Welcome to Ability Store

Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Privileges for Ability Users

Honglian quietly tugged on Chen Xuan’s sleeve.

The latter realized that his question was inappropriate and immediately added, "Oh, I thought it had gone bankrupt before the war even started. My elders bought its stock."

Zhuang Yu nodded without delving further into the matter.

The group descended to the third level, where the space and passages were considerably wider, and the crowd was less dense than above.

"The third level has many restricted areas not open to regular residents. If you see no-entry signs, don’t go wandering in," she explained.

"Why?" Honglian asked.

"Because most of the equipment that keeps the subway station running is concentrated on this level. If it’s damaged, it could threaten everyone’s safety. Guards here have the direct authority to open fire, and there are many traps and automatic weapons in the restricted areas, so remember not to cross the line."

"How many levels are there here?"

"Five layers," she replied, "The fourth level is the subway platform, and during renovations, another level was expanded downward to house the nuclear fusion reactor and water circulation system... But the latter is broken now, so we can only fetch water from the two ultra-deep wells outside."

"Why not fix it if it’s broken?" Wang Baihu asked perplexed.

"No one dares to go," Zhuang Yu’s expression was somewhat complicated, "because of the ghost metro."

"Ghost metro?" Everyone looked puzzled.

She didn’t elaborate further, instead stopping at a heavy steel door.

After verifying her identity, the two guards at the door pressed the doorbell, and a raspy voice from the surveillance overhead responded, "Come in."

"This is..." Honglian looked at Zhuang Yu.

She turned back and made a motion of inviting them in, "Our leader wants to meet all of you. Don’t worry; it’s just a standard procedure for new visitors."

Chen Xuan was the first to walk in.

Behind the iron door was a very bright room, with steel walls on all sides. What surprised him the most was the pile of gold ingots stacked in the center of the room, almost waist-high, their intoxicating orange-yellow sheen instantly drawing everyone’s gaze.

"Are they all real?" Wang Baihu exclaimed, "Altogether, they must be worth tens of billions..."

Jiang Siqi and Little Pigeon were also wide-eyed.

"They are indeed real, each and every one of them five kilograms of pure gold," a man said.

Following the sound, Chen Xuan saw that the speaker was a middle-aged man in his fifties, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, wearing an antique-style pair of glasses. His appearance was quite ordinary, the type that would immediately disappear in a crowd. However, he didn’t open his mouth to speak; the sound came from a circular metal disc embedded in his neck, somewhat resembling an external speaker, which became his most distinctive feature.

"Unfortunately, though gold bars are shiny and enticing, they hold no trading value anymore. I set up my office here just because the lighting in the vault is bright," the middle-aged man got up from his seat willingly, enthusiastically reaching out to them, "My name is Du Pingzhang, welcome to the Sha Jiang District shelter."

"Hello, Leader Du." Chen Xuan shook his hand, "We come from a small town southwest of Bamboo City, hoping to find a friend we’ve been separated from for years."

After two days with the Searcher, he and Honglian had grasped a general understanding of this era: Although the nano-living bodies are rampant, humanity is far from extinction, just scattered into smaller rural towns and villages. If industrialization rapidly advanced urbanization, the nano bug disaster is the power of reverse urbanization—the more advanced and automated a city is, the more severe the impact of the nano-living bodies.

After all, no one can guarantee that the everyday tools won’t suddenly come to life, turning into terrifying monsters hunting humans. In big cities, the chances of such transformations are evidently higher.

Compared to the apocalypse that Lin Qing experienced, the harm from nano-living bodies has significantly decreased in magnitude. If it weren’t for the presence of giant living bodies like the Celestial Patrol in Jiang City, local residents might have already started rebuilding the city.

Hence, Chen Xuan and Honglian devised a simple narrative, placing their origins in a countryside town in Bamboo City. There indeed was a logistics transfer station facing midwest, and amidst the densely packed mountains, it’s not unusual to find habitats least affected by the disaster.

Then he briefly introduced everyone.

"Heh... Little Yu already mentioned it to me. Thank you all for saving my people," Du Pingzhang laughed, "Quite a few of you are Ability Users, correct? It’s a rare occurrence; our outpost hasn’t had new Ability Users visiting for a long time."

"Living here... isn’t free, is it?" Jiang Siqi asked while still glancing at the gold bars.

"Indeed, our resources are quite limited and cannot be freely provided to every visitor," he replied candidly, "But don’t worry, we offer many job opportunities, including special assignments for Ability Users. If you are willing to join the Sha Jiang outpost, you’ll immediately receive a superior housing unit, a certain amount of Credit Points, and half a month’s worth of meal coupons."

"What if we don’t join?" Honglian asked.

"We still welcome you nonetheless, just with fewer benefits. You can apply for jobs in the department, like machine cleaning, outpost maintenance, animal hunting, and so on..." He rubbed his sturdy palms, the metal disc on his neck emitting a static sound, "Labor in exchange for remuneration is rightful at any moment, in any place, isn’t it?"

"You are correct." Honglian nodded in agreement, "But remuneration... does it mean money?"

"Hahahahaha... Do you still use money there? That’s so enviable." Du Pingzhang chuckled, "We wish to retain the tradition too, unfortunately, reality doesn’t allow it. In Jiang City, compensation is Credit Points, representing your contribution to the Refugee Mutual Aid Association. The Credit Points you earn working here can be used at other outposts too."

So that’s how it is...

Chen Xuan suddenly understood, Jiang City can’t print money itself, meaning the total amount of currency is fixed. Plus, outsiders might bring large sums of money, which could severely impact the fragile supply system, abandoning the previous monetary system is the only choice.

However, being able to interchange Credit Points still surprised him a bit, "Are all outposts connected?"

"Of course." The counterpart replied naturally, "You can treat Sha Jiang Station as a residential complex, each complex has its own proprietors. But we are all Jiang City people, tied to the same fate; it’s only natural to help each other in times of crisis."

That’s surely good news.

It signifies all survivors are interconnected by a network.

"How might I travel to other outposts?"

"Buy a map and proceed independently." Du Pingzhang hesitated but eventually divulged, "However, I don’t suggest doing so immediately. Surface travel nowadays is extremely perilous. Each area’s boundaries have troublesome medium to large-sized nano-living bodies, and even as Ability Users, you may encounter unexpected dangers."

"Thank you for the warning, I was simply inquiring." Chen Xuan readily responded.

"Good to hear." The counterpart consoled, "I’m not being alarmist or coercing you to join the Sha Jiang outpost. Once you enter this place, you’ll likely never be able to leave in this lifetime. In other words, no matter which outpost you eventually choose to join, you’ll strengthen the survivors; therefore, I hope you won’t fall needlessly on the way."

"Since compensation is universal, and shelters equate to residential complexes, isn’t it normal for people to move to another complex?" Wang Baihu straightforwardly asked.

"Eh..." Du Pingzhang instantly appeared a bit awkward, "That’s true, but a month’s meal coupons and housing fees do incur costs. If those costs can be covered... relocating poses no problem."

Got it; he’s reluctant about the benefits.

"In that case, we’ll settle here for now."

"Oh?" Du Pingzhang raised an eyebrow, "Does Mr. Chen mean..."

"Yes, we are willing to join the Sha Jiang outpost." Chen Xuan replied decisively.

What’s attracting him isn’t the Credit Points nor the meal coupons, but that "superior housing unit."