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

Chapter 041 A Bountiful Harvest

It had been an hour or so since I received the payment from survivor number 9529.

They had even spent nearly seven years of their eight years' worth of compensation.

Having recovered from the initial excitement of receiving unexpected and enormous profits and suddenly becoming rich, the two calmed down and naturally began to plan for the future.

— Number 9529 did indeed bring Lu Chen and Yu a considerable reward.

Lu Chen paid off his bank debts in one lump sum.

In a sense, they successfully climbed to the City of Time, above the "kill line" set for the resurrected.

The original total debt was for 6 years plus 2 years, and the interest would be paid out every month for 300 days, which would take forever to repay.

It has been transformed into a 'controllable' and 'repayable' debt with principal and interest for 7 years, which only needs to be repaid for 60 days each month for a period of three and a half years.

In the future, Lu Chen can scavenge for scraps alongside Yu, and while paying off his monthly mortgage payments (60 days a month), he can also start saving up to buy a used pickup truck.

If Lu Chen can save up enough money to buy his own pickup truck within a year (equivalent to 240 days), he will officially join the ranks of "scavengers".

In a year of 240 days, averaging 20 days per month, that's about the amount of metal needed to accumulate one ton.

Monthly mortgage payment [60 days], pickup truck purchase savings [20 days], plus the naturally occurring [30 days], and some necessary living expenses...

In other words, starting today, Lu Chen's minimum monthly income target for the next year will be around 120 days.

Two and a half years after buying the pickup truck, the minimum return target will drop to [100 days].

Three and a half years later, the pickup truck was bought, the debts of the jade were paid off, and the monthly rate was reduced to [40 days].

It's still not low.

However, it is still much easier than the previous goal of earning nearly a year's worth of income per month, which involved 300 days of bank interest plus 30 days of natural attrition, plus minimum living expenses.

Lu Chen even had this feeling.

—The person I was before wasn't like a "person" at all, but like a blood bag.

It must frantically generate new blood in order to barely survive;

If blood cannot be produced, or even if the amount of blood produced is insufficient, the City of Time will immediately devour everything, leaving not even a complete corpse.

Now, I finally feel like a real "person".

Debt has a time limit, a clear objective, and a future within reach.

Therefore, the hibernation pod No. 9529 can be considered as a ticket for Lu Chen to "become a human" in the City of Time.

...

As for jade.

It seems that he gained [4 years], but then lent [3 years] to Lu Chen, so what he gained wasn't much;

But in reality, jade also yielded a considerable harvest.

A simple calculation will reveal just how wise Yu's choice truly was.

—After receiving the reward and bonus for 4 years, if Yu does not lend 3 years of that time to Lu Chen to pay off the bank debt;

Therefore, the four years in Yu's hands will be deposited into the bank every time she leaves the city in the future.

If the service period is less than 5 years (4 years), it will be calculated as 5 years and a service fee of 5 days per day will be charged.

This means that every time Yu leaves the city and spends seven days scavenging outside the city, the assets he holds in the bank will shrink by a staggering 35 days!

no way.

In the City of Time—at least in District 18—the scavenger profession's limitation of "only being able to take [7 days] out of the city" makes them the most difficult group to accumulate wealth in the City of Time.

To avoid this exorbitant savings service fee, Yu's best option is actually to spend most of her time on it.

Alternatively, adhering to the principle that "to do a good job, one must first have the right tools," one can purchase better scavenging equipment to increase future scavenging profits.

The option is to lend Lu Chen "time" to help him pay off his bank debts, and then collect monthly repayments from Lu Chen.

Both options seem pretty much the same.

—The former is to equip jade with better gear and obtain more benefits in the future;

The latter option allows Yu to have a stable income, significantly reducing his financial burden over the next three and a half years.

Yu's monthly living expenses consist of 30 days of natural time passing + 12 days of rent, plus basic living expenses.

Lu Chen's repayment of the debt principal and interest for 60 days each month can completely cover Yu's living expenses!

In theory, jade can lie flat for the next three and a half years!

From this perspective, it seems difficult to say which one is better or worse.

The former can "work better" and "earn higher pay", while the latter can earn enough to live on without working.

However, a crucial point has been overlooked in this logic.

—If the bank debt is not paid off, the [4 years] in Lu Chen's hands will also be difficult to handle!

Alternatively, you can deposit your money in a bank and pay a savings service fee each time you leave the city;

They might switch to scavenging gear, like buying a pickup truck, thus missing this once-in-a-lifetime, absolutely irreplaceable opportunity to pay off their bank debts.

At this point, it becomes clear what the two choices mean for jade.

...

Buying equipment means that it will be easier, more convenient, and more profitable for Yu to scavenge outside the city in the future.

However, Lu Chen will remain mired in bank debt, and Yu's [2 years] personal debt is almost impossible for Lu Chen to repay.

Jade will have more and better equipment, plus an assistant.

That's it.

Conversely, by lending Lu Chen time, Yu can combine the two debts into a [5-year] period and collect them monthly.

Considering that Lu Chen cannot repay the bank debts, he will also be unable to repay the private debts he owed Yu for the past two years;

In other words, it can be said that Yu was able to activate a principal of 5 years and a debt of 7 years by lending it to Lu Chen for 3 years.

To put it simply, it's about borrowing from Lu Chen for 3 years, and then getting it back monthly for a total of 7 years.

Compared to buying equipment, there is a clear difference between the two.

—The former replaces [time] with equipment;

The latter is to replace "time" with "more time".

As for equipment, Yu can use the money Lu Chen pays off to repay his personal debts each month to gradually purchase equipment in the future.

When buying equipment, if you buy it directly, you can only buy items with a value of up to 4 years.

First, lend Lu Chen your time, then collect the principal and interest monthly, which can buy a property with a total value of [8 years]!

(Lu Chen's personal debt [7 years], plus the remaining [1 year] on hand)

Therefore, the scavenger No. 9529 brought Lu Chen and Yu a great harvest.

Lu Chen officially escaped the "kill line," and Yu also gained an extremely large profit.

But this obviously doesn't mean that the two of them can give up the hibernation pod outside the city just because they've become rich overnight.

The resources outside the city are not abundant.

In the 300-kilometer radiation-free zone, even metals are hard to find.

Every bit of profit is precious.

Especially the huge returns from a hibernation pod, which is worth [2 years].