Chapter 4

He spent the night in the utility room, accompanied only by the miniature automatic machine gun he carried with him and the cold ground.

He was identified as a powerless man, and for Z7, there was no spare room for him.

Zero did not object to this arrangement, but it was difficult to sleep comfortably without even the rough ground worn by the mill.

He was as cold as a lone wolf.

But in his heart, he was deeply shocked by Lia's words.

Clearly, the world after he woke up was completely different from what he remembered.

The old state system had completely collapsed, leaving behind only the endless wilderness and the monsters roaming in the wilderness.

The conditions for survival were so harsh, and that was why it was so important to have a power that could compete with the monsters on the surface.

In fact, the Z7 base also had an Adept.

That person was Old Jack's granddaughter, Lia. However, Lia's ability was a tier 1 memory expert and a tier 2 alchemist expert.

Compared to the five areas that were more inclined to fight, Leah's ability belonged to the auxiliary category.

As for the auxiliary abilities, they were basically classified within the range of ordinary people.

Now, Zero could somewhat understand why Old Jack was so disappointed after he had identified himself as a powerless person.

However, what they did not know was that it was not that he did not have any special abilities at all.

It was a golden eye that could freely adjust one's vision. It was like a high-power telescope, but it was not something an ordinary person could possess.

However, Zero did not want others to know about his ability for the time being.

Otherwise, given the crazed level of power required in this era, they might even send Zero up to the operating table and take down the special right eye to study it.

Maybe I need a pair of sunglasses.

Zero thought this way, then put his arm around the machine gun and went to sleep.

In less than three seconds, the sound of his regular breathing could be heard. After a day's worth of activity, his stamina was slowly recovering like a trickle of water.

When the base clock pointed in the six o'clock direction, Zero opened his eyes.

He stood up and began to move his body. He felt that he had recovered his physical strength.

But yesterday, after only one meal, there was no hunger, as if the moldy bread and bitter water were still working.

Zero frowned, knowing that was impossible.

A small amount of food should normally be converted into the heat needed by the body and consumed.

As things stand now, if the food is not a high-calorie substance, then there is something in the zero body that stores the absorbed heat and distributes it with high precision, so that not a sliver of energy is wasted, thus maximizing the effect of the food.

No matter what, the former was impossible. As for the latter, it was something unimaginable.

Something like that was not a function that normal human organs could have. If there was such an energy conservation system, it could only mean that Zero was secretly modified to some extent.

It reminded him of his golden right eye. Was it some kind of post-operative product?

However, this kind of information didn't exist in his brain's memory banks. He couldn't even remember what kind of person he was before entering hibernation. It was impossible for there to be any memory regarding him being reconstructed.

The truth is always hidden in the mists.

He couldn't remember who had said that to him before, but it would have been perfect to describe him now.

If he had the chance, he would have to go through that Hibernation pod one more time.

Zero thought.

At this moment, a deafening bell rang from outside the junk room.

"All up, you bastards," came the voice from the radio.

It's time to work, and if you're still in bed, be careful I don't kick your balls out.

"Now give you five minutes to eat and then get the hell out of here and report to the working area!"

The radio rang three times before it stopped tormenting the ears.

Zero pressed his hands to his ears, feeling that the sound of the radio was too loud, making his eardrums hurt too much.

There was a knock on the door, and after three consecutive notes, the door was pushed open, revealing Leigh's young face.

She seemed to have something on her mind. She hesitated with a zero expression, but in the end, she still said, "Come with me, grandpa has something to talk to you about."

Zero followed her out of the storage room.

After passing through the long passageway, the two of them walked through the residential area. After turning left and right, they arrived at the house where Zero stayed yesterday, Old Jack's house.

Leah led the way to the other room in the room, which looked like a study.

But there were only two or three books in the old, rotting bookcase in the shabby room.

Old Jack sat in a black leather chair with holes in it. He was mumbling a pipe and his boots were askew on the desk.

In front of the desk stood four soldiers in military uniforms, including Black Holt.

However, these military uniforms were rather old. Not only were they patched up, they were also stained with large amounts of oil.

The soldiers were all carrying rifles of the old era. The black hardwood gun butts were all covered in paint, and the dark blue barrel was also covered in streaks of white paint.

It was obvious that these firearms had been around for many years. It made people wonder how powerful they were in the end.

Zero glanced at them and knew they were rifles.

The heavy, old-fashioned rifle was a single shot. The rifling in the barrel allowed the bullet to be fired in a spinning fashion, so there was room for precision and a range of about 400 meters, but the slow rate of firing determined that the weapon could not be used in large-scale group warfare.

However, in the case of a semi-industrial base, this kind of firearm was also suited to the soldier's identity.

When it was time for Zero to enter, Old Jack waved his hand and signaled for the others to leave first.

So Halt and the four soldiers filed past Zero, and as they passed each other, there was a glint of schadenfreude in their eyes.

As the door closed, only Old Jack and Zero were left in the study room.

Old Jack blew out a cloud of smoke and said, "Our base doesn't keep idle people. If you want to stay here, you have to work for me."

"Fair enough."

Zero Head said.

Then he asked, "What do you have for me?"

"Our base is a small place. There are only two types of jobs that suit you."

Old Jack said slowly, "One is mining. Working with those miners in the underground mining area, the daily wage is 0 cents."

Lingcun's eyebrows twitched as he asked, "What about the second method?"

"I also know that you won't be willing to become a miner. Although you are a powerless person, but you should still be a pretty good warrior, so the second kind will be more suitable for you."

Old Jack put down his pipe, the light from the fire gradually dimmed. He knocked off the cigarette ash and said, "Come and be a mercenary, your job is to maintain the order of the base."

When a mission was completed, there would also be a corresponding reward.

If you do well, I can apply to the Parkland plutocrat for a professional license. "

"Sounds good. I think mercenaries are better suited to me than miners."

Zero asked calmly, "Then boss, do you have a task for me right now?"

"Clever guy."

He took out a map and tossed it in front of his eyes.

The map wasn't large, and the location of the Z7 base was simply marked on it.

Three hundred kilometers east of the base was a town marked with the words "Silver Tree City".

As for the areas near the base, they were mostly mountains and wilderness. They were all marked "Dangerous" with a red pen.

Old Jack pointed to the location of Silver Tree City and said, "We're running out of drugs. If we don't get a replenishment, it'll be very difficult for us to survive this year."

Mining was a dangerous job, although the radiation from the underground mining area was not as strong as the surface.

Occasionally, however, there would be infected mutants or minerals that carried the virus.

"In this day and age, there are at least 800 viruses that can cause death. Without timely treatment, even the strongest people will die quickly."

"Your company, aren't they providing drug assistance?"

Zero asked with a frown.

Old Jack laughed and sneered, "Do you think a company is a charity, young man?"

In the eyes of the lords, we are merely instruments of life.

In this age, drugs are as valuable as gold. Do you think they would waste drugs on tools to make money?

Of course, buying drugs from the company isn't impossible. It's just that with the profits of our small mining area, it'll be very difficult to pay for it. "

Zero was relieved. In this new era, only people like Adepts or those who wielded great power would be respected.

Other ordinary people, including the old man in front of them, were merely substitutes for items.

"Other than buying drugs from the company, there's only one other option."

Old Jack focused on the town on the map and said, "This is a small town that once had over a thousand people. Of course, it has now become a wasteland, a paradise for monsters."

But in this town, there's a hospital that contains the antibiotics and penicillin we need most.

If you are willing to come to the city with the five of them to get enough medicine for the base, I can pay you a fee of $00 for this mission. "

It didn't sound like much, but it was worth nearly three years of mining wages, so it was a small fortune.

Naturally, Zero knew that this small amount of money was not so easy to obtain.

Profit, always with risk.

"I've accepted this assignment, but I also need a pair of sunglasses, a dagger, and some ammunition."

Zero asked for it.

Old Jack readily agreed, "No problem. You can ask Halt for these items."

As for the fee, I can give it to you first. If you have the life to take the payment, you can deduct it from the inside. "

Zero nodded. Old Jack said, "Prepare yourself. We'll leave in the afternoon."

As for the details of the operation, you can ask Halt.

If there are no problems, then you can go out. "

Zero had no other questions for the moment, so he turned to leave.

However, when he pushed open the door, he stopped and asked Old Jack, "For you, how did those mining people stay?"

"You have a lot of questions, son."

Old Jack said snappily, "Workers, whether it's you or those dogs, they are all just workers hired by me, Old Jack!"

Workers?

At least a hundred times happier than being used as a tool.

Thinking this, Zero quietly left the room.

As soon as Zero left, Old Jack sighed.

He put the new tobacco into his pipe and began to smoke again.

The glow of the pipe shone in a framed photograph on the desk.

In the frame was a yellowed old photograph of the young Jack laughing with a hammer on his shoulder.

Once upon a time, he was a worker!