Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 847

Chapter 847: Chapter 278: Happiness Alliance, Fully Launched! (2)

“Inspector Cheng, your advanced defense communication device was ready yesterday. We were planning to have someone deliver it to Dapo Town today.”

The logistics staff opened the safe, took out a heavy black device, and handed it over.

“This model of defense communication has a standby time of 14 days, and comes with both solar charging and hand-crank power generation.” The staff introduced while demonstrating, “If you’re within the signal coverage area of the Fire Alliance, you can directly connect to the core communication system of Happiness City via the Internet. Even if you’re out of signal range, it can still function as a radio transceiver, allowing contact with surrounding teams without any problem.”

Cheng Ye placed his identity badge on the device’s sensor area, and the screen quickly lit up with the words “Activation Successful.”

Like the Firewood Communication, the activation time is also as long as 168 hours, making him somewhat suspicious if this is just a re-cased Firewood Communication with the same functions inside.

“If I go to Dapo Town, can it activate normally?”

“Of course. The signal now has been extended to Wenlu County, although the transmission speed might be a bit slow.”

“No problem, I’ll download things slowly once I get there,” Cheng Ye said, handing back the old defense communication device.

Seeing him come out with the new device, Luokuke blinked but didn’t curiously come over to check.

Cheng Ye was momentarily surprised, then quickly realized and asked, “You’re not about to get promoted to Fourth-Phase, are you?”

“Very soon, very soon.”

Luokuke smiled, with a hint of anticipation in his tone, “I have Zhou Changhai to thank for defecting with his people, which conveniently freed up a Fourth-Phase spot. Many in the station are waiting for that position. If others don’t complete the Destruction Level task, this spot is very likely mine.”

“Congratulations!” Cheng Ye said sincerely.

Luokuke’s promotion was like achieving a meteoric rise; originally fated to be stuck in Third-Phase for life, now he had the chance to rise directly to Fourth-Phase, where moving upward became even easier than from Third-Phase.

And although Third-Phase already qualifies as a High-level Inspector, Fourth-Phase offers more authority and better benefits, making it a significant leap for anyone.

When Yu Yong came out after showering and changing into new clothes, it was already past one in the afternoon.

It wasn’t until they headed towards South Station to leave the Buffer Zone and got everyone onto the bus that Cheng Ye finally felt a sense of relief.

Yu Yong sat in the backseat of the pickup, looking at the South Inspection Station gradually disappearing in the rearview mirror, then glanced at Cheng Ye’s noticeably relaxed expression and said thoughtfully, “The Satellite City model of Firewood has long been proven a failure.”

“Oh?” Luokuke, who was looking out the window, turned back in surprise upon hearing this, “Why do you say that?”

“The core flaw of the Satellite City model is separation and imbalance,” Yu Yong explained, “When Firewood initially planned it, they wanted the core city to radiate outwards to the satellite cities, diverting population and industry. However, they forgot that the resource siphoning effect is far more stubborn than anticipated. Satellite cities can only handle low-end manufacturing and residential functions, while the key industries, technologies, and resources are all concentrated in the core city. Over time, satellite cities became resource sinkholes while the core city became increasingly bloated. This model seemingly dispersed the pressure, but in reality, it created new divisions.”

“Spatial division, resource allocation division, and even division among people’s hearts. More critically, this imbalance also sparked endless power struggles. Firewood thought they could replicate the successful experiences of the old era, but they overlooked the modern era’s need for ‘coordination’. Before I left Firewood, they were actually researching new models for the next era.”

“Coordination…” Luokuke caught onto this keyword, murmuring it repeatedly, then shook his head gently, “Even without satellite cities, we haven’t achieved ‘coordination’ now.”

“Almost all industries are concentrated in the industrial zone, and the Buffer Zone is just like Firewood’s satellite cities, only responsible for the most basic low-end manufacturing and residential functions.”

“That’s because your scale isn’t big enough,” Yu Yong said candidly, “With a population of under a million, how can you talk about coordination? You actually need more unified management to achieve higher production efficiency.”

Unexpectedly, this guy was quite blunt, or rather his EQ wasn’t very high.

Seeing Luokuke’s awkward expression in the rearview mirror, Cheng Ye quickly interjected to mediate, “When you talk about coordination, do you mean transferring industries from Firewood Track Mountain to develop in local satellite cities?”

“That’s more or less what I mean,” Yu Yong nodded, “Resources are too concentrated in Firewood Track Mountain and the front satellite cities; the latter satellite cities have no room for development, akin to dead weight, which directly stifles their potential.”

“But if industries were really transferred, wouldn’t they be completely ruined if an infection crisis broke out?” Cheng Ye countered.

At these words, Yu Yong immediately fell silent, his expression complicated.

As a researcher long stationed in extremely safe locales, he evidently overlooked this critical issue. Thanks to Firewood Track Mountain serving as a ‘safety barrier’, core industries could be protected from infection threats.

Just like when C35 was destroyed and the entire city turned into infected bodies of Ghost Shadow Spiders, from the broader perspective of Firewood Shelter City, it didn’t even constitute a major injury. Once pollution was cleared, new residents could quickly be settled in, taking over those low-end manufacturing duties.

“You eat meals one bite at a time, and walk roads one step at a time,” Cheng Ye slowly began, offering caution, “The Satellite City model is currently the most prudent choice, and any new model must be implemented diligently based on local conditions. This isn’t research where you can try things impulsively; as a decision-maker, every idea must be considered from both the Shelter City’s angle and the public’s perspective. Only then can ideas be grounded in reality, not just castles in the air.”