Chapter 46: The New Economy

Following the announcement of the New Economic Policy, the government immediately began a massive recruitment drive, offering a flood of new positions to the populace.

The production teams were disbanded, replaced by formal enterprises, research institutes, medical centers, hydroponic plantations, and public service departments.

The internal structure of the Noah ceased to be a monolith of general laborers. It gradually differentiated, branching into various specialized professions. Looking ahead, when the first generation of children arrived, they would need teachers and schools. The entire New Human Civilization began the transition toward a functioning, structured society.

Citizens could now choose professions based on their personal interests and skill sets, rather than being forcibly assigned to labor details as before.

There was no such thing as a labor surplus here. With a population of only fifty thousand, a labor shortage was the constant reality.

“Wolfpack Design Bureau,” “Tesla Institute,” “Enhanced Human Research Center,” “Aurora Supercomputing Center,” “AI Research Institute,” “New Hope Agridome,” “Kirov Heavy Industries”…

One by one, names of grand projects and organizations appeared on the digital bulletin boards, inspiring awe and fascination.

“Look at this! A specialized weapons factory… and heavy industry!”

“There’s a dedicated botany center. I like this one; I want to be close to nature.”

Crowds of men and women gathered in front of the screens, discussing the options animatedly. These weren’t just names; they were concrete plans that allowed people to feel the ambition of the New Government.

If all these projects were fully staffed, fifty thousand people wouldn’t be nearly enough; they would need at least two hundred thousand to meet the demand. Consequently, everyone was filling out job preference forms, free to choose the career path they desired. While many stuck to their pre-apocalypse professions, others seized the chance to reinvent themselves.

However, competition for the premier positions was fierce.

A group of engineers from the former Slavic bloc froze when they saw the name “Kirov.” It seemed to evoke memories of the industrial might of the old Soviet Union, and their blood stirred. They immediately clamored to sign up for the factory, joking about building the legendary Kirov airships of fiction.

Of course, that was impossible. Currently, resource constraints prohibited such extravagance. The guiding principle remained “practicality.”

According to Jason’s design, the new economic system was not a fully liberalized market economy. It was a “Planned Economy” with market characteristics.

Most essential goods were provided by the government, with prices set by central mandate. Basic necessities were kept extremely cheap, ensuring that an ordinary person’s monthly salary would always leave a surplus. However, non-essentials,luxury items like tobacco and alcohol were priced at a premium, allowing for only a few indulgences per month.

As for new housing… the units hadn’t been built yet, and no one could afford them immediately anyway. But the government was actively recruiting professional construction crews, offering a salary of 1,400 Credits per month, a very attractive wage.

“According to the policy, a standard housing unit will cost a common citizen roughly 36 months of salary, totaling 40,000 Credits. The units will be approximately 80 square meters in size,” a young woman explained to the crowd. She was a newly appointed Policy Officer. “Larger units will cost more. Furthermore, these properties cannot be privately traded or flipped.”

“That price is acceptable. It’s not expensive at all compared to the housing bubbles of the Old Era…”

Many of the survivors nodded in approval. They remembered the crushing mortgages and unattainable real estate prices of Earth. Here, a home was within reach for everyone. As for the ban on private trading, they subconsciously ignored it; houses were for living in, not for speculation.

“To encourage population growth, the New Human Government has also formulated a preferential housing policy,” the Policy Officer continued, her voice rising. “A married couple buying their first home together will receive a 30% discount. If they have a child, the discount increases to 50%!”

Even the officer felt a twinge of excitement as she read the clause. Maybe I should find a boyfriend, she thought.

“In other words, a couple with a child could pay off a house in just nine months if they saved every credit! Of course, not eating or drinking for nine months is impossible, but even with living expenses, paying it off in under two years is incredibly generous.”

Several citizens began calculating in their heads, their eyes gleaming. This directly affected their future.

Own a home in under two years.

Some young couples were already exchanging glances, silently debating whether to get married and start a family immediately. The scale of the discount was too massive to ignore. The single men in the crowd could only look on with envy.

The message from the New Government was clear: Single people, hurry up and find a partner!

Private resale of real estate was strictly prohibited to prevent market manipulation. Otherwise, people might exploit loopholes, buying at the government discount and reselling for profit or engaging in sham marriages to secure assets. Jason and his cabinet had preemptively plugged every potential regulatory hole.

Not that people were currently thinking of committing fraud; they were just happy to have a path forward.

For the most common positions, the monthly salary ranged from 1,000 to 1,200 Credits. Wages increased progressively according to job level and expertise, but the wealth gap was intentionally kept narrow.

Professor-level positions paid around 2,000 Credits, and Jason himself, as the Administrator, drew a salary of only 2,400 Credits.

The new monetary policy utilized a purely electronic currency; no physical cash was printed. Each citizen’s ID chip works as a debit card, secured by the Aurora Supercomputing Center’s encryption. Theft was virtually impossible.

According to the government’s price index, the purchasing power of 1 Credit was roughly equivalent to 0.5 kg of rice or 0.35 kg of wheat. A normal person consumed about 0.5 kg of grain per day, amounting to around 30 Credits per month for basic staples.

Of course, humans cannot survive on rice alone. They needed vegetables, fruits, synthetic meat, and protein blocks. The prices of these items varied based on scarcity. All in all, a budget of 300 Credits per month provided a high-quality, varied diet.

Economically speaking, an Engel coefficient (the percentage of income spent on food) below 30% indicates an affluent lifestyle. The citizens of the Noah were well within that range.

People also needed daily necessities, toothpaste, soap, clothes, salt. Some enjoyed smoking or drinking in their leisure time. With tobacco and alcohol being expensive, a moderate drinker might spend another chunk of their income, but it was sustainable.

Additionally, the government stipulated that those who could not yet afford to buy a house could rent. A 30-square-meter studio apartment had a monthly rent of around 100 Credits.

Based on this math, even with a base salary of 1,200 Credits, a frugal person could save five or six hundred Credits a month.

The reason this system was called a “Simplified Economic System” was that the currency only facilitated transactions between the Government and the public (Consumer Economy).

The operation of large state-owned enterprises, the Industrial Economy was realized entirely through planned allocation. It did not participate in the circulation of Credits.

Enterprises within the Noah did not aim for profit. They produced goods according to “Mission Directives,” and all means of production were owned by the state.

For example, Factory A produces steel and transports it directly to Factory B. Factory B processes it into machine parts and sends them to Factory C.

No Credits exchange hands. There is no invoicing, no profit margin calculation, no tax. A single digital work order authorizes the entire chain.

The advantages of this dual system were obvious: The government maintained absolute control over strategic resources, and critical infrastructure projects weren’t hindered by “budget constraints.” There were no corporate taxes, no marketing budgets, no supply-and-demand price gouging. They just needed to produce.

Unlike the economies of the Old World, where nations were paralyzed by debt ceilings and gridlocked budgets despite having the physical resources to act, the New Human Government wasn’t bound by financial fiction. Money did not circulate between departments; orders did.

Jason believed that as long as the output of goods provided by the government exceeded the amount of currency issued, and as long as the currency loop remained closed, the game could continue indefinitely.

However, if people held Credits but there was nothing to buy, faith in the currency would collapse. To prevent hyperinflation or shortages, Jason established a specific Bureau of Economic Statistics to balance the money supply against the inventory of consumer goods.

For now, the loop was simple: People worked for the Government, received Credits, and used Credits to buy goods from the Government. Private transactions were rare.

Historically, the world turned on profit. It is understandable that people pursue profit; everyone yearns for a better life. Profit itself is neutral, good if used for good, evil if used for evil.

Living on “handouts” or a purely communal rationing system was not a long-term solution. It restricted freedom and killed the competitive spirit.

The current Credit economy felt free. You could buy what you wanted. If you wanted more, you worked harder or upskilled.

But in reality, the private ownership economy had been neutered. Everyone worked for the state.

It was a necessary compromise, but it had risks. It restricted entrepreneurial imagination. People worked step-by-step within the system rather than disrupting it. This lack of “market vitality” was the classic flaw of a planned economy.

To overcome this, Jason planned to use social engineering. He wanted to gradually elevate the collective consciousness, diminishing the importance of currency and reinforcing the idea that work was a contribution to the survival of the species, not just a way to earn a paycheck.

Once work was seen as a natural necessity of life, a point of pride, the vitality would return, stronger than the chaotic greed of capitalism.

There was also the inherent risk of bureaucracy and corruption. Jason believed that as long as the heads of these state-owned enterprises were truly selfless technocrats working for an ideal, corruption would find no fertile ground.

Fortunately, he had such people: Professor Hao Yu, Dr. Roman, Dr. Felix, Professor Sean… These great scientists worked for the sheer joy of discovery and the survival of humanity. They were the true elite, immune to the seduction of wealth or petty power.

They became the directors of the major sectors. And Jason, of course, held the final oversight.

Governing fifty thousand people was not like governing hundreds of millions. Achieving transparency and fairness was manageable.

And if any malicious corruption did occur? Jason would not be soft-hearted.

He looked at the reports, eager to see what changes the new system would bring.

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