Blackstone Code

Lynch courteously sat in Vera's home for a short while before leaving. The couple stood at the door, watching him depart, and slowly closed the door behind him. The smiles on their faces vanished the moment the door shut, as if they had never wanted to smile in the first place.

"How was Bupayne?" Gap asked as he returned to the sofa and turned on the TV, which was playing a rerun of last night's drama.

Afternoon viewership ratings were always low, and advertising slots during this time didn't sell well. So the network bundled these slots with prime time ads to sell them altogether. However, it still didn't solve the issue of what to air in the afternoon. Eventually, they resorted to replaying the previous night's prime time content, saving on production or program purchase costs.

The rerun felt dull and lacked the freshness it had when first aired the night before①.

Vera was tidying up the tea cup left by Lynch and responded casually, "It was alright. I saw some things you don't normally see."

"Like what?" Gap pressed.

Vera glanced at him. "Like people jumping off buildings. At first, it was frightening, but after seeing it so often, you become numb to it. There were several news reports of cars being crushed by jumpers, injuring the drivers..."

Gap listened carefully. These details were new to him, and neither the television nor the newspapers reported them. Broadcasting such news would only add to the societal chaos.

He could sense how dire the situation in Bupayne must be from Vera's descriptions. His expression grew serious, but he couldn't help but voice his nagging suspicion.

Vera gave him a brief look but didn't respond. Initially, she had tried to deny it, but people didn't believe her and thought she was insincere, so she decided not to confirm or deny it. Sometimes, she'd even throw in a couple of jokes that only adults would get. This helped her quickly integrate into the circle of women, as she didn't want Lynch to be ostracized by Bupayne's social elite.

She hadn't expected the rumors to reach Gap so quickly, but since she had nothing to hide, she didn't bother to explain.

Staring at his increasingly unfamiliar wife, Gap felt a sudden sense of powerlessness. He had been keeping an eye on Lynch's business, hoping to find a reason to criticize Vera, but Lynch's success kept growing.

His wife, whom he had regarded as a mere "toy" despite her accountant title, had unexpectedly become an office supervisor, almost matching his salary if not for his partner bonuses. This left him with an indescribable sense of defeat.

When Vera had been dependent on him, Gap felt he was in control, treating her as a mere ornament to his perfect life. But as she started to achieve her own success and independence, he felt a deep sense of crisis and fear.

The silence between the couple made the atmosphere in the room oppressive. After a while, Gap broke the silence, "I might have to work in the neighboring state next year. Maybe a change of environment will improve everything."

Economics, environment, life, and their relationship—Gap hoped everything would improve. He hoped Vera would need to rely on him again, allowing him to regain his sense of dominance. But his hopes were destined to fail.

Meanwhile, Lynch, having left Gap's house, sat in the back seat of his car, watching the street scenes for a while before asking the driver, "What's been happening in Sabin City lately? Why haven't I seen any buses?"

In the past, buses had been a common sight in Sabin City, greatly facilitating residents' travel. Lynch hadn't noticed their absence right away, but now it struck him as unusual not to see a single bus during his journey. He initially thought it might be a drivers' strike due to unpaid wages, which had become common in many places. But the driver explained that the city's public transportation company had gone bankrupt.

"Apparently, the boss invested all the money in the stock market, and you can guess what happened next..."

Of course, Lynch understood. The financial tsunami had swept away everything. The transportation company's boss quickly ran out of money. Given the poor economic situation, many people had stopped using buses, opting to walk instead to save twenty-five cents.

The empty bus rate kept increasing while cost hadn't decreased much. Reducing one or two bus trips wouldn't improve the current situation for the transportation company. If more trips were cut, the city hall wouldn't agree.

After all, they had an agreement, and the city hall also provided the transportation company with certain financial subsidies.

Under these multiple factors, the transportation company's inability to pay salaries immediately triggered panic among the drivers. Now, what everyone fears most was losing their jobs and salaries.

They blamed the boss's failed investments. Encouraged by some, the drivers took the buses home, resulting in very few buses being seen in the entire city.

Even if there were some buses running, it was the drivers operating them on their own, often at a loss, as the daily fares they collected weren't enough to cover their fuel costs.

The city hall was pressuring the transportation company to fulfill its responsibilities or face contract termination and legal action. However, the boss was playing rogue, refusing to comply with the city's demands.

In short, the financial tsunami had thrown everything into chaos.

"More and more people are wandering the streets these days, and there have been numerous horrifying robberies. The police are busy, but..."

The driver shook his head and didn't continue, but Lynch knew what he was going to say.

In more stable times, major crimes could quickly be traced to specific groups or individuals, as only certain people would commit such acts. But with societal turmoil, every unemployed person was a potential criminal, making the police's job harder. The cost of solving crimes increased while more crimes kept occurring. The police had to focus their limited resources on easier cases, leaving the rest for later, when things improved.

Early the next morning, the mayor called Lynch, asking if he had time to meet. Soon after, they met in the mayor's office.

"Tell me more about the idea you had talked about last time," the mayor said after the secretary brought drinks and closed the door.

In just half a month, the mayor had aged noticeably, likely due to his haggard appearance.

Listoan was determined to fight to the end, and the investigation team had begun scrutinizing their business operations in Sabin City and the state, encouraging people to report complaints. They aimed to take down Listoan by any means necessary. Just as they had once dismantled EverBright, they now sought to dismantle Listoan, needing only an excuse to proceed.

Whether they would succeed was uncertain, and the mayor couldn't rely on uncertain outcomes, including his previous plans.

He had contacted several capitalists and business owners to take over the gaps left by Listoan Group, and while talks had been promising, the financial tsunami had also hit these businessmen. Many had started selling assets to protect themselves. Asking them to invest in new industries was now unrealistic, with some uncertain about surviving the year's end.

With more citizens losing jobs, Sabin City's unemployment rate had surpassed nineteen percent. Other cities fared no better, prompting the state government to raise the alert level, ready to deploy troops to quell potential riots.

Current conditions also accelerated certain political changes. Topics previously untouchable, such as changing employment structures, were now open for discussion.

It was the era, the trend, society's demand. People no longer sought extensive protections; they just wanted a job and a wage to feed their families. Other concerns could wait until after they had full bellies.

"How do you plan to employ people cooperatively?" the mayor asked, fearing Lynch might forget, and directly addressed the core issue.

Lynch keenly corrected him, "This is cooperation, not employment."

He continued, "I'm not hiring these people. They sell me what I need, earning a profit, while I get what I want."

The mayor frowned, sensing the hidden meaning in Lynch's words—he didn't want to bear any responsibility or provide any guarantees. This struck the mayor as... too cold-hearted?

But such was the nature of capitalists, always seeking to cut costs and maximize profits. They would always find a way.

The mayor nodded, picked up his pen, and asked for examples and detailed explanations.

This cooperative model was essentially a variation of "piecework." In this era, no one had considered such a method due to the significant power held by workers. With the help of unions and the Socialist Party, workers were not a weak group. They could even force capitalists to feel the workers' might.

Thus, when discussing work and employment, people first thought of worker protections and rights. Lynch's concept of "cooperation" was unheard of, as it would have driven workers mad.

What was once impossible was now gaining traction due to the financial tsunami and other factors.

After several minutes, the mayor, in disbelief, said, "This is your plan? No insurance, no guarantees, no minimum wage, not even any binding agreements. There isn't even anything that can restrain you!"

"The workers won't agree. This is the most shameless, despicable, and lowly form of exploitation and oppression I've ever seen."

Lynch shrugged, "But I can give them a meal, and they will agree."

---

① The use of reruns of TV shows symbolizes the cooling relationship between the couple. Just as the same show loses its excitement when watched repeatedly, even the most passionate relationships can become colorless over time. The author's vivid and subtle use of the rerun cleverly and precisely highlights the changes in the couple's relationship, showcasing profound literary skill.Please vote for this novel at https://www.novelupdates.com/series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

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