"The second issue is the employment of the Ratkin," Zhuang Anping said. "Five days ago, our police force raided an abandoned factory on the outskirts, which was full of hanging pods for growing Bat Mushrooms."
"Bat Mushrooms are black fungi that resemble bats with their wings folded. They secrete various ergot alkaloids and phenethylamines. Ten micrograms can induce mild euphoria, while fifty to two hundred micrograms can cause hallucinations, followed by a three to four-hour episode."
"During the episode, users exhibit pronounced aggression, attacking others or self-harming. This is accompanied by hyperreflexia, tremors, ataxia, and spastic paralysis. Severe cases can lead to asphyxiation and death, or trigger latent bodily ailments, resulting in sudden death."
"Under the current laws of the Galactic Empire, the unauthorized cultivation and sale of such crops are considered capital offenses, punishable by death."
"The factory we raided had a highly sophisticated Bat Mushroom cultivation system, including as many as 3,400 cultivation pods, underground water irrigation pipes, and indoor solar lighting. Additionally, 617 Ratkin resided in the factory's basement, responsible for cultivating the Bat Mushrooms. When we arrived, there were even over fifty Ratkin being interviewed for jobs there."
"Such incidents are occurring everywhere: criminal organizations manufacturing contraband, loan sharking syndicates, fraud and theft rings, and so on," Zhuang Anping cut to the chase. "Our summary of the current situation is that a large number of Ratkin are arriving on our planet. They need money to survive, but legitimate jobs in society do not accept Ratkin without proper identification. Consequently, these individuals inevitably end up in the underworld industries."
"Therefore, the threat posed by the Ratkin is likely to become increasingly severe. The Ratkin who have just arrived might only be petty thieves or polluters, but over time, as these Ratkin become involved with the underworld industries in various regions, large-scale, ruthless gangs will inevitably emerge, posing a serious threat to planetary order and severely endangering the lives and property of the local population," Zhuang Anping stated. "One could even say that the Ratkin are the source of chaos."
The atmosphere in the meeting hall turned somber. Many experts who had been listening with smiles on their faces gradually lost them.
"I apologize to all the leaders," Zhuang Anping said. "I am foolish and cannot think of solutions to these problems at the moment. For instance, regarding the Ratkin's employment, we disallow them formal jobs to prevent more Ratkin from entering. However, this leads to the emergence of vast dark forces. If we allow them formal jobs, it will attract more illegal immigrants, exacerbating the overall chaos, and in the long run, it will inevitably intensify the spread of underworld industries. I've thought about this for a long time before coming to this meeting, but I have no counter-strategy."
The meeting lasted all morning, with representatives and experts taking turns to speak.
Jiang Ye felt as if his head were about to split open.
After a simple lunch and a half-hour nap, the meeting resumed at two in the afternoon.
"The main problems we face have all been discussed this morning," Jiang Ye said with a grave expression. "Now we need to discuss countermeasures. Please offer your suggestions. If you have any methods you deem suitable, feel free to propose them, and we will discuss them together."
A male expert raised his hand. "I believe we need to cut the Gordian Knot."
"How do we cut it?" Jiang Ye asked, looking at him.
"Deploy military force. The number of illegal immigrants entering our three planets via substandard small spacecraft is too high. We can have air defense fire upon a batch of these immigrant ships," the male expert said. "Some illegal immigrants will die, but it's better to endure a short-term pain than a long-term one. Rather than allowing a continuous influx of immigrants to cause trouble and lead to greater casualties, it's better to strike first."
"That is unacceptable," Jiang Ye immediately shook his head and rejected the idea. "Those arriving are also civilians from various planets. Humanity is unified. Waging war against humans is morally reprehensible. It will cause diplomatic problems, and our own citizens will object. Furthermore, have you considered whether shooting down some illegal immigrants will stop the problem of illegal immigration?"
"Temporarily increase the surgery fees," a young girl with a bun hairstyle said. She was an economic expert sent by Feng Zhi Shuang. "For example, starting from now until a specific month and year, the fees for those who make appointments for surgery within this period will be doubled. This will deter those who wish to continue entering illegally."
"This is feasible," Jiang Ye nodded. "Do you have any calculations from your side?"
"According to the current model, doubling the price could reduce the number of illegal immigrants by about forty percent, while still providing appropriate profits. However, our mathematical model is based on a small-scale investigation and may not be entirely accurate," the girl with the bun said. "Sister Feng's intention is that we can try increasing the price first to see how it goes."
"Then let's set a price increase period of one year, with a fourfold increase in fees," Jiang Ye said. "You go back and discuss it with Feng Zhi Shuang. If she agrees, we will proceed with this plan."
Following this, a cacophony of representatives chimed in, proposing all sorts of wild suggestions.
The meeting continued until four o'clock, at which point a temporary break was called.
Jiang Ye felt his brain was about to overheat. He held a cup of energy drink and blinked his eyes continuously.
Twenty minutes later, the break ended.
Jiang Ye turned on the microphone and began to speak:
"I've just reviewed the discussions, and the core ideas everyone has put forth can be summarized as follows."
"The first point is to dispel the desire for life-extension surgery among aliens and shatter their dream of achieving longevity by coming here. This includes measures like increasing surgery fees or imposing various identity restrictions."
"The second point is to devalue the status of aliens and elevate the status of locals."
"For instance, an expert just suggested that we could open up job positions for illegal immigrants, but with unequal pay. Locals doing the same job would receive ten thousand yuan, while illegal immigrants would only receive five thousand or even less."
"Setting restrictions for illegal immigrants in education, healthcare, housing, and entertainment also falls under this category."
"When the experts were speaking earlier, I remained silent, but this approach is not feasible. Firstly, it will exacerbate social conflicts and lead to social unrest. Secondly, if the number of incoming illegal immigrants becomes too large, this oppression will incite fierce resistance from them. Moreover, from a moral standpoint, this is also inappropriate."
"The third point is to increase the intensity of repatriation and arrests. Some experts have just suggested creating ten million new police positions, along with thirty million auxiliary police positions, and forming specialized units from retired soldiers to apprehend illegal immigrants."
"This suggestion is one approach, and we are currently implementing it. However, it only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. It is merely a temporary expedient, and it carries endless future repercussions," Jiang Ye paused. "If there are more illegal immigrants, more personnel will be needed for apprehension and repatriation. I can guarantee that some people will then deliberately facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants to secure these jobs, leading to an even more severe problem, akin to deliberately starting a fire to get hired as a firefighter."
"Furthermore, our planet's life-extension hospitals are a pilot program. Sooner or later, the Galactic Empire will expand the pilot scope, perhaps even establishing life-extension hospitals throughout the universe. At that point, our influx of illegal immigrants will cease. What will the massively expanded police force do then?"
The conference room fell silent. Experts and representatives exchanged glances.
"During the break, I came up with a new idea. Please listen," Jiang Ye shifted his tone.