harleyscars Chapter 033 A Massive Amount of Information!
Chapter 033 A Massive Amount of Information!
On the way, Lu Chen and Yu chatted a lot.
Aside from the grenade and the process of Yu paying off her debts, they talked about everything under the sun.
—I was just too sleepy.
I left the city yesterday morning, traveled in the morning, mined metal in the afternoon, then traveled again and had dinner.
After dinner, we continued our journey, digging hibernation chambers throughout the night until dawn today.
After daybreak, we hid another hibernation pod and continued our journey...
That means that from 7 a.m. yesterday until this afternoon, for more than 30 hours, Lu Chen and Yu had barely slept.
At most, I'll take turns driving and dozing off while on the road.
The reason they were able to hold on was probably because they obtained the hibernation pod, which excited both of them.
But no matter how excited you are, physical fatigue is still hard to resist.
To cheer himself up, Lu Chen completely put aside his worries and asked whatever came to mind.
Yu no longer held back his words, and answered all of Lu Chen's questions without reservation.
Thus, during this journey of less than 300 kilometers but lasting 10 hours, Lu Chen obtained a lot of information about the City of Time from Yu.
To be precise, this is a rough estimate of the situation in District 18.
...
First of all, mines and factories are not the only two workplaces in the 18th District that can accommodate low-level workers.
Even the names of 'mine' and 'factory' are simplified.
—The full name is: Coal Mine, Electricity Plant.
That makes sense.
District 18 occupies the outermost layer of the City of Time, a square iron ring 2 kilometers wide and 800 kilometers in circumference—a total area of 1584 square kilometers.
Such a vast area could not possibly contain only coal mines and power plants to provide for the lower-level laborers.
These two places alone cannot accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people in the 18 districts.
So, in addition to coal mines and power plants, District 18 also has a steel plant—the water that Lu Chen and Yu have been drinking these past few days is simply filtered wastewater from the steel plant.
There are textile factories—mostly employing women as 'employees';
There were also chemical plants, arsenals, power plants, as well as bakeries, wineries, and even farms and ranches...
Etc., etc.
Everything that the City of Time can use and produce has a corresponding production unit.
In every place, people of different identities perform corresponding jobs.
Each person's "identity" is also highly tied to the type of work they do—that is, their "occupation".
For example, coal mines and power plants are numbered 243: parasites.
The female worker in the garment factory is number 219: a symbiotic.
The steelworkers, on the other hand, are all muscular men, numbered 206: the Dedicated Ones.
Then there's the scavenger numbered 172, the farmer numbered 159, the rancher numbered 158...
...
That's right;
The owner of the Rope Hotel, number 180.
The job title is also quite interesting—"motivator".
In addition, Lu Chen obtained a crucial piece of information.
— Occupational designation is a direct symbol of identity and status.
The highest level is number 1, but the specific occupation is unknown.
The lowest is number 243, which is the parasite.
Between the two, ranked from highest to lowest, the earlier the occupation number appears, the higher the status in the City of Time.
Previously, Lu Chen had deduced through observation that "violent conflict is not allowed in the City of Time".
But after Yu's detailed explanation, Lu Chen realized that his deduction was not entirely wrong, but it was not entirely correct either.
—To be precise, the City of Time is not entirely free of conflict;
Instead, it adheres to the following two principles.
Firstly, inside the city gates, individuals are prohibited from possessing any controlled weapons, including firearms and sharp blades, that may cause injury or death.
In short, armed fights are not allowed.
Secondly, it prohibits conflicts between two people of different identities or occupational numbers that are not equal in status.
For example, parasite number 243, being at the very end of the food chain, cannot have any physical contact with anyone other than other parasites.
Once this happens, it is assumed that the parasite has "offended the superior".
Lu Chen roughly understood it as: insubordination, rebellion against the Heavenly Stems, or "usurpation".
For example, the owner of the Rope Hotel, who is also the whipper number 180, has to be humble in front of the scavenger number 172.
Otherwise, once a conflict occurs, it is assumed that the party in a lower position, namely the one who instigates, is "insubordinating."
However, among those of the same kind—such as parasites and scavengers—only the first rule needs to be followed: no fighting.
Two people of equal status, position, and occupational number are left unattended as long as they are unarmed and no one is killed.
As for whether "a death is imminent," this is determined in real-time by police drones in the air.
If they don't stop when someone dies, police drones will intervene.
...
Within this rigid and inviolable class system, there exists a group that is 'unselectable'.
—The Resurrected.
As "outsiders" in the City of Time, new residents, and resurrected individuals, their occupational IDs can be determined through selection.
As long as you complete the corresponding indicators for your profession and actively make a choice, you can obtain a profession number.
For example, Lu Chen.
According to Yu, once Lu Chen pays off his bank debts and buys a pickup truck at his own expense, he will have the necessary production materials for scavenging and can then register as scavenger number 18-172-9527.
Alternatively, if Lu Chen has no debts and is "quite wealthy," he could buy a farm and register it as farmer number 18-159-9527.
Alternatively, Lu Chen is a skilled weaver; if he's willing to swallow his pride, he could also work as a "symbiotic" in a textile factory.
If one has no other skills and can only make a living in coal mines or power plants, and does not actively make a choice within a year after the debt is paid off, then one will automatically become a parasite...
This leaves recovering individuals in a state where "anything is possible" until they pay off their debts and obtain a professional ID.
In theory, the resurrected could become Parasite No. 243, Donor No. 206, or even Scavenger No. 172 or Cultivator No. 159...
Even the highest-ranking officer in the 18th ward: Sheriff No. 154!
Therefore, before obtaining a job number, the resurrected person will be in a "cannot be selected" state for a short period of time.
Regardless of who the conflict arises with—as long as the other party is not a "property owner" above number 180, it is assumed that the revived person has a "higher status".
As for the fact that the other party's occupational number is higher than 180, it will still protect the personal safety of the recovering person to a certain extent.
The general idea is: You do have a high status, but he is a resurrected person, a newcomer, so don't bully him too much.
At least don't hit him.
As for the reason—it certainly wasn't out of kindness!
Rather, it's because most of those who recover have debts, which can generate a steady stream of interest income for banks...
……
After acquiring such a massive amount of information, Lu Chen undoubtedly gained a more comprehensive understanding of the City of Time—especially District 18.
They couldn't help but have some aspirations for their future.
—The debt is indeed heavy, and even if he follows Yu Shihuang, he will most likely only be able to barely cover the interest for 300 days each month.
However, the unexpected acquisition of a hibernation pod and a "hibernation pod area" undoubtedly gave Lu Chen a glimpse of the dawn of "paying off his debts".
Even under this faint glimmer of dawn, the sky gradually darkened.
The time is now 294th year of Genesis, August 4th, 11 PM.
The city gates are closed.
Driven by Lu Chen, the dilapidated pickup truck with a hibernation compartment towed behind it finally saw the light in the distance.
Lu Cheng knew: that was the rest area outside the city gate.