Guided by the dirt bike, the Singularity sailed unimpeded into Rust Town.
— ‘Entered’ wasn’t quite the right word.
Because every berth was located on the outermost edge of Rust Town, serving as the first line of mobile barriers.
As the Singularity’s chassis slowly descended, its hydraulic structures emitting a dull hiss of depressurization, it settled completely onto the ground.
The motorcycle rider gave a casual wave, twisted the throttle, and sped off in a cloud of dust.
Jiang Zhixu noticed there were actually more than five Mobile Cities here.
Besides the five core cities he had seen earlier, about one kilometer to his left and right, two Mobile Cities of distinct styles were docked.
‘It seems the five cities I saw earlier are the permanent residents. This area I’m in must be the visitor zone.’
“Honglang,” Jiang Zhixu called Qi Honglang to his side, “select a few elites to come down with us and take a look.”
Rust Town was a mixed bag; firearms were likely not prohibited.
He couldn’t march in with a hundred men, but picking a few elites for protection was still necessary.
“Got it!”
Qi Honglang was about to make the arrangements.
Jiang Zhixu stopped him. “Also, have the several hundred survivors from the ‘Silence’ assemble. They’re coming to Rust Town too.”
The original Silence had 797 people.
After a night of screening, they decided to keep 129 of them.
These people all had certain useful skills—carpenters, teachers, farmers, and various other miscellaneous professions.
As for the rest, while they could handle odd jobs, Jiang Zhixu didn’t plan to keep them!
For one, the population cap for a Tier 1 Mobile City was too low, only a thousand people.
Jiang Zhixu could certainly order more rooms built, cramming them in with smaller living spaces to forcibly accommodate them.
But don’t forget, this was a semi-digitized game world!
Since the system rules set a population cap, there were definitely punitive measures for violating them.
For example.
The Singularity originally had 579 people. Adding the survivors from the Silence made a total of 1,376!
These people spent last night in the dormitory corridors and stairwells. Logically, their consumption shouldn’t have been high.
But this morning, Jiang Zhixu received a report.
The fuel consumption of the power furnace had increased by 37.6% compared to usual!
This was already a massive number!
And this punitive extra consumption was steadily climbing at a rate of 0.1% per hour.
The game wouldn’t allow you to maintain an excess population for long!
Jiang Zhixu had no doubt that even if someone could stubbornly endure the system penalties to forcibly house extra people, none of these “illegal residents” would ever develop any special talents!
“I understand.”
Qi Honglang immediately grasped his meaning. “I’ll dispose of the remaining people and get a good price for them.”
Although they were the leftovers from their selection, as basic labor, they were still sought-after goods in this Wasteland.
But Jiang Zhixu just shook his head, his tone flat yet brooking no argument. “Don’t sell them. Take them to Rust Town and then set them free.”
Qi Honglang was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to advise against it.
Over six hundred people, even sold at rock-bottom prices, could fetch at least several thousand units of iron ore!
Just… give them away?
Qi Honglang, originally in charge of logistics, genuinely couldn’t bear to part with such a large amount of resources.
“Honglang,” Jiang Zhixu saw his reluctance and conflict, speaking calmly. “Ten years ago, we were compatriots.
“This world has changed, but I can’t bring myself to sell my fellow countrymen. Back in our homeland, that kind of behavior would get you shot.”
Qi Honglang fell silent for a moment but couldn’t help arguing:
“But… letting them go like this, they might not fare any better. We could at least help them pick a decent buyer, like the ‘Elegy’…”
The Elegy was the industrial-type city they encountered yesterday.
From their brief interaction, the other party didn’t seem like the type to mistreat slaves.
Jiang Zhixu chuckled wryly. He patted Qi Honglang’s shoulder. “Selling is selling. ‘For their own good’ is just an excuse to soothe your own conscience.”
He picked up his jacket from a nearby chair, putting it on as he walked out. “You’re right. If I let them go like this, they might not survive better in this Wasteland world.
“They might even die tomorrow from all sorts of accidents. But what does that have to do with us?
“In a world like this, we ourselves are living day to day. We really can’t escort the Buddha all the way to the Western Heaven. Doing what we can within our means, with a clear conscience, is enough!”
Qi Honglang watched Jiang Zhixu leave, standing silently in place.
Wei Ran popped out from the side; he hadn’t dared to interrupt earlier. “Brother Qi, after half a month together, don’t you know Brother Jiang’s character yet? Don’t say things like that in the future.”
“I know… it’s just…”
Qi Honglang knew, of course.
He was just scared of being poor!
Letting go of so many resources for free made him feel like he’d lost millions. His heart ached.
“Forget it.”
He sighed heavily, rubbed his nose, and finally let it go. “I won’t bring it up again.”
…
For the first time since Jiang Zhixu crossed over, he set foot on actual land.
Under his feet was no longer steel decking or yellow sand, but hard, solid, dark brown soil.
He took a deep breath but was immediately choked by the turbid air, a mix of engine oil, dust, and some kind of decaying matter.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
A guard with a rifle beside him quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath, then rummaged for a cloth mask.
“No need.”
Jiang Zhixu waved his hand. “Have Qi Honglang come down quickly. The brothers can keep watch over the city.”
As long as he, the City Lord, wasn’t dead, even if someone occupied the entire city, they couldn’t take his position.
Moreover, the Singularity was currently in an unprecedented period of stability. Anyone who dared violate the ironclad rules would be attacked by everyone.
Jiang Zhixu was relatively confident about internal security; there was no need for an impenetrable defense.
“Yes, sir!”
The guard immediately turned and returned to the Singularity.
Soon, he brought Qi Honglang down.
“City Lord…”
Upon meeting, Qi Honglang’s expression was still somewhat awkward. He wanted to say something but was cut off by Jiang Zhixu raising his hand.
“No need to say more. I won’t condemn your moral compass. But from now on, when you work with me, at least in action, you need to align with me.”
It was the same old saying: do what you can with the ability you have.
For now, Jiang Zhixu could only restrain himself, trying not to be assimilated by this twisted world’s values. He was far from capable of changing this world.
Qi Honglang nodded heavily, his eyes clearing. “Understood!”
The roar of an engine reached their ears—a brother had driven the off-road vehicle out from the Mobile City.
Jiang Zhixu and Qi Honglang got in. After sitting down, Jiang Zhixu asked casually, “Are the survivors from the Silence all arranged for?”
Qi Honglang: “All taken care of. Once assembled, they will be brought to the outskirts of Rust Town as a group. Then, they will be free to go.”
Jiang Zhixu nodded and said no more.
The distance from the Singularity’s berth to Rust Town’s main gate was only about a kilometer.
The off-road vehicle came to a slow stop.
Before the window was even fully down, a cacophony of noise mixed with the pungent smell of diesel, the charred aroma of roasted meat, and the heavy scent of rust poured in.
Jiang Zhixu looked outside.
Several off-road vehicles cobbled together from scrap parts roared past.
Most of the people on them were bare-chested, carrying menacing weapons. There were even more pedestrians, their gear a mismatched assortment of styles, their gazes more wary and scrutinizing.
On both sides of the gate, a chaotic pile of strange wreckage, many people had set up stalls.
Meat skewers with a suspicious sheen, yellowish purified water in glass bottles, piles of mechanical parts unrecognizable in their original form…
Anything of value or no value at all could be sold as merchandise.
Jiang Zhixu’s first impression of Rust Town was chaotic yet brimming with vitality.
“We’ve been noticed.”
Beside him, Qi Honglang scanned the surroundings warily.
Clearly, while their off-road vehicle wasn’t top-notch, it at least had an intact body, doors, windows, and a heavy machine gun mounted on the roof!
Compared to the people here, it was considered rare, high-end goods.