Updated: 2012-06-22

Zero 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 incapacitated, and for Base Z7, there was no extra room for an ordinary person like him. Zero had no objection to this arrangement, but it was hard to sleep comfortably on the rough ground that hadn't even been water-milled.

Zero couldn't sleep, he was as cold as a lone wolf on the surface. But in my heart, I was deeply shocked by Leah's words.

Obviously, Shijie after waking up is completely different from what he remembers. The state system of the old era has completely collapsed, leaving only the endless wilderness and all the monsters that roam the wilderness. The conditions for survival are so harsh, so it is so important to be able to compete with surface monsters for resources.

In fact, the Z7 base also has one Ability. That person was Leah, the granddaughter of Old Jack, but Leah's abilities were first-order memory specialization and second-order pharmacist specialization. Compared to the five areas that are more inclined to fight, Leah's abilities belong to the support class. And the ability of the auxiliary class is basically divided into the range of ordinary people.

Now, Zero could understand a little bit of why Old Jack was so disappointed when he was identified as incapacitated.

But what they don't know is that Zero doesn't have the slightest special ability. The golden right eye, which can freely adjust the visual distance and is like a high-powered telescope, is not something that ordinary people can have. It's just that this ability, Zero doesn't want to be exposed to outsiders for the time being. Otherwise, with the ability of this era, maybe they will send Zero to the operating table, and then take that special right eye down for study.

Maybe I need a pair of sunglasses. Zero thought so, and then fell asleep with the machine gun in his arms. In less than three seconds, his even breathing sounded, and the physical energy consumed after a day's activities slowly recovered like a trickle.

When the clock at the base pointed to six o'clock, Zero opened his eyes, not at all.

He got up and moved his body, feeling like he was getting back in strength. And I had eaten only one meal yesterday, and now I still don't feel hungry, as if the moldy bread and bitter water are still working. Zero frowned, knowing that it was impossible. Then a little bit of food, normally speaking, should be converted into the calories needed by the body and consumed. Nowadays, if it is not for the high-calorie substances of those foods, then there is something in the body that stores the absorbed heat and distributes it with high precision, so that no trace of energy is wasted, so that the effect of food can be maximized.

The former is impossible no matter how you look at it, and as for the latter, Zero dare not imagine.

That kind of thing is not a function that normal human organs can have, and if there is such an energy-saving system, it can only mean that Zero has been secretly modified to some extent. It reminded him of his golden right eye, was that also the product of some kind of surgery?

However, such information does not exist in the memory bank of his head, and he can't even remember what kind of person he was before entering the hibernation chamber, and he can't remember what he has experienced, so naturally there is no memory of any transformation that exists.

The truth is forever hidden in the fog.

Zero couldn't remember who had ever said that to him, but it was a fitting description of his current situation.

That hibernation chamber, if you have a chance, you have to check it again. Zero thoughts.

At this time, a deafening bell rang outside the utility room. The voice of the old Jays rang out over the radio: "Get me up, pups." It's time for work, and if you're still in bed, be careful that I kick your eggs. Now give you five minutes to eat, and then I'll all roll over to the homework area to report!"

It took three consecutive rings for the radio to stop torturing people's ears. Zero pressed his ears, feeling that the sound of the broadcast was inevitably too loud, and his eardrums hurt badly.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and after three consecutive knocks, the door was pushed open, revealing Leah's immature face.

She seemed to have something on her mind, looking at Zero's expression with hesitation, but finally said, "You come with me, grandpa has something to look for you." ”

Zero nodded and followed her out of the utility room.

After passing through the long passage, the two walked in the residential area, turned left and right, and then came to the house where Zero had stayed yesterday, Old Jack's house.

Leah led Zero to another room in the room, which was furnished like a study. But in the humble room, there were only two or three books in the old bookcase, which was so old that it was rotting. Old Jack sat in a black leather chair with several holes, smoking his pipe and resting his military boots on his desk. In front of the desk, including the black Hult, stood four soldiers in military uniforms.

It's just that these military uniforms are quite shabby, not to mention patched, and they are stained with large areas of oil.

The soldiers carried old-time rifles on their backs, and the black hardwood butts were painted everywhere, and the dark blue barrels were also marked with white marks. Apparently these guns are years old, and it makes one wonder how powerful they really are.

Zero glanced at it and knew that these were all rifles. This bulky old rifle is a single-shot firearm, and the rifling in the barrel allows the bullet to be fired in a rotating manner, so it has some merit in accuracy, and the range is about 400 meters, but the slow firing speed determines that this firearm cannot be used in large-scale group warfare.

However, in the case of a half-living and semi-industrial base, the deployment of this firearm by a soldier is also in line with its identity.

Seeing Zero coming in, Old Jack waved his hand and motioned for the others to go out first. So Hult and the four soldiers passed by Zero, and as they passed by, Zero saw a gloating light in their eyes.

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

Old Jack exhaled a smoke ring and said, "We don't have idlers in our base, and if you want to stay here, then you have to work for me." ”

"Fair enough. Zero nodded. Then he asked, "And what job do you have for me?"

"Our base is a small place, and there are only two jobs that are suitable for you. Old Jack said slowly: "One is mining, working in the underground mining area with those miners, and the daily wage is 10 cents. ”

Zero raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about the second one?"

"I also know you wouldn't be happy to be a miner, and even though you're incompetent, you're still a good fighter, so the second option will suit you better. Old Jack put down his pipe, the fire inside was fading, he knocked off the ashes and said, "Come and be a mercenary, your daily job is to maintain order in the base." When you go out on a mission, you will also be rewarded accordingly. If you do a good job, I can apply to the Parkland chaebol for a professional license for you. ”

"Sounds good, I guess mercenaries are better suited to me than miners. Zero calmly asked, "So boss, you should have a task for me now, right?"

"Clever guys. Old Jack praised, and he took out a map and threw it in front of Zero's eyes.

The map is small, and it simply indicates the location of the Z7 base. Three hundred kilometers to the east of the base is a town marked with the words "Silver Tree City". As for the areas near the base, most of them are mountains and wilderness, and they all have the word "dangerous" marked with red pens.

Old Jack nodded to the location of Silvertree City and said, "Our medicine is running out, and if we don't get refilled, it will be difficult for us to survive this year." Mining is a dangerous job, although the radiation from underground mines is not as strong as from the ground. But inside, there are occasional mutated creatures that are infected, or minerals that carry the virus. In these years, there are not 1,000 but 800 deadly viruses, and if they are not treated in time, even the strongest people will die quickly. ”

"Doesn't your company provide drug assistance?" asked Zero with a frown.

Old Jack snorted and sneered, "Are you a charity, young man?" in the eyes of those noble gentlemen, we are just living tools. And in this era, drugs are as precious as gold, do you think they will waste drugs on money-making tools? Of course, it is not impossible to buy drugs from companies, but with the profits of our small mining area, it is difficult to pay for this cost. ”

Zero is relieved that in this new era of shijie, only people who are like supernatural abilities, or who hold great power, will be respected. Other ordinary people, including the old man in front of them, are just replaceable items.

"There is only one way to buy drugs from the company. Old Jack refocused on the towns on the map: "This is a small town that once had a small population of thousands of people, but now it is in ruins, a paradise for monsters. But in this small town, there is a hospital with antibiotics and penicillin that we need the most. If you're willing to go to the city with Hort and the five of them to get enough medicine for the base, I can pay you a 100 yuan for this mission. ”

100 yuan doesn't sound like much, but it's worth the wages of a miner for nearly three years, so it's a small fortune.

Naturally, Zero knows that this small amount of money is similarly not so easy to obtain. Profit is always with risk.

"I took the task, but I also needed a pair of sunglasses, a dagger, and some ammo. "Zero makes its own claims.

Old Jack readily agreed, "No problem, you can go to Hult for these things." As for the fee, I can give you a note first, and if you have the life to get the honorarium, I will deduct it from it. ”

Zero nodded, and Old Jack said again: "Then you prepare and set off in the afternoon." As for the details of the operation, you can ask Hort. If that's okay, then you're good to go. ”

Zero had no other problems for the time being, and turned to leave. But when he pushed the door open, he stopped again and asked Old Jack, "What do you think of those miners?"

"You've got a lot of questions, boy. Old Jack said angrily: "Workers, whether you or those pups, are just workers hired by my old Jack!"

At least, a hundred times happier than being used as a tool. Zero thought so and silently exited the room.

Zero One left, and Old Jack sighed. Adding new shreds of tobacco to his pipe, he smoked again. The fire in the pipe was glistening, reflected in a picture frame on the desk.

In the frame is a yellowed old photo, in which the young Jack is carrying a hammer and grinning daxiao.

Once upon a time, he was also a worker!