Starting from the Planetary Governor
Chapter 9: How Much Is Freedom Worth?

Old Butch had mixed feelings.

As an old man who had weathered countless hardships and carried the weight of the entire Wasteland Society on his shoulders, it was natural for him to be overly cautious and skeptical about everything.

In his view, the hundreds of people in the Wasteland Society banded together in the dangerous wasteland for survival.

No matter what situation they encountered, it was better to be cautious and miss out on many opportunities than to take one wrong step and face total annihilation.

He was undoubtedly grateful that the Governor had brought troops to their rescue. Without external aid, they would all have perished.

But to be honest, what he most hoped for was for the Governor to kill the bandits and then leave.

Even if they had to pay a high price, it would be acceptable.

He had considered the worst-case scenario to be doubled taxes in two years, which might starve half of the Wasteland Society, but it was still better than complete extinction.

However, now the Governor not only demanded nothing from them but also offered them more, which made Old Butch extremely uneasy.

No cost at all might mean the highest price to pay.

After listening to Gu Hang’s speech, he too felt a surge of emotion and joined the crowd in cheering.

Of course, what the Governor said were all things he desired and dreamed of.

But…

Is it really possible?

The people of the Wasteland Society had nothing but their physical strength.

They had no technology, no equipment, and even the mine they occupied was an abandoned pre-war mine with limited reserves and high extraction difficulty.

If it were a good vein, how could it have fallen into their hands?

How could they pursue a better life with what little they had?

Old Butch couldn’t even imagine it.

He didn’t want to think this way, but he couldn’t help but suspect that Gu Hang’s promises were mere deception, and that in the future, they might end up being sold as slaves.

But he was no longer the leader of the Wasteland Society.

The current leader, Patel, seemed brainwashed, fervently believing in the Governor’s words.

After the Governor’s speech, the young man was so excited that he eagerly followed the Governor’s beckoning, saying he was going to discuss the future development plans for the Wasteland Society.

“Sold and still counting the money for the seller!”

Old Butch could only return to his cramped, musty little space, feeling silently depressed.

It wasn’t long before his room door was knocked.

Opening the door, Patel walked in.

The room was pitch dark. Patel asked, “Why don’t you light a lamp?”

“Saving a bit.”

“As the Governor said, a happy life can’t be achieved by saving.”

“Hehe, now all you talk about is the Governor.”

“He saved us.”

“I’ve never denied that.”

“He will bring us a bright future.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Old Buqi was somewhat perfunctory. He had given up persuading Patel.

At this point, what else could be done?

To be honest, the Wasteland Society was powerless.

Even if Patel listened to him, what could they do? Could they resist the Governor?

Thinking of this, he felt even more disheartened. He asked listlessly, “Why don’t you discuss grand plans with the Governor, instead of looking for an old man like me?”

“We’ve already discussed. I’m here to ask for your help.”

“So soon?”

“The Governor is very efficient.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Lead our people to the surface and establish a settlement. We can’t live in the mines for long; the terrible living conditions will bring diseases to us.”

“But…”

Old Buqi hesitated.

Living on the surface would be great, who would want to live in the mines if they had a choice?

In fact, the Wasteland Society had plans to move to the surface before.

They had a camp on the surface.

Then, they were beaten by the ‘Prisoners of Void’.

The dozens of people who were captured were taken from the surface camp.

The surface was too dangerous. With the capabilities of the Wasteland Society, they couldn’t hold it.

“I know what you’re worried about,” Patel said. “But we have the power to protect ourselves. The Governor will leave behind a hundred mechanical soldiers to handle the defense here. Additionally, a hundred sets of soldier equipment will be transported, and we will select people from the Wasteland Society to arm a company!”

This time, it was Old Butch who was surprised.

He thought the Governor was bluffing, but he didn’t expect that the promised actions would be immediately implemented.

No, it should be two actions.

Arming the Wasteland Society’s own soldiers so they can protect themselves is one; building houses on the surface to improve living conditions is another.

The change was immediate.

In this matter, Old Butch had no way to shirk responsibility.

But he was curious about another point: “You want me to help with the construction of the surface camp, so what are you going to do?”

It surely wouldn’t be the training of the army.

Such matters would definitely be handled by people from the Governor’s side.

Not to mention military authority, even if the Wasteland Society did it themselves, no one had the capability to do it.

“I…” Patel smiled mysteriously, no longer keeping him in suspense, “I will be setting up our own production line. New mining machines will be transported, along with an alloy smelting furnace. The Governor not only wants to help us improve the efficiency of mineral extraction but also directly establish a production line for alloy and plastic steel!”

Upon hearing this, Old Butch was truly left speechless with surprise.

Establishing an army and returning to live on the surface were, of course, great, but ultimately they were just empty promises.

How could the Wasteland Society afford to maintain a decent army?

They still had to rely on the Governor’s support.

This was the core reason for Old Butch’s pessimism; for the Wasteland Society to live a good life, they had to possess enough intrinsic value.

He never dreamed that others would provide unlimited and unconditional support to the Wasteland Society, as that was impossible.

Even if it was a temporary gesture to win hearts, it was for greater benefits. Whether it was to build a reputation or for more sinister plans, it was never a good thing.

But now, he knew he was wrong, utterly wrong.

Indeed, Gu Hang would not provide unlimited, unconditional support to the Wasteland Society; he did have demands from them.

However, what he needed, the Wasteland Society couldn’t provide at the moment.

But that didn’t matter; Gu Hang could help the Wasteland Society develop.

When their productivity increased and their intrinsic value rose, they could afford the price Gu Hang demanded.

Of course, by that time, the debt the Wasteland Society owed Gu Hang might be far more than just a life-saving favor.

But Old Butch was willing to accept it.

This opportunity was what he had dreamed of.

He was now fully energized, the previous worries thrown to the winds: “When do we start?”

Patel teased, “Weren’t you saying earlier that it’s trouble, not a blessing? And that we would lose our freedom?”

Old Butch’s face turned red, and he stubbornly replied, “You brat! What do you know? Our freedom isn’t worth as much as the equipment the Governor is bringing!”

“Hahaha!”

Seeing his uncle’s complete turnaround in attitude, Patel also burst into laughter.

It wasn’t mocking his uncle; it was joy for the future fate of all of them.