City of Time: Falling into the kill zone at the start

Chapter 074 Even if Heaven punishes you, you can still live

"Brother Chen!"

About an hour later, Zhao Jie walked out of the water shop.

After seeing off numbers 9542 and 9543, Zhao Jie immediately crossed the street and came to Lu Chen with a smile.

Unable to contain his excitement, he greeted her, then, slightly suppressing his smile, nodded to Yu with a hint of restraint.

Zhao Jie was too embarrassed to call out to anyone, and Yu didn't respond either, simply nodding slightly.

Lu Chen, on the other hand, smiled and reached out to pat Zhao Jie on the shoulder.

"The profits are good?"

Zhao Jie responded with another laugh: "Not bad at all!"

"That's quite good!"

As he spoke, Zhao Jie hurriedly rolled up his left sleeve, revealing his [timer].

【00:72:03:26:18】

"Um?"

Even though he had expected it, Lu Chen still couldn't hide his surprise and took a deep breath.

Then he looked at Yu with a strange expression.

Yu was also taken aback, surprised by Zhao Jie's remaining time.

— Zhao Jie was revived on the afternoon of August 1st.

The initial timeframe is [1 year], and [300 days] have already been used to repay the bank interest for August.

In other words, Zhao Jie's initial capital, like Lu Chen's, was only [65 days].

The difference is that Lu Chen recovered on July 30th, and had to repay the bank interest for July on the same day.

Starting on the second day of recovery, Lu Chen, who had 65 days' worth of savings, had to work hard to earn the bank interest for 300 days in August.

Lu Chen only had thirty days to raise the second installment of bank interest.

Zhao Jie, on the other hand, proactively paid off the bank interest for August before the final repayment date.

Until September 30th, Zhao Jie no longer had to worry about bank interest.

In other words, Zhao Jie had a full sixty days to raise the second installment of bank interest.

That's why Lu Chen said Zhao Jie was "lucky," and much luckier than himself.

What surprised Lu Chen and Yu was that Zhao Jie had lived in the City of Time for ten days, from August 1st, the day of the recovery, to today, August 11th.

Zhao Jie's initial capital of 65 days has already been lost by 10 days.

Even though Zhao Jie worked at the mine every day for the past ten days, earning effective income for [2 hours] each day, his balance only increased by [20 hours] in total.

Moreover, a portion of the effective income from these 20 hours also includes fixed expenses.

—The Rope Hotel is 12 minutes per night, which is 2 hours over ten days;

— One slice of dark bread [4 minutes], two slices a day, ten days is [1 hour and 20 minutes].

In addition, there was the 1 hour and 30 minutes spent 'purchasing information' from Lu Chen on the first day of recovery;

And before entering the mine to work, you must spend [6 hours] to buy a second-hand mining helmet and mining suit...

All things considered, the effective benefits of [20 hours] minus the expenses of [10 hours and 50 minutes];

Zhao Jie's balance should have been around [65 days and 9 hours].

But at this moment, Zhao Jie's timer shows a full 72 days.

This is a full 6 days and 15 hours longer than normal.

...

"you……"

"How many recoveries have you received?"

Lu Chen asked a question with a hint of confusion, but Zhao Jie answered without hesitation.

Thirteen.

"Including the two we just talked about, there are thirteen in total."

As he spoke, Zhao Jie chuckled twice and added, "Basically every resurrected person asks me dozens of questions and spends several hours buying information."

"I also met a rich guy who had no bank debts, and he chatted with me all night."

"When it came time to settle the bill, I didn't even know how to calculate it, but he remembered it clearly—several hundred questions, and he just gave me [3 days]."

"In just a few days, I've made so much money without even realizing it."

"Hehe, hehe..."

Zhao Jie chuckled, but there was little smugness on his face.

More often than not, it's the secret joy of unexpected windfall.

After Zhao Jie spoke, Lu Chen looked at Yu beside him again.

—Thirteen resurrected individuals.

Thirteen.

This number doesn't seem particularly special.

But Lu Chen reacted immediately.

Lu Chen's resurrection patient number is 9527.

Zhao Jie is 9528.

Number 9529 is the big shot who uses 18-154- as the prefix for his number, can casually produce gold and capsules, and has a net worth guaranteed for at least 5000 years.

Starting with number 9530 and continuing to number 9543 just now, there are a total of fourteen revived individuals.

If we exclude today, and the person who had their rehabilitation ceremony at Rehabilitation Point No. 2 and was picked up by someone sent by their father—that makes exactly thirteen people.

In other words, in the past ten days, apart from the father and daughter No. 9529 and No. 9541 who were "born" at recovery points No. 2 and No. 3 respectively and were therefore not caught by Zhao Jie;

Every other recovering person benefited from Zhao Jie's "information selling" service.

Judging from Zhao Jie's actions, most of the hibernation pods that will soon flood into the city will likely fall into his clutches.

As for the natural guides for these recoveries: the scavengers, they naturally wouldn't bother arguing with medical test subjects.

Those who are hoping for the best might be willing to spend 30 minutes signing a "Private Debt Repayment Agreement".

Take a gamble on a possibility, and then abandon the survivors.

...

Let's be rational. Someone like Yu wouldn't even be willing to spend 30 minutes on it.

After bringing the hibernation pods back, they discovered that the revived individuals were burdened with bank debts. They immediately cursed their bad luck and then planned to leave the city again to continue vying for more hibernation pods.

Didn't you tell them that time is precious?

"You're not even trying to dissuade me from spending three days' worth of information at once?"

After a brief silence, Lu Chen subconsciously asked two questions.

His tone also carried a hint of inexplicable coldness.

Zhao Jie looked at Lu Chen with a wronged expression, so anxious that he could barely speak.

"I tried to persuade them!"

"I won't listen!"

"My first words to them were: a slice of dark bread only takes [4 minutes] to prepare, and you can live on two meals a day!"

"Eat black bread, live in a rope hotel—you can survive in just 20 minutes a day!"

"But they won't listen!"

In a short while, Zhao Jie, who had been secretly pleased, was so anxious that he was stammering, his eyes darting between Lu Chen and Yu.

He looked as if he was afraid of offending Lu Chen.

Feeling Yu beside him looking at him with a puzzled expression, Lu Chen realized that he had lost his composure.

He coughed lightly twice, almost imperceptibly, then let out a slightly helpless sigh.

"Even if Heaven punishes you, you can still live."

"He brought this on himself..."

After a brief period of hesitation, Lu Chen quickly let go of the helpful feelings he had for his "fellow humans" stemming from his identity as a resurrected individual.

In the City of Time, the survivors burdened with bank debts face an extremely difficult situation.

However, the difficult situation is an external factor caused by the environment.

To squander time recklessly is to show a lack of respect for life.

To put it more bluntly;

Whether the survivors, burdened with bank debts, can survive in the City of Time depends on many factors.

It requires scavengers to act as guides, and it also requires luck and opportunity.

It is no exaggeration to say that it requires the right timing, location, and people to come together.

But all of this is predicated on the fact that the person recovering must put in the effort.

Knowing how to save time and being willing to work hard for survival are essential to seizing opportunities when luck comes your way.

Lacking even this basic self-discipline and unaware of the importance of saving time, they will let opportunities slip through their fingers, even when they are presented with them.

Perhaps this sounds cruel;

But this is reality.

—They gave up on life themselves.

...

"I brought you a 'gift' back from this trip out of town."

Leaving the pathetic resurrections behind, Lu Chen gradually recovered from his strange emotions.

These words only made Zhao Jie more uneasy, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two people in front of him.

Then Lu Chen gave a strange smile and calmly took out a cigarette and lit it.

He didn't forget to light a cigarette for the jade statue next to him as well.

"Phew~"

...

"Number 3994, he's not coming back."

...

"Your personal debt of [2 years] will be deemed invalid due to the creditor's death."