Chapter 855: Loyalty and Profit
Rumble!
A bolt of lightning tore through the dark sky and streaked across the two people’s heads.
It split into thousands of streaks of lightning that were as bright as fireworks and disappeared into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
Long Feijun’s face, which was as sharp as a sword, shone with a metallic l.u.s.ter under the lightning’s illumination. Then, it vanished in the darkness.
“Now, everyone has admitted that the appearance of the gangs has brought a glimmer of hope to Dragon City, which is on the verge of destruction.”
He continued, “Although the ‘gangs’ are an ancient and backward organization with many natural defects, many gangs are fighting with each other, fighting for resources, and ruling under all kinds of banners.
“But at the very least, within the gangs, in a community or a building, the long-lost order has been restored. The power of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of citizens has been consolidated, allowing mankind to struggle to survive in the bleak post-apocalyptic world.
“Naturally, there were some heinous and inhumane gangs.
“For example, the Blood Alliance, the largest gang in Dragon City at that time, lured the hungry and ignorant citizens into the bottomless underground crevices with precious food and water in order to explore the ancient ruins. They even watched as they were infected by the ancient virus and turned into deformed monsters before they were sent to the Abnormal Beast Research Department.
“However, the Blood Alliance was so evil that the other gangs eventually attacked them. With the cooperation between seniors, such as Battle G.o.d Lei Zongchao, they collapsed and vanished into thin air.
“Although the nine gangs that replaced the Blood Alliance had their own positions and interests, they still insisted on the bottom line of human nature. They also realized that Dragon City was our only home. To defend Dragon City was to defend ourselves.
“Compared with the Blood Alliance, which was insane and committed all kinds of crimes, the nine major gangs were all worthy of the name of ‘n.o.ble and righteous sects.’ Today, all the citizens of Dragon City have acknowledged and remembered their contributions in the past.
“However, there is a fatal problem with the ancient organization of ‘gangs.’ Meng Chao, do you know what that is?”
Meng Chao pondered for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t know. What is it?”
“Gangs require loyalty.”
A weird smile appeared on Long Feijun’s face. “As I said just now, most of the fledgling gangs are all related to the same family, and they are related by marriage…
“Or related to the neighbors who live in the same neighborhood or even in the same building. When the zombies and monsters invade Dragon City, everyone has to work together in order to survive…
“Or, when we were on Earth, we had close interests and forged deep friendships. We were old friends for decades.
“As for the superhumans who have just awakened and are able to absorb spiritual energy, not only are their realms low, they also know nothing about the so-called ‘training’. Even if they can control fire, Frost, and lightning, they are likely to be killed by bullets, grenades, and rockets.
“Under such circ.u.mstances, the superhumans are not considered to be high and mighty beings who control life and death.
“They still need to talk to their relatives, friends, neighbors, and be loyal to each other. They need to pat their chests and make all kinds of promises in order to unite the people and maintain the strength of the organization.
“Therefore, the gang is a place of loyalty. Inside the gang, everyone is brothers and sisters. Naturally, they have to bear a lot of responsibility.
“To put it simply, when a superhuman takes control of a community in the name of a gang, he or she must protect the safety of the community and ensure the unimpeded access to water and electricity. He or she must think of ways to benefit the community and get enough clean water and food for everyone.
“If a member of the community has conflicts with other people, and he or she provokes the bandits who are entrenched in the broken walls, he or she still has the responsibility to rescue and take revenge.
“Only in this way can other people be convinced and call him ‘leader’ respectfully!”
Meng Chao pondered for a long time, but he still could not figure it out. “Isn’t it great? What’s the problem
“For the ordinary citizens, such a loyal organization like a ‘gang’ is certainly a blessing in the apocalypse. However, for the superhumans, who are also the leaders of the gangs, ‘gangs’ gradually become a tight curse on their heads
Long Feijun said, “In the beginning, the superhumans were all very weak. The people who surrounded them were either their friends or relatives, or their neighbors. They protected everyone and received everyone’s protection. It was not a bad thing.
“However, as the superhumans became more and more powerful and gradually separated from the ordinary citizens, the scale of the gangs gradually expanded. The people who joined the gangs later had no blood ties, no in-laws, and neither were they neighbors who grew up together. The word ‘brotherhood’ gradually stopped being used…
“Especially after defeating the Blood Alliance.
“The nine major gangs divided the inheritance of the Blood Alliance—countless cultivation resources, as well as the cultivation secrets that were exchanged with the lives of tens of millions of citizens.
“The superhumans’ abilities have improved by leaps and bounds. The gang leaders who control large amounts of resources have all broken through to the Heaven Realm or even the Deity Realm.
“Not to mention a mere semi-automatic rifle, even the main battle tank loaded with ammunition and fuel can’t do anything to them.
“At this moment, the leaders of the gangs could not help but wonder why they were so loyal to each other. Why did they work so hard to protect everyone in the gangs, even the parents, wives, and children of their ‘brothers and sisters?’
“They had already pa.s.sed the helpless and dangerous stage. They sprinted toward the limits of their lives without looking back. The ‘gangs’ could no longer provide them with much help. Instead, they became a burden.
“If the same cultivation resources are used on thousands of gang brothers, their parents, wives, and children, they may be able to fill their bellies. However, if they are used on themselves and their immediate family members, they may break through to a new level.
“What do you think the gang leaders who control the resources should do?”
Meng Chao frowned slightly.
He was even greedy for cultivation resources.
There was only one answer to such a choice.
“But right now, we are still lacking a name. A name that can get rid of all burdens and burdens in a fair and aboveboard manner.”
Long Feijun said unhurriedly, “The Survival Committee is exactly that name.”
Meng Chao widened his eyes.
“I don’t know which genius among the nine big gangs came up with such a smart idea — to set up the Survival Committee, restructure the nine big gangs, and turn the ‘gangs’ into ‘corporations.’ All the burdens and burdens will be cut off from the gangs and thrown to the Survival Committee. In this way, the brand-new enterprises will be able to travel light and develop vigorously, turning into mega corporations!”
Long Feijun seemed to still be a little drunk.
As he became agitated, his body temperature rose, his heart rate increased, and his blood started to surge like magma.
“Meng Chao, do you know the biggest difference between a ‘gang’ and a ‘company’?” He put his arm around Meng Chao’s shoulder and exhaled the smell of alcohol like a ferocious beast.
Meng Chao shook his head and said, “What is it?”
“A gang needs loyalty. The company doesn’t need it. The company only needs profit.”
Long Feijun smiled. “A gang member must be loyal to each and every brother. If a brother makes great contributions to the gang and is seriously injured, the gang will have to take care of him for the rest of his life. If he is unfortunate enough to die, the gang will have to take care of his parents, wife, and children.
“But there are no brothers in the company. There are only employees. The employees risk their lives for the company. The company pays the employees a high salary. This is something that they are willing to do and agreed on in the contract. Therefore, the company doesn’t have to bear unlimited responsibility for the employees, much less take care of the employees’ parents, wives, and children.
“By the same logic, when a gang controls a community, it must be responsible for the safety, water, electricity, environment, and food supply of the community. Most of the businesses here are not profitable, and even cost money.
“However, if it becomes an enterprise, it only needs to firmly grasp those businesses with the highest profits, package all the businesses that are not profitable, and push it onto the survival committee.
“After all, the Survival Committee is the highest authority in Dragon City in name. Naturally, it has the responsibility to solve the city’s safety, the protection of the citizens, the lives of the disabled, and the compensation of the victims… and so on. It’s a complicated and messy problem.
“In this way, most of the burdens will be removed, including the members of the gangs who are injured, disabled, and no longer worthy of being brothers. The super corporations that have transformed themselves will naturally be able to stride forward and soar into the sky.
“The owners of the mega corporations, who were the leaders of the gangs in the past, and the Big Brothers of all the other brothers, no longer had to worry about the lives of their brothers. They could focus all their resources on themselves and their families. While their realms soared, they also created ‘wealthy families’ one after another!
“However, although the Survival committee took over most of the trouble like a garbage can, the owners of the mega corporations, who were also the heads of the aristocratic families of cultivation, discovered a new problem.
“They handed over a lot of burdens to the Survival Committee.
“But there is one thing that they are absolutely unwilling to hand over.
“That is military force.
“The problem is that once you have grasped absolute military force, you have to bear the obligation to protect Dragon City.
“To be fair, it’s not that the nine great gangs are unwilling to fight for Dragon City.
“After all, fighting is the best way to promote the extraordinary ones.
“The problem is that not all battles can improve one’s strength.
“For example, guarding the strategic material warehouse is an extremely important task, but one may not encounter monsters for a year or so and can not improve in actual combat. Once they encounter monsters, it is possible that a surging beast tide will engulf the extraordinary people.
“For example, fighting against monsters such as the sword-halberd demonic boar and the iron-armored rhinoceros in groups has a certain tempering effect on the earth realm experts. It is almost useless for the cultivation of the heaven realm experts. Even if one kills ten thousand sword-halberd demonic boars, it is impossible for them to break through from the Heaven Realm to the divine realm.
“For example, going deep into the wilderness and exploring the crystal ore veins, although it requires a first-cla.s.s expert to lead the team, it also requires a large number of ordinary troops to carry out reconnaissance, exploration, patrolling, guarding, and other simple, heavy, repet.i.tive tasks that are not of much help to the cultivation.
“Of course, the nine mega corporations have their own corporate arms, which were the backbone of the nine gangs in the past.
“However, as I said, the cost of maintaining these troops is extremely high. If there are any casualties, the corporations will be responsible for them to the end. It is not worthwhile to let such elite troops carry out heavy, tiring, dirty, and dangerous tasks.
“Therefore, the nine great gangs and the peerless experts have realized that apart from the elites of the company, they also need a large number of… cannon fodder troops.”