The prison guards, who had just seen off Director Johnson, Mrs. Michael, and her son, turned their gaze away from the departing car and closed the prison gates. One of them joked, "Did you see that? That's the privilege of the wealthy. His kid is barely in before he's let out. And his wife, so young, she could practically be his daughter..."
His colleague chuckled, shaking his head, choosing not to add to the conversation. They, as prison guards, often witnessed scenes that ordinary people would never see.
For some, entering prison and leaving shortly after had almost become routine.
Some arrived in such splendor that they hardly seemed like they were there to serve time but rather to receive adoration from a certain group of people, and they indeed did.
Their departures were equally grandiose, with convoys of at least a dozen cars, if not more, waiting outside the prison gates to greet them.
In this place, it was not uncommon to witness local celebrities being assaulted by a group of individuals they once scorned, pleading for mercy as the attack unfolded.
Others, despite being sentenced, not only had unrestricted access to the warden's office but also could freely enter and leave the prison.
Sometimes, these guards, including staff, would sneak women in; there were always some who could turn the prison into a hotel.
After witnessing so much, nothing would appear peculiar anymore. Was it truly excessive for a man in his fifties or sixties to marry a woman in her thirties and have a teenage son? Not at all; in fact, it was not even as strange as some of the occurrences inside the prison.
He knew well the challenges and investments in running a professional sports business, something even poorer conglomerates might struggle with, let alone him.
However, there were ways to play even for the less affluent. His choice was to play it smartly, and his goal wasn't solely about the rights to the gymnasium but also about expanding his influence.
He painted a grand picture for the mayor, and naturally, the mayor and the City Hall needed a big enough frame to hold this picture.
It was like him painting dreams for Richard and the others. First, one needed the capability to even have the chance to see the dreams he painted. Without that capability, there wouldn't be the possibility to see those dreams.
Painting dreams might seem like a one-sided, deceitful language skill, but in reality, it was a form of transaction — selling dreams.
Buying dreams came with a price, whether it was simple physical labor or a piece of land.
Shortly after arriving at the City Hall, the mayor hurriedly left after a brief meeting with Lin Qi; he was swamped with unfinished tasks recently.
Lin Qi and Ferrall then entered the mayor's office. With Ferrall, a familiar face, by his side, no one would dare to obstruct them.
Finally, Lin Qi stood before a large map. It might be incomprehensible to ordinary people; it wasn't like the maps found in geography textbooks where one could grasp the gist at a glance.
It was a developmental planning map, showing parts already built, under construction, and planned.
Various blocks and lines filled the map. If one wasn't familiar with these, even ordinary people might struggle to locate their homes.
Lin Qi stood before the map for a while, then pointed to a vacant land adjacent to the southeast of the city. "How about here?"
Ferrall shook his head. "We currently don't have any future plans for development in the southeast area. Southwest would be better."
Sabin City was located in the southern part of the central-southern region of the Baylor Federation, with a population of 800,000, making it the fourth largest city in the state.
Urban development plans usually adhered to several principles: local economic characteristics, tourism, light and heavy industries, labor output, etc.
In short, development had to revolve around a core. For Sabin City, the core was the development of light industry. As for why it focused on light industry, that was a state government issue.
Developing heavy industries required comprehensive supporting industries, which Sabin City's population couldn't sustain. Besides, there wasn't a suitable starting point for heavy industry. Developing light industry was actually a good choice.
Therefore, naturally, local urban development trends and directions had to serve the local pillar industries. In other words, the city's development was mainly to serve its local pillar enterprises.
Not long ago, about two years ago, the Sabin City Hall issued a redevelopment notice.
To avoid the disruption caused by trains entering and leaving the urban area and to respond to some complaints, the City Hall relocated the train station from the city center to the southwest of the city.
It seemed like it was for the people's sake, but in reality, some companies, centered around the Listoan Group, had already acquired large tracts of land in the southwest of Sabin City for infrastructure development.
The relocation of the train station was essentially to serve these pillar industries, facilitating quicker transportation of goods or direct access to their warehouses without the need for transit.
Ferrall suggested Lin Qi acquire land in the southwest to establish his club. After all, it didn't matter where it was built, so why not choose a promising location?
Even if Lin Qi wanted to sell it later, the land beneath the club would still be worth a considerable sum.
Ferrall's honesty and consideration for Lin Qi stemmed from his role as Lin Qi's policy consultant. Since he was being paid by Lin Qi, he naturally had to consider Lin Qi's interests.
Additionally, he hoped that if the opportunity arose in the future, Lin Qi could be of assistance to him.
His words made Lin Qi intrigued. After some thought, he couldn't help but ask, "How much area could I get if I built the club in the southwest?"
Ferrall calculated, "Around 6 to 8 acres, any more and it would be difficult."
Once an industrial area reached high density, subsequent factories would continue to expand around this dense industrial zone to save costs, forming an advantageous industrial module.
Items from one factory wouldn't even need to be loaded onto trucks; workers could simply push carts to deliver them to the next factory's workshop, saving incalculable amounts of money.
So, acquiring land in this area wasn't easy. However, Lin Qi and the mayor were still in their honeymoon period. If he asked, the mayor would most likely not refuse.
Lin Qi smirked and shifted his gaze back to the southeast. "What if I built it here?"
Ferrall almost instantly replied without hesitation, "There are no restrictions..."
An area not included in development plans for the next five to ten years wasn't any different from a garbage dump in the eyes of current rulers.
In five, ten, or even more years, they would no longer be in power. Any troubles would become historical legacies, to be dealt with by those who came after. If capable, they could solve them; if not, there were enough excuses to appease the people.
That was why Ferrall dared to promise without limit, using the term "no restrictions" in response to Lin Qi.
Looking at the seemingly endless land outside the small city, people might not have realized a crucial issue yet. With wars receding, a population explosion was imminent.
Even if the Baylor Federation didn't participate in the war, peace and financial crises would still bring about a new wave of population explosion.
By that time, the current city planning restrictions wouldn't be able to contain Sabin City's development. It would want to expand outward, inevitably encroaching upon the vacant land outside the city limits.
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