Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 137 - 84: Post-Disaster Assembly, Will of the Elders! (Double-length)

The members of the Idealist Faction, however, still observed without expression, retreating back into their shells as outsiders, as if their previous actions had been an illusion.

Silence enveloped the meeting for a few seconds. Gradually, people began to tentatively raise their hands to vote in agreement. Just as the votes were increasing, the spokesman for the Idealist Faction suddenly awoke, lightly knocking on the table again.

The exact same scenario replayed: all the raised hands instantly fell, leaving Carl Dickinson alone with his hand raised, appearing particularly absurd.

"Yu Hong, is this your intention or the Elders’ intention?"

Yuan Gang frowned directly, his tone laced with impatience, "If the Elders have something to convey to us, they can just say it directly."

"Very well."

Yu Hong stood up, "The Buffer Zone experiment results are favorable. Everything is progressing as expected. Don’t implement any reforms that might affect the outcomes unless absolutely necessary."

With those words, he sat back down without saying another word, as if he were just a conduit.

The meeting hall became thoroughly silent.

Even the impatience on Yuan Gang’s face dissipated as his fingertips paused on the table, eventually giving a faint nod.

No rebuttal, no questioning, not even any extra expression.

But everyone understood that regarding the checkpoint vote, it was definitively settled by those few words.

After all, in Happiness City, the will of the Elders has always been second only to City Lord An Xingfu!

Since Deputy City Lord Yuan Gang agreed by default, there was no further need for discussion.

...

For a while.

The meeting concluded, and Yuan Gang gracefully departed, with the rest leaving one after another.

Only the three from the Idealist Faction, along with Liu Kun and Ding Yishan, remained seated at the long table, as if understanding each other without words.

When the last of the footsteps vanished at the end of the corridor, Yu Hong slowly stood up and walked over.

"Director Liu, Station Chief Ding."

"Yes."

In terms of relationships, the Idealist Faction was nominally once a branch of the checkpoint, but having voluntarily withdrawn, they had long delineated a clear boundary with the checkpoint. Both sides were very restrained, occasionally overlapping but not interfering with each other.

In terms of status, the voice of the Idealist Faction within Happiness City was actually even lower than that of the checkpoint. The only subordinate unit was the Public Works Bureau, responsible for basic infrastructure like road building, house construction, and land reclamation, placing it at the very margins of the power structure.

But their true confidence never lay in these overt powers and resources, but in the support of the three founding Elders behind them.

Now, only ten Elders remain in Happiness City, with the Technology Faction occupying five, the Idealist Faction three, and the Extraordinary Faction two.

As foundational figures who built Happiness City from the ruins, whether in terms of seniority or capability, those who have survived to today have reached the pinnacle, serving as stabilizing forces of this Shelter City.

As long as these Elders remain, no matter how fierce the factional struggles, the foundation of the city will not waver.

"After the events of that year concluded, the Elders had declared they wouldn’t interfere in the checkpoint’s work. Now, that statement still holds true, and your autonomy remains in your hands."

Yu Hong’s gaze swept over Liu Kun, landing directly on Ding Yishan’s face, "But if you continue with internal strife, turning the Buffer Zone into a chaotic mess, and ruin the experiment results, by next spring, the Elders won’t intervene anymore!"

With these words, Liu Kun slightly furrowed his brows.

Ding Yishan immediately stood up and slightly bowed, "Director Yu, please thank the Elders on my behalf. I wonder if the Elders have any other instructions?"

"Other instructions, hmm..."

Yu Hong hesitated, then chuckled, "The Elders have no instructions, but I would like to offer Station Chief Ding a piece of advice."

"Please speak!"

"Only the one who tied the bell around the tiger’s neck can untie it; holding true to your original intentions is the way to secure a place in Happiness City."

This time, he gazed directly at Liu Kun, "But if you continue treating the checkpoint as a springboard for the Extraordinary, a ladder, a bargaining chip to climb the power ladder and fulfill personal ambitions, then the checkpoint... will be just like we were back then, with no need to continue existing!"

...