Zero spent the night in the utility room, accompanied only by the miniature automatic machine gun he carried with him, and the icy ground.
He was identified as incompetent, and for the Z7 base, there was no extra room for an ordinary person like him. Zero has no objection to this arrangement, but even the rough ground that has not been polished by water is really difficult for people to sleep comfortably.
Ling couldn't sleep, his appearance was as cold as a lone wolf. But in his heart, he was deeply shocked by Liya's words.
Obviously, the world after waking up is completely different from what he remembered. The country system of the old era has completely collapsed, leaving only the endless wilderness and all kinds of monsters wandering in the wilderness. The conditions for survival are so harsh, that's why supernatural beings who can compete with surface monsters for resources are so important.
In fact, strictly speaking, the Z7 base also has a supernatural person. That person is Old Jack's granddaughter Leah, but Leah's abilities are first-level memory specialization and second-level pharmacist specialization. Compared with the five domains that are more inclined to fighting, Liya's abilities belong to the auxiliary category. As for the auxiliary ability users, they are basically classified as ordinary people.
Now, Zero can somewhat understand why Old Jack was so disappointed after he was identified as an incompetent.
But they don't know that Zero doesn't have any special abilities. The golden right eye that can freely adjust the viewing distance, like a high-powered telescope, is not something ordinary people can have. It's just that this kind of ability, Zero doesn't want to expose it to outsiders for the time being. Otherwise, judging from the crazy demands for abilities in this era, it is not guaranteed that they will send Zero to the operating table, and then take out that special right eye for research.
Maybe I need a pair of dark glasses. Thinking so, Zero fell asleep with his arms around the machine gun. In less than three seconds, his even breathing sounded, and the physical energy consumed after a day of activities was slowly recovering like a trickle.
When the clock at the base pointed to the direction of six o'clock, Zero opened his eyes, not feeling well at all.
He got up and moved his body, feeling that his physical strength had recovered. But I only ate one meal yesterday, but I still don't feel hungry. It seems that the moldy bread and bitter water are still playing a role. Zero frowned, knowing that was impossible. Then a little bit of food should normally be converted into the calories needed by the body and consumed. Judging from the current situation, if it is not that those foods have high-calorie substances, then there is something in Zero's body that stores the absorbed heat and distributes it with high precision, so that no trace of energy is wasted, so that the food can be consumed function to the maximum.
The former is impossible no matter how you look at it. As for the latter, Zero can't even imagine it.
Such things are not functions that normal human organs can have. If there is such an energy-saving system, it can only show that Zero has been secretly modified to some extent. It reminded him of his golden right eye, was that also a product of some kind of surgery
However, such information does not exist in the memory bank of his head. Zero, who can't even remember what kind of person he was before entering the hibernation chamber, and what he experienced, naturally cannot have any memories of being transformed.
The truth is forever hidden in the mist.
Zero can't remember who said this sentence to him before, but it is perfectly appropriate to describe his current situation.
That hibernation chamber, I have to check it carefully again if I have a chance. Zero thought.
At this time, a deafening bell rang outside the utility room. Followed by Old Jieshi’s voice, it rang through the radio: “Wake up for me, you bastards. It’s time for work. If you’re still in bed, be careful that I’ll kick your eggs. I’ll give you five minutes now.” eat during the free time, and then roll to the homework area to report!"
After the radio rang three times in a row, it stopped tormenting people's ears. Zero pressed his ears, feeling that the sound of the broadcast was too loud, and it made his eardrums hurt badly.
There was a knock on the door suddenly, and after three consecutive knocks, the door was pushed open, revealing Liya's immature face.
She seemed to have something on her mind, looked at Zero with hesitation, but finally said: "Come with me, Grandpa has something to ask you."
Zero nodded, and followed her out of the utility room.
After passing through the long passage, the two walked in the residential area, turned left and right before arriving at the house where Ling stayed yesterday, Old Jack's home.
Leah took Zero to another room in the house, which was furnished like a study. But in the simple room, there are only two or three books in the old bookcase that is almost rotten. Old Jack was sitting on a black leather chair with several holes in it. He was smoking a pipe, and his feet in military boots were leaning on the desk. In front of the desk, including the black Holt, stood four soldiers in military uniform.
It's just that these military uniforms are quite dilapidated, not to mention patched, and also stained with large areas of oil stains.
The soldiers uniformly carried the rifles of the old era. The butts made of black hardwood had paint stains all over them, and there were white marks on the black-blue barrels. Apparently these guns have been around for a number of years, which really makes one wonder how powerful they are.
Zero glanced at them, knowing that these were all guns. This bulky old-fashioned rifle is a single-shot firearm. The rifling in the barrel allows the bullet to be fired in a rotating manner, so there is still room for accuracy, and the range is as high as about 400 meters. The speed determines that this kind of firearm cannot be used in large-scale group warfare.
However, as a half-living, half-industrial base, soldiers equipped with this kind of firearms are also in line with its status.
Seeing Zero coming in, Old Jack waved his hand to signal the others to go out first. So Holt and the four soldiers filed past Zero, and as they passed, Zero saw a schadenfreude in their eyes.
The door was closed, and only Old Jack and Zero were left in the study.
Old Jack let out a smoke ring and said, "Our base doesn't support idlers. If you want to stay here, then you must work for me."
"Fair." Zero nodded. Then he asked, "Then what job do you have for me?"
"Our base is a small place, and there are only two kinds of jobs that are suitable for you." Old Jack said slowly: "One is mining, and work with those miners in the underground mining area. The daily wage is 10 cents."
Zero raised his eyebrows and asked, "What about the second one?"
"I also know that you will not be happy to be a miner. Although you are incapable, you should still be a good fighter, so the second type will be more suitable for you." Old Jack put down his pipe, and the fire inside dimmed. Dropping the soot, he said, "Come be a mercenary. Your daily job is to maintain the order of the base. When you go on missions, you will be paid accordingly. If you do a good job, I can apply for a professional license from the Parkland chaebol."
"Sounds good, I think mercenaries are more suitable for me than mining workers." Zero asked calmly: "Then boss, you should have a task for me now, right?"
"Smart guy." Old Jack praised, he took out a map and threw it in front of Zero.
The map is not big, and the location of the Z7 base is simply marked on it. Three hundred kilometers east of the base, there is a town with the words "Silver Tree City" on it. As for the places near the base, there are mostly mountains and wilderness, and they are all marked with the word "dangerous" with a red pen.
Old Jack pointed to the location of Silvertree City, and said: "Our medicines are almost running out. If we don't get supplements, it will be difficult for us to survive this year. Mining is a dangerous job, although the radiation in underground mining areas is not as severe as that on the ground. But In it, occasionally infected mutated organisms or minerals carrying viruses will appear. These days, there are eight hundred if not a thousand viruses that can be deadly. If they are not treated in time, even the strongest people will die. Die soon."
"Your company, doesn't it provide medical assistance?" Zero asked with a frown.
Old Jack laughed and said with a sneer: "Do you think the company is a charity, young man? In the eyes of those aristocratic gentlemen, we are just living tools. In this age, the preciousness of drugs is beyond Compared to gold, do you think they will waste medicines on money-making tools? Of course, it is not impossible to buy medicines from companies, but it is difficult to pay this fee with the profits of our small mining area."
Zero is relieved, in this new era of the world, only people with supernatural powers or those who hold great power will be respected. Other ordinary people, including the old man in front of him, are just substitutes.
"Besides buying medicines from the company, there is only another way." Old Jack focused on the town on the map: "This is a small town with thousands of people, of course it has now become ruins A paradise for monsters. But in this small town, there is a hospital that has the most needed antibiotics and penicillin. If you are willing to go to the city with Holt and the five of them to get enough medicine for the base, I can help You pay 100 yuan for this mission."
100 yuan does not sound like much, but it is worth the wages of the miners for nearly three years, so it can be called a small fortune.
Naturally, Zero knows that this small amount of money is also not so easy to obtain. Profit always comes with risk.
"I have accepted this task, but I still need a pair of sunglasses, a dagger and some ammunition." Zero put forward his request.
Old Jack readily agreed: "No problem, you can go to Huot to get these things. As for the fee, I can remember it for you first, and then deduct it from it if you are lucky enough to get the reward."
Zero nodded, and Old Jack said again: "Then prepare yourself and set off in the afternoon. As for the details of the operation, you can ask Holt. If there is no problem, then you can go out."
Zero had no other questions for the time being, so he turned and left. But when he opened the door, he stopped again and asked Old Jack, "For you, what do those mining people think?"
"You have a lot of problems, kid." Old Jack said angrily, "Workers, whether you or those bastards, are just workers hired by my old Jack!"
worker? At least, one hundred times happier than being treated as a tool. Thinking so, Zero silently exited the room.
Zero One left, Old Jack sighed. Putting fresh tobacco into the pipe, he started smoking again. The fire from the pipe flickered, reflected in a framed picture on the desk.
In the frame is an old, yellowed photo of a young Jack grinning while holding a hammer.
Once upon a time, he was also a worker!