Chapter 947: Big Fire

Everyone longs for big cities, not just foreigners who dream of living in the Federation’s metropolises, but also residents of small towns within the Federation itself.

For many, their lifelong dream is to live in a big city, to have their own small home there, and to call themselves a true city dweller—that is their ultimate goal.

Thus, many small towns are being drained of their youth by the population siphon effect of surrounding metropolises, leaving them with almost no young people.

Formerly, Xigu Valley City was like this, nestled beside Jinguang City, a place brimming with opportunity and wealth, where nearly every young person with even a modicum of ability would leave after high school to seek fortune in Jinguang City.

Had Xigu Valley City not become the “City of Films,” its population loss would have grown ever worse.

Previously, local officials had feared this very thing; some experts warned that within fifty years, Xigu Valley City’s population would fall below one hundred thousand and eventually vanish.

Fortunately, the film industry saved Xigu Valley City—now young people from across the nation hoping to make a name for themselves in cinema have flocked here, injecting fresh blood into the city.

The city where Jinbiao Brewery is located is not particularly large, nor is it the capital of Denuozhou; for labor-intensive enterprises, big cities are not always the best choice for factory construction.

Big cities, benefiting from superior natural conditions, offer little policy support to such enterprises, and their land prices are exorbitant, with all ancillary costs equally high.

The cost of living in big cities is higher, so workers’ wages are correspondingly higher too.

Instead, choosing mid- or small-sized cities with decent industrial infrastructure and convenient logistics is more advantageous for these enterprises.

Local governments provide strong policy support, encouraging entrepreneurship and factory establishment by offering conveniences such as low-interest loans or free land.

This is highly attractive to labor-intensive enterprises, but the most critical point is that living and labor costs are lower in mid- and small-sized cities—that’s the biggest factor.

But it’s not all advantages; there are drawbacks, such as the difficulty of hiring young people.

Because young people yearn for the exciting life of big cities, nearly all who can leave do so, leaving factories to hire mostly middle-aged workers.

Just like at Jinbiao Brewery’s factory—they too would love to hire young people.

Young workers are energetic and lack social experience, allowing them to do more work and making them easier to manage.

Middle-aged workers, however, are harder to manage; they constantly invoke the union or know how to resist exploitation, making them difficult to control.

These past few days, the factory’s new workshop has been fully assembled; all that remains is recruiting workers to begin production—labor-management issues are always on the table, no matter when.

Outside the factory, the hiring officer stood atop a platform made of stacked wooden crates, loudly announcing the factory’s employment policies to the workers gathered around:

“Our assembly line operates on a three-shift rotation, eight hours per shift, with one day off per week.”

“We provide only accident insurance, thirty-two cents per month, and wages are paid on the tenth of each month…”

Around him, many workers asked about other benefits—whether the factory provides uniforms, whether uniforms cost money, and so on.

They also asked whether meals are brought from home or provided by the factory.

If the factory doesn’t provide meals, do they offer meal subsidies, or transportation allowances?

From this, one can see that the working class remains relatively simple and poor; for them, a monthly transportation subsidy of one cent or a meal subsidy of one or two cents is a vital part of their income.

But most of their demands go unmet—for example, this factory doesn’t provide meals; though workers can’t skip meals, they offer no free lunch.

Those who’ve never run a factory don’t realize: if meals are provided free of charge, the food consumed by workers each day is a huge expense!

An ordinary person can feel full on half a pound of whole wheat bread, but for these laborers, they can devour two pounds of bread, plus side dishes!

Food prices are soaring; now, two pounds of bread plus side dishes may cost twenty to twenty-five cents.

They work twenty-five days per month; on average, each worker spends four or five cents extra on meals alone.

So it’s simpler not to provide meals at all—just give a fifteen-cent meal subsidy and let them handle it themselves, cutting costs significantly.

Transportation subsidies are also kept extremely low; they’re willing to offer only six cents per month, far less than in Jinguang City.

Workers keep tearing up their job flyers, tossing them on the ground, stomping on them, and leaving with curses.

But others, desperate for money or no longer qualified to pick a better job, sign contracts nearby and walk into the factory.

Phil arrived at the hiring site with several subordinates; they had deliberately changed clothes, messed up their hair, and worn ordinary shoes, blending in with the city’s youth.

Seeing these young men approach, the hiring officer immediately warmed up and began pitching the job: “Believe me, working here is far more comfortable than anywhere else.”

“Though our wages may seem low and subsidies minimal, fellows, you only need to work eight hours a day!”

“Other jobs pay a few cents more, but they demand eleven or even twelve hours— I was young once too, I’ve been where you are.”

“Don’t you want time and energy after work to date and flirt with girls?”

“Listen to me—this is the perfect job for you. At least come try it…”

Phil and his men didn’t hesitate long—they decided to join the company.

The hiring officer was thrilled; he arranged for Phil and his group to enter the factory immediately—they’d start work today.

But he had no idea what kind of people he’d just recruited!

Phil and his men strode boldly through the factory gate; he had already discussed this with Elwin—the factory’s security was tight, and a direct assault would cost too many lives.

The newly appointed head of the state police had little regard for the Lans family, routinely inspecting their vehicles; if they deployed large numbers into central Denuozhou to attack this factory, they might lose many men.

So Phil’s mission was to infiltrate the factory and set it on fire—a perfect plan.

The brewery is filled with alcohol; since whiskey requires distillation and purification, certain workshops contain large quantities of high-proof whiskey.

All they need to do is locate these storage rooms, light a fire, and let the rest take care of itself.

Phil had never been to the Lawrence Brewery, but he’d heard stories; following a group of new hires, they entered an old, outdated workshop—not a new one.

The new workshops use modern equipment, which is more complex to operate than the old machines, so these novices were assigned to fill the old workshops.

Upon entering, they felt waves of heat, smelled the fermentation and alcohol in the air—Phil’s eyes lit up with delight.

Their hiring went smoothly; the work wasn’t complex. Veterans guided them, and they didn’t need to handle every step—just one step.

Repetitive, mechanical labor is the most draining, the most soul-crushing kind of work.

Eight hours felt longer than ever to these young men!

After leaving the workshop, they didn’t depart immediately; instead, they wandered around their own workshop.

Since they wore factory uniforms, no one stopped them; soon, they had a clear sense of the brewery’s layout…

In early July, Jinbiao Brewery secretly announced that the wholesale price of Tongbiao Whiskey would drop another cent, making liquor dealers in Denuozhou even more eager for competition between Jinbiao and Jinshi Brewery.

Some speculated that Tongbiao Whiskey’s wholesale price might fall to twenty cents—or even below!

At that price, Jinbiao Brewery would barely break even on this product—no real profit left.

Others believed Jinbiao Brewery shifted its profit focus to Silver and Gold-tier whiskeys, using the low-end product to dominate the market and then profit from the premium ones.

Only major smugglers knew the rivalry between the two giants had reached a boiling point; barring accidents, a winner would soon emerge.

Price wars work this way: if one side doesn’t match the drop, market reaction is swift; a single-cent difference is enough for bulk smugglers to abandon Jinshi Whiskey.

They move thousands of bottles at once—thousands of cents in extra profit—how could they not choose?

Loyalty, belonging—these are worthless; no matter how good Lans family whiskey is, if its price doesn’t keep up, it will lose the market.

Once one brewery is driven out, the other will immediately raise prices wildly.

They all know Jinshi Brewery’s operating costs are far higher than Jinbiao’s, so almost everyone doubts Jinshi can survive in Denuozhou.

Perhaps it can hold steady in a few cities, but it can no longer compete as it once did.

Lose the market, and it will shrink relentlessly until it vanishes.

Major smuggling syndicates began stockpiling Tongbiao Whiskey—the cheapest whiskey on the market, with a reasonable price and astonishing sales.

They were certain a winner would emerge within two or three months; once the Lans family retreated to Likalai State, Tongbiao Whiskey’s wholesale price would skyrocket!

Stockpile now, stockpile heavily—then reap a massive profit from the price gap!

Facing Jinbiao Brewery’s continuous price cuts, the Lans family appeared unwilling to engage in another price war—they remained silent.

Many believed the current price had reached the Lans family’s cost floor; after all, their profits must be shared with the mayor and used to fund Wei De’s gubernatorial campaign.

Their expenses here are enormous; if they lowered prices further while ensuring the mayor’s cut, they’d have to sell at a loss.

Not engaging in a price war proves this.

Wei De soon called Lans: he was genuinely worried Lans might collapse.

“I’ve heard many rumors lately, Lans,” the mayor said delicately. “They say your whiskey’s operating costs are high, making it uncompetitive in Denuozhou’s fierce market.”

“I wonder—is it possible to build a factory here in Denuozhou? We could offer tax rebates to reduce your production costs.”

He never mentioned himself or his political allies taking a cut from Lans’s sales—the largest extra cost—because he knew this was essential to maintaining his electoral support.

If he demanded a reduction in the mayor’s share, it might trigger chain reactions he couldn’t bear to see.

People are like this: you must give more each time, never less.

Give generously, and they’ll call you a good man; give less, and no matter your reason, they’ll call you a bastard.

Of course, Wei De also worried: if Lans truly gave up, his own position would suffer greatly.

Lans didn’t find Wei De’s concerns unreasonable; everyone is fundamentally self-interested, doing only what benefits them, never what harms them.

“Don’t worry, Mayor Wei De. Everything is under control.”

“In no more than a week, you’ll see the results.”

Hearing Lans’s confidence, Wei De didn’t press further. “That’s best. Still, consider my suggestion.”

“If you build a factory here, I can offer tax incentives to reduce your operating costs.”

Lans didn’t refuse outright. “I’ll consider it.”

Seeing this, Wei De didn’t push further. “You know your situation best, Lans. Though our time together hasn’t been long, not like your partnership with Williams.”

“But I want to say—we can become good friends, good partners.”

“Problems don’t need to be faced alone—we can face them together!”

Lans smiled in agreement—heartfelt, yes, but built entirely on a web of financial interests.

Over the past months, Wei De’s allies had earned vast sums from Lans’s whiskey sales—wealth beyond their wildest dreams!

And Lans had a mature channel for transferring these profits—thanks to Bandi (deceased head of the Kodak family), who left Lans a complete profit-transfer network.

It could send wealth upward to Congress, or sideways.

Poor mayors suddenly received massive sums from precise investments; their living conditions improved instantly. Having endured hardship, they’d want to preserve this new life more than Wei De or Lans.

Like Ambassador Cassia—he accepted, then grew accustomed to this life, and now couldn’t leave it.

He moved from passive acceptance to active demands, even scheming to maintain it—that’s the most terrifying part of corruption.

You can't leave it behind!

Over the next few days, more young people joined the Jinbiao Brewery factory, and the Lans family never gave the market any positive response; Erwin remained silent.

They are losing market share!

The mayor of Xinboming City privately spoke with Erwin about the potential consequences of continuously shrinking market share, subtly hinting that he needed to take action.

Erwin echoed Lans’s words, telling him to wait a little longer.

The more silent they remained, the more Mr. Richard believed Lans and his group could not lower prices further—this was exhilarating. After an emergency meeting with the board, they lowered the wholesale price of the liquor by another fifty cents!

Orders for Jinbiao Brewery had been booked through October; the factory was operating at full capacity, yet still could not meet demand!

A few days later, Phil and the others had grown familiar with the factory workers, including the security guards.

After finishing their shifts, they did not leave immediately but wandered around to see if they could lend a hand—this was precisely why capitalists favored these simple, young workers.

Even now, as they wandered freely, the guards saw them but turned a blind eye.

Today they were on night shift, arriving slightly early because it was already late; the guards did not notice they were carrying items.

In fact, it wasn’t just tonight—over these past few days, they had been secretly smuggling explosives into the factory.

And tonight was the night they would act.

They had already identified the key equipment in the production workshops; some would blow up these machines to disrupt production, while others would set fires across the facility.

As shift change approached, the factory descended into its most chaotic moment—some workers, unable to endure the repetitive labor, had left early, while others on rotation had not yet arrived.

Everywhere, foremen and team leaders were shouting, calling out names.

At that very moment, a massive fire suddenly erupted in the warehouse—the flames spread rapidly, and the factory’s alarm bells blared instantly…

(End of Chapter)