Civilization is the spiritual wealth, inventions and creations that have been precipitated throughout history and are beneficial to enhance human beings' adaptation and understanding of the objective world, are in line with human spiritual pursuits, and can be recognized and accepted by the vast majority of people.
So, civilization does exist here.
It's just that the development is abnormal.
If I could sum up the level of technology in Block 6 in one word, it would be a mixed bag. You can see mercenaries with rifles slung around their waists smoking cigarettes in a daze at the recruitment point, and you can also see traders using holographic computers to count goods. It is not uncommon for people to be missing arms and legs. Some use crutches, while others use mechanical prostheses that are more agile than real legs.
If I could sum up the living standard of the Sixth Street District in one word...it would be a mixed bag of good and bad.
Skinny men and women were everywhere. Because of hunger, people no longer even had the strength to cry out. Uniformed soldiers patrolled the streets in groups of three, holding guns. Ignoring the hungry people, they also ignored the people soliciting customers on the street.
Like machines, the expressions on their faces cannot be seen behind dark sunglasses.
"Absolute neutrality is the foundation of the Sixth District in this wasteland. The laws here are very simple. Murder and theft will be punished by death, transactions without tax will be expelled, and malicious injury will be imprisoned." Sun Jiao explained casually to Jiang Chen, who was not used to this place yet.
"Then why wasn't that person shot dead?" Jiang Chen swallowed and watched with disbelief as a man in uniform beat a hungry woman to death with a wooden stick. As if aware of Jiang Chen's gaze, the man even gave Jiang Chen a friendly smile.
"That's the inspector, responsible for dealing with dead bodies in the slums." Sun Jiao answered in a accustomed tone, but Jiang Chen could feel that she didn't seem to like it here either.
That woman is obviously still alive...
"The inner circle of the Sixth Block will be cleaner, but if you enter, you will need to pay a small price of Yajing. We are here just to trade some useful things, so the outer market is enough." Sun Jiao changed this topic.
"..." Jiang Chen nodded silently.
This twisted civilization.
Although the peripheral markets are also very dirty, they are much better than those in the slums. The shot thief or some blind criminal was thrown directly next to the garbage dump. In the evening, the inspector would drag it to the "farm" and mix it with the "fat" harvested by the camp today to make a crop-growing agent. fertilizer.
Some of the more famous "robbers" were painted with formalin and nailed to wooden boards.
"-Roger Gelson, nicknamed Claw Wolf. He committed murders in the Sixth District three times and was shot to death by the security team in the sewers."
Upon closer inspection, the identity of the deceased was engraved on the wooden sign.
The name looks foreign, but there's nothing surprising about it. NATO troops have landed in this city, and many people have stayed here.
At the entrance of the market, two businessmen with relatively clean clothes were bargaining fiercely. Finally, they seemed to have finally reached a consensus and signed their names on an agreement. Under the notarization of the market management staff, one party took out the crystal and placed it on the energy counting device, while the other party moved out ten women wearing only thin veils from the rented tent.
That's right, they moved out.
Each woman's slender and white neck was covered with a ring-shaped electronic lock, and she obeyed the pull with dull eyes.
The looks of those women are pretty good, their fair skin is comparable to that of inflatable dolls, but they have bar codes tattooed on their cheeks that only appear on products.
Seemingly satisfied with the "goods", the businessman who paid Yajing directed his men to load the women into the truck and then drove away from the market.
"Xinrui Hotel." Sun Jiao said slowly while squinting at the direction in which the truck was leaving.
Jiang Chen noticed that Sun Jiao's hands had been clenched into fists unconsciously.
"hotel?"
"It's just a sex den." Sun Jiao spat lightly, "Providing a full range of 'services' to the residents. You know what the specific services are. There, the female slaves are consumables. After all, what kind of person with perverted desires They all exist. I once heard a guy who was not very bright in a tavern in Liuding Town boast about how tender the meat of girls in cutting-edge hotels is...in a food sense."
Jiang Chen shuddered. He seemed to be able to imagine what kind of hell those expressionless girls would face.
"That human trafficker probably belongs to the force that occupies Vault 101. They use cloning technology and culture fluid supply devices to cultivate low-cost clones. The people cultivated by these technologies are more like commodities than humans."
"So, what on earth is a shelter?" Jiang Chen looked sideways at Sun Jiao's emotionless eyes in disbelief and asked with difficulty.
"It's a very magical thing. Each shelter has a different design concept in order to achieve maximum survival efficiency." Sun Jiao shrugged, "I was born in shelter 071, and now I think about it, I'm quite lucky. There. The design concept is to standardize personality with fixed procedures. Although the life routine is relatively rigid, it is still happy. Some shelters are not so lucky."
After saying that, Sun Jiao's beautiful face showed a cruel smile that did not match her age.
"I once heard that the design concept of the 070 shelter is to treat people with people, and inspire people to survive by creating a spiritual leader-like character... This shows how naive the pre-war designers were. It is said that the arch of the shelter is only 10 Years ago, it developed into a hell. The 'moral model' only carried out justice for a few years, then forgot about the restraint of civilized people and became the tribal chief. Haha, it is said that he used the authority of the security procedures to absurdly He cleared out all the men, leaving only women as tools for his sexual release... As for the 101 shelter, it is probably an uninhabited shelter."
Shocked by the cruel reality, Jiang Chen swallowed with some difficulty. However, he still didn't understand what Sun Jiao said.
"No one is sheltering? Doesn't anyone still need to take shelter?"
"Haha, of course, store the DNA data of elites from all walks of life, open the embryo culture dish after reaching the asylum period, automatically 'produce' those perfect bodies, and then cooperate with the virtual reality system to obtain more than ten years of life in a relatively short period of time. 'Memory'. Haha, I don't know what the meaning of those products coming out of the culture tank is. Did the pre-war designers realize that these products would be very popular in the post-war wasteland?" Sun Jiao There was no trace of ridicule in his words. Jiang Chen, who was standing aside as an audience, couldn't help but remain silent.
Is this the end of civilization...
"We're here." Sun Jiao's brief words interrupted Jiang Chen's thinking, and she pulled him to the door of a shop.
This is the official purchasing station for the peripheral market of the Sixth Block, responsible for valuing and purchasing goods that are in demand in the camp. Although cans, batteries and the like can be used directly as currency in some survivor camps, those trading rules obviously do not apply to the "prosperous" Sixth District. Therefore, at this time, an organization with credibility is needed to promote a unified currency. At the same time, it is also easier to collect taxes.
Yajing, as the main energy source for high-power equipment, has a rigid demand for any survivor base. And its easy portability also meets the necessary characteristics of currency in circulation.
Although applying for a store to sell cans was a more profitable option, Jiang Chen, who was not short of money, naturally chose the most convenient way and sold those expensive cans to the most impartial Sixth District official.
In this regard, Sun Jiao did not do much to dissuade her. It was obvious that she did not want to stay here for too long.
"Something." A mechanical and skillful reply came from the window.
When Jiang Chen saw Sun Jiao signaling to him, he took out the backpack behind him, took out something inside and put it on the table.
"Hiss..." The trader in the window gasped.
Jiang Chen finally heard a trace of unbelievable shock in that tone, and at the same time, he felt several greedy eyes on his back.
Jiang Chen shivered unnaturally and cast a questioning look at Sun Jiao helplessly. Sun Jiao smiled and told Jiang Chen not to worry, after all, no one dared to break the rules here. At least they were completely safe until they left District Six.
"Do you still have the goods, sir?" There was a hint of respect in the voice.
Canned fresh meat... Even the nobles living in the inner circle mostly eat mutated beef meat and ripened vegetables every day. The front desk trader even suspected that there was something wrong with his scanner, because what was displayed on the screen was...
Fresh beef has a storage period of 127 days and harmful substances are far below the edible threshold. Food quality - perfect!
Meat itself is a luxury product, but the fresh beef this man brought out... It would not be an exaggeration to call it a luxury item among luxuries. This kind of thing has basically become extinct in the apocalypse. I'm afraid there won't be a single fat cow on the entire planet that hasn't mutated. Even if there is, I'm afraid it will be in the far north, where radiation levels are relatively low.
In District 6, or in the entire wasteland, most people don't have the opportunity to eat healthy food. Usually, survivors choose to use nutritional mixtures to satisfy their hunger. The kind of thing produced from the protein tissue of mutated organisms cannot taste good. It can only be said to be barely edible.
You can eat "green food" every meal. Jiang Chen is probably the only one in the entire wasteland who can have such a luxury.
What's even more outrageous is that this guy thinks canned food is not as delicious as fresh food...
"There are quite a few more."
"Please go to Room VI for settlement. There will be a dedicated trader to serve you." The trader at the front desk smiled at Jiang Chen and quickly completed the procedures for him. After a while, a pretty lady came to Jiang Chen. Next to morning.
"Dear sir, please come with me." The female trader smiled mysteriously at Jiang Chen, then turned around and led the two of them in the direction of Room VI with graceful cat steps. The reason why transactions are processed in the VI room is also a measure to keep customer information confidential. If a lot of valuable things were moved out of the hall, I'm afraid this person wouldn't have a chance to go beyond the 100 meters of the Sixth Street.
Pushing open the wooden door, a faint scent of tea hits your face. The classic wooden table and leather sofa, a burner of incense placed in the middle of the tea table, and the precious purple clay teapot reveal a very impressive elegance. As far as this VI room is concerned, it feels quite like a modern tea room.
"Please come in, sir." Standing in front of the door, the beautiful female trader lowered her eyes slightly and leaned forward, with a hint of seductive promise on her chest. Miss Sun Jiao, who was standing aside, narrowed her eyes and raised a playful smile at the corner of her mouth.
For some reason, the beautiful trader's eyes made him feel a little hairy, as if she wanted to eat him.
However, Jiang Chen didn't think much and walked into Room VI.
Just as the beautiful trader was about to go in and close the door behind her, Sun Jiao also walked in as if nothing had happened.
The beautiful trader glanced at Sun Jiao with some surprise and dissatisfaction. However, the savage Miss Sun Jiao naturally stared back unceremoniously.
Glancing at Sun Jiao's proud breasts, the beautiful trader curled her lips unwillingly, still maintaining a polite smile on her face, and quietly closed the door without saying a word.
Jiang Chen naturally didn't know about the confrontation between Shu Xi.
Transactions over 100 sub-crystal points need to be conducted in the VI room, on the one hand out of caution, and on the other hand out of the win-win situation for "big investors"... The VI room is linked to special services, which are located in the Sixth Street It’s not news anymore.
"Professional" female traders earn tips for special services, while the backend of the Sixth Street Exchange can get "good reviews" from major patrons. In a sense, this is a win-win situation.
But since Miss Sun Jiao is here, the female trader's tip will naturally be wasted.
After some counting, the transaction was settled quickly. The exchange settled the 20 cans with perfect quality at a fair price of 50 sub-crystals each. After all, these cans are more than just food, even if they are called luxuries, it is not an exaggeration. I believe that if these cans were brought to the wealthy people in the inner circle, they would be able to sell them at double the price.
This is the saying that rare things are more valuable.
For this reason, Sun Jiao complained countless times in Jiang Chen's ears, but Jiang Chen didn't pay much attention. Instead, he was secretly happy in his heart.
How much is a can worth? However, 1 sub-crystal point can quickly charge the jump bracelet by 10%! This way, he no longer needs to take risks to steal electricity.
This business is worth it no matter how you think about it.
"Do you know where Room VI is?" Sun Jiao suddenly said while walking in the crowded market.
"Huh? A place where bulk goods are traded?" Jiang Chen was stunned, not understanding why she asked this.
"Pfft," Sun Jiao suddenly held her stomach and smiled in a very ungraceful manner, "Sure enough, you don't know."
"I don't think it's interesting." Jiang Chen looked at Sun Jiao speechlessly.
Sun Jiao, who had had enough laughter, suddenly brought her lips close to his ear, with a hint of teasing on her face.
“It’s a place that provides special services.”
Jiang Chen felt a breath of air being blown into his ears, and his scalp felt a pleasant numbness. However, he had long been accustomed to Sun Jiao's teasing from time to time, so naturally he would not jump away with a blushing face like before, but shamelessly showed an expression of enjoyment.
"Do you hate me for spoiling your good deeds?" Sun Jiao asked jokingly, "If I were standing outside, she might give you a 'full service'. That girl is probably still scolding you right now. I ruined her business."
"How could I hate you? I like you even more." Jiang Chen also smiled evilly and moved closer to Sun Jiao's earlobe, blowing in revenge.
"..." Sun Jiao's cheeks turned red. After all, she was still a young girl who was just trying out human affairs. Although she always calls herself sister, her actual age is not older than Jiang Chen.
Suddenly, Sun Jiao's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.
"Someone is following."
"Who?" Jiang Chen was stunned and subconsciously wanted to turn around.
"Don't look back and pretend nothing happened. No one dares to do anything here. I have my own way of dealing with these rats, my OSS." Sun Jiao smiled and bit Jiang Chen's ear and said. To others, the two looked like a flirting young couple.
Because someone was following them, the next trip of the two people naturally sped up a lot.
Sun Jiao took Jiang Chen directly to a hospital-like place. After entering, he learned that this was a place where various vaccines and genetic medicines were sold.
After paying a total of 55 Yajing, the doctor wearing a mask gave Jiang Chen an injection in each of his left and right arms. One of the shots is the T-type vaccine, which is used to prevent infection by zombie bacteria. The other shot is a C-level gene-enhancing drug. According to the doctor, its effect can increase muscle strength, reflex nerves, and bone strength by 10-25 points. The effect of physical strengthening will gradually take effect within three days.
There were many useful medicines in the pharmacy, and Jiang Chen selectively bought some of them. These are some medicines that improve physical fitness. After all, strength is the prerequisite for ensuring wealth. You can't hide behind Sun Jiao all the time, right
Although Jiang Chen really wanted to do this. No matter how you think about it, hiring someone to fight is more elegant than fighting in person, ahem
Then, the two went to the arms store to replenish ammunition. The Sirius assault rifle used by Sun Jiao used C-type batteries as ammunition. To charge 5 magazines, you only need to pay 1 unit of sub-crystal.
As for the 7.62mm rifle bullets used in the K200 assault rifle in Jiang Chen's hand, they were slightly more expensive, with 360 bullets costing a total of 4 crystal points. Although Sun Jiao looked pained, Jiang Chen paid the money directly.
Exchanging cans for arms, no matter how you think about it, you are making a profit!
Of course, the "savages" here won't understand.
In this wasteland, laser weapons are undoubtedly an environmentally friendly and economical choice. General short- and medium-range laser rifles are enough to adapt to the terrain of most urban battles. As long as it is not a high-power long-range laser rifle, the energy consumption is very low. As far as the Sirius in Sun Jiao's hand is concerned, the effective range is only 400 meters. After exceeding 400 meters, the energy of the beam bomb will be extremely attenuated. However, a C-type battery is enough to supply it with 200 beam rounds. If the overheating of the weapon is not considered, this weapon can even fire as much as a machine gun at close range.
As for kinetic weapons, the advantage is that they have a long effective range, the bullet power does not attenuate significantly, and they are not completely immune to energy shields. As for CA's standard weapon K200 assault rifle, it can be used as a sniper rifle with an 8x scope. Although this kind of gun is a bit wasteful for Jiang Chen to hold, it is undoubtedly the most suitable for him.
Kinetic energy weapons are many times more reliable than laser weapons. An EM grenade can bring down the laser rifle, but the kinetic energy rifle can still continue to fire. If an accident occurred, Sun Jiao would be able to deal with various malfunctions of the laser weapon, but Jiang Chen could only stare blankly.
"Let's stay here tonight." Sun Jiao looked at the setting sun, then casually glanced at the stalker with her peripheral vision.
"But..." Jiang Chen frowned. He felt uncomfortable all over as he was being followed.
"The night is dangerous," Sun Jiao said lightly, while a chilling smile slipped across her face, "but at the same time, it is also full of opportunities."
It seems that some people are destined to be unlucky tonight. ;