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

Chapter 043 Little Comrade

After he finished speaking, Lu Chen fell silent.

As early as his first trip out of the city, when he discovered that the city gates only allowed one vehicle or one/team of scavengers to pass through every half hour, Lu Chen had a general idea in his mind.

Outside the city, the relationship among the scavengers was, if not irreconcilable, at least one of fierce competition.

no way.

There is only one radiation-free zone within a 300-kilometer radius, and the total amount of resources is limited.

Of the four city gates of the City of Time, only the South Gate is open year-round, so most scavengers can only operate in the southern suburbs.

The resources in this area have been almost entirely depleted by scavengers over the past 290 years.

Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of scavengers are all counting on this 300-kilometer radiation-free zone—or even the southern suburbs near the city gates!

With too many monks and too little porridge, conflict is inevitable.

...

Take Lu Chen, Zhao Jie, and the hibernation silo area "unearthed" from cell number 9529, for example.

Right now, Yu and Lu Chen, along with No. 3994, are engaged in a fierce struggle for that area.

In time, more people will surely become aware of the existence of that hibernation silo area.

Then, the huge profits would drive the scavengers to "seek fortune in danger," and they would even lie in wait around that area to ambush and kill other scavengers.

In this process, bloodshed is simply unavoidable.

The nature of the scavenger's profession also means that they spend a considerable amount of time outside the city—in the "lawless land" of the City of Time.

Conflicts of interest and bloodshed will inevitably lead to enmity between the parties involved, or even multiple parties.

If there is a grudge, then of course there will be revenge.

In the legal vacuum outside the city, the mutual revenge among the scavengers will almost inevitably develop in the direction of "a dark and windy night, a day for murder and arson".

"If, I mean if."

"If we really killed number 3994."

"Won't that cause us trouble?"

His past professional background made Lu Chen instinctively obedient and maintain order.

However, this also gave Lu Chen a remarkable ability to adapt to different environments.

—Lu Chen has begun to adapt to the order of the City of Time, as well as the harsh environment for scavengers to survive outside the city.

The City of Time operates on a covert, jungle law that leans towards "survival of the fittest," so Lu Chen wouldn't be foolish enough to act like a saint.

Outside the city, where scavengers operate, the law of the jungle is even more blatant. Lu Chen wouldn't be foolish enough to say, "Although he might want to kill me, I've decided to try to reform him."

Lu Chen has an instinct to 'maintain order'.

But it was just instinct.

Moreover, what Lu Chen instinctively upholds is not a specific order or a particular type of order.

The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is also a form of order.

Understanding Lu Chen's unspoken meaning, Yu Wei smiled slightly, appreciating Lu Chen's adaptability even more.

After a moment's thought, he spoke eloquently: "Among scavengers, most are wary of each other."

"But this vigilance and caution were also limited by the city walls."

"—Outside the city walls, scavengers would never trust each other."

"But once they returned to the city and their personal safety was guaranteed, many scavengers maintained close relationships with each other."

...

"For example, husband and wife, or blood relatives such as father and son, brothers and sisters."

"Or couples who haven't officially registered their marriage, or friends."

"These people outside the city also don't completely trust each other, even if they are blood relatives."

"But within the city, they can live together harmoniously like normal relatives and friends."

After saying that, Yu looked at Lu Chen with a half-smile, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Then Lu Chen slowly nodded: "Family, friends."

"If we kill No. 3994 outside the city, his family and friends may become our enemies."

"The premise is: they know that number 3994 died at our hands."

At this point, Lu Chen turned his head slightly and met Yu's playful light blue eyes.

"They couldn't possibly know."

"Because No. 3994 will not tell anyone the secret of that hibernation pod area."

"Even family members."

"Unless Number 3994 forms an alliance with someone."

Upon hearing this, a smile finally appeared on her jade-like face, reaching her eyes with admiration. She reached out and patted Lu Chen on the shoulder.

Then he let out a long sigh.

"It's common for scavengers to harbor grudges and even ambush and kill each other."

"If it weren't for this, the number of scavengers in the City of Time wouldn't have remained around 1800."

"—New scavengers always join, and old scavengers always die."

"That's why I told you before: when you encounter other scavengers outside the city, the only way to ensure you don't get killed is to kill them first."

"Unless doing so is extremely risky, with a high probability of both sides suffering losses."

"Otherwise, the best option is always to strike first, rather than to remain at peace."

At this point, Yu quietly stopped talking and turned to look at Lu Chen.

Although the words were not explicitly stated, everything was understood without being said.

"You're the captain."

"I'll listen to you."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lu Chen uttered a single sentence without any emotion, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Yu smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Regarding number 3994, the two reached a preliminary agreement through their unspoken understanding.

How exactly to do it is something the two of them need to think about and plan for themselves.

hum~

At approximately 18:40 PM, the iron gate of Resumption Point No. 3 opened with a loud bang.

Yu and Lu Chen each stood up and looked back.

Then, a figure emerged from the iron gate. It was neither particularly tall nor unusual, yet it left the two of them speechless.

—It was a man.

To be precise, he was an elderly man.

Black leather shoes, black trousers, and a dark gray top...

Yes, an executive jacket.

His facial skin was slightly loose, his eyelids drooped slightly, and his hair was a mix of gray and white.

But those eyes carried an inexplicable gentleness and kindness, and the moment they stepped out of the iron gate, they looked at Lu Chen and Yu.

"Weren't these two young comrades the ones who picked up this old man from outside the city?"

As he spoke, the old man stepped forward with a smile and naturally shook hands with Lu Chen and Yu.

Then, almost instinctively, he crossed his arms in front of his abdomen and looked at the two of them with a smile.

"Heroes emerge from among the young!"

"These two young comrades look to be about the same age as my grandchildren."

"Early twenties?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen and Yu exchanged a brief glance, and finally Lu Chen spoke up, saying, "23."

The old man smiled in response and slowly nodded.

"A vibrant and energetic youth!"

"If it weren't for that war, I would be graduating from university and entering the workforce by now."

"well……"

As he spoke, the old man raised his hand and kindly supported Lu Chen's back, leading him towards the roadside.

When she reached the shoulder of the road, she sat down without any hesitation and looked at Lu Chen with a smile.

"How are you two young comrades doing?"

"Is there anything you're facing that you need my help with?"