The bottle caps circulating in the wasteland were not something that could be casually used with a capper.
Only the Quantum Coke bottle caps with anti-counterfeiting codes issued after the economic crisis in 2150 had circulation value. Moreover, the value of the 350ml bottle cap was different from the 660ml bottle cap. Because no survivor force had found a way to produce it, the value of the latter had been stable. A large bottle cap was equivalent to 20 ordinary bottle caps, and transactions were generally priced according to "how many" ordinary bottle caps.
At that time, someone joked that "the anti-counterfeiting code of the Coca-Cola bottle cap is even better than banknotes. Maybe one day it will become the currency of a third world country. After all, their banknotes have been depreciating." In the end, it turned out to be a prophecy. Forty years later, bottle caps had really become a hard currency.
Unfortunately, the place where it became a hard currency was not in a third world country, but in the wasteland of North America …
The Coca-Cola Company spent a lot of money to develop a physical identification code that finally made it convenient for survivors on the North American wasteland. Without the need to connect to the Internet, a palm-sized scanner could identify the authenticity of the bottle cap, which was even better than crystals.
As for how bottle caps became popular, there were many deeper reasons, which I won't elaborate on here.
With the ten boxes of canned luncheon meat he carried with him, Jiang Chen exchanged for ten large bottle caps of the same size from General Zhao, roughly equivalent to more than 5,000 bottle caps. If converted to crystals according to the market in North America, it might be a little more than 300 crystals.
It was conceivable how high inflation in North America was.
After exchanging bottle caps, Jiang Chen didn't leave immediately, but chatted with General Zhao for a while.
In addition to the intelligence related to the colony, he also heard some interesting rumors.
For example, the leader of Tony Club was actually not dead. He must be careful when he saw unknown canned meat. They sometimes recycled NAC's cans as a "cover". As for what kind of meat was sold inside, they would only know when they ate it. Another example was that the atmosphere in Steel City and Liberty City was very unnatural, as if they were about to go to war, but they didn't know who the opponent was.
Jiang Chen recorded these messages in the database of his watch. Seeing that it was getting late, he got up and said goodbye to General Zhao.
"If there is news, I will send someone to the airport to find you. If you need manpower, you can go to the tavern at the entrance of Chinatown. Lone travelers, hunters, and caravan guards are all good choices. But I suggest you be careful when dealing with the white people. If it wasn't for the merchant group's strong request, we wouldn't have let them in, "Smith Zhao reminded Jiang Chen before he left.
"I'll be careful." Jiang Chen cupped his hands and walked to the street with the six guards waiting at the door.
"Go purchase some nutrient supply and inquire about the colony. We'll meet here in an hour." Jiang Chen handed a box of bottle caps to a guard. "No need to save money for me."
The place that sold nutrient supply usually had a lot of traffic. Maybe the boss there would know something.
"Yes!" The guard nodded and turned to walk to the other end of Chinatown.
He looked up at the tavern on the side, signaled a few guards to wait at the door, and walked in.
The survivors in Chinatown were quite xenophobic, but this xenophobia was mainly aimed at survivors of other skin colors. Without closing their masks, the Asian survivors in the tavern looked at Jiang Chen and the others with more envy than greed or covetousness.
In the North American wasteland, power armor was not only a symbol of strength, but also a symbol of financial resources.
It was not easy for ordinary survivors to own a set of kinetic skeletons. As for those who could afford to wear power armor, they were all local tycoons. Even General Zhao's mansion didn't have a few, let alone lone travelers like them.
A power armor directly determined whether they would fight or run when they encountered Death Claws. Having their own power armor was the ultimate dream of almost all lone travelers and mercenaries.
In the eyes of these survivors, Jiang Chen and the others had become the kind of compatriots who lived a decent life. Since such a person appeared in this broken place, it was obviously not for a drink. The environment in Chinatown's big tavern was much better than here.
The powerful lone travelers and mercenaries were already rubbing their palms together, thinking about how they could strike up a conversation with this potential customer. Many female lone travelers cast flirtatious glances at Jiang Chen, and some even boldly whistled. While accepting the commission of bodyguards and escorts, many open-minded female mercenaries didn't mind providing additional services to sleep with men. While they received tips from their employers, they could also satisfy their own physiological needs.
This was the ethos of North America. Even if Asian survivors were relatively conservative, it was only relative to their compatriots on the other side of the ocean.
"I need to hire some people." Jiang Chen walked to the bar and didn't order any drinks. He directly put two large bottle caps on the table and said to the bartender, "There are no special requirements for strength as long as they don't drag me down. The main thing is credibility, and the second thing is that they must be smart. Do you have any recommendations? "
The moment the bartender saw the two large bottle caps, his breathing obviously quickened.
He quietly put away the bottle caps, glanced at the power armor on Jiang Chen, and said with a grin, "It may be a bit difficult to find a guy who doesn't drag you down, but I don't think you are looking for a bodyguard or escort. If I guessed correctly, then I recommend you to try those scavengers. Their intuition is as keen as a mouse, and they are familiar with any survivor gathering point. "
At this moment, a tall and skinny man with a crew cut and an eye-catching scar on his face walked over. Standing next to Jiang Chen, he first examined Jiang Chen from head to toe, then said.
"Do you need help?"
"That's right." Jiang Chen turned his gaze to the man and responded to his inquiry with a questioning look, "You are?"
"Gris, I don't remember my last name, everyone calls me Crow," Gris grinned. Griss grinned. "First of all, I won't drag you down. Secondly, I'm very familiar with the survivor forces in California, Nevada, and Utah. If you need a guide, I won't let you get lost. If you plan to find someone, as long as he is still on the West Coast, then he won't be able to escape. "
Jiang Chen did not immediately nod, but looked at the bartender who had previously received a tip from him.
The bartender wiped the glass in his hand and said without hesitation.
"Crow Gris … Well, I have a little impression of him. He is one of the few British who can enter and exit Chinatown without following a caravan. He is a scavenger with a good eye, and occasionally works as a caravan guard … That's all I can think of. According to the market, hiring a guide costs 20 bottle caps a day, and 40 for a guard. A full week is counted as six days. Of course, I'm just suggesting that you talk among yourselves. "
"Okay." Looking at Gris, Jiang Chen said, "You are now hired by me. I will pay you 50 bottle caps a day. I will tell you what your mission is. The only requirement is that I hope you are worthy of your reward. "
50 bottle caps!
Hearing this number, many survivors cast envious glances at Griss. Not to mention in Chinatown, such a generous employer was rare even in Liberty City.
After hearing his reward, Griss's face was obviously filled with joy. However, he quickly hid this joy behind humility and nodded his head in delight.
"It's an honor to serve you."
Jiang Chen nodded.
After receiving this enviable job, just when Gris thought that the generous employer would immediately get up and leave, his employer still sat there without any intention of getting up.
"What would you like to drink?" The bartender saw that Jiang Chen had no intention of leaving, so he asked.
"No need." Jiang Chen shook his head and said in a voice that everyone nearby could hear, "I said, I need to hire some people … I'm still missing three to five people."
Hearing this sentence, Gris was stunned on the spot, and the bartender almost dropped his glass.
As for the survivors next to him …
They were completely insane.
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