Fortunately for Xiaoyun, there wasn't a horde waiting for them on the way back as the second trip went pretty uneventfully.
When the bus arrived at the gate of the town, people's stomachs started growling as it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.
After everyone gets off the bus, Yezi finally sees the two of them walking out at the end of the line.
"What took you guys so long?"
"Had to go refuel the bus... Where's Yuqi? Has she already planned where to put them?" Xiaoyun asked.
"Yeah, we already have a first group tour of the town... Anyway, where is everyone's luggage?"
"I told them to throw everything away so we can do it all in one go. I don't want to risk going for three trips."
"I guess... Whatever, I need to go bring you and these people over to the town center and meet up with Yuqi."
As Yezi grabbed the megaphone he had strapped to the side, he quickly turned it on before running up to a small rock nearby.
"Hello everyone! Please follow me in a single file line. I will explain everything and all the rules of the town along the way."
Some of the people in the crowd quickly got into a line, but some remained still until the soldiers signalled them to follow.
"Everyone, follow along. Don't make the job hard for us." One of the soldiers ordered as they moved their rifle from the back to the side.
After everyone finally got into a single file line, Yezi finally began walking down the empty road as they soon approached the first building.
"This is the first mansion you'll encounter in Luoping... You might wonder how I can live in it.
Well, it's for soldiers only since it's the closest to the entrance. If you join the military today, you will be able to live in one as well.
We'll explain how to join later. Everyone, move along. Don't stop right here."
As soon as Yezi said the word mansion, all of their eyes started glowing before they arrived at the cabin section of the town.
"Those wood cabins are houses that some of you are going to live in temporarily. In the future, we'll try to build better houses.
For now, it only has a bed and a light. But it's enough to have a roof over your head for the night with your family."
The crowd started to chatter among themselves before Yezi noticed some of them seemed to be dissatisfied with the cabins.
"But before you complain, it's better than sleeping on the outside. Do you want to sleep in the city that has the possibility of a zombie attack at any time?"
Yezi's answer instantly shut the crowd down, falling into silence as he continued leading the crowds of people down the road.
"This wooden cabin is perfect for a single family... It offers all the privacy you need for the low price of ten food stamps per month.
But of course, since you guys don't have any food stamps yet, you will be allowed to live inside for free for one week."
After a short walk, the group finally arrived at 302, or the second mansion of Luoping.
"This mansion is actually a grocery store where you can buy food with food stamps. The cheapest food is canned food, while the most expensive food is freshly grown."
The moment Yezi mentioned the word freshly grown, all of them looked a little excited, with some even wanting to go inside to check it out.
"Please do not enter the store right now. You guys will have the chance to see inside it later for yourself."
After another short walk that had more wooden cabins between the mansions, another mansion labeled 303 appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"This is the Luoping mayor's house. There is nothing else to talk about... Moving on."
After walking for another five minutes down the road, they finally arrived at the newly built administrative building.
"This is where the civilian management is located. The second floor is management, which you don't need to worry about.
What matters to you is the five booths below it. You will get your salary here every three days for your work in the town. "
The crowds immediately looked over to the five booths Yezi was talking about, only to see a closed sign posted at the very front.
"Next to it is the general goods store, where you can get basic items such as clothes, spoons, and other necessities.
It also has a grocery section similar to the one at 302, both selling the same kind of food."
As Yezi continued guiding the group of people, they quickly walked past even more wooden cabins down the road.
"You might be tired from walking this much, but don't worry. Every day, there will be a bus that drives around the town to pick people up and drop them off at work."
---
A few minutes later, Yezi finally led the group to the grassy field where the town center was located.
The first three groups from the first bus were already there, sitting on chairs underneath the outdoor booth tent.
"Congratulations! You guys have just toured most of the town. Now, it's time for the co-mayor to talk about the town's rules and work."
As Yezi directed the soldiers to lead the crowds to join in the seats, Xiaoyun quickly took an empty seat on the side.
"Everyone, please take a seat. The tallest sit in the back. Let the kids and elderly sit in the front."
After everyone had settled down, Yezi turned off his megaphone as he took a seat next to Xiaoyun, signalling Yuqi to start.
"Hello, everyone. I'm the co-mayor of the town. My name is Yuqi."
Yuqi's face looked a little nervous, but she stood firmly behind the podium, taking a short glance at the paper before looking back to the crowd.
"I am here to explain the rules of the town. Please remain silent until I finish explaining. I will take questions at the end."
Yuqi quickly flipped to the next page as the crowd waited for her to continue.
"First rule, no harming in any shape or form against another. Any violation of this would result in immediate expulsion from the town.
Second rule, all land and property are leased. This means both the mansions and the wood cabins cannot be owned indefinitely.
Renting it is the only option at the moment. Relocation will be offered if your land is needed for government purposes."
Some of the crowds seemed a little puzzled, while others didn't seem to mind it at all as she continued with her speech.
"Third rule, everyone above the age of sixteen is required to attend a mandatory one-hour training every day for a month.
Then, it will be only on the weekend. This training will include physical fitness and learning how to use a firearm.
Everyone, regardless of gender or government position, is responsible for the defense of the town.
Every able-bodied adult is required to defend the town when the time comes, such as when zombies are attacking the town directly."
None of the crowds overreacted to the requirement, except a few of them who looked a little excited when she mentioned the word firearm.
They could all see the soldiers with their M16s, with some even seeing it in action back in the first bus trip.
"Fourth rule, intentionally committing fraud against someone or theft of public property will result in banishment from the town."
With the crowd remaining calm, Yuqi paused for a second as she could feel that the next few rules were going to face a lot of pushback.
"Fifth rule, during martial law, which is declared during a zombie attack, everyone must obey their superior's command from the military.
Refusing to do so will allow your superior to detain, banish, or execute, depending on the severity and importance of the order not being carried out."
As soon as Yuqi read this out, the crowd burst into chatting. It was clear that at least a third of them couldn't accept the terms she had laid down.
"Please be quiet."
Seeing the crowd continue to chat among each other, Yuqi quickly gave a signal to Yueyue as she led the entire militia up to the stage.
The moment they readied their rifles in their hands, the entire crowd instantly fell into dead silence, leaving only the sounds of leaves rattling in their ears.
"Thank you... Now, the sixth and last rule, the highest authority, which is the mayor, has the final say on all rules."
"When did we ever add that rule?"
Xiaoyun scratched his head in confusion. He could only remember that the two of them had made five rules together in the past.
At the same time, the crowd immediately went ballistic, chattering among themselves as over half of the people were unhappy with the rule.
"Isn't this just a dictatorship? Having absolute power over everyone?" One of the people in the crowd yelled out loud.
"Is he really trying to be a king in this small town? Nepotism? Cronyism? Where's democracy?"
Another person yelled within the crowd as more and more people started to agree with his points.
"We don't want a king! How can we be sure he isn't going to abuse his power? This is a betrayal of the proletariat!"
With the frustration getting to a boiling point, Yuqi finally put an end to it as she signalled Yueyue and the militias to step up again.
"Everyone, please be quiet."
As the crowd started to stand up, and some even got up from their seat, a sudden bang instantly shut everything down.
Yueyue had pulled out her pistol, firing a blank as the militia all raised their rifles in position, aiming right at the crowds.
All the voices had finally died down again, with everyone taking a seat as all the soldier nearby raised their rifles as well.
"Thank you. Please remain seated... Now, we will talk about food stamps and work. Jingming will explain the construction department."
Yuqi quickly stepped aside as she passed the microphone to Jingming, who looked extremely nervous with his hand shaking a little as he walked to the podium.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Jingming. I am the head of the construction department.
We offer two food stamps for a day of work and bonuses at the end of the week for the hardest workers.
We accept everyone who's looking for work. T-Thank you very much for listening to my speech."
Jingming quickly finished his line before rushing back down to the backstage, letting Yuqi go back up to the podium.
"The next department is the civilian department. I'm the head of the department, and we are currently hiring people with experience in accounting and management.
The starting salary is four food stamps... However, we do not offer bonuses. We have paid leave and free lunch included."
Yuqi paused for a second, then continued.
"Now, let's welcome the third department, the agriculture department. Mrs.Huayi will explain the next part."
Yuqi handed the microphone to Huayi, who looked a little nervous as she walked to the podium.
"Um, hello, everyone... I-I——"
Huayi froze in place as she couldn't speak a single word, causing Yezi to quickly rush upstage before grabbing the microphone over.
"Sorry about that. My wife is a little nervous in front of the crowd. She hasn't spoken to so many people at once.
Anyway, she's the head of the agricultural department. Currently, it's full, and we have no plan to expand.
However, we have set up for future expansion. So if you have the farming skill, please mention it later to the workers."
Yezi handed the microphone back to Yuqi before walking Huayi backstage, disappearing from everyone's sight.
"The next department is the last department of the civilian government. It is still in formation and has yet to be completed."
Yeqi quickly handed the microphone to Leyan as she walked up to the podium.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Leyan. I'm the temporary head nurse... We are currently building a hospital and looking for doctors and nurses.
The starting salary is six food stamps with bonuses. However, night shift and overtime may be required in this job since we are a little short-staffed."
As soon as Leyan finished speaking, two woman within the crowd suddenly stood up from their seats.
"Leyan! Is that you!"
Wuli and Shuli yelled as they both waved toward her, unable to believe the person in front of them was their friend.
"Oh, hey! Ahem, Yuqi, here's your mic."
Leyan quickly handed Yuqi back the microphone as she waved back at the two of them before walking backstage.
"Now, for the two departments of the military branch of the town. We have Mr.Yezi, the person who just ran up to the stage earlier.
He leads the foreign affairs department, which mostly focuses on outside exploration and trading."
Yuqi spoke up for Yezi, as he was still busy calming down Huayi backstage, who seemed to have mostly calmed down.
"To join that department, you must be a part of the military department, which Major Yiming will explain next."
As soon as Yuqi handed the microphone to Yiming, she could feel the crowd going even quieter than before.
They could all see the official military uniform, with the government-issued Type 95 held by the two soldiers right behind him.
"Hello, everyone. I am a former army officer... As you heard, I used to be a Major, but I hope everyone just calls me Mr.Yiming.
I am the head of the town's army force... I will let my two assistants explain the next part."
Yiming quickly handed the microphone to Jixi, letting the two of them go up to the podium as he stepped aside.
"Hello, I'm Corporal Jixi... As Miss Yuqi mentioned earlier, the town has a one-hour mandatory training that you will be going through.
There is also a three-hour version for people who want to be in the militia led by Xiaoyue, which pays one food stamp per day in addition to their normal work."
Jixi handed the microphone to Gantian, letting him finish speaking the next part.
"There's also the option to be a soldier, which requires full-time service and following orders at any time.
After being a soldier, you have the option to either stay on duty to patrol the wall or join Yezi's exploration team.
The salary is ten food stamps a day, with five food stamps on off-duty days... Your salary will continue to be paid even if you're injured."
Gantian passed back the microphone to Yuqi as all three of them headed back to the backstage.
"Now, for the final person to talk to, the mayor. Would you mind getting up here?"
Yuqi's face looked a little annoyed as Xiaoyun finally got up from his seat, walking up the stage with a smile.
'You're supposed to be the host..." Yuqi grumpily whispered before handing him the microphone.
"Sorry. I forgot about that... Ahem, good afternoon, everyone."
As soon as Xiaoyun spoke up through the microphone, everyone in the crowd was shocked.
Their initial thought of the mayor was going to be someone who was old and sophisticated.
Someone who stays in Luoping permanently, not taking any sort of risks in the city, no matter what.
The complete polar opposite of Xiaoyun, a man who saved many of them within the crowds, in the casino, and on the bus alike.
"My name is Xiaoyun, I'm the mayor of the town... Some may have seen me when we were at the hotel, fighting that casino ring.
Or maybe you saw me throwing explosives out of a bus. Either way, I know I'm not the traditional mayor you might have imagined."
Xiaoyun paused for a second, looking at the crowds, who looked to have mostly calmed down as their fear of the militias earlier eased.
"I know I look way too young to be a mayor, and I don't look like those who just sit in the office all day with wrinkles on their face."
As Xiaoyun looked from left to right, his voice intrigued the crowd as he didn't bother using the bureaucratic script at all.
"I know you guys are upset about some of the rules, particularly me having the final say and possibly acting like a dictator.
To be honest with you all, I didn't even know that rule existed until now. Today was the first day I even heard of it."
Seeing the crowd still looking to be mostly chill, Xiaoyun continued.
"But I can promise all of you one thing... If I break any of the rules of the town, I will leave my position and resign to your guy's person of choice."
The crowd was caught off guard by his announcement, as they didn't expect him to make such a big commitment.
Even Yuqi, all of the militia, the soldiers, and everyone backstage were a little stunned by his off-script announcement.
"I'm fine with our hero being the mayor! He saved my wife and my life!"
One of the people within the crowd yelled, with more and more cheering and clapping in support.
With the overwhelming support in front of Xiaoyun's eyes, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
"Also, I want to add one last rule to this... I will have Miss Wuli be the judge of the town and the judge of me.
She will have the authority to start a vote that can remove me from power if I break any rules or if anyone thinks I have abused my power."
Wuli was a little shocked by the announcement, but the crowd was ecstatic as they all started cheering his name.
They all felt represented having her in a position of power. In their eyes, she was the pinnacle of who could represent their interest the best.