Civilization was the accumulation of history. It was beneficial for humans to adapt and understand the objective world. It was in line with humanity's spiritual pursuit. It was the spiritual wealth and invention that was recognized and accepted by the majority of people.
Therefore, there was indeed a civilization here.
It was just that it was malformed.
If one word were to describe the technological level of the Sixth Street, it would be a mix of good and bad. You could see the mercenaries with rifles on their waists staring blankly at the recruitment point. You could also see the traders using holographic computers to calculate products. It was not uncommon to see people without arms or legs. Some had crutches, and some had mechanical prosthetics that were more agile than their real legs.
If one word were to describe the standard of living at the Sixth Street, it would be a mix of good and bad.
Skinny men and women were everywhere. Because of hunger, people didn't even have the energy to scream. Uniformed soldiers in groups of three patrolled the streets with guns in their hands. They ignored the starving people and the prostitutes on the street.
Just like machines, the expressions on their faces could not be seen behind their dark sunglasses.
"Absolute neutrality. This is the foundation of the Sixth Street on this wasteland. The laws here are simple. Murder and theft will result in death. Failure to pay taxes will result in eviction. Malicious harm will result in imprisonment, "Sun Jiao explained to Jiang Chen who was not used to this place.
"Then why wasn't that person killed?" Jiang Chen gulped as he watched in disbelief as a man in uniform beat a starving woman to death with a wooden stick. The man seemed to have noticed Jiang Chen's gaze as he gave Jiang Chen a friendly smile.
"That's an inspector. He's responsible for dealing with the dead bodies in the ghetto." Sun Jiao replied with a tone as if she was used to it. But Jiang Chen could feel that she didn't like this place.
[That woman is still alive …]
"The inner circle of the Sixth Street is cleaner, but if you want to enter, you need to pay some crystals. We're here to trade some useful stuff, so the outer market is enough. "Sun Jiao changed the topic.
"…" Jiang Chen nodded in silence.
[This is a twisted civilization.]
Although the outer market was also very dirty, it was much better than the situation in the slums. The thieves or criminals who had been shot were directly thrown next to the garbage dump. At night, an inspector would drag them to the "farm" and mix them with the "fat" harvested by the camp that day to make fertilizer for the crops.
Some of the more famous "robbers" were nailed to the wooden planks with formalin.
"— Roger Gerson, nicknamed Claw Wolf. He committed three murders at the Sixth Street and was shot dead by the security team in the sewers. "
Upon closer inspection, the identity of the deceased was engraved on the wooden plaque.
The name seemed to be that of a foreigner, but there was nothing strange about that. NATO troops had landed in this city, and many people stayed here.
At the entrance of the market, two businessmen in relatively clean clothes were bargaining fiercely. Finally, they seemed to have reached a consensus and signed their names on an agreement. Under the witness of the market management, one party took out crystals and put them on the energy counting machine, and the other party moved out ten women with only a bit of clothing from the rented tent.
That's right, they moved out.
Every woman's slender and white neck had an electronic lock on it. Their eyes were lifeless as they followed the pull.
The women's beauty was not bad. Their white skin was comparable to a blow-up doll. Their cheeks were tattooed with barcodes that only appeared on merchandise.
The businessman seemed to be satisfied with the "goods" as he ordered his men to load the women onto the truck and left the market.
"Xinrui Hotel." Sun Jiao narrowed her eyes as she stared at the direction the truck left.
Jiang Chen noticed that Sun Jiao's hands had unknowingly clenched into fists.
"Hotel?"
"It's just a brothel." Sun Jiao scoffed. "It provides a full range of" services "to the residents. You know what kind of services it is. There, the female slaves are consumables since people with all kinds of perverted desires exist. I heard a guy in the bar in Liuding town bragging about how tender the girls' flesh was in Xinrui Hotel … in the sense of food. "
Jiang Chen shuddered. He could already imagine what kind of hell the expressionless girls were going to face.
"That human trafficker probably belonged to the force that occupied Fallout Shelter 101. Using the cloning technology and culture fluid support device to cultivate low-cost clones, the clones created by these technologies are more like commodities than humans. "
"So, what exactly is the fallout shelter?" Jiang Chen looked at Sun Jiao's emotionless eyes in disbelief as he struggled to open his mouth.
"It's a magical thing. Every fallout shelter has a different design concept to maximize survival efficiency." Sun Jiao shrugged. "I was born in Fallout Shelter 071, so I was quite lucky. The design concept was to use a fixed program to regulate the personality. Although the lifestyle was rigid, it was still a happy life. Some fallout shelters were not so lucky. "
A cruel smile that didn't match her age appeared on Sun Jiao's beautiful face.
"I heard that Fallout Shelter 070's design concept was to use people to rule people. Through creating a spiritual leader, it would encourage people to survive … It was clear how naive the designers were before the war. I heard that in less than ten years, the fallout shelter developed into hell. The 'moral model' only carried out justice for a few years before he forgot the dignity of a civilized person and became the leader of a tribe. Hehe, I heard that he used the security program to absurdly get rid of all the males, leaving only the females as his sexual tools … As to Fallout Shelter 101, it's probably an uninhabited fallout shelter. "
Shocked by the cruel reality, Jiang Chen swallowed hard. But he still didn't understand Sun Jiao's words.
"Uninhabited fallout shelter? Does no one need a shelter? "
"Hehe, of course, it stores the DNA data of the elites from all over the world. When they reach the expiration date, the embryo petri dish will automatically 'produce' the perfect body. Then, with the help of the virtual reality system, it will allow them to obtain ten years of 'memory' in a short period of time. Hehe, I don't know what the purpose of the product that came out of the petri dish is. Did the designers before the war already realize that these products would be popular on the wasteland after the war? "Sun Jiao's words were full of mockery. Jiang Chen, who was standing on the side as an audience, was also silent.
[Is this the end of civilization?]
"We're here." Sun Jiao's short words interrupted Jiang Chen's thoughts as she dragged him to the door of a store.
This was the official purchasing station of the outer market of the Sixth Street. It was responsible for evaluating and purchasing the goods needed by the camp. Although canned food and batteries could be used as currency in some survival camps, the trading rules obviously didn't apply to the "prosperous" Sixth Street. Therefore, at this time, an organization with credibility was needed to implement a unified currency. At the same time, it was easier to collect taxes.
Crystals, as the main source of energy for high-powered equipment, had a high demand for any survival camp. Also, the portability of crystals also met the requirement of circulating currency.
Although applying for a store to sell canned food was a more profitable option, Jiang Chen, who "didn't lack money," naturally chose the most convenient method, which was to sell the expensive canned food to the fairest Sixth Street officials.
Sun Jiao didn't try to stop him. It was obvious that she didn't want to stay here for too long.
"Stuff." The mechanical and familiar answer came from the window.
Jiang Chen saw Sun Jiao signal to him as he took out his backpack and placed one of the items on the table.
"Hiss …" The trader in the window sucked in a breath of cold air.
Jiang Chen finally heard a trace of disbelief from the tone of the trader, and at the same time, he felt a few greedy gazes imprinted on his back.
Jiang Chen shivered unnaturally as he looked at Sun Jiao with a questioning look. Sun Jiao smiled and signaled Jiang Chen not to worry since no one dared to break the rules here. At least before they left the Sixth Street, they were absolutely safe.
"Sir, do you still have the goods?" The voice had a hint of respect.
Canned meat … Even the nobles living in the inner circle ate mostly mutated beef and ripened vegetables. The front desk trader even suspected that there was something wrong with his scanner, because the screen actually showed …
Fresh beef, storage period of 127 days, harmful substances far below the threshold of edible. Ingredient quality – perfect!
Meat itself was a luxury, but the fresh beef this person brought out … It was not an exaggeration to call it the luxury of luxury. This kind of thing was basically extinct in the apocalypse. There was not a single unmutated fat cow on the entire planet. Even if there was, it would be in the far north where the radiation level was relatively low.
In the Sixth Street, or the entire wasteland, the majority of people did not have the opportunity to eat healthy food. Under normal circumstances, the survivors would choose to use nutrient supply to fill their stomachs. That kind of thing that was produced with the protein tissue of mutant creatures as raw materials naturally wouldn't taste good. It could only be said that it was barely edible.
Jiang Chen was probably the only person on the wasteland who could eat "green food" every meal.
What was even more infuriating was that this guy thought canned food was not as good as fresh food …
"There's still a lot left."
"Please proceed to the VIP room, there will be specialized traders to serve you." The trader at the front desk smiled at Jiang Chen and quickly completed the procedures for him. Not long after, a good-looking lady walked to Jiang Chen's side.
"Honorable sir, please follow me." The female trader mysteriously smiled at Jiang Chen, then turned around and led the two to the VIP room with her graceful catwalk. The reason why the transaction was handled in the VIP room was to protect the confidentiality of the customer's information. If he carried a bunch of valuable items in the lobby, he would not be able to walk more than one hundred meters out of the Sixth Street.
When the wooden door was pushed open, a faint aroma of tea wafted in. A classic wooden table and a leather sofa. In the middle of the tea table was a pot of incense. The expensive purple clay teapot exuded a sense of elegance. In this VIP room, it felt like a modern tea room.
"Please come in, sir." In front of the door, the beautiful female trader slightly lowered her head as the seductive cleavage on her chest was faintly discernible. Miss Sun Jiao, who stood on the side, narrowed her eyes as a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
For some reason, the eyes of the beautiful trader gave him goosebumps as if she wanted to eat him.
But Jiang Chen didn't think too much about it as he walked into the VIP room.
Just as the beautiful trader was about to enter and close the door behind her, Sun Jiao also walked in nonchalantly.
The beautiful trader looked at Sun Jiao with surprise and dissatisfaction. But the barbaric Miss Sun Jiao glared back at her.
Glancing at Sun Jiao's impressive breasts, the female trader pouted unwillingly. She still maintained the polite smile on her face as she closed the door without a word.
Jiang Chen, of course, didn't know about the confrontation that happened in just a few seconds.
Transactions over one hundred crystals had to be conducted in the VIP room. One reason was to be cautious, and the other was to attract the "big customers". The VIP room was connected to special services, which was not news in the Sixth Street.
The "professional" female trader could earn tips through special services, and the backend of the Sixth Street exchange could receive "good reviews" from the big customers. In some sense, it was a win-win situation.
But since Miss Sun Jiao was here, the female trader's tip was obviously gone.
After a round of counting, the transaction was quickly settled. 20 perfect quality cans were fairly settled at a high price of 50 crystals each. After all, these canned food were no longer just food. It was not an exaggeration to call them luxury goods. If these cans were brought to the rich people in the inner circle, they would be sold at double the price.
The rarer something was, the greater its value.
Because of this, Sun Jiao complained in Jiang Chen's ear countless times, but Jiang Chen didn't care. Instead, he was secretly happy.
How much was one can worth? But one crystal could quickly charge the interdimensional bracelet by 10%! That way, he wouldn't have to take the risk to steal electricity.
It was a win-win deal.
"Do you know where the VIP room is?" Sun Jiao suddenly asked as they walked in the crowded market.
"Mhmm? A place to trade large amounts of goods? "Jiang Chen didn't understand why she asked this.
"Pfft." Sun Jiao suddenly held her stomach and laughed. "So you don't know."
"I don't think it's interesting." Jiang Chen looked at Sun Jiao speechlessly.
Sun Jiao, who had laughed enough, suddenly moved her lips close to his ear with a hint of mockery on her face.
"It's a place that provides special services."
Jiang Chen felt her breath on his ear as his scalp felt numb. But he was already used to Sun Jiao's teasing, so he didn't blush and jump away like before. Instead, he shamelessly showed an expression of enjoyment.
"Do you hate me for ruining your good time?" Sun Jiao jokingly asked, "If I stood outside, she would probably give you the 'full service'. That girl is probably still scolding me for ruining her business. "
"Why would I hate you? I like you more." Jiang Chen also moved closer to Sun Jiao's ear with a smirk and blew on it.
"…" Sun Jiao's face turned red. She was still a girl who had just experienced human relationships. Although she always referred to herself as a sister, she was not older than Jiang Chen.
Suddenly, Sun Jiao's eyes narrowed.
"Someone is following us."
"Who?" Jiang Chen paused and subconsciously wanted to turn around.
"Don't turn around. Pretend nothing happened. No one dares to make a move here. I have a way to deal with these rats, my boss. "Sun Jiao smiled as she bit Jiang Chen's ear. In the eyes of bystanders, the two of them looked like a pair of young lovers flirting.
Since someone was tailing them, the two of them naturally sped up their journey.
Sun Jiao brought Jiang Chen to a place that looked like a hospital. After he entered, he learned that it was a place that sold all kinds of vaccines and genetic vaccines.
After paying a total of 55 crystals, the doctor wearing a mask injected Jiang Chen's left and right arms with a shot. One of them was a T-type vaccine to prevent infection from zombies. The other was a C-level genetic vaccine. Based on the doctor's description, it could increase muscle strength, reflex nerves, and bone strength by 10-25 points. The body strengthening effect would gradually take effect over the next three days.
There were a lot of useful drugs in the pharmacy, and Jiang Chen selectively bought some. They were all drugs that could improve the body. Since strength was the prerequisite for wealth, he couldn't always hide behind Sun Jiao.
Although Jiang Chen did want to. Hiring someone to fight was more elegant than doing it himself. Ahem …
Then, the two went to the firearms store to restock their ammunition. Sun Jiao's Sirius assault rifle used C-type batteries as ammunition. It only cost one crystal to recharge five magazines.
As for the PK200 assault rifle, the 7.62mm rifle bullets were a bit more expensive. 360 rounds of bullets cost a total of 4 crystals. Although Sun Jiao's face was filled with pain, Jiang Chen paid without hesitation.
Trading canned food for firearms was a great deal!
Of course, the "barbarians" here wouldn't understand.
On the wasteland, laser weapons were the most economical and environmentally friendly choice. Medium to short-range laser rifles were enough for most cities to fight on. As long as it wasn't a high-powered long-range laser rifle, the energy consumption was very low. For the Sirius in Sun Jiao's hand, its effective range was only 400 meters. Beyond 400 meters, the energy of the bullets would be greatly reduced. However, a C-type battery was enough to fire 200 rounds of bullets. If it wasn't for the fact that the weapon would overheat, the weapon could fire as much as a machine gun at close range.
As to kinetic weapons, the advantage was the long effective range, the bullet's power was not significantly reduced, and the energy shield was not completely immune. For PCA's PK200 assault rifle, with an 8x scope, it could be used as a sniper rifle. Although it was a waste for Jiang Chen to use it, it was the most suitable weapon for him.
The reliability of kinetic weapons was many times better than laser weapons. An EMP grenade could cause the laser rifle to break down, but the kinetic weapon could continue to fire. If there was an accident, Sun Jiao would take care of the laser weapon's various malfunctions, but Jiang Chen could only watch.
"Let's stay here for the night." Sun Jiao looked at the setting sun and casually glanced at the stalker from the corner of her eyes.
"But …" Jiang Chen frowned. He felt uncomfortable that he was being followed.
"The night is dangerous," Sun Jiao said emotionlessly. At the same time, a cold smile appeared on her face. "But at the same time, it is full of opportunities."
Looks like some people are destined to be unlucky tonight.
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