The four major fish are manageable, but the black and white striped fish are truly difficult to kill; the surface of their skin is very slippery and can deflect a knife.

Moreover, this isn’t just about killing fish; it also includes subsequent cutting and cleaning.

Although it’s slower than professional "fish killers," for ordinary women, this speed is already quite impressive.

Elder Zhou began calculating in his head the moment he heard it, and couldn’t help but show surprise: "Calculating five minutes per fish, that’s 12 fish per hour; 24 fish in two hours, earning 1 currency. If you work 12 hours a day, wouldn’t that be 6 currency?"

This calculation is somewhat optimistic.

Repetitively performing the same action for a long time will definitely slow them down, and they’ll get tired.

But conversely, as everyone becomes more skilled, the time taken to process a fish could shorten to three minutes, thus increasing efficiency.

With such gains and losses, daily earnings could at least guarantee 5 currency or more.

For women who can only rely on community subsidies to survive, this is enough for them to support themselves, and even provide a little extra for their family.

However, after the initial surprise, Elder Zhou felt a new concern surfacing and hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Inspector Cheng, can these fish... be sold? Hiring so many workers costs a thousand currency a day, thirty to forty thousand a month. If we end up losing money in the end..."

The moment he said this, everyone present fell silent, turning their eyes towards Cheng Ye.

Elder Zhou’s concern was shared by everyone.

If we start off on a good note and then end up losing money, the problem isn’t just the women losing their jobs, but possibly souring the relationship between Cheng Ye and the community.

"Relax, I wouldn’t dare open a factory without being sure of the profits and sales channels."

Cheng Ye wasn’t surprised by the question and pointed to the second small box.

[Commercial]

Unlike everyone present, his biggest concern was actually the first link, which is the fishing stage.

This is the most dangerous link in the entire industry chain. Although White Water River has abundant fish, it also hides mutated creatures and sources of infection. If injuries or infections occur, and there’s an outbreak of Infected Bodies, it would not only cause worker panic but also deal a severe blow to everyone’s confidence in Dapo Town.

In comparison, sales are actually the easiest issue to solve.

Rather than explaining his plans first, he looked over at Elder Zhou and threw out a question: "Elder Zhou, who do you think we should sell our fish to? Or rather, who currently has the most purchasing power?"

Elder Zhou almost didn’t hesitate: "It has to be the officials at headquarters! They have stable jobs, stable salaries, and money in their hands, and they’d be willing to spend on these things."

"Wrong." Cheng Ye shook his head gently and turned his gaze to the others, "Everyone can share their thoughts."

There was a brief silence in the crowd as everyone pondered the term "purchasing power."

The elder on Elder Song’s right, Elder Qu, thought for a moment and suddenly spoke, "Inspector Cheng, are you perhaps referring to those newly arrived migrants outside?"

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye was a little surprised, "Elder He, what makes you say that?"

Elder He smiled, his wrinkles relaxed and he had a look of reminiscence: "I used to lead the Pioneer Corps and I was lucky to rise to the rank of company commander. Long, Er Long, and these community militiamen were all soldiers I once led."

Elder He normally seemed quiet, but unexpectedly, he was the one with hidden depths.

"Back when we were pioneering, regardless of whether it was local settlements or Shelter City, the main consumer group was us Pioneer Soldiers."

Elder He continued with a tone of self-mockery, "It’s not that we were rich, but because we had stable military pay, and the work was exhausting and often dangerous, so everyone didn’t mind spending money. When tired, they wanted to eat something good; when thirsty, they wanted a nice drink, even if it meant having no money left at the end of the month, they preferred to live comfortably for the moment."

As he spoke, Long, Er Long, and a few militiamen couldn’t help but laugh, with a slightly embarrassed blush on their faces.

Those days were really tough, with eating and sleeping in the open being common, but every time they received their military pay, they’d plan a meal at a farmhouse restaurant in a settlement, even if it was just a plate of fried Ant Wolf meat or a bowl of cloudy liquor, it felt satisfying.

In retrospect, those days were indeed hard, but the carefree enjoyment of the moment was truly unforgettable.

"Elder He is right."

Cheng Ye stopped being mysterious and spoke solemnly, "With the construction of the Satellite City underway, Happiness City will soon focus on subsidizing the migrants outside. As long as they’re willing to work in the Satellite City, they’ll receive stable wages, and it’s much better than being temporary workers in the Buffer Zone. These people are currently the most capable consumers!"

"Having just come from the Wilderness, they have no savings, but with stable income and no longer living meal-to-meal, they are sure to want to spend money to improve their lives. Buying a fresh fish is far better than eating nutrient paste every day. Selling fish to them not only covers the wage costs but also lets them live comfortably, thus creating mutual benefits."

Regarding sales, of course, it’s not as simple as Cheng Ye described.

How to transport the fish to various Satellite Cities? Should there be fixed stalls or mobile sales? What pricing would be acceptable for migrants while ensuring profit?

These are all issues.

But clearly, this isn’t the time to discuss these details; the priority is to kick-start the construction of Dapo Town.

Seeing the increasing brightness in everyone’s eyes in the room, apparently already convinced, Cheng Ye immediately shifted his finger to the third small box.

[Light Industry]

"Dapo Town has a hydroelectric power station, able to provide almost unlimited electricity, which is the foundation for developing industry. What I aim to do is to leverage the income from the preliminary fishery to develop light industry."