hsntnovel Chapter 016 didn't give much
Chapter 016 didn't give much
After uttering the word "death," Lu Chen felt a great sense of relief and lay back down on the sofa.
It's already 9:30 PM.
There is only one and a half hours left until curfew.
If Lu Chen cannot obtain the "time" from Zhao Jie, then even if he is ruthless, he will not have time to take the "method" that Miner No. 2 was ashamed to mention.
The test that Yu set for Lu Chen would also fail prematurely.
But Lu Chen did everything he could.
Full of sincerity and utmost honesty.
As for success or failure...
"Why, why?"
"Why did they die?!"
After a long silence, Zhao Jie's timid voice finally rang out again.
Despite his exhaustion, Lu Chen finally managed a bright smile that reached his eyes.
She smiled and looked at Zhao Jie, who was shifting uncomfortably across from her.
Then he shifted his gaze downwards to the fluorescent green [timer] on Zhao Jie's left arm.
He then said, "This question is included within the first question I gave you."
"No charge."
...
"Violating the curfew will result in seven to fifteen days of detention."
"Penalties start at 3 days, with no upper limit."
"The key is that there is no upper limit – there is a very high probability that the amount of the penalty will be determined based on the violator's remaining time."
"Frankly, I've never seen anyone detained or fined for violating curfew."
"But I can assure you the authenticity of this message."
"And an hour and a half later, I will prove it to you and let you see it with your own eyes."
After saying that, Lu Chen shrugged helplessly.
"As for why there's a curfew, I don't know either."
"But this is also a good opportunity to add another rule to make you feel more at ease."
"I will not answer questions I do not know or am unsure about, and I will not charge a fee for such information."
"As for the information I know and can confirm, I will tell you my sources."
"You can decide whether it's worth it and whether you should pay the time after you've listened to the presentation."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jie looked troubled, his brows furrowing tightly.
However, the previous wariness also disappeared silently from Zhao Jie's face.
—It's not that Zhao Jie was naive; it's just that Lu Chen was too sincere.
I didn't charge you for the help I gave you before;
Lu Chen was offered water, but he refused.
Another crucial piece of information was given away for free, which could very well kill Zhao Jie tonight!
In the next "payment stage", they not only revealed the source of the information, but also allowed Zhao Jie to obtain the information first, and then decide whether to pay based on his "experience".
The key is……
"If you want more time, then just now..."
"Why didn't you accept my offer of water earlier? And why not convert that glass of water into [time]?"
"Six hours of information should be easier to obtain than 10-minute messages, right?"
...
"Or are you confident that you can earn more than 6 hours' worth of money from me with each 10-minute message?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen felt reassured and shook his head with a smile.
"First of all, I only earn what I'm entitled to."
"That glass of water, those [6 hours], are not what I deserve."
"Speaking of this, let me remind you again: in the City of Time, people like me are extremely rare."
"At least so far, I haven't seen a second one."
"—In the City of Time, almost everyone covets the time of the resurrected."
"You'd better maintain that level of defensiveness, and even increase it."
"This message is also a gift to you, free of charge."
·
"Secondly, how much of my information can I sell to you—my price is [1 hour and 30 minutes]."
"That is, nine questions and nine pieces of information."
"If I can sell more, of course I'll be happy; if I sell less, there's nothing I can do about it."
Even if you don't buy a single one, I'll have no choice but to get up and leave, trying to minimize my losses.
"I've already wasted over an hour on you."
"If the deal can't be done, I won't waste any more time on you."
In his last sentence, Lu Chen's tone carried a hint of helplessness.
These are Lu Chen's true feelings.
If Zhao Jie refuses, Lu Chen will really have no choice but to get up and leave.
Unexpectedly, it was precisely these extremely frank and sincere words that allowed Zhao Jie to find a 'loophole'.
"You wasted over an hour on me just to earn [1 hour and 30 minutes]?"
"Isn't this just a waste of time?"
As he spoke, Zhao Jie subconsciously leaned back, his face once again showing distrust and defensiveness.
But Lu Chen shook his head and smiled, "That's not how you calculate it."
"Even if I don't waste this hour on you, it will still pass naturally."
"Whether I sleep for an hour, sit for an hour, or chat with you for an hour, my time will pass by."
"The difference is: chatting with you might give me [1 hour and 30 minutes], making up for the natural passage of more than an hour."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jie fell silent once again.
The last bit of defense in my heart vanished.
"it is good."
"I'll buy your information."
...
"The first question."
"—How do I acquire [Time], and how much can I obtain?"
Seeing that Zhao Jie had finally started the payment process, Lu Chen was overjoyed and unconsciously sat up straight.
Without hesitation, he said, "There are three ways in which the resurrected can acquire [time]."
"Mine, factory, scavenging."
"Working at the mine from 7 AM to 7 PM earns you [2 hours per day]."
"You need to bring your own mining suit and helmet. New ones are for 8 hours and 40 minutes, while used ones are for 6 hours."
"—The outfit I'm wearing is secondhand."
...
「工厂，7点到19点为一班，19点到次日7点为一班，每班可以获得【1天30分钟】。」
"You need to bring your own insulated clothing; new ones are needed for 8 hours, and secondhand ones are almost impossible to find."
"Working in a factory is a bit easier than working in a mine."
"But considering the natural passage of time, the disposable income from the mine is actually only [2 hours]."
"The factory is only [30 minutes] away, which is four times longer than the mine."
At this point, Lu Chen paused, looking at Zhao Jie with a hint of sympathy.
"As for scavenging—you'll need a scavenger to take you there."
"You've been abandoned by scavengers; this path is basically a dead end."
"The source of this information..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Jie shook his head slightly: "No need."
"I trust you."
As he spoke, Zhao Jie extended his left arm: "How should I give it to you?"
Lu Chen took a deep breath, stretched out his left arm, and grasped Zhao Jie's [timer].
"The two timers are attached together; the one on top is for payment, and the one below is for acquisition."
Silently repeat in your mind: Pay [10 minutes]
Zhao Jie did as instructed without hesitation.
陆晨下意识看向赵杰左臂：【00:364:21:54:01】
He turned his gaze away and looked at his left arm.
【00:64:19:04:32】
...
【00:64:19:24:27】
?
"You gave too much."
"It was supposed to be 10 minutes, but you gave me 20 minutes."
Lu Chen quickly reminded him, subconsciously raising his head.
Across from him, Zhao Jie, though unable to hide his helplessness, still forced a calm demeanor and said, "I didn't give you much."
How do I acquire time? How much can I acquire?
"These are two questions, two pieces of information."