area51novel Chapter 86 It's not easy.
Chapter 86 It's not easy.
The bartender's question immediately put Lu Chen in a state of hesitation.
—When introducing himself, Lu Chen subconsciously said that he was "number 9334," which was purely an instinctive reaction.
They hadn't considered that this number would also reveal the approximate time of recovery and how long they had survived in the City of Time.
As a former survivor and now a scavenger, having lived in the City of Time for so long, he still has the energy to go to the North City to "find work".
How can someone be doing so well without understanding the main population of the City of Time: the Originals?
This seems a bit unreasonable.
Fortunately, Lu Chen is not a model student who stutters when he lies.
After a quick, discreet calculation, he replied with a composed expression, "It's been more than three years."
Lu Chen thought to himself: Jade is number 9101, which was revived six years ago;
I myself am number 9527, and I was revived this year.
The falsely reported number 9334 falls somewhere in between.
Therefore, the real revived person, number 9334, must have been revived about three years ago.
"Do you have bank debts?"
The bartender asked another question, and Lu Chen nodded without hesitation.
"a lot of."
...
"This trip to Beicheng was partly due to that reason."
This completely cleared up the bartender's doubts.
Having lived in the City of Time for three years, one should not, in principle, have any "cognitive deficiencies".
But if it's burdened with bank debt, then it makes sense.
In just a moment, the bartender had already filled in the blanks about Lu Chen's general experiences over the past three years.
Three years ago, he was picked up by a scavenger and revived at Rehabilitation Center No. 1 as a medical experiment subject.
Afterwards, led by their own scavengers, they would go outside the city to scavenge for resources to earn money in order to pay for the high interest on their bank debts.
In this way, they worked continuously at high capacity in the South Gate area for three years.
Now, finally overwhelmed by debt, he decided to try his luck in the north of the city.
—Let's see if we can find any wealthy people with peculiar collecting hobbies in the northern part of the city, so we can make a killing...
Thinking this, the bartender subconsciously lowered his eyes and looked at Lu Chen's bare left arm.
The balance of approximately 83 days is also consistent with the balance of most scavengers.
Without bank debt, one should be able to survive relatively easily.
But with bank debt already in place, these mere 83 days might not even be enough to cover a month's interest...
"That's true."
"—It's not easy for anyone."
As he spoke, a hint of pity seemed to flash in the bartender's gaze as he looked at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen found it amusing.
On his face, however, he remained expressionless, and even gave a bitter smile in perfect cooperation.
He even went so far as to put on a convincing act, saying things like, "Sigh~"
"I wonder if this trip to the north of the city will yield any results..."
He let out a serious sigh, which prompted the bartender to also sigh.
After a long while, it seemed that he finally remembered the original topic.
Taking a deep breath, Fang said with a bitter tone, "The natives, you mean those...aboriginal people you mentioned."
"Born in the city, born with [1 year]."
"However, before the age of 16, the native's [timer] will not naturally expire, nor can it be taken out or stored in [time]."
"Only when an individual turns 16 will their 'timer' begin to run out and unlock, coinciding with their first heartbeat."
The new information, which he had never encountered before, immediately piqued Lu Chen's interest.
Seizing the opportunity, he quickly pressed on, asking, "Are you a native?"
The bartender nodded with a wry smile, then lowered his head with a forlorn expression, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
Lu Chen clearly saw that the timer on the bartender's left arm had less than 5 days left.
"Your [1 year]..."
"Did you use it all?"
Despite trying to keep her voice and tone low, she still didn't get a reply from the bartender.
After a long while, the bartender pursed his lips and took out the metal bottle containing the 'strong liquor' from under the bar again.
I poured out a small cup, about 100 ml, and then placed my left wrist on the capsule, paying for the 2 hours.
Then, he brought the small glass of liquor to his lips and touched it very lightly—almost imperceptibly.
After a brief silence, he suddenly raised his glass and downed the strong liquor in one gulp.
"Hiss~"
...
"Ha~~~"
……
From the bartender's changing expression, Lu Chen could easily tell that this liquor was really "strong".
I just don't know if it's because of the high alcohol content or because the taste is just too bad.
...
"A person's profession depends on the assets or skills they can inherit from their parents."
"Just like a whipping man, if he is willing to hand over the rope he holds to his child, then that child can become the whipping man."
"Or, if a person who stands firm is willing to teach their child how to become a person who stands firm, then that child can become a person who stands firm."
As he spoke, the bartender's voice became inexplicably hoarse.
I don't know if it was the spiciness of the liquor or something else.
"Are your parents the ones who stand firm?"
Lu Chen asked softly, which caused the bartender to be stunned and silent for a while.
After a long silence, he forced a bitter smile and said, "That man is number 178, the guard."
"It owns three makeshift hotels."
"That woman is one who stands firm."
...
"From the time I can remember until I turned 16, I was looking for makeshift hotels for that man."
"It can be exchanged for one slice of black bread every day."
"On the day I turned 16, that man told me: If I hand over the [one year] I will allow that woman to teach me how to become the 196th Standing Person."
"Otherwise, just abandon me and let me become Parasite No. 243 with the remaining [1 year]..."
With a forced smile, the bartender finished recounting this painful past, then reached out and gently picked up Lu Chen's cigarette case.
Then she gave Lu Chen a look that seemed to ask, "Is it okay?"
After Lu Chen nodded blankly, the bartender took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a match.
"Cough! Cough cough!"
"Cough...cough cough cough..."
After just one sip, the bartender began to cough violently and uncontrollably, his eyes instantly becoming bloodshot.
Outside the bar, Lu Chen sat there stunned, his mind reeling with shock.
—I finally understand!
Lu Chen finally understood why the Resurrected Ones were so disliked and unappreciated by the City of Time!
Because the City of Time has no shortage of people!
Some people actively conceive and have children because of the "one year" that a child is born with!
They gave birth to the child, using the standard of "not letting him die" as a guideline, and barely managed to raise him to the age of 16.
Then, using the profession they can "pass on" to their children as leverage, they snatch away the "one year" from their children's hands...
Given the nature of the City of Time and this bizarre world, this could even be considered a long-term investment that generates stable income—and a substantial amount of income in terms of time!
In theory, as long as you have enough children, you can get a continuous supply of "time".
If you have one child every year and persist in this practice, you can start to have a stable "1 year" every year from 16 years onwards, offsetting the natural passage of time!
Have more children—for every additional child, you earn an extra [1 year]!
In other words, in the City of Time, having children is also a way to acquire [time].
Or perhaps it's a "business" with low investment and extremely high returns...
...
"Yes~"
"It's not easy."
"It's not easy for anyone."
...
After a long silence, Lu Chen was filled with mixed emotions.
In the end, he managed to squeeze out only these few words.
Neither is easy.
It's not easy for anyone...