Me! Cleaner!.

Chapter 1149 Director, Times Have Changed!

Is the Cleanup Bureau going to downsize completely? And will all Cleanup personnel with a contamination level of 60 or higher be required to be stationed at headquarters for the next ten years?

After hearing the demands made by the director of the cleanup bureau, the "old, weak, sick and disabled" in the Sage's Cemetery were immediately in an uproar, and Leon, who was sitting next to the Taurus director, felt a sharp pain in his heart.

In order to deal with Number 1, which may attack at any time, I must find a way to improve the origin of the present world. The most feasible method at present is to increase the "resolution" of each plane and then try to combine the fourteen planes with the transformation effect of [materialism].

To quickly improve resolution, the Cleanup Bureau must expand its recruitment as soon as possible, and then have a large number of Cleaners explore the fourteen planes simultaneously as "subordinates" to rapidly increase the resolution of each plane.

However, the director of the Cleanup Bureau planned to put the Cleanup Bureau into a ten-year contraction period, requiring all elites capable of exploring the outside world to stay at headquarters. This was not only not completely different from his own plan, but it was also the opposite of it!

"Is it necessary to go this far?"

Seemingly equally skeptical of the plan, Scorpio, the director to Lyon's right who had reverted to human form, spoke with a somewhat puzzled expression:

"Director, I remember our previous agreement was to only invite a group of survivors carrying the bloodline of [Hope] back to make up for the missing seventh virtue. But now you're making this request... Do you intend to relocate all the survivors of the old lands back?"

"Ah."

After listening to the Scorpio board member's inquiry, the director of the Cleanup Bureau nodded slightly and said:

“I do intend to do that… According to some records left around the spacetime beacon, this group of remnants of the old land did not establish a kingdom, nor did they have a pure [Hope] bloodline similar to the thirteen royal families, so bringing back just one group might not be enough.”

If we truly want to complete the Seven Virtues, we must relocate the vast majority of the old inhabitants back. It is estimated that we would need to bring back more than six million old inhabitants to have any chance of completing this task within our generation…”

Six million former inhabitants were relocated back... No wonder he wanted all the cleaners with an immersion value of 60 or higher to be stationed at headquarters.

After hearing the director of the cleanup bureau's plan, Lyon vaguely understood why he made this request.

When I went down into the abyss before, I asked Director Taurus. She said that when materials are not plentiful, the minimum standard to open and maintain the star gate is sixty points of contamination value.

So the head of the cleanup bureau's plan was actually quite simple and brutal: to directly mobilize all the bureau's resources to open the gates and relocate people, trying to send back as many of the old inhabitants as possible... While it seemed theoretically feasible, upon closer examination, it didn't seem very reliable...

"Isn't this a bit too risky?"

If Lyon, who wasn't very familiar with the old territory, could understand this, the other directors certainly wouldn't be unaware. After frowning and pondering for a while, the Taurus director was the first to raise a question:

"Leaving aside the chaos that this ten-year contraction period will bring to the present world, the very act of using stargates for migration is extremely dangerous! It will definitely result in heavy casualties!"

"really."

The Cancer director nodded in agreement:
"The four pillar gods were only driven back by Leon, not suppressed forever. Opening so many star gates in one go and maintaining them for a full ten years is a huge commotion. It's impossible for the remaining three pillar gods, apart from the Old Ones, not to see it. They will definitely launch an attack when the time comes."

Although the three pillars of the Old King are no longer as powerful as before, and you and Lord Aries can easily gain the upper hand by joining forces, there's no such thing as a perfect defense. Over time, there will inevitably be times when you can't protect them all.

"I don't think so either."

After the Cancer director finished speaking, the Scorpio director next to Leon shook his head repeatedly, looking disapproving:

"The Four Pillars Gods are not so easy to deal with. If they really manage to find a loophole and destroy a few key star gates, not only will the old land remnants who migrated through the star gates fall into the astral plane, but even the mortal world may be invaded. This is too risky."

"Yes, this plan is indeed somewhat risky."

After patiently waiting for the "opposition" members to finish expressing their opinions, the head of the sanitation bureau spoke with a gleam in his eyes:

"But compared to the gains, the risk is absolutely worthwhile! Even disregarding the improvement brought about by making up for the missing virtues, the old inhabitants who were relocated back through the stargate alone represent an unimaginable wealth!"

At this point, the director of the cleanup bureau paused slightly, then looked around at the board members with their varied expressions, and said with a hint of excitement:
"Our lack of hope has led to evil outweighing good, while the remnants of the old lands have lost all seven deadly sins, which means they are a people who are naturally inclined to 'good'!"

Although this lack does not mean the complete absence of corresponding desires, but rather a more subtle manifestation, those remnants of the old lands would still rarely commit evil, and in every aspect, they should be more 'pure' than humans in our present world!
The process of these people migrating back to the real world through the Star Gate is itself a safe, controllable, long-term, stable, and highly effective form of abnormal infection. Therefore, once they are migrating to the real world, they are basically capable of becoming cleaners.

Furthermore, they not only possess the qualifications of cleaners, but they are also naturally inclined towards kindness and can maintain hope regardless of adversity; they are born to be cleaners.

After passionately recounting the significance of this matter, the head of the cleanup bureau emphasized with hopeful eyes:

"Everyone! This isn't six thousand, or sixty thousand, but six million! A full six million promising cleanup workers! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Even if only one in a thousand can control the anomalous objects and become new Cleaners, it would double the entire Cleanup Bureau's workforce! And if even one percent of them could become Cleaners…”

That's a full 60,000 cleaners, more than ten times the total number of the current cleanup bureau!

Following the director of the cleanup bureau's words and imagining the potential benefits of this "relocation of the remnants," not only did the three directors who had previously expressed their opposition fall silent, but even Lyon found it difficult to speak up.

A ten-year period of contraction yielded six million potential cleanup workers who had received initial exposure to the contamination. By that calculation, it certainly seemed worthwhile, no matter the risk. But the problem was…

"This isn't a question of whether it's worth it or not!"

Seeing that the board members seemed convinced by the vision painted by the head of the cleanup bureau, the Taurus board member, whose brows furrowed with anger, stood up and shouted:

"Director, when you finalized this plan, did you communicate with the remnants of the old settlement? Did they know you were planning to relocate them all back? And... did they know how many deaths and injuries this relocation might result in?"

"..."

Upon hearing the question from Director Jinniu, the director of the Cleaning Bureau paused slightly in his excited expression, then lowered his eyes under the gaze of the directors and gently shook his head, saying:
"I have only found the spacetime beacon so far and am still on my way to the plane where the remnants of the Old Earth reside. However, moving out of the Old Earth would also be beneficial for them, so they should not refuse."

Is it that they can't refuse, or that you don't want them to refuse? After glancing at the head of the sanitation bureau with some disappointment, Director Jinniu shook his head and said:

"Director, the plan you proposed is indeed excellent. It will allow our Cleanup Bureau to acquire unimaginable wealth and resources. In fact, when the next generation of children grows up, the Cleanup Bureau may become stronger than ever before. But all of this will come at the cost of our compatriots!"
The Four Pillars Gods are not fools, nor are the other potential enemies. They will do everything in their power to stop this long migration, and given the current situation in the bureau, it is impossible to protect their safety.

And you mentioned six million people… Director, how many of those you brought from their old lands do you think will survive to reach the present world after this ten-year migration ends?

"..."

"I agree with His Excellency Taurus's opinion."

After glancing at the Taurus director, who had chosen kindness and compassion without the slightest hesitation, Lyon, having already grasped the situation, broke his silence and stepped forward to stand beside the Taurus director, clearly joining in his objection:
"The remnants of the old land are human beings just like us. The sacrifices for this plan are too great. Countless people will die or be injured over ten years. It is too risky and too radical. It is too cruel for them."

I believe this plan is not unfeasible, but it must be extended in time, its intensity reduced, and at least the most basic safety must be guaranteed before implementation; otherwise, the result may be counterproductive.

"Aquarius is right."

After glancing at Taurus and Lyon, who had stepped forward to voice their opposition, the Cancer director also spoke up again, expressing his skepticism about the plan.

"If this were to actually happen, those who are influenced by the Stargate would not only gain the qualifications of Cleaners, but would also inevitably witness the loss and death of their people. Cleaners 'born' in this environment might not be able to maintain their kindness."

“What you said makes sense, and I can actually understand your concerns.”

After glancing at Lyon and the two directors who had clearly expressed their opposition, a hint of regret flashed in the head of the sanitation department's eyes, but he then calmly emphasized:

"But concerns aside, opportunities are opportunities... The spacetime of the Old Land is not stable, and it's not something you can just enter and exit at any time. Whether this relatively stable period in spacetime can be maintained for ten years is another matter."

Moreover, the most troublesome Four Pillars Gods have been captured and injured, and the remaining Asur's Sleep has also temporarily entered a deep sleep and will not come to cause trouble for a long time. Such a good opportunity is really hard to come by again.

So it's not that I'm radical, but this is a golden opportunity, and if we don't seize it, it will be difficult to bring "hope" back, and it might never be possible again.

It seems... the director's idea isn't entirely wrong?

After hearing the director of the Cleanup Bureau's words, the three directors, Scorpio, Virgo, and Capricorn, whose attitudes had already shifted, began to waver again.

Compared to the old land, which was plagued by time-space chaos and crises, the current situation is certainly much better. This migration is not entirely a bad thing for the people who remained in the old land.

And as the bureau chief said, if we can't seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it will be difficult to bring "hope" back.

"Joan of Arc, Aquarius."

After glancing at the somewhat hesitant board members, the head of the cleanup bureau called out to Director Taurus and Lyon, then said with a serious expression:

"This is the hope we've been waiting for for so many years, and it's something we've finally found! I don't think we should give up like this."

Furthermore, this is not only hope among the Seven Virtues, but also hope for our Cleanup Bureau and indeed for all of humanity! If we can truly seize this window of opportunity and successfully grasp this hope, the future of humankind will surely be full of hope!

I hope, I hope... Why do you keep saying this...?

Speechless at the Cleanup Bureau Chief's aria-like monologue and somewhat inappropriate sentimentality, Leon suppressed his urge to complain, but considering the Chief's undeniable hard work and contributions, he replied with the same serious expression:

"Director, I think we can try to win over the 'hope' of the old land and the six million potential cleanup workers, but we shouldn't gamble with the future of the entire present world for the next ten years, let alone the safety of the millions of old land survivors."

The people of the old land are people, and the people of the present world are also people. Instead of risking huge casualties to find potential cleanup workers, it would be better to expand recruitment directly in the present world, and the result might even be better.

The current population has long exceeded two billion, and there is no shortage of promising individuals who could become cleaners. With a steady expansion, it wouldn't take ten years; two to three years would likely be enough to multiply the number of cleaners several times over.

At this point, Leon, who wasn't particularly fond of hope, paused slightly as he looked at the Director of the Cleanup Bureau, who was constantly talking about hope. He then couldn't resist slipping in a bit of his own opinion and continued:

"As for the 'hope' of Seven Medleys... I think if we can strive for it, then we should try our best. But if it really doesn't work out, we can accept it even if we miss it. Our ancestors didn't have any 'hope' in the past either, but they still made it to where they are today step by step, didn't they?"

Moreover, instead of directly pursuing hope, it is better to make sufficient preparations... It is good to believe in hope, but we cannot have hope alone. Only when we are strong enough can we have the strength to grasp hope when it comes.

I believe that instead of abandoning development altogether and entering a decade-long period of contraction, using the chaos of the present and a large amount of human and material resources to pursue the elusive hope of the old land, it would be better to focus on the present, try to expand enrollment, or even proactively expand outwards.

If we can take control of all the other subordinate planes surrounding the present world, just as we did when we conquered the Netherworld, then we won't need to look for any hope, because we'll be on the most promising path.

"..."

No... are you here on purpose to contradict me?
Watching Leon speak eloquently in a similar tone to his own, completely negating all of his plans in a few words, and even going so far as to expand on them in the opposite direction, a hint of displeasure flashed in the eyes of the Director of the Cleanup Bureau.

Although this generation of Aquarians is extremely talented, they are somewhat lacking in seriousness when it comes to things... The bureau has tried to expand recruitment so many times in the past, but none of them have ever succeeded. How can you think you can do it?

As long as humanity in the present world remains in a state where evil outweighs good, the result of expanding recruitment will be more cleaners, but also more disasters caused by anomalies. No matter what we do, it will be in vain. Only the "hope" of the Old Land is the only answer. We must introduce the hope of the Old Land so that there can be hope in the present world!
"Blindly expanding enrollment is not advisable; this approach is even less reliable than my plan."

Having uttered a casual definition, the head of the Cleanup Bureau, having said all he needed to say, didn't respond to Leon's words further. Instead, he looked around and then spoke:

"In any case, given the current situation, we definitely need to do something, so if no one else has any ideas, let's just vote... Do you favor Aquarius's plan, or are you more inclined towards mine?"

　Two-in-one Haha Or2...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)