223: Chapter 223 If the benefits of technology aren't going to the people, then what's the point of technology?!

The conference room was oppressively quiet.

Elder Wu stood by the table, his palm pressing down on the proposal, his gaze falling heavily on Lu Li's face.

"Do you know what you are saying?"

"I do."

"You know nothing." Elder Wu rarely cursed, but he blurted out, "If you provide basic security in Chengbei District today, tomorrow everyone in the country will ask, 'Why don't I have it?'"

"Can you bear the consequences?"

"How are those micro and small enterprises supposed to survive?"

"How are those industries that barely scrape by on low profits supposed to survive?"

"Are you running a pilot program, or are you tearing down the foundation of the existing order?"

Lu Li didn't rush to respond.

He just sat there, tapping his fingers lightly on the tabletop.

Then he looked up, meeting Elder Wu's gaze calmly.

"Then let me ask a question in return."

"Is the current order correct?"

Elder Wu paused.

Lu Li's voice was not loud, but every word was delivered with steady weight.

"Productivity has already increased."

"Jobs are being replaced on a massive scale."

"It's not that people aren't working hard, nor is it that they are unwilling to learn."

"It's that this wave of technological advancement is surging too fast, and too many people simply cannot turn around in time."

He looked at Elder Wu, his eyes devoid of intense emotion, possessing instead a sharpness that was almost calm.

"If we don't make changes at the distribution end, the cracks will only grow wider."

"By then, your so-called stability will only look like it hasn't collapsed yet."

Elder Wu knitted his brows tighter.

"Easier said than done."

"Where will the money come from? Who will cover it? What level is considered appropriate for distribution? Once you open this door today, it will no longer be just a problem for Beining City."

"It will be a national problem."

Lu Li nodded.

"That's why we need a pilot program."

"We take a small step first."

"We are not trying to reach the destination in one step."

"The basic security account can start with a lower amount, can limit the target population initially, and can only cover those jobs most severely affected by automation."

"First, we verify if urban feedback can work."

"First, let people see—the dividends of productivity don't have to just flow upward."

Elder Wu sneered.

"What else do you want to use to refute me? Idealism?"

Lu Li looked at him and suddenly asked:

"Elder Wu, do you know what the most core premise of communism is?"

The conference room fell even quieter.

The mayor subconsciously looked up.

Elder Wu stared at him without speaking.

Lu Li leaned back in his chair, his tone as calm as if he were discussing something very ordinary.

"It's not slogans."

"It's not passion."

"And it's not about who is more noble than whom."

"It is the extreme abundance of material goods, and productivity high enough to support a higher level of distribution for the entire society."

"Of course, we haven't reached that level yet."

"But just because we haven't reached it doesn't mean we can't take a step forward."

Elder Wu's eyes shifted noticeably.

Lu Li continued:

"You worry that people will become lazy, that no one will be willing to work, and that society will fall apart if we distribute money."

"But human beings don't only develop morality and a sense of responsibility by being starved, forced, or oppressed."

"People's spiritual qualities change along with the environment and the times."

He paused, then suddenly gave an unexpected example.

"In the past, if you left a laptop on a desk in a university study room and went to the bathroom, it might be gone when you returned."

"What about now?"

"If you leave a computer there, who would take it?"

The conference room went completely silent.

Even Elder Wu was stunned for a moment.

Lu Li looked at him and continued:

"Why?"

"Because the times have changed."

"Because most people no longer need to rely on stealing a computer to make a living."

"Because the environment has made most people realize that doing such things is not worth it, nor is it necessary."

"So, don't always assume that people will degenerate as soon as they relax."

"When there is a bottom line for basic living, many people will actually live more like human beings."

"Instead of like trapped beasts."

Elder Wu fell silent.

The mayor didn't speak either.

The only sound in the conference room was the low hum of the air conditioner.

Lu Li did not press his advantage.

He just added calmly:

"No matter how fast technology develops, if jobs are gone, positions are gone, and people find it harder and harder to live, then who is this development for?"

"If the money doesn't return to the hands of the general public, are we going to use it to build more rockets or launch more satellites?"

"Even if it's lively in the sky, if people on the ground aren't living well, what's the point?"

"I am not raising lazy people."

"I am providing the necessary safety net for an era that has been prematurely crushed by technology."

As these words fell, Elder Wu's hand slowly moved away from the proposal.

His expression remained grave.

But his eyes were completely different from when he first walked in.

It was no longer just a dismissal of "fanciful thinking."

It was the first time he truly began to consider this matter as a possibility.

The mayor sat to the side, silent for a long time.

Because he understood.

And precisely because he understood, he knew even better how heavy this matter was.

Once it begins, it is not as simple as a policy experiment.

It is a historical responsibility.

Lu Li didn't continue.

He knew that saying more would be of little significance.

The person who truly needed to think about it had already been swayed.

The rest was up to time.

The meeting lasted until evening.

No final decision was made.

Nor did the talks break down completely.

Before leaving, Elder Wu stood by the window, watching the streetlights of Beining City slowly light up below, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he murmured:

"You kid, you really dare to think big."

Lu Li stood up, his tone calm.

"Someone has to think of it first."

Elder Wu glanced back at him, the sharpness that had been tightly suppressed in his eyes finally softening a little.

"It's not that I believe everything you say."

"I just think... what you said isn't all empty talk."

"I will discuss this matter with the higher-ups, and the think tank will also study your proposal."

This was already a very high evaluation.

Lu Li nodded, not pressing him.

"Good."

He turned and walked out, his figure pausing for a moment at the door of the conference room before disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Elder Wu watched that retreating figure for a long time before slowly exhaling.

"This kid isn't dreaming."

"He is truly planning to pave the way for that red era of the future."

"I really didn't misjudge this kid. If he were really like some of those capitalists, then his enterprise might as well be controlled by the state."

The mayor didn't respond.

He just looked down at the proposal that still held the warmth of a human touch, his gaze gradually darkening.

Three days.

He only said three days.

But everyone knew that after these three days, what would be decided was by no means just a pilot program for Chengbei District.

It was whether or not to really take this step forward into the future.