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"It's just more efficient and brings more competition... Besides, why would I need to control everything?

I'm sure you know more than I do how the free market is more efficient than a federal contract."

Kate turned around to look at Xiaoyun for a second, then turned her attention back to the board.

"I mean, you rule almost like a dictator in the town... No one can oppose you at all, so that's why I thought you would want to control everything.

There's also zero resemblance of checks and balances or separation of power in your rules."

Xiaoyun stood in silence for a second, then turned all the way towards Kate with a serious look on his face.

"First of all, that's flat-out wrong. If there's popular sentiment asking me to step down, I will step down like they wanted.

Secondly, do you really think that's the best way to implement a government? Check and balances in a zombie apocalypse?" Xiaoyun questioned.

"Um..." Kate's brain started running blank as she couldn't come up with any excuses to argue back.

Feeling the atmosphere getting more and more awkward, she decided to apologize first.

"I-I'm just thinking of the United States. You know, that's where most of my life had been. I didn't think it through, okay?"

Xiaoyun's tone shifted to a more casual one as he looked up at the ceiling, thinking of something.

"I hope you know this is China... If you say this in the street, everyone would point at you for being a crazy foreigner."

"Well, it's a good thing you're the only one here..."

Kate's face started blushing as the word coming out of her mouth didn't go through her brain at all.

However, Xiaoyun doesn't notice it at all, so he gives out another warning.

"Just don't say this kind of stuff again, okay? You don't want to give an excuse for people to hate foreigners even more."

"My bad, my bad... Ahem, what are we doing next?" Kate asked as she shifted the topic away to ease the awkwardness.

"We are just going to wait here until their lunch break is over, and then we will hire one of them to give us a tour of the entire town," Xiaoyun explained as he sat down in one of the waiting area seats.

"Okay..."

---

After waiting for twenty minutes, all of the office workers, along with the receptionist, finally came back, albeit still with a bowl of food in their hands.

"Have you decided what job you are picking?" the receptionist curiously asked as she put her bowl of food on the table.

"Actually, I was already hired by a newspaper in Luoping. They send me here to record what it is like to live in this outpost." Xiaoyun replied.

"Oh... Well, if you have any other trouble, you can come to see us."

As the receptionist turned her attention back to her food, Xiaoyun interrupted her.

"Is there a way to hire someone to give me a tour of the outpost? I'm willing to pay."

"Just ask them. One of them is probably free to give you a tour."

"Thank you."

The two quickly headed toward the group of office workers who were sitting in an office next door.

Although it was called an office, it was more of a room with a few tables and chairs.

"What do you guys want?" One of the office workers asked as they noticed the two walking towards them.

"We are journalists from Luoping, and we want a tour of the city... We can pay if that's what you guys want."

"A tour? Hey Lee! Can you help give them a tour?" The office worker yelled across the other room, only to get a yes response.

As the two waited, they were a little shocked when a foreigner approached them.

"Hello, I'm Lee. You guys want a tour, right?" The man asked in perfect Chinese.

"Yeah. Here's my——"

Just as Xiaoyun was about to pay, Lee waved his hand and started heading towards the exit.

"I don't need it. Just follow me."

---

After leaving the office area, Lee led the two back to the main lobby.

But he could see their confused faces as he led them to the staircase rather than the building's exit.

"You might be wondering why we are heading upstairs. The reality is most people live in these two buildings next to each other."

Lee paused for a second to open the door, then continued.

"You guys probably couldn't tell, but the skyscraper we are in is a hotel with several floors designated as mini malls.

It's so convenient, which is why it's picked as the base. And it doesn't require the army to spread thin in this giant city."

Hearing Lee's explanation, Xiaoyun nodded in agreement. But more question popped up in his head.

" But isn't there already a few thousand people in this outpost?" Xiaoyun pointed out.

"Yes, but this skyscraper is much bigger than you think... I still remember the day I moved into this outpost.

I had the exact same reaction as you guys. But after living here for a while, you'll get used to it." Lee explained as he opened the door to the second floor.

The two were shocked as the entire floor was just a room full of beds, almost like some sort of makeshift battlefield hospital of some sort.

All the walls that acted as separator were removed, except support pillars that remained in place.

"People who live here are mostly single, or they are here to earn money to send back to Luoping. It's the cheapest option.

You only need to pay one food stamp per week, and they will even wash your bed mattress every week.

But as you can see, it's empty here since everyone is out there working... You guys probably don't want this thought."

After showing the entirety of the second floor, Lee led the two to the third floor. But instead of stopping, he continues walking up.

"The next five floors are all the same. But the fifth floor is the one you're probably looking for."

As Lee took out a key to open the door, the two patiently waited.

"This floor was originally constructed as a high-end internet cafe with overnight stays, but we just converted it into single-family homes.

Perfect for two people like you guys. I really recommend taking this since the communal ones have practically zero privacy."

Hearing what Lee was trying to imply, both Kate and Xiaoyun froze for a second.

"We're just friends," Xiaoyun quickly clarified.

"Oh, really? Well, my apology... Anyway, a week staying in this kind of room costs around three food stamps per day."

As Lee opened the door and began showing the room, the two were shocked by how spacious it was.

"It has a bed, a built-in toilet, and a bathroom. It even has a gaming computer, but please do not turn it on. Power is currently rationed."

Seeing the two nodding, Lee moved on to the next area.

"Now, lastly, the basement——"

"Isn't there more upper floors?" Kate curiously asked.

"Yes, but they are just more fancy ones, and some are empty floors with no furniture." Lee explained.

As the three headed back down to the first floor, several people walked past them and up to their floor.

"How does the communal space work if someone steals something?" Xiaoyun curiously asked.

"There's a camera at the entrance, so if anyone takes something out that doesn't belong to them, we'll know.

Besides, most people living in the communal area have nothing to steal, and everyone knows each other."

Lee pushed the basement door all the way to the side, revealing the laundry room with several washing machines and dryers, as well as an empty park lot over the fence.

"These machines are free to use, but the time is limited. So most people just manually hand wash their clothes outside instead."

As the three headed back upstairs, Lee stopped right at the central lobby.

"Well, that's all to it. There's nothing else to tour... Unless you are in a salvage group. Those people mostly live outside of the town."

"Why outside?" Xiaoyun curiously asked.

"Because it's free and a lot faster than traveling all the way back here. Most of them have their groups set up camp in a particular area to gather as many resources as possible to send back to the building next to the military base."

"What can they even do with things they gather from the city?" Kate asked, a little intrigued by the whole concept.

"It can sell for a lot of money at Luoping. All the makeup, food, clothes, raw materials, and anything you can think of in the city."

"But isn't it all owned by Luoping?" Kate pointed out.

"Well, not exactly. As long as you have a permit, you just have to pay eighty percent tax, which is way less than what they could bring in."

Hearing Lee's explanation, Xiaoyun began to realized the real impact of the permit system that he and Yuqi had set up few months ago.