted would be... 7500 Contribution Points?" Liu Bi instinctively wanted to refuse, considering the regular reward for the mission was only 4500 Contribution Points.
But upon second thought, realizing he could obtain resources for developing a Satellite City at half the price, he fell into deep contemplation.
Li Matai, standing off to the side, rolled his eyes. Instead of following Liu Bi's train of thought, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you saying that Inspectors should take these points and technologies and invest them in the Satellite Cities?"
"Oh?" Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised, not expecting Li Matai to catch on so quickly today.
Seeing Cheng Ye's surprised expression, Li Matai immediately grinned. "Don't look so shocked. After you reminded me last time, I realized that investing in the Buffer Zone was nothing compared to investing in the Satellite Cities outside. It's just a pity that throwing ten or twenty thousand Contribution Points in there wouldn't even cause a ripple. Not to mention, given the situation back then, it was hard to say if you could even find a Satellite City willing to accept investments."
"Things are different now. Station Master Ding directly purged a batch of inactive personnel. The remaining folks all understand clearly that developing a Satellite City isn't just about setting up a basic framework; it's about pushing them in the direction of independent shelter cities. Everyone is pouring all their energy into boosting the economy. Investing at a time like this is guaranteed to hit the mark every time."
'Good heavens.'
Cheng Ye genuinely hadn't expected Li Matai's economic instincts to be so much sharper than he anticipated.
From a single alteration in field duty mission rewards, the man had accurately sniffed out the future development trends of the Satellite Cities.
"You guessed it." Cheng Ye smiled in confirmation. "If Inspectors are willing to use their field duty rewards to invest in the Satellite Cities, Happiness City is naturally willing to offer some extra sweet incentives as a way to encourage such dedication. And it's not just field duty missions. Right now, various departments within Happiness City are pushing to convert performance bonuses into Development Points, tilting everything toward Satellite City construction."
"But for Dabo Town, this is basically making money while lying down. We can get 330 points for free from these three missions, and throw it all entirely into basic infrastructure."
"This..." Upon hearing this, Liu Bi's brow furrowed even tighter instead of relaxing. "But why did the regular rewards increase as well?
Happiness City was never this generous in the past."
"It's a very simple motivational tactic." Cheng Ye gave him a knowing look. "As long as Inspectors hesitate and weigh the two options, whether they ultimately choose the Satellite City rewards and taste the sweetness, or stick with the regular rewards, they'll be led by the nose moving forward. After a while, if the regular rewards drop back down to the old levels you mentioned, do you think anyone will still struggle over what to choose?"
"You mean..." Liu Bi froze for a moment before an expression of sudden realization dawned on his face.
An overt scheme!
This was an absolute overt scheme!
If they only increased the Satellite City rewards without touching the regular rewards, people would inevitably grow suspicious and feel there was a trap involved.
But by raising both together and handing the choice back to the Inspectors, it forced everyone into a dilemma.
Once everyone got used to the high rewards, quietly lowering the regular rewards after a while would naturally force more people to choose the Satellite City rewards.
"Was this Station Master Ding's idea?" Liu Bi asked, narrowing his eyes significantly.
"Yes," Cheng Ye nodded quickly.
He hadn't interfered in the slightest with the changes to the field duty mission rewards; it was entirely the Inspection Station's intent.
Moreover, the final rewards were distributed by Happiness City, jointly decided by the higher-ups.
Currently, all the departments were shifting and enacting changes. Even if he wanted to intervene, he didn't have the qualifications to do so.
It was just that, by leveraging the convenience of having access to more information, he could immediately see the possibilities behind these moves and make the most advantageous choices.
"Hmm..."
Liu Bi fell into brief contemplation, but barely two or three seconds later, his eyes lit up. "If everyone starts investing in the Satellite Cities, then maybe our East Peace Town can pull in quite a bit of investment too!" he said excitedly.
'Huh?'
Cheng Ye and Li Matai were both taken aback at the same time.
'Who said Liu Bi had a one-track mind? His brain is spinning incredibly fast!'
'Just a moment ago, he had been mulling over the purpose and methods of the reform, yet in the very next second, he has already substituted himself as a beneficiary and started calculating how to leverage the situation.'
"There will definitely be investments, regardless of the amount. I'm guessing that in the end, it'll probably be divided into two methods: department-level investment and individual investment. As for department-level investment... that would mean pooling everyone's performance bonuses and investing them into operating a factory in a certain Satellite City. Every year, a portion of the profits would continue to be used for development, while the other portion would serve as dividends for the investors. As long as it's a mature and steadily operating project, it'll practically never lose money."
"Individual investment is simpler. For example, if we earn 330 points this time, we take all of it to build a factory in Dabo Town. However much it earns is how much we take, and we have the final say on how it's used."
Cheng Ye continued to explain. In the initial stages of a Satellite City, it was inevitable that city-owned chemical plants would emerge.
Not only would this count as direct support for Satellite City construction, but it could also absorb the excess money in the residents' hands, allowing the capital to enter a circulating flow.
"I have a question." Li Matai suddenly raised his hand, looking as obedient as a student asking a teacher.
"Speak."
"With so much external capital flooding into the Satellite Cities, building factories isn't an issue. But since they're enjoying the safety guarantees and land resources of the Satellite City, can the Satellite City collect taxes? Also, if their project fails to finish construction and leaves behind a massive mess, who cleans it up?"
"Good question," Cheng Ye immediately responded. "Taxes will definitely be collected, and the tax rate won't be low. It's just that the higher-ups are probably still debating exactly how much to collect and how to do it. They might implement it through some special method we haven't even thought of yet."
"As for the mess you mentioned, I have two guesses. First, the contracted Inspector holds the right to approve projects, allowing them to filter out capital and projects. This makes it convenient to provide guidance during the development process later on to avoid major blunders. Second, Happiness City might send personnel to supervise, but the probability of this is low. Experienced supervisory talent is far too scarce right now."
Local construction needed to retain a portion of tax revenue in order to support infrastructure iteration. It was impossible to let factories take all the profits while simultaneously hogging the Satellite City's scarce resources.
However, there was one more, incredibly important guess that he didn't voice:
A self-contained economic cycle would eventually reach its limits. Once the demographic dividend of a million people was exhausted, the next step in development would inevitably require outward expansion.
When that time came, the heavy burden of expansion would fall squarely onto the shoulders of the Inspectors.
Every Satellite City seemed to operate under a contract management system, but in reality, it was a way to let Inspectors cultivate their own factions.
Not only did they have to review project approvals and supervise the use of funds, but they also had to manage product sales channels. After all, only with stable sales channels could factory income and local tax revenue remain stable.
But saying all this to Liu Bi and Li Matai right now was indeed too complicated.
It would take a very long time for the Satellite Cities to develop to the envisioned stage. However, designing the grand framework required stepping outside the present moment to see the trends of the next three to five years.
Cheng Ye was able to think through all this entirely because he was standing on the "shoulders of giants" regarding modern economic theory.
If it were his predecessor, he probably wouldn't even understand the most basic economic cycles.
"Everything you just said is making me a bit dizzy. Regardless, you can just be the gatekeeper for the final investment matters,"
Liu Bi said, scratching his head with a naive smile. "I think these three missions are doable. There aren't any major risks, making them perfect practice for your first field duty. If you're sure about this, I'll gradually hand my work over to Li Matai, and we'll head out tomorrow morning?"
"Ah, there's no need to be in such a rush. Let's leave the morning after next."
Cheng Ye quickly waved his hand. "I still need to make a trip back to the Buffer Zone tonight. The land for the fish processing plant has already been finalized, and I need to go back to sign the agreement. After that, I have to make a trip to the Inner City and submit an application to the Research Institute to... bring Yu Yong along. I'll have to see if it gets approved."
"Bring him?" Liu Bi's lips twitched. "That works. You definitely wouldn't feel at ease leaving him back in Dabo Town, right?"
"Not entirely." Cheng Ye pursed his lips. "If I leave, he'll have to return to the Research Institute's Containment Room. But the condition he previously negotiated with Happiness City was to follow me and regain his freedom for his remaining days. Since a promise was made, I can't go back on my word."
"Well said!" Liu Bi nodded in approval, reaching out to pat Cheng Ye on the shoulder, his train of thought leaping in another direction once again. "Now that your height has recovered, you look much more proportionate. It's just that your build is still a bit small. If you want to find a suitable partner in the future, you're going to have to train hard..."
"Ahem, stop right there."
Seeing Li Matai already snickering off to the side, Cheng Ye hurriedly shook his head. "I don't have the time to think about romantic affairs right now. Furthermore, if you want me to be like my father—starting a family and then completely ignoring them—I couldn't do it."
"Sigh. I'm not the one rushing you, but your Sister Luo rushes me every single day," Brother B said with a bitter expression.
As soon as his voice fell, all three of them burst into laughter at the same time.
Perhaps it was only in lighthearted moments like these that they would remember Cheng Ye was just a young man who wasn't even twenty years old yet; he wouldn't celebrate his twentieth birthday until January of next year.
Yet, the maturity and steadiness he possessed, which far exceeded his peers, made it truly difficult to associate him with the label of a youngster.
After finishing the inspection of East Peace Town, Cheng Ye got into his off-road vehicle and returned to Dabo Town. After grabbing the relevant documents, he hurriedly rushed toward the Buffer Zone.
"Mu Shuang."
"Yes."
"Once I leave, you'll be free. You can go wherever you want," Cheng Ye said slowly, gazing at the Wilderness flashing by outside the window. "If you don't want to come back, that's fine too. I'll submit an application to the Station Master."
"Do you mind... that I'm Director Liu's Administrative Officer?" Mu Shuang asked, looking straight ahead. Her voice was soft and carried a trace of imperceptible apprehension.
"Not at all," Cheng Ye teased with a smile. "I've read your file. You used to be the Fire Ghost King in the Chuan City Ruins. How majestic."
As soon as those words were spoken.
The serious expression Mu Shuang wore just a second ago instantly flushed red, and she said with some embarrassment, "That's all in the past.
Now that the Hundred Ghosts Gang is merging into Satellite City Number One, there is no longer any place for them in the Chuan City Ruins."
"Honestly, following me is too stifling for you."
Cheng Ye withdrew his gaze and said seriously, "Deep down in your bones, you have a personality suited for adventuring. Leaving you idle in Dabo Town is a true waste of talent."
Mu Shuang and Jiang Chuan clearly had two completely different personalities.
It was just that in front of him, Mu Shuang had to suppress her true nature and emulate Jiang Chuan's calm and steady working style, making her seem somewhat restricted.
"But I have nowhere else to go..." Mu Shuang paused, her tone carrying a hint of regret. "Director Liu is long past the days of needing an Administrative Officer. If you make me leave, I can only return to the Buffer Zone and wait to be assigned some odd jobs, which is equally worthless. Honestly, during the time I've spent in Dabo Town, I've actually come to feel that a peaceful and ordinary life is what truly matters."
"Then you'd better think it through carefully."
Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a trace of anticipation. "In the future, I might swap you out for a new Administrative Officer and dispatch you to a more important position, letting you help me pioneer some new territories."
"Really?" Mu Shuang's eyes instantly lit up, unable to conceal the excitement in her voice. "That's wonderful! When Jiang Chuan came over a few days ago, he even told me that by staying by your side, there would definitely be important things for me to do."
"Hmm?" Cheng Ye couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Didn't you just say that a peaceful and ordinary life is what truly matters?"
"That's how life should be! You need peace, but you definitely need a bit of excitement too!"
Mu Shuang argued plausibly. "Your abilities are too strong. Right now, being your Administrative Officer, there's absolutely nothing I can really dig my hands into. As long as someone can drive and run errands, they're qualified. People like that are a dime a dozen at the Inspection Station. It's truly meaningless."
"That's entirely different. Right now is just the starting phase. The requirements later on will only get higher and higher."
As the two chatted idly along the way, Mu Shuang couldn't resist gossiping about what Cheng Ye's true requirements were for an Administrative Officer.
Cheng Ye felt a bit sentimental in his heart. If Wang Kang wasn't an Inspector, perhaps the two of them could have become the most intimate life-and-death partners.
But when it came down to it, he couldn't clearly articulate exactly what kind of person he was looking for, or where they were. He could only rely on luck and search slowly.
Perhaps he might actually reap some gains on this trip to Guang Province.
As they were chatting, the car arrived at the North Inspection Station.
Ever since the factional conflicts had been suppressed, there was no longer any need to take a detour to the South Station.
Entering through the D Gate, the person on duty was a Westerner First-stage Inspector he had never seen before.
He was tall and slightly on the skinny side. The cuffs of his cargo pants just barely covered the tops of his boots, making his legs look even more slender.
His blond hair was neatly styled, glowing with a soft, pale golden luster. His stubble was cleanly shaved, and his jawline was sharp and distinct.
The most striking feature was his eyes—the irises were a clear ice-blue, and his pupils were relaxed. His gaze was bright and transparent, completely lacking the usual cunning common among Westerner Inspectors. Instead, it exuded a certain wisdom, like someone who was well-read and educated.
What made Cheng Ye care even more was the fact that he felt he knew this person from somewhere, as if they had met before. But even after scouring his memory, he couldn't recall a specific scene.
"Aside from the Inspection Station, have we met somewhere before?" Cheng Ye was the first to ask.
"? Inspector Cheng, you actually remember me?" Unexpectedly, the Westerner Inspector's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly responded with a smile. "My name is Venus. When you were in your first year, I was in my third year—exactly two grades above you!"
He said, solemnly extending his hand. "This is our first official meeting. Please treat me well!"
'Huh?'
Seeing the look of reverence on the First-stage Inspector's face, Cheng Ye was taken aback for a moment before extending his hand to shake it.
'No way. Since when did Inspector Cheng's reputation become this huge?'
'To the point where even a Westerner Inspector has to bow and scrape to greet him upon meeting?'
But very quickly, he understood the reason.
"If the Yueye Shelter City still needs Inspectors, you absolutely must consider me! This is my dossier."
As Venus spoke, he pulled his backpack from the drawer of the inspection desk, took out a pre-prepared personal dossier, and handed it over.
"How did you know I would come?" Cheng Ye accepted the dossier, growing even more astonished.
"I didn't know exactly when you were coming, but I was on duty at the South Station last week. Unfortunately, I didn't run into you heading back to the Buffer Zone."
Venus first revealed a trace of regret before becoming increasingly excited. "Don't worry, I want to go to Yueye not because I'm thinking of a quick promotion, but because I want to break free from this monotonous daily guard duty. I want to be like you, able to unleash my full potential in an unfamiliar territory."
"Not bad. Very spirited!"
Cheng Ye offered a word of praise, taking the dossier and passing through the quarantine zone.
How long had it actually been? To think that Inspector Cheng had already become the "role model" of the Inspection Station.
As he passed through the quarantine area and stood at the familiar entrance of the North Station, it made it incredibly difficult for him to recall the anxiety and unfamiliarity he felt when he first came here for duty a few months ago.
It seemed as though everything had changed.
What had changed wasn't just his strength, nor was it just his power. It was... his status!
It was the fact that those who once looked down on him now had to adopt looks and attitudes of utmost respect.
"Inspector Cheng, what brings you back?"
A familiar voice drifted over, pulling Cheng Ye out of his reverie.
Looking up, he saw a familiar large bald head suddenly poke out from a public bus in the distance.
It was none other than... Master Tian, whom he hadn't seen in a very long time, currently smiling and waving at him while calling out!
What a familiar sight. Cheng Ye tried to hold it in, but ultimately couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Time passed by in such a rush.
Some things had quietly changed, but some people and things still remained in their familiar places, quietly waiting for his return.