Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 137 - 137 120 The Establishment of Rule

137: Chapter 120: The Establishment of Rule 137: Chapter 120: The Establishment of Rule August 8, two weeks since the closure of Aizu City, the connection to the ground was officially opened, and the cleaning of Shenkong Tower was completed.

Kyoto Infinity expended a huge amount of funds, utilizing a large number of cleaning nanobots to dissolve radioactive residues, minimizing radiation pollution to the greatest extent.

The entire Shenkong Tower was removed from the center of Hui City District, leaving behind a circular void.

Shops, hotels, and warehouses were all cleared out, and the holes in the ground were repaired.

Mayor Terauchi Masamune announced that in the future, a huge elevator would be constructed, creating a new shopping plaza in the form of a vertical shaft passage, for which various companies are vying to bid.

Shenkong Tower used to be a massive complex, encompassing tenants, employees, company personnel and their families, as well as schools and hospitals, with a population reaching 70,000 people.

With the detonation of the dirty bomb, even though the surviving residents escaped one disaster, they became homeless refugees, their stable lives utterly destroyed, without any form of relief.

They struggled on the brink of death, entangled by radiation sickness, hunger, and poverty.

The city forums were filled with their cries for help, but it was all pointless, reduced to insignificant whispers in the tide of the times.

Xu Yang spent most of his time working at his desk, studying cultural theories and computer technologies, while using Digital Mind to connect to databases and monitor the situation on Highway 90.

After inspecting the living conditions of ordinary people on Highway 90 and learning about the refugees in Aizu City after the disaster, Xu Yang began to analyze the plight of the lower classes and set out to design new plans.

In today’s official map of Aizu City, a white rectangular area has appeared in its southwest corner, extending from that region up to Highway 90 in the north, now marked with the name of Nestor Corporation.

This white zone is the jurisdiction of Nestor Corporation, which accounts for less than 1% of the entire Aizu City.

A large amount of gray area still exists on the map of Aizu City, representing areas not claimed by any corporation.

These gray areas are gang territories, where the local residents live in poverty and destitution, not worthy of corporate attention, becoming chaotic zones where violence prevails.

The gray area accounts for 60% of Aizu City, mainly spread across Katagi District and Number 26 Highland.

Xu Yang’s plan was to slowly take control of these gray areas outside the sight of corporations with his own resources and connections, and to cultivate his own sphere of influence in the silence.

As for the current state of armed force, taking over an area is simple, but the challenge lies in how to govern it.

Xu Yang slowly input his ideas, organizing and looking for countermeasures.

Under the corporate system, humans are exploited.

Ordinary people, impoverished and lacking vocational skills, are excluded.

On one hand, they can’t afford the goods produced by corporations, and on the other, they have no skills to offer the corporations, thus becoming a surplus, meaningless population.

To the giant corporations, all inhabitants of Aizu City are considered surplus, discarded into Aizu City like trash being flushed down a drain.

In an effort to decrease the surplus population and increase the quality population, corporations have been looking for ways to reduce the number of ‘trash’ people, essentially systemically eliminating the lower classes.

To sterilize the lower classes, to give the middle class a higher level of intelligence and professional skills, and to let the upper class enjoy luxurious lives and technological benefits.

There was a time when the lower classes were still prolific breeders, because among them might be born Little Witch pups, whom they could sell to corporations to improve their lives.

Noticing this trend, the Corporate Alliance quickly enacted laws, allowing any company to take away a Little Witch pup without compensation and without conditions.

Being born has become a matter of study; if one is born into the lower classes, they must make every effort to learn, compete, and invest wildly in their own abilities to climb to the middle class and win the favor of the top tiers, becoming experts who serve and depend on them.

Otherwise, they would have to continue living in places of hardship like Aizu City, dealing with ruthless gangs.

At this stage of human civilization, ‘Humans’ have become fuel, resources, and waste.

This is a historical problem, and the development of corporatism to this extent has become deformed.

What’s worse, humans have been atomized in society, isolated from each other, unknown, and misunderstood.

At this stage, people are particularly vulnerable, for the concepts of ‘family,’ ‘tribe,’ ‘nation,’ ‘state,’ which once united them, have all been dismembered in the sweeping tide of corporatism.

To every individual, they feel lonely and transparent, deeming themselves to be worthless, tiny existences, often fantasizing that if they vanished immediately, the world would not change at all.

Ideals and a sense of honor also perish, for there is no belief worth following.

As corporations do not take responsibility for the management of the lower classes, the self-regulatory function of the lower society is completely incapacitated, turning into a complete jungle state, reverting to the primitive mode of survival of the fittest.

The rulers that emerge from such conditions are inevitably gangs, drug lords, and warlords, who bully the weak and harm the innocent.

To change the status quo, one must not stop at empty talk, but must reshape the fundamental order of the cyber world.

That requires an organizational structure to manage, to possess its own armed forces, and to implement a series of laws helpful in maintaining order.

Only then can the situation be changed, Xu Yang thought to himself.

Nestor Corporation, as an economic organization, is not for profit, but to pioneer another path, to rebuild the sense of belonging and cohesion for the lower-class people, to provide a safety net for the underclass.

If capital won’t take this path, Xu Yang can.

What people lack is the ability to defend themselves and the resources for self-development.

Being so impoverished, unity, mutual aid, and networking are the only ways out, as going it alone can only lead to being devoured by corporatism.

The next day, a holographic wall lit up at the end of Highway 90, spreading along the underground tunnels, rock walls, and pathways, a means of demarcation used by corporate territories.

Residents were already accustomed to it but never expected to one day see a corporation officially move into Highway 90.

The holographic wall scrolled with the logo of Nestor Corporation, with its name in an artistically designed font and a code next to it for scanning, leading to the company’s official page, which introduces itself as a comprehensive company, but its interface was simple and unremarkable.

Subsequently, the “Highway 90 Autonomous Community” directly under Nestor Corporation was established and began recruiting staff and preparing operations.

According to Xu Yang’s vision, the purpose of this community was to get the people of the lower classes to band together and harness the power of the majority.

The structure of this community differs from other corporations; the “Highway 90 Autonomous Community” is only nominally a company, but in actuality, it’s a local institution with management functions.

It recruits all residents and also allows shops and individual businesses to affiliate with it.

Employees elect representatives to form an Employees’ Association, which is responsible for the community’s daily operations.

Since the community endeavors to recruit all local residents, the Employees’ Association essentially functions as a city council.

The community’s primary role is to draft and execute daily legislation, maintain public order, and combat crime, thus shielding people from the suffering of violence and protecting the stable life of ordinary individuals.

Secondly, it provides public services to the residents within its jurisdiction.

It taxes residents, but the revenue is invested in public service facilities, ensuring that community members have access to medical relief, basic education, and safety assurances.

At the same time, the community is forming a street militia made up of armed residents, who conduct regular military training and focus on security management.

The community strictly prohibits the use and trade of “stamps” and pursues a good, stable neighborhood environment, resolutely opposing any external aggressions.

“The community…”

“What’s this?”

“Wow…” Locals pointed and commented on the newly enacted regulations.

The perceptive among them could already sense that this new type of community was fundamentally different from the old corporate jurisdictions.

The new communities seek the “combined strength” of the vast majority.

Most people were still in wait-and-see mode until Xu Yang, on behalf of Nestor Corporation, donated a public community center to the town.

With the maturity of prefabricated housing technology, the center was quickly constructed, complete with dormitories, a cafeteria, and two automated doctors.

This sparked an interest in joining the community among the people.

Thinking of how the local Rampage Group had been instantly destroyed, the residents, in a mix of respect and fear, were inclined to accept the arrangements of Nestor Corporation.

They gradually signed contracts, paid taxes, and joined the Highway 90 Autonomous Community.

Through the collection and utilization of these public funds, Xu Yang began construction of a hydroponics farm nearby and started repairing Highway 90, filling in the potholes along the road.

Surprisingly, it was only after joining the company named community did the people first really understand who else lived in the town.

They learned their neighbors’ names for the first time and were eligible to offer insights into local development.

When they encountered illness, criminal activities, or everyday disputes, they now knew to seek help from the community.

Even more crucial was the establishment of the militia organization.

The one who holds violence and armed forces controls everything.

The local vagrants and scavengers were not unarmed, but they were wary of each other, never mingled, and could not trust each other.

Thus, they were seen as weak when isolated and faced threats and extortion from gangs.

Now, coordinated by the community, they were collectively organized, selecting veterans, sharpshooters, and combatants responsible for the safety and order of their adjacent neighbors, without further need to kowtow or pay tribute to any gangs.

After the community’s establishment, local public security greatly improved.

Even though it was the farthest edge of Aizu City, its stability was a hundredfold better than the neighboring areas.

Some small-time gangs came by habit to cause trouble or collect protection money but were promptly shot by the militia outside the boundaries as a statement of their commitment to defending the community’s safety.

Residents from outside Nestor Corporation’s jurisdiction, hearing the news, also brought their families to Highway 90, seeking a new environment where they wouldn’t have to risk their lives.

Of course, the fledgling community still had many problems: the organization of the militia, selection of management personnel, taxation amounts, etc.

Xu Yang planned to resolve these issues gradually, starting with building the framework.

A single impoverished individual naturally posed no threat.

Xu Yang mused.

Corporations represent wealth, advanced technology, and advanced productive forces; there are still 2 billion people in the world living an upper-middle-class life, unaware of troubles and thinking that the poor’s suffering is self-inflicted.

But if the remaining 8 billion people had organization and solidarity, the balance of power would look very different.

United people are invincible.

During the process of Highway 90’s transition into a community, Asa Katsuragi was doing her own thing, planning to expand her reach.

She integrated a group of gang members under her wing, planting the white flags inscribed with black ink that read “Protecting Territory, Ensuring Peace” along the streets of Highway 90.

She took on the role of combating the local underworld, eradicating the Rampage Group’s remnants, and searching for “stamp” trade hideouts, accruing money and manpower, recruiting soldiers, all in preparation for the day she would reclaim Suzuki Springs.

The prohibition of stamp trading was also a troublesome issue.

In the future, fierce opposition was inevitable.

Xu Yang needed to prepare on many fronts, including building rehab centers and forming a drug enforcement team.

Such things that numb the lower classes can only do harm.

In Xu Yang’s plan, Asa Katsuragi’s gang would eventually be restructured as the Nestor Corporation’s security department.

For now, acting under the guise of a gang was unproblematic.

After all, operating in the style of gang warfare could cover a lot of hassle.

Since the local people were so poor, Nestor Corporation had to contribute a fair amount of money to help them establish order and improve living conditions.

But Xu Yang wasn’t concerned about the financial gains and losses.

On one hand, he had a cash flow, with Jumen Commerce and the industrial park both in operation.

On the other hand, he wasn’t focused on making money; he was eyeing a transformation of the entire world.

Now looking at the map of Aizu City, at the small white patch of Nestor’s jurisdiction at the southwest end, Xu Yang felt it was the starting point for significant ideals and undertakings.

“I heard you took down a town,” Farosa walked into the office.

“Of course, it’s our territory now,” Xu Yang pointed at the map.

“Maybe there is a Little Witch of value in the town,” Farosa said, preparing to make a trip to Highway 90.