"By the way, Old Ma, I want to ask about something."
"What is it? Tell me."
"Have you ever heard of a mineral with particularly strong radiation? The kind that’s very valuable."
"Are you talking about Alien Ore?"
"Oh, do you know what that is?"
"I’m not really sure about the specifics, it has nothing to do with me. I only heard about it occasionally chatting with other mayors; it seems to be a special metal called isotope, a strictly regulated controlled substance."
"What’s it used for?"
"I don’t know that. I only know it’s extremely valuable. A decade or so ago, a small town with a population of thirty or forty thousand discovered this kind of ore, received massive support, and quickly upgraded to a county."
Ren Zhong pondered, "So if a citizen discovered Alien Ore but didn’t report it, secretly extracted it wanting to smuggle, what would happen?"
"You weren’t involved in such a thing before you became a wasteland person, were you?"
Ren Zhong shook his head, "No way!"
"It’s very serious. The lightest consequence is confiscating all assets, and the Citizen Level demoted to First Level. The condition is to disclose the exact destination of the ore, and the ore must be recovered successfully in a short time, with all illegal gains returned. If more serious, if the amount is large and some is lost, the criminal will be stripped of citizen status, the person and direct family for three generations will all be demoted to wasteland people."
"What if they can’t disclose the destination?"
"Aside from executing the person, there’s a thorough investigation into their family and other stakeholders, and those who knew but didn’t report are all executed. Of course, this only applies to citizens below Fifth Level; citizens above Fifth Level would receive certain leniency. After all, the fundamental purpose of controlling these things is to maintain the rule of high-level citizens."
Ma Dafu saw it clearly and wasn’t afraid to discuss this on the Wrist watch.
The ruling class on Source Star never hides their exploitation and enslavement of the lower class.
Ren Zhong responded, "Really strict."
But he wasn’t surprised by it, as Source Star’s laws weren’t made to protect the vulnerable groups.
Almost every clause in the legal code serves to maintain the position of the rulers.
Even the slight protections for vulnerable groups still fundamentally aim to preserve the interests of the majority within the ruling group.
"Actually, there’s no possibility of failing to disclose the destination. Once investigated, it’s practically impossible for anyone to refuse to explain. This thing can’t be hidden. Its technology content is very high; ordinary people can’t even handle it, let alone utilize it."
"To truly use it, to process it from raw material to final product, requires the intervention of high-end technology. All advanced technology is controlled by the Nine Major Groups; everything is interconnected. With the existence of the ’Internet’, if they’re genuinely tracking it down, it can be dug out even if hidden at the ends of the earth."
"The so-called private excavation, in essence, is just the result of power struggles among the upper echelons of the Nine Major Groups. Ultimately, it can only ever be Citizen’s wealth. No matter which high-rank citizen holds it, in essence, it’s still the wealth of Source Star’s citizens."
Ren Zhong nodded, "Alright, I understand."
"Why did you suddenly ask about this?"
"I just watched a video online discussing Alien Ore; I was slightly curious."
Regarding how to deal with Yang Bingzhong, Ren Zhong had two plans before.
The first plan was the most worry-free.
That was to completely coordinate with Old Ma before Yang Bingzhong got rich, and have Old Ma report the information directly up the chain.
This is a reporting route that aligns with Source Star’s system rules.
Now Ren Zhong knows the result of this plan.
There’s a chance to make Yang Bingzhong bankrupt on the spot, falling back to square one, but that’s not what he wanted.
From those seemingly harsh rules, Ren Zhong smelled a cold, ruthless indifference that chilled him to the bone.
That is, once Yang Bingzhong’s deeds are exposed, as long as he voluntarily surrenders, not only can he save his life, he can even keep his citizen status with just a demotion!
Throughout the entire affair, the lives of wasteland people aren’t even considered in determining crimes and sentences!
It’s as if discovering and excavating isotope Alien Ore is considered a significant achievement; no matter how great the sin, as long as it doesn’t impact other citizens, it can all be offset.
Ren Zhong even suspected that if Yang Bingzhong, with his connections, could find a patron to back him, he might even turn the private excavation and smuggling into voluntary surrender, thereby not only remaining innocent but also gaining merit. The benefit, although certainly not as great as smuggling and selling, might still bring him a small windfall.
Therefore, Ren Zhong had to choose the second plan.
Ren Zhong wanted to completely destroy Yang, the heartless scum who was willing to do anything for profit, in the way Yang Zhong would least want to accept.