"Not necessarily," Jiang Ye insisted on his judgment. "There are no banks yet, so everyone's money is just sitting idle. Wouldn't it be better to buy some bonds to earn interest?"
"What are you going to do with bonds?" Isabella asked.
"To raise military funds, of course! Birong Star is so perilous, who knows when the earth dragons will push through our defenses? We need to strengthen them!"
"You expect to raise military funds with bonds? Hahahaha, are you dreaming?" Isabella laughed, as if she had heard a great joke. "Let me tell you, don't even think about it! When you get to the bond sale site, you'll find it completely deserted, like an unopened pet shop, with more staff than customers! As for Birong Star, if they can hold on, let them hold on. If they can't, just give up. Don't throw so much money into it, it's useless. In the end, you'll be drawing water with a bamboo basket, all for nothing."
"No!" Jiang Ye's attitude was firm. "We must secure a piece of territory on Birong Star! Every inch must be fought for! I'll stake my life on it, I don't care about the cost! That's the territory I claimed!"
"It won't be easy to hold onto that small camp," Isabella poured cold water. "Our team has already risen to 32nd place, and many of the camps ahead of us have been flattened. The Mire people left too much filth behind when they left. Everyone else has given up, what's the point of you persisting?"
"I know it's not easy. 'Exposing oneself to the frost and dew, cutting through thorns, to gain even a small piece of land!'"
"Still quoting ancient texts, trying to show off that you're an ancient person? I'm hanging up now, I need to catch up on sleep."
The call ended.
Jiang Ye looked out the window. They had arrived at Binhai City, with buildings and factories everywhere. The towering Macroeconomic Building in the distance was getting closer and closer!
The flying car began to slow down.
Jiang Ye took out his phone and used the selfie mode to check his face and hair. He was a public figure now and couldn't appear unkempt. Fortunately, he had kept his hair short, and even a Category 8 gale wouldn't mess up his hairstyle.
"Congestion detected, searching for parking space," the car's voice suddenly announced.
Jiang Ye was startled. He opened the window and stuck his head out, looking down at the street below.
"Wow!" he exclaimed with joy.
The entire road was filled with people!
A vast crowd was surging towards the Macroeconomic Building, with the momentum of a hundred rivers converging into the sea. The intersections were completely invisible, only a flood of people. The parking lot beneath the building was already full of cars of different colors and models. Many flying cars were circling in the sky nearby, also looking for parking spaces, like a flock of birds unable to find their nests.
Jiang Ye waited for a full twenty minutes. The car flew further away and finally descended at the entrance of the police station.
As soon as they landed, before he could get out of the car, a very young female police officer rushed over, waving her baton and banging on the car window.
"No parking here! This is a police car parking spot! Drive away quickly! If you don't, you'll be fined!" the female officer shouted irritably.
Jiang Ye rolled down the window and looked at her expressionlessly.
The female officer froze, her expression changing instantly. She stood at attention and saluted, "Commander!"
"With such a large area, it's more than enough for all the police cars in the station. May I park here for a moment?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Yes!" The female officer's face turned pale, and she even stammered, "You... you can park anywhere."
"You still want to fine me? Since when do you have the authority to issue arbitrary fines?" Jiang Ye continued to ask expressionlessly, his tone slow and deliberate.
With a clang, the female officer's hand trembled, and her baton dropped to the ground. In just a few seconds, sweat was almost dripping from her forehead. "No... no."
"Do you usually fine cars?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No..."
"Tell the truth."
"Occasionally..." Sweat beaded on the female officer's forehead like a humidifier.
"Tonight at eleven o'clock, there will be a meeting at the station. All police officers in Binhai City must be present. Go and notify them." Jiang Ye opened the car door, got out, and walked away.
The street was congested beyond imagination, with countless heads flowing back and forth like grains of rice, a scene resembling a zombie apocalypse. Many police officers were already on duty, desperately blowing whistles to maintain order, but almost no one listened. Everyone was looking up towards the building, like pilgrims.
Jiang Ye was helpless and had to squeeze forward with the crowd. People bumped into him from time to time. After walking less than a hundred meters, his shoes had been stepped on eight times, with apologies echoing all around. The air was filled with the cacophony of perfume and sweat, like a large vat of fermented bean paste mixed with shower gel.
Various phone calls and discussions erupted around him, making his ears almost explode:
"I'm almost there! Damn it, there are too many people! Even people from outside Binhai City have come!"
"It's unlikely. This line will probably last until tomorrow morning. Hurry up and bring a sleeping mat, and also some food and drinks. Bring a chamber pot for me. If it really doesn't work out, I'll sleep on the street tonight and rush in as soon as it opens tomorrow morning. Damn it, I don't believe I won't be able to buy it!"
"How much do you want to buy? 300,000? You might not be able to buy it. I got the news too late, people have already gone upstairs. I'm still stuck on the street. I don't know if it will be my turn, but if it is, I'll buy it for you."
"Is there a limit on these bonds? With so many people, will there still be any left by the time we get upstairs?"
"Who the hell touched my butt! I'm a guy!"
Jiang Ye was on the verge of fainting. He didn't realize his territory had so many people; it felt like at least seven or eight divisions had arrived.
This situation couldn't continue. There was no order. Those outside couldn't get in, and those inside couldn't get out. There was a high chance of a stampede. He had to find a way to divert the crowd.
Jiang Ye squeezed towards the side of the street and finally ducked into a small noodle shop. He took a few breaths and quickly pressed the earphone to call Feng Zhishuang.
"Hello, hello! Can you hear me?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Can't hear clearly! Damn it, too many people are going upstairs, the security guards are crying!" Feng Zhishuang's shout was almost drowned out by the noise.
"Look at your phone! I'll send you a message!" Jiang Ye yelled at the top of his lungs.
"What? Phone? Okay!" Feng Zhishuang also shouted hysterically.
Jiang Ye took out his phone and typed a message: "There are too many people. This situation is not sustainable. Can we open a few more sales points elsewhere?"
A moment later, Feng Zhishuang replied, "Yes! I was just thinking of doing that! But you need to approve the locations!"
Jiang Ye: "The police stations in each city. The Grand Theater in Petro City is also fine. Send your staff there, and I'll have the police cooperate."
Feng Zhishuang: "I've sent Liu Jizi to lead a team out. There are too many people, and they probably won't arrive for a while. How about this, I'll post a message on the public channel first, asking people to wait at other purchase points."
Jiang Ye: "Okay!"
Jiang Ye left the noodle shop and went back onto the street, intending to take a look at the sales point in the Macroeconomic Building.
But after only pushing forward about fifty meters, the crowd on the street suddenly changed direction and started running back!
They had all received the message that there were other sales points and were withdrawing!
Jiang Ye was completely bewildered, pushed back continuously, and ended up retreating back into the noodle shop.
He sat down helplessly and gazed at the sea of people outside the window.