Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1454 Persuasion

Lin Fan had imagined that places where people were imprisoned would be like those in movies and TV shows—dark, cramped, and gloomy—filthy places filled with pain and despair.

To my surprise, when I actually saw it, the environment was much better than that of the Loess Plateau.

Bonnie used this opportunity to promote the idea that the abduction and trafficking of people was a good deed that improved the living conditions of people in the Loess Plateau.

This was the first time Antonio had ever met such a shameless person.

"So, they should thank you?" he sneered sarcastically.

"Oh, not at all..." Bonnie smiled as if she were in charge here. But in reality, it was her first time here too.

"Since you're so charitable, why don't you bring the whole family here to improve their lives?" Lin Fan thought of the child he had seen in the Loess District, and then looked at the single-cell-like cubicles. "In Silvermoon City, you also lived in these transparent cubicles with no doors, wide open and with no privacy whatsoever?"

Bonnie choked.

How is that possible?

"Stop with the nice talk." Lin Fan looked at the people in the cubicle who were completely unmoved by their arrival and scrutiny. They looked neat and clean, but their expressions were numb. He said impatiently, "Let's not pretend things are fine since everyone knows the truth. It's pointless."

Even the most sophisticated cages are ultimately prepared for sale.

It is often said that life is precious, but freedom is even more valuable.

But those imprisoned here have neither freedom nor control over their own lives. Those sold as commodities reach the end of their lives once they lose their value.

Freedom? The people of Anemocracy probably never truly understood the meaning of this word from birth to death.

Bonnie was still a little intimidated by Lin Fan. Even though she seemed quite easy to talk to and hadn't done anything particularly bad, she just didn't want to offend her easily.

But in this situation, if she doesn't say something witty to fill the suffocating silence, the oppressive atmosphere will quickly build up.

Is this... really a good idea?
Qian Sui perched on Lan Bingru's shoulder, listening to Bonnie's voice as if it were a fly buzzing. Although it wasn't bothering it, it would be better if it didn't bother them. Ignoring Bonnie's pleading gaze, it turned its head and curiously looked around.

“These people…” Lan Bingru had been looking worried ever since she came in, “were they all captured from the Loess Plateau?”

Because the entire wall facing outwards is transparent, they can easily see the situation of everyone inside.

There weren't any strikingly handsome men or beautiful women, but based on their physiques, they could be roughly divided into two types.

Some of them were thin, just a little bit more fleshy than skin and bones, which was probably because they were raised to be healthy after being captured.

Another group had unusually large, muscular builds, making their cubicles appear cramped and crowded, unlike the empty cubicles of the thinner individuals.

Bonnie didn't dare to say anything more and looked at Gar.

“That’s right,” Garr replied. “We don’t have the resources to go to outer space to find high-end goods. Our only source is the Loess Plateau. Unfortunately, the people there aren’t very good quality; most of them are like this. Even if we manage to bring them back, we have to spend time raising them before we can sell them.” He completely disregarded Lin Fan and the others’ opinions, answering whatever they asked. Bonnie even wanted to kick him a couple of times.

“Those big guys looked tough. How did you manage to catch so many?” Antonio asked.

“Them,” Garl grinned, “They look tough, but they’re a bit stubborn. If so many of them were to resist together, they would be really hard to catch. But as soon as we arrived, they all ran away with their tails between their legs. It’s hard to catch a group of them, but isn’t it easy to catch them one by one?”

“That’s not right.” Lin Fan turned his head. “When we were in the Loess District, a group of people chased us for a long time after they found Bonnie.”

“Yeah, with all that encouragement, I thought you orcs and the people of the Loess Plateau were like enemies who would never see each other again,” Antonio chimed in.

“They don’t have that ability,” Garl laughed, gesturing towards Bonnie. “They just see that guy is alone, a cowardly and useless fellow, easy to bully, so they keep chasing him. In reality, as soon as our car enters the Loess Plateau, they’ll be scared out of their wits without even showing their faces. They won’t even have time to chase… they’ll be too busy running away.”

"You're just arresting people in the street like this?" Lin Fan frowned slightly. "Arresting anyone you see?"

“That’s not it.” Gal felt that although these aliens were ignorant, they weren’t annoying and were easy to talk to. He gradually relaxed, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. “We are selective. After all, we have to sell. We won’t take anything that has no value.”

"The definition of value is..." Lin Fan continued to press.

Gar lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke: "It depends on the demand for goods at different stages. It's best if they have some skills, but at the very least, we need healthy and strong young laborers. We don't want people who are too old, too young, or can't work and just want to freeload; bringing them back will only result in losses."

The image of the starving child flashed through everyone's minds.

Garr's nonchalant attitude has caused countless families to be torn apart.

"You arrested all the adults without considering the hardship or even certain death their children and elderly might face without anyone to care for them?" Lin Fan asked him.

"Why should we worry about that?" Garr gave Lin Fan a strange look. "They can't survive because they're incompetent. Are we supposed to do background checks before arresting them...? Forget it! We're not in business for charity. We're just making money. Letting them live is already an act of kindness."

“But from a realistic point of view, what you’re doing is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, ruining your own future.” Lin Fan crossed his arms, looking as sincere as if he were genuinely thinking about Gar’s situation.

"What do you mean?" Garr asked, cigarette dangling from his lips, completely bewildered.

“Think about it. You disregard the child’s life and death and kidnap the adult. If that child is unlucky, he probably won’t live to grow up, right?” Lin Fan spread his hands. “If a child doesn’t grow up, it won’t be obvious in a year or two, but after ten or eight years, there will be fewer children who have grown into adults, and you’ll have fewer options to choose from. If this continues, no wonder you say that the people in the Loess Plateau are no good. You’ve cut off their source of income.”

Garl rolled his eyes and thought for a moment: "That seems to make sense. No wonder it's getting harder and harder to find good stuff these days, it's like searching for gold in the shit. Now that you've explained it, it makes sense."

They were only looking for people they could sell quickly. Those left behind in the Loess Plateau were mostly the elderly, children, and the sick and weak—young adults who didn't meet the requirements. In that terrible environment, which even beastmen despised, what kind of good next generation could possibly be produced?

The reason why people in the Loess Plateau region have survived for so many years is simply due to their biological instincts of reproduction and survival.

Living in constant fear, hiding and fleeing, barely clinging to life. Just being alive is a blessing; there's no way to ask for more.

"So," Lin Fan said with a slight smirk, "for your long-term development, you should consider the population structure when you're arresting people. Otherwise, if you continue like this, in a few years, there really won't be anyone left to arrest in the Loess Plateau."

It's impossible to directly persuade them not to make arrests. However, if we consider the quality of the goods and future profits, persuading them to slow down and reduce the pace of arrests might have some effect.