At the south gate of Pingan Street, under the ten-meter-high giant wall, there was only a two-car wide arch and a small gate that allowed six people to walk side by side. The big arch was for cars, and the small gate was for people. A group of soldiers stood at the gate and guarded the entrance to the city.
On the one hand, it was to check if small nuclear bombs, infectious sources, and other contraband items were brought into the city. On the other hand, it was to collect gate tax from people entering the city.
This was the same as the Sixth Street four years ago.
It was just that the number of crystals circulating in Shangjing was slightly higher, and the size of Pingan Street was also larger, so the gate tax was naturally more expensive.
In addition, there was no inner circle or outer circle on Pingan Street. The giant concrete wall encompassed the entire survivor settlement, so people had to pay taxes to enter the city. Only the inner circle of the Sixth Street was protected by the concrete wall, so naturally, the tax would only be collected after entering the inner circle.
At the small gate, the survivors formed a long line.
"Gate tax, four crystals per person."
The survivor dressed as a hunter paused for a moment, his face turned red, and he said angrily.
"Four crystals? Wasn't it two crystals yesterday? How did the gate tax become four crystals today?! Fu * k, why don't you go rob someone! "
As soon as they heard the gate tax doubled, the people in the line suddenly exploded.
"Wasn't it two crystals before? Why did it suddenly increase? "
"What are they doing!"
"Fu * k, I'll go to the east gate!"
"…"
The soldier guarding the gate was expressionless, and there was a police-type power armor standing next to him. The person collecting the gate tax raised his chin impatiently and pointed to the notice at the gate.
"It was changed last night. It doesn't matter which gate it is. If you have questions, go to the city hall and ask. If you don't have questions, hurry up. If you want to enter the city, pay up. If you don't have money, move aside. "
Although it increased by two crystals, everyone had to accept the price.
It couldn't be helped. It was the largest market and industrial zone in Shangjing. Only by going there could the hunters dispose of the good things cut from the prey, the scavengers could exchange the good things on their backs for crystals, and the mercenaries could replenish ammunition and find new employers …
As for forcing their way in?
Hehe.
Not to mention the police-type power armor at the door, the heavy machine guns on the giant wall are enough to make those who have bad intentions think twice.
After the initial chaos, the line began to move slowly. Although many people left, most people stayed.
Standing at the end of the line, Jiang Chen awkwardly touched his nose.
If he guessed correctly, the reason for the increase in the city gate tax was most likely because of him.
The line moved slowly and soon reached his position.
"Twenty-one people," Jiang Chen said as he walked up.
The tax officer looked impatient. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the twenty people behind Jiang Chen, and his arrogance suddenly diminished.
Twenty guards stood behind Jiang Chen. Although their clothes were no different from the survivors around them, their aura was on a completely different level. It was as if a group of special forces soldiers were standing in the middle of a group of new recruits, and they could be distinguished at a glance.
"84 crystals … Who are you?" The tax officer asked out of curiosity.
"Mercenaries." Jiang Chen threw a dark green crystal on the table and raised his thumb to point at the twenty guards behind him.
The tax officer's mouth twitched. Obviously, he didn't believe his nonsense, but he didn't take it to heart.
He was only responsible for collecting, not checking the accounts.
"Go in."
Without talking nonsense with him, Jiang Chen nodded and gestured to the guards behind him. They stored the firearms at the gun storage point behind the city gate according to the procedure and swaggered into the bustling Pingan Street.
After learning about the Hell Messenger from Zhou Guoping, Jiang Chen divided his guards into two groups. One group returned to the military base, and the other group disguised themselves and followed him to the south gate of Pingan Street.
At this moment, he wore a camouflage necklace hidden under his collar.
This camouflage necklace was very common before the war and almost replaced the existence of cosmetics.
Holographic technology modified the facial features to a certain extent. Although it was still the same, it was much older than before. Unless it was someone close to him, it was basically impossible to recognize him.
The reason why he went through so much trouble to sneak into Pingan Street was that he wanted to personally meet the legendary former intelligence officer of Pan-Asia Cooperation, and on the other hand, he mainly wanted to see the city. Although the degree of industrialization here was not high and was far from the Sixth Street under the rule of NAC, it also had its uniqueness.
For example, gun control.
It was no exaggeration to say that Pingan Street in Shangjing should be the only large survivor settlement in the entire Pan-Asia Cooperation area that completely banned guns. Even the Sixth Street could not achieve this. In this wasteland where weapons were regarded as life, the survivors of Shangjing not only did not show any resistance, but also silently followed this rule.
Even the most powerful lone traveler could not be vigilant at all times.
At least on this Pingan Street, people could truly sleep peacefully without worrying about being awakened by gunshots at night or being shot in the head by an enemy.
Of course, it did not rule out that someone secretly brought a gun in.
But at least on the surface, everyone was abiding by this iron law.
Jiang Chen passed by the slums and walked on the market at the south gate of Pingan Street. He examined the streets around him. Compared with the Sixth Street, the life of the people here was obviously much worse. Not to mention the magnetic levitation road, many people didn't even have decent winter clothes, and some people even wore strange clothes made of mutant fur.
However, from their calm faces, it seemed that this was the normal state of the survivors on the wasteland?
The survivors in Wanghai who were well-fed and well-clothed were a bit abnormal.
"Lu Fan."
"Yes."
"Don't be so cautious. Don't forget that you are now a mercenary," Jiang Chen said softly.
Since Li Wang was promoted to Captain of AS Order, the new captain of the guards was Lu Fan. The bodyguard in his thirties was good in every aspect. His loyalty was no less than Li Wang's, but his brain was not as flexible as Li Wang's, and he tended to be more serious in some areas.
Lu Fan hesitated slightly and nodded.
"Yes."
Jiang Chen shook his head and gave up on correcting his respectful look.
Anyway, the probability of encountering Ding Liwei and Fang Peng here was almost zero, and he was not worried about being questioned. The waters of Pingan Street were deep, and some neutral survivor forces were even comparable to the Shangjing Survivors Alliance.
Jiang Chen also paid special attention when he entered the city.
Along the way, he had already seen more than three unfamiliar people who were followed by a group of bodyguards. They looked either rich or noble.
"Hell Messenger" was located on the commercial street at the north gate, but Jiang Chen did not go north. Instead, he took a detour from the market at the south gate and walked toward the industrial area behind the slums.
Similar to the situation he saw on AS Order, the industrial foundation of Pingan Street was very thin, but it was quite top-notch by the standards of the wasteland. Compared to the Sixth Street more than four years ago, the scale here was at least twice that of the Sixth Street.
Of course, the current Sixth Street was undoubtedly miles ahead of it.
The surrounding buildings began to become shorter, and the pedestrians on the street were mostly slaves or workers with pale faces.
Thinking that Jiang Chen went the wrong way, Lu Fan hesitated and whispered to remind him.
"Hell Messenger is on the North Gate Commercial Street."
"I know," Jiang Chen said with a smile.
Lu Fan was slightly taken aback.
"Then why are we here …"
"Have you ever seen anyone go to a bar early in the morning?" Jiang Chen smiled, raised his chin in the direction of the industrial area, and then said, "What's more, going to Hell Messenger to inquire about Eden Technology is just a side mission. Wandering around on this Pingan Street is the main purpose of standing here. If it's just to inquire about information, it doesn't matter who I send. Why do I have to do it myself? "
"I want to ask … what's the point of this?" Lu Fan said hesitantly, "My suggestion is to leave the information to us. It's not safe for you to be here. In case of an emergency, if something happens to you, we — "
"That's enough." Jiang Chen waved his hand. "I care about my own safety more than anyone else. You don't have to worry about it. Just follow me."
After a pause, Jiang Chen continued.
"I will now answer your previous question. How is it meaningless? "
Jiang Chen raised his head and looked at the towering Pan-Asia Cooperation Building in the middle of Pingan Street. A smile appeared on his face. "Soon, we will occupy this place."
"What do you mean?" Lu Fan paused for a moment, then his expression changed, and his pupils were filled with excitement. "After we take care of the CCCP, we will counterattack …"
Jiang Chen shook his head and sighed.
"There are many ways to solve the problem. I hope you can think about the problem from a different perspective. If you can't think about the same problem from multiple perspectives, you may miss many better options. In this case, how can I entrust you with important tasks? "
Lu Fan immediately lowered his head and said sincerely.
"I have no intention of being a high official. I hope to be at the General's beck and call."
"As long as you have the heart, it's enough." Jiang Chen laughed. "NAC needs talents, loyal and reliable talents. Even if you want to stay in the position of the captain of my guards for a lifetime, you have to ask if I agree or not, right? "
"I don't dare. I am willing to obey the General's arrangement," Lu Fan said in fear and trepidation.
Jiang Chen smiled and did not respond. He stood not far from the entrance of the industrial zone and stopped.
"What I just told you is to think about the problem from a different perspective? In addition to the option of armed occupation, we have many more gentle and more effective options that can more completely take this place for ourselves without leaving a drop of blood. "
Lu Fan did not interrupt. He just stood respectfully beside Jiang Chen and waited for the General to continue.
"For example, we can buy this place."
Jiang Chen looked at the towering chimney of the steel mill and smiled.
"And it's with their own money."
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