Enforcer Manual
Chapter 154: The Enemy of the People_1

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: The Enemy of the People_1

Aureliano graduated from a higher institution in the Seventeenth District at sixteen, then, recommended by his instructor, he committed to advanced studies in the core area.

Four years later, Aureliano made an incomprehensible decision that flabbergasted everyone — he declined the opportunity to stay in the core area and resolutely returned to the Seventeenth District.

He spent two years visiting various places, uniting facets of Seventeenth District society to establish an organization named "People’s Will".

At the age of 23, Aureliano, as a representative of People’s Will, proposed a set of reform recommendations, extending to hundreds of points, to the government of the Seventeenth District. The proposal embraced the interests of the majority of the middle and lower classes in the district, among which the most significant part was their hopes that the district government wouldn’t be manipulated by large corporations, and to firmly control the Border Trade Line within government departments.

At the time, the gold rush was in its decline, thirteen neutral nations were established, and exploration brought about a boom in trade. The young Aureliano was full of ambition, firmly believing that his reform proposal could truly bring prosperity to the city.

However, the proposal submitted to the government was left unanswered, sinking to the bottom of the sea.

The Foster Family took over the Seventeenth District, and Chai Ke rose unexpectedly, controlling the trade routes of the "outer world".

Aureliano didn’t stop there. He drafted an extensive analysis of the situation in the Seventeenth District. In the analysis, he sharply pointed out the neglect of border trade line and the harmfulness of the Chai Ke Criminal Group. He suggested wiping out Chai Ke before they developed further and reasserting the control of the trade line.

As expected, he was ignored once again.

At the age of 30, Aureliano, infuriated and frustrated with the government’s inaction, began his electoral journey. In the following years, he lost to his opponents in every election, due to his meager support rate.

"It’s a huge miracle that this man hasn’t been secretly killed by the Foster Family."

After reviewing Aureliano’s career, Song Lan was amazed.

In the Law Enforcers Department, it is not hard to investigate his background, especially since he was a famous "troublemaker" in the Seventeenth District. In the Law Enforcers’ data bank, Aureliano was listed as a heavy priority for "special attention," generally only serious repeat offenders were listed as such.

This was the "gift" left to them by the previous head of Law Enforcers.

"However, it indeed shows that he has been preocupied with the Border Trade Line since decades ago."

Song Lan added.

Facts demonstrate that Aureliano’s observations were correct – the Border Trade Line indeed serves as the lifeblood of the Seventeenth District’s economy, and indeed, Chai Ke, sitting on this gold mine, has rightfully become the underground king of the Seventeenth District.

However, it might not be the government’s inaction, but rather that the Foster Family had already controlled the city.

They took the enormous profits to cater to the core area, handing out only a tiny bit of pocket change to placify local agencies, such as the Law Enforcers Department.

As for ordinary citizens?

They are simply not part of the crowd that the Foster Family is considering.

"Controlling the trade line is not an easy task."

Lu Xiang sighed, albeit her response being non-committal, she had to ponder the question that Aureliano raised - could they guarantee the security of the Border Trade Line with the current strength of the Law Enforcers Department?

The answer is clearly negative.

Their area of operation was limited to within the Seventeenth District. They didn’t have enough staffing to establish outposts outside of the border, and it also wasn’t part of their job scope.

However, to have the entire Border Trade Line under the control of the Seventeenth District government, they must ensure the safety of the merchants to some extent.

If bandits were to plunder the merchandise even before it arrived in the Seventeenth District, who would be willing to do business with them? In the long run, the massive profit generated by the Border Trade Line might eventually fall into the pockets of the "outer" criminals.

Fighting crime is considerably more difficult than simply preventing criminals from targeting you.

"If we are going to expand the Law Enforcers team, we need to increase the fiscal budget. But recruits from the Seventeenth District will struggle to contend with the criminal forces from the ’outside’. Once a confrontation occurs, the casualties will be extremely severe,"

Lu Xiang was torn, for she knew that economic development is essential if the Seventeenth District is to truly break free from the control of the United Government and large corporations. Only after having money, can they build the city’s infrastructure, otherwise, all policies and plans would be nothing more than empty talk.

The fight against crime is the same.

The main cause of the high crime rate in the Seventeenth District is unemployment and poverty. To tackle both, substantial financial expenditure is required, but the large corporations are not going to hand over the money they pocket to solve the societal problems that the Seventeenth District is facing.

They can deal with large-scale criminal groups that stick out, but they cannot solve the financial crisis.

If Aureliano genuinely becomes the next mayor, the Law Enforcers Department might not be the only entity that ends up broke.

The city’s future relies on the power of the Seventeenth District to stimulate economic development.

She was mentally exhausted.

This is not a task that the head of the Law Enforcers Department should consider, but under the current circumstances, if she is not on guard, should the battle between the United Government and the Rebel Army erupt, the Seventeenth District would be the first to suffer.

"Our capability is limited, but we can encourage the establishment of civil organizations to protect merchant convoys. Not only could this resolve the staffing issue, it could also provide a large number of jobs, allowing street bums who wander around all day to find a serious job. Furthermore, when the news spreads, it may even attract some ’outside’ experts."

"The greatest advantage of the mercenary organization is the approval of Seventeenth District law. They do not have to worry about being targeted by Law Enforcers, nor do they have to worry about money laundering issues. This is an opportunity for them to live upright."

Job opportunities, lawful identity, and an opportunity to lead an honorable life?

Lu Xiang looked at Song Lan with astonishment. Ignoring the feasibility of the plan, these three points alone could attract the attention of Seventeenth District residents.

If given a choice, wouldn’t everyone want to be a good person?

Except for his tendency to slack off unintentionally, this guy, serving as the Chief of both the Propaganda and Psychological Counseling Departments, is practically flawless!

"But we still need to face one problem, even with the provision of weapons, mercenaries may have difficulty standing up against ’outside’ large-scale criminal groups. This plan simply transfers casualties from the Law Enforcers to the mercenaries."

"The mercenary profession has always been a high-risk, high-reward work. And once they have information about those criminal groups, it will be the Special Operations Group’s turn to work. Rather than aimlessly patrolling the ’outside,’ surgical strike operations are more in line with our style. We must convey a message to the criminals of the ’outside’."

Song Lan paused, then said, "Anyone who targets merchant groups will become an enemy of the Seventeenth District!"

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