Chapter 1090: Chapter 353: Worse Than Human Trafficking—Black Market Agents (Part 3)

Just as the Fujian people left, the Work Committee he mentioned arrived. It was a woman with a bun, named Rita Wheeler. She used to be a bouncer at Lizi Bar and the lead singer of an underground band on Taiping Continent. Later, the bar was bought by Horizon Corporation, Taiping Continent underwent significant development, and she was the first among everyone to join the Work Committee through study.

"Hello, I am the Work Committee of District D13, just call me Rita."

"Uh..."

Jasieya was secretly surprised, thinking the other party wouldn’t find her until at least tomorrow, but it had taken less than three minutes. What kind of ghostly administrative efficiency was this?

"You... hello."

She pretended to be introverted, trying to avoid conversing with the opponent, hoping to wear down her patience before slipping back into the shadows to gather intelligence.

"You look like you just arrived in Night City, how did you think to come to Taiping Continent for work?"

"Well, my mother is sick and bedridden, needed money, so someone introduced me to come work."

Rita was quite enthusiastic, being one of the few District Work Committee members to pass the Mewtwo teaching review.

"Your mother is ill? Is it serious, do you have enough money? If not enough, I can gather the Work Committee to contact the hospital to see if we can transfer her to ERO."

"It’s enough. A kind person sponsored me 200."

Jasieya cursed inwardly, suspecting this woman, despite her apparent enthusiasm, might have a ghostly agenda like the rest.

Don’t let it end up that the 200 isn’t even paid back before owing 2000, and even losing oneself.

"Good, if you have any living difficulties, feel free to find me. I’ll contact everyone to come up with ways to help. Now you’re here on Taiping Continent, we’re like a collective, don’t feel embarrassed."

"...."

The other party’s enthusiasm was almost like the sun, making Jasieya feel as though she might melt.

"Have you studied before?"

"Attended community elementary school."

"Then you need to make use of time to study, better sign up for a class. Here, being a grassroots worker is just the first step. All the work here is to get you familiar with the entire construction process. It’s not really hoped for you to do much work.

Once familiar with the process, you can participate in evaluations, become a member of the automated construction team, learn how to direct those robots, cooperate with AI in project construction, by then your physical burden will be much smaller, and you’ll also have time to learn more things..."

The more she talked to Rita, the more Jasieya understood the current situation on Taiping Continent.

The entire Taiping Continent Development Zone was divided into 26*14 sections by the contractor, Horizon Corporation, totaling 364 work zones. Each work zone had at least 150 workers; these 150 workers included not only ordinary construction teams but also an independently selected Work Committee responsible for coordinating work.

The management scope was exhaustive, even down to what each meal in the work zone entailed and how much the meal cost needed oversight and approval. Not a single penny went where it shouldn’t.

The working hours were 10 hours, operating in three shifts with people resting while machines continued, keeping a workforce of 150,000 on Taiping Continent busy, alongside countless automated machines, yet everything was orderly due to the Work Committee and AI management, with no accidents.

The efficiency was so high, even Ye Corporation was astonished.

This terrifying grassroots governance ability not only went unnoticed by the Night City Government but actually seemed to develop faster and faster, with everyone ignoring the happenings because of the Horizon Corporation backing.

Because Lin Miao paid taxes properly.

Unlike other companies, Lin Miao didn’t dodge any taxes, though it wasn’t through formal channels; instead, it flowed into the pockets of city council members and company executives through various means.

After feeding them well, pretty much no one had the nerve to inquire about Taiping Continent’s matters. Even those few who craved the future power of Taiping Continent and wanted to intervene would soon be reassigned, returning to the company structure.

As the saying goes:

I can refuse those people’s ideas, but I can’t refuse their money.

Though they may have guessed something, everyone pretended not to know anything due to an unspoken understanding.

Because not only Military Science and New America but many others also wanted to see how much trouble Horizon Corporation could cause the European Community in Cuba with this opportunity.

As for the happenings on Taiping Continent, it was almost nothing.

After all, they could deal with Horizon Corporation’s mess later.

Therefore, Lin Miao even slowed down the acquisition of NCPD, as he found it to be a hot potato upon investigating, best not to touch for now.

Moving forward, Jasieya discovered an increasing number of spine-chilling things here.

It wasn’t crime, but an unseen tacit understanding, created under the leadership of the Work Committee.

Everyone ate and lived together, even if there was more expensive food, no one ordered it, shedding societal hierarchy after work, whether a Work Committee member or foreman could blend in with the worker group.

Whether playing basketball or shooting games, even if you blocked them, they’d simply praise your performance. Those Work Committee members would even be seen in the post-work canteen kitchen cooking for you or helping chefs.

While in other communities and companies in Night City, absolute class division was retained.

In stark contrast, the Taiping Continent worker community exhibited unprecedented cohesion and unity.

Jasieya even suspected that if each worker were given a gun, the Work Committee could incite them to storm the city government and company buildings.

This frightening discovery made her almost want to report the situation to the European responsible party.

Yet at the final moment, as Jasieya was about to contact them, her finger stopped.

She couldn’t help but want to see, wanting to see what these people were really up to....

At least, it seemed a little better than being forced to work on the construction site by the Europeans, right?