"Hehe, Boss Jiang, are you satisfied with this one?"
The weather on the wasteland was always strange. It was clearly summer, yet sometimes it felt as cold as late autumn. Dense radioactive dust blocked most of the ultraviolet rays, making abnormal climate a norm in this world. If those cloud-like radioactive particles lingered in the sky for too long, the temperature could drop even further.
Especially in the mornings, the chill was particularly sharp.
Wearing a trench coat, Jiang Chen had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a résumé, scanning through it. The fat man standing next to him had a shiny bald head and looked old enough to be Jiang Chen's father. Yet here he was, nodding and bowing obsequiously.
In this survivor camp, built on absolute freedom and capitalism, anyone with crystal chips was a big shot. Nobody knew where Jiang Chen came from, but anyone who offended a customer like him would definitely be punished by the boss.
Besides, Jiang Chen wasn't just anyone.
Following Sun Jiao's advice, Jiang Chen fabricated a fictional identity for himself — General Manager of the Fishbone Canned Food Company. On this wasteland, aside from the leaders of major factions, two types of people held the most power: arms dealers and food producers.
Both were incredibly profitable professions, especially now that most of the land was no longer arable.
As for the name "Fishbone," it was simply convenient. Most of the canned goods Jiang Chen brought with him were branded with that name, and the embossed fishbone logo on the cans couldn't be scraped off with a knife. He was even considering, once he had enough money, whether to buy the company outright and have them print their label on paper...
"…Zhang Tianyu, former Vice President of Walker Technology. Proficient in economic management and electronic product R&D, led the development of the wildly popular Walker P7 smartphone across Asia…" Jiang Chen curled his lips. A VP? How ironic. "Ahem. Mr. Wang Yi, I'm looking for someone with computer skills and capable of doing some physical labor. And you bring me a VP?"
Sadly, this so-called executive was out. Jiang Chen had no use for corporate strategy or business planning.
Oddly enough, rejecting this "VP" felt weirdly satisfying… Of course, his expression remained unchanged.
"My apologies, my apologies, please wait a moment!" Wang Yi, the talent market manager, bowed repeatedly with a flattering smile, then turned to run back into the archive room to look again.
Sighing, Jiang Chen gazed at the ragged people in the slums.
There were families among them, too. Able-bodied men and even women in decent health would head to the industrial zone to work, exchanging labor for a few cheap nutrient packs and a tiny iodine pill — enough to barely survive with their families or on their own.
If they got sick...
Jiang Chen looked up at the clouds of radiation. The light filtering through was an unhealthy shade of yellow.
Soon, Fat Wang Yi came jogging out of the archive room with another stack of résumés and wiped the sweat off his head with a grin.
The documents were dusty, though signs of recent wiping were visible. On this wasteland, high-tech talent wasn't rare — it was oversupplied. Manufacturing bullets didn't require high-end technology, and no one was buying new computers or smartphones anymore.
Jiang Chen carefully flipped through the documents, occasionally frowning.
"Boss Jiang, are you… not satisfied?" Wang Yi asked nervously. His commission — his only livelihood — was at stake.
"Some of them are technically skilled, sure. But…" Jiang Chen pointed at the "Criminal Record" section on the résumés. "Why are all the ones you gave me criminals?"
Lu Haitao, IT worker. Sentenced to ten years for stealing fifteen nutrient packs. Assigned to manual labor at the organic synthesis plant.
Li Kaiming, former project manager at Feixun Technology. Sentenced to seventeen years for armed robbery. Assigned to bullet manufacturing.
…
Wang Yi's chubby face scrunched up into a pitiful grimace as he explained in a pleading tone.
"Boss Jiang, I really don't have a choice!"
After listening, Jiang Chen finally understood.
Not all slum dwellers were free. Those who could be sold as goods were often refugees stripped of their rights. Anyone who had ever received government aid in the Sixth District was technically state "property" — their status not unlike feudal serfs. Able-bodied individuals were forced into labor. Those who couldn't work were kept as reserves, sometimes even sent to the frontlines as cannon fodder.
Free refugees were typically those who, though poor, could still support themselves without aid.
But that system was a decade old. Now that Shanghai had stabilized and mutant beasts or zombies no longer threatened the survivor bases, the Sixth District no longer had much need for these "serfs."
To deal with surplus population, the government had quietly entered the human trafficking business.
Through official "brokers," they provided necessary paperwork and let agents sell off excess refugees. These people were usually bought by mercenaries or caravans — used as bait or test subjects. Few of them ended up with good fates.
No one wasted nutrient packs on useless people.
So the ones up for sale were typically either physically worthless or criminals.
Jiang Chen was troubled. He didn't want either kind.
Criminals were hard to control. The weak were hard to keep alive.
"Actually, Boss Jiang, you don't need to worry. All of them are fitted with electronic collars. If any of them do anything to threaten your safety — hehe…" Wang Yi, seeing Jiang Chen's hesitation, explained carefully and even made a finger gesture mimicking an explosion.
That... reassured him a little. Not ideal, but Jiang Chen sighed and began to pick the least problematic among the criminals.
Just had to be cautious.
"010342, halt. Any further movement and you will be shot." A woman's voice rang from the entrance. Jiang Chen turned his head.
Something soft hit his leg. He looked down, stunned.
"I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I know computers. Please, I beg you, buy me!" The girl's words tumbled out fast, her eyes flickering between fear and desperation.
Clutching his leg, the frail girl made Jiang Chen instinctively reach for the weapon at his back. But the woman at the door raised her gun and signaled him to stay calm. He let go.
The woman yanked the girl off him like lifting a chick. Jiang Chen frowned but said nothing.
He felt sympathy but also suspicion.
What if this was a trap by the Grey Goo Mercenary Group?
"Hehe, sorry about that. Slums are full of people in a rush to get reincarnated," Wang Yi chuckled awkwardly and signaled for the woman to drag the girl back to the camp.
Jiang Chen noticed a bracelet-like device flashing red on the girl's wrist. Anyone who had received aid wore one — if they left the slums, it triggered an alert for soldiers to retrieve them.
"What happens if she gets taken back?" he asked casually.
"Sent to a labor camp," Wang Yi shrugged. It happened every day.
"She's just a kid. She can do labor?"
"She's not that young. Only looks that way due to malnutrition. The wristbands only go on after age sixteen," Wang Yi chuckled. "Anyway, Boss Jiang, about your selection…"
"I'll take that girl," Jiang Chen said with a sigh.
A girl that weak, thrown into a labor camp… she'd probably die within days.
He'd seen too many corpses and had killed people himself. But watching a young girl dragged off to hell — he just couldn't ignore it.
Maybe it was guilt. After all, she approached because of him.
Maybe it was something called a conscience — a luxury.
"Huh?" Wang Yi blinked, looking at Jiang Chen with a strange expression, then leaned closer.
"Hehe, Boss Jiang, if you're into that sort of thing, I've got more options. I've got connections that can—"
"You talk too much."
Seeing the chill in Jiang Chen's eyes, Wang Yi shivered.
"Yes, yes, of course." No point offending a customer. He nodded and bowed.
"How long will the paperwork take?" Jiang Chen wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"About a day. Could you give me your address…" The girl had committed a major offense by crossing district borders — technically eligible for sale now. But it still needed paperwork.
"Two crystal chips. I'll wait here."
"But the legal procedure—"
"Three chips. That's your tip." Jiang Chen cut him off impatiently. What laws? Civilization was gone.
"Yes, right away!" Wang Yi hurried off to make calls to his contacts.
Though he looked sloppy, the fat man worked fast — as long as he got paid.
In just thirty minutes, the woman brought the girl back to the entrance.
But already, Jiang Chen noticed a fresh bruise on her face.
Seeing his expression darken, Wang Yi shuffled over again with a greasy grin.
"Hehe, the physical took some time. All for your safety, Boss Jiang. Please understand." Then he leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry. The nurse confirmed. Still factory-sealed, hehe."
Jiang Chen leaned slightly away from his foul-smelling breath.
He slapped five chips — fee and tip — on the desk and signed the paperwork. From this moment, girl #010342 was no longer tied to the Sixth District.
"What's your name?" Jiang Chen asked, glancing at the bruise on her cheek and the scratches on her arm. He looked away with a sigh.
The bruise was probably from a gun butt. He wasn't responsible for it — but he still felt guilty.
"Yao Jiayu." She answered obediently, though her voice was stiff with fear.
"You know computers?"
"I do!" she blurted, then quickly lowered her head again. "I earned a B-level rating in the virtual education system. Whether it's programming or hacking, I'm confident I can do it well."
"Oh? Then how'd you end up like this?" Jiang Chen looked at her in surprise. At her age, such skills would qualify her as a genius in the old world.
But in the post-apocalyptic world, it wasn't unusual.
The streamlined virtual education system skipped all the fluff. Everyone received specialized training based on their talent. Just a few years in a nurturing pod and one could master a field.
Anyone raised in a shelter had similar education. A B-rating was actually pretty decent.
Clearly, this girl was from a shelter — just ended up here for some reason.
It happened often. When shelters ran out of resources, their residents were forced to seek new homes. Many came to survivor bases like this.
"Lots of people in the slums can do it." Yao Jiayu blushed slightly, lowering her head, then looked up as if afraid he wouldn't choose her.
"M-my skills may not be the best, but I promise I won't let you down… I'm also very obedient… I'll do whatever you say. I won't resist… I'll be gentle…"
By the end, her face was beet red — either from excitement or shame.
Watching her desperately try to sell herself, Jiang Chen chuckled.
He didn't care about the few crystals he'd spent. Like money, they were meant to be used.
"Relax. Working for me doesn't require that much pressure."
As Yao Jiayu nervously nodded, Jiang Chen finally noticed her clothes.
A thin, tight-fitting bodysuit — same as all the slum dwellers. When she was taken from the camp, everything she owned was confiscated, including her ragged coat.
"Cold?"
She trembled and shook her head.
Only then did Jiang Chen realize she wasn't shaking from fear, but from the chill.
Sighing, he draped his coat over her thin shoulders.
"Don't catch a cold. It's hard to treat out here."
He wasn't good with warm words, but the girl silently lowered her head. Beneath her messy, oily hair, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.
"…So lucky."
"Hm?" Jiang Chen tilted his head.
"N-nothing."
He smiled and didn't press. A good deed done...