Ninth Special Zone Headquarters Building.

The Multitude Building is the tallest building in the Ninth Special Zone.

Close to a hundred meters in height, it might not have stood out in the civilized world.

But in the wasteland of the apocalypse, constructing such a building consumed countless resources and manpower.

A multitude of buildings similarly reflect the fundamental strength of a special zone.

The wasteland focuses on developing heavy industry.

Only with the support of heavy industry can humanity's progress and existence be maintained.

The top floor of the building is the pinnacle of power in the entire Ninth Special Zone.

Special Zone Council Hall.

Decisions about the direction of the Ninth Special Zone's development are made in the council hall, where members meet and decide.

The entire council consists of five members and a President of the Council.

Currently, scattered throughout the council hall, over a dozen people are seated.

Apart from the five members and the President, the rest hold high positions in the entire Ninth Special Zone.

They can be considered the power center of the entire Ninth Special Zone.

Including Yan Chong, Director of the Judicial Bureau.

Antesa, Director of the Finance Bureau.

Liang Liwei, Director of the Administrative Bureau.

Tang Taotie, Commander of the Military Department.

Beneath the council, these three bureaus and one department constitute the largest power core.

The four mentioned are influential figures.

Additionally, there are various Deputy Directors, including An Nishang and Bode.

As well as various commanders under the Military Department.

Fresh from returning from the Night Empire, An Nishang did not even go home but came straight to the council meeting.

She still wore a dazzling red dress, revealing some fair skin, her figure curvaceous and the red dress perfectly complementing her alluring body.

Her scarlet pupils swept over Bode with interest, arms crossed, with a seductive curve on her crimson lips.

Her long legs crossed beneath the dress, the white feet in high heels gently shaking, and the tattoo of the Other Shore Flower on her thigh faintly visible.

Bode also noticed An Nishang's gaze and saw the traces of mockery in her proud eyes.

He naturally understood what An Nishang's look signified.

Bode looked away, face silent.

Sitting at the center of the council was an old man, the current President of the Council, Vazmir.

His age had already reached 90.

In the wasteland, to have such an age, one must have immense power behind them.

After all, the average lifespan in the wasteland is 40.

Fifty would be considered longevity.

Even with evolved bodies, after 40, they gradually deteriorate; in the age of civilization, a 40-year-old could still outmatch an 18- or 20-year-old, but in the apocalypse, such physical fitness is too weak.

Take Chen Che, even though both worlds are parallel versions of himself.

The physique in the civilized world simply can't compare to the one in the apocalypse.

No matter how world-renowned he is, with daily workouts achieving a six-pack and perfect body, if An Nishang drained him for half a month, he'd surely die.

No joke...

He'd literally be drained to death.

But the body in the parallel world can withstand it.

A completely different constitution.

To live past 90 in the wasteland, one is unfathomable.

The council maintains a delicate balance.

It's well known that the Ninth Special Zone was established by the Night Empire in conjunction with Tasting Commerce Association.

Because the zone has abundant resources, the President of the Council wields the greatest power and is closely watched.

The Night Empire and Tasting Commerce Association fought fiercely from the start to control the Presidency of the Council.

Eventually, this old man served as President of the Council for ten whole years.

Besides his own strength, it's because he's a native of the Ninth Special Zone.

Even before the Ninth Special Zone was established, he had considerable prestige.

The Night Empire and the Commerce Association fought back and forth, only for a native from the Landlord Special Zone to take the President's seat.

Among the five council members below, two belong to the Night Empire, two to the Tasting Commerce Association, and the last one is also a native of the Ninth Special Zone.

This can be considered balanced, perfectly balanced.

Vazmir coughed lightly, then convened the meeting.

The meeting concerned the ever-expanding smuggling system and rampant contraband in the Ninth Special Zone.

The Ninth Special Zone has vast resources and minerals and can provide numerous jobs, attracting a large influx of people.

With people comes interest and money.

The smuggling system and contraband are increasingly swelling.

This has begun to pose a safety hazard for the entire Ninth Special Zone.

The main point being, these two are illegal and cannot contribute to tax revenues for the Ninth Special Zone, yet they possess a vast monetary network.

The Night Empire and Tasting Commerce Association headquarters have already noticed this.

The taxes submitted by the Ninth Special Zone are too little.

Not enough, far from enough!

"The Imperial Court has convened, making demands regarding contraband and smuggling, requiring that within half a year, the quantities within the Ninth Special Zone decrease by half, bringing them all under the council's control, monitored as official channels.

The Imperial Court demands our Ninth Special Zone's tax payments… increase by thirty percent!"

Vazmir's gaze turned to Antesa, as this pertains to the Finance Bureau.

Antesa is a towering white woman, though her skin is somewhat sunburned, presenting a bronze hue, and Vazmir spoke with a frail voice: "The Finance Bureau will handle this, but the court also believes our Ninth Special Zone's internal corruption to be somewhat severe, and will assign a special commissioner to assist the Finance Bureau in conjunction with the Judicial Bureau in establishing an anti-smuggling office to audit the entire smuggling network."

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