Great, now we are dead!

Page 90

"People nowadays reject darkness to their very core. They use lamps to light the way and illuminate their homes, leaving relics of the old era like me to hide in unlit corners."

The boss shook his head: "How am I supposed to make friends with people? At most, I can only pick up customers on the street."

"I only half understand what you're saying. Uncle, if you're not comfortable with your current life, you can move somewhere else."

Chika couldn't help but speak up, "Although Japan is not a large country, there are still poor... rather traditional villages."

"I told you, I'm going to die here!"

The boss pointed at Qianhua with a short stick, his anger flaring: "Nobody can kick me out! This is my home!"

His action startled the girls, and seeing their wary eyes, the boss suddenly showed a hint of regret.

He doesn't want to cause trouble tonight.

In this day and age, fewer and fewer people are willing to talk to him, and the buckwheat noodle stall's business can only be described as dismal. Although he doesn't rely on this for a living, he still feels lonely to some extent.

"Boss, please calm down."

Ye Shou stood up, reached out and placed his hand on the other person's wrist, gently pressing down.

The shopkeeper glanced at him in surprise, frowned slightly, and put away the short stick.

"Young man, is there something you want to say?"

"Um, I wanted to ask, if the waste incineration plant were to shut down, would that be beneficial to this village?"

"……I have no idea."

The boss shook his head.

He disliked the foreign construction machinery, but the project also employed many locals, making the village more lively than before, so he couldn't say the project was entirely useless.

"That's the case in the short term."

Ye Shou sat down casually and gestured for the other person to sit down as well—at this moment, it was unclear who the boss was.

He calmly and carefully explained, "Once humans enjoy a convenient life, they won't want to go back to the past. I think you understand that very well."

"Um"

"But civilization doesn't always have good results just by moving forward; sometimes, if you take the wrong path, there's no going back."

Ye Shou thought of "Night City," and his words were quite sincere, which made the shopkeeper nod in agreement—he didn't really understand what Ye Shou was saying, but the young man gave people a very trustworthy feeling.

"For example, if a waste incineration plant could be built in this village, a large number of people would be needed for both the initial construction and the subsequent operation and maintenance. It would definitely boost local employment, which is why the councilors are pushing it so hard."

However, based on my experience, although Japan has high pollution discharge standards, it is almost impossible to find anyone who seriously complies with them, because strict enforcement means losing money.

Therefore, I am certain that this land will be polluted in a few years. At that time, the villagers will file a class-action lawsuit for health reasons, while the company will try to delay the process. As long as there are no victims, there will be no compensation to speak of.

Gradually, this land will become nothing but industrial zones... What a pity.

Boom!

The boss slammed his fist on the table, his jaw muscles bulging, looking like he was about to devour someone. The pot next to him seemed to be boiling, making a constant hissing sound.

No matter how strong Qianhua's heart was, she noticed something was wrong and couldn't help but secretly hug Ye Shou's arm.

Almost simultaneously, Liuli also leaned against Ye Shou, looking frightened. Only Jianzi stared blankly at the two of them, somewhat at a loss.

"but--"

At this delicate juncture, Ye Shou changed the subject: "It's not that there's no other possibility."

"Huh? What?"

The boss was taken aback, and his hostility vanished instantly: "You have a way?"

"It's actually quite simple—do you know what a nature reserve and a World Heritage Site are?"

Ye Shouwei smiled slightly, just like a fisherman watching his float bob.

The boss muttered, "Nature reserve... what does it protect?"

“Rare wild animals, such as pandas and red-crowned cranes.”

"That World Heritage Site?"

"This is a bit complicated. You can just think of it as a valuable natural landscape or cultural relic."

"Well……"

This touched on a blind spot in the boss's knowledge. He scratched his head vigorously and ripped off the wig in one swift motion—his shiny bald head immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Just because it's a protected area, does that mean we can stop those damn machines?"

"of course can."

Ye Shou curled his lip.

Protecting cultural heritage and rare animals—this is a universally accepted political correctness that no one dares to oppose.

Especially for politicians, if they dare to show their faces at this time, a media storm can spell the end of their political career.

—Look at the “Chang’an City” project next door at Southeast University. No matter how much investment is made, the project can be stopped at any time!

"Let alone halting the project, if it has enough value, people will even protect the village, restore its natural environment, and strictly limit the number of people allowed to enter."

"Great! That, that... hiss!"

The shopkeeper, in a panic, scratched his head and rubbed his hands together, then gave Ye Shou a fawning smile: "Young man, do you know how to set up this heritage protection zone?"

He still didn't understand what it was, but it didn't matter, as long as he knew the concept.

Ye Shoulue pondered for a moment, then looked somewhat troubled: "This is very troublesome..."

"Ah this!"

The boss was filled with anxiety: "Can't you do it?"

“If I were to ask my elders in the family for help, there might be a chance that the government would make an exception… but I would never do such a thing.”

Ye Shou shook his head: "I don't want to put my family in a difficult position."

"Then..."

The boss sighed, "Is nothing going to work?"

"Perhaps it's possible if one is prepared to give away all their wealth."

—JKs all turned their heads.

Ye Shou remained unfazed, ignoring their strange looks.

"That won't do!"

The boss shook his head. He didn't think that just a casual chat could have led Ye Shou to this extent.

"I'll figure it out myself."

"...Actually, I came here with some realization."

"what?"

The boss was drawn in by this seemingly nonsensical remark, "What do you mean, buddy?"

"Boss, to be honest, the New World Heavy Industry that contracted to develop the village's land—that's my family's business!"

"Ah...ah?!"

The boss was startled and instinctively stood up, accidentally bumping into the roof of the car.

"Ouch... hiss, who did you say you were?"

"Please don't misunderstand, we also have our own difficulties."

Ye Shou sighed: "Land contracting is a very complicated business. It's not just a simple buy-and-sell transaction. When large tracts of land are sold, the government will put forward certain requirements that must be met in order to smooth things over."

Take this village for example. We actually have projects that are far more profitable than a waste incineration plant, but the local councilor changed the requirements after we contracted the land in order to boost employment, so we had no choice but to...

I came here to assess the local situation... To be honest, I don't want to damage the environment, but if we terminate the contract, we'll have to pay a huge sum in compensation... We might even go bankrupt.

Upon hearing this, the three women subtly tensed up, lowered their heads, and continued eating their noodles.

"Huh? Such a thing actually happened? The daimyo and the feudal lord are truly despicable!"

Although the boss was out of touch with the times, he quickly understood the meaning behind Ye Shou's words, because similar things were not uncommon in ancient times.

During the Edo period in Japan, the status of the nobility and samurai was far higher than that of merchants. Many of them were not good at business and sometimes even went bankrupt and became destitute. There were many who cheated merchants and forced them to sign unfair contracts for their own benefit.

This phenomenon only began to rise in the status of merchants after the arrival of the "Black Ships," which later gave rise to real conglomerates—though these were also jointly run with the Chinese.

The boss's true form is a great demon with an ancient lifespan; he doesn't understand modern economics, but he does have some knowledge of ancient economics.

"So, young man, are you here to save this village, to save my hometown?"

The boss was extremely excited.

Ye Shou nodded slowly and seriously: "Although this will take a great risk, my conscience prevents me from remaining silent!"

What a wonderful person! The boss was moved and touched by the boy's noble character.

"Of course, it would be best to avoid direct conflict with the government."

Our primary option remains to establish a nature reserve, which will naturally halt the project and absolve everyone of responsibility.

Ye Shou pondered for a moment and said, "My family can also contribute some money to repair the damaged land."

"Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

The boss grabbed Ye Shou's hand and shook it vigorously: "You're actually willing to do so much for a strange place and a group of strangers, that's truly amazing!"

"Oh, you flatter me."

Under the subtle gazes of the three JKs, Ye Shou and the boss shook hands warmly, seemingly about to drink a toast to become sworn brothers.

"However, it would be best if we had a gimmick, so that it would be more convenient no matter what we do."

"A gimmick?"

The boss has learned a new word.

Ye Shou thought for a moment: "For example, UMA (Unidentified Life Forms) or something like that."

"...A wild serpent?"

The boss asked blankly.

"This is indeed a classic folk tale... but that's probably not enough. It would be best if it had a touch of the supernatural and ghostly, and could be linked to folk customs. Then we could hype it up a bit and make the government think there's a chance of it being nominated for World Heritage status—the Japanese love this kind of thing!"

East Asian countries love this!

However, the difference is that the neighbor's house has so many good things that sometimes people don't realize how valuable their own things are.

Japan, on the other hand, racked its brains to bring out even the most obscure items to prove they were national treasures, even bestowing the title of "immortal" upon the old man who cooked rice.

The peninsula region brought out what it considered to be its best things, only to be rejected. In a fit of madness, it grabbed the jars and pots next door and insisted they were its own.

The West is enjoying the spectacle now, but they won't be laughing when the people of the peninsula try to get Yacob and the cross listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

"A ghost?"

The boss's tone was intriguing: "I do have an idea... How about a raccoon dog?"

"The legend of the tanuki exists all over Japan, so it's not surprising at all."

Ye Shou shook his head, "No, no."

"That……"

The boss suddenly revealed a strange smile, and the streetlights flickered, reflecting an indescribable terror in his expression.

"Young Master Ayan - how is it?"

"That sounds quite novel."

Ye Shou remained unmoved, not at all frightened by the strange atmosphere, and instead smiled slightly.

"Can you tell me more about it?"

The boy narrowed his eyes:

Obik, it really was you!