Alternative 1.5
"Everyone, welcome back to the Yubo Space Continent!" the corporation employee greets everyone as the shuttle's exit is accessible. Under his guidance, everyone exits the shuttle while carrying their harvest and followed.
The group quickly reached the Exchange Building which is just beside the Armoury. In fact, their process of exchanging the product they harvested into credits is a quick one due to the assistance from Handheld Device, but when it was Chen Fan's turn, one additional process is included.
"Brother Chen Fan, thanks to your exceptional performance, we successfully restore one of the remains. To show you our gratitude, M.I.C agrees that we reward you with one choice from three options."
The exchange staff explained to him about what he was going to get and also allowing him to consider which one he should choose. Through a tap from the two devices, three options came into view in Chen Fan's unit.
[Priestess Alternate][Value: 320 Credits]
[Maintenance Cost: 22 Credits/Task]
[Rank: 4][Specialist Only]
[Information:]
[4th Rank Priestess Type Alternative Technology Weaponry. Only Assigned Specialist are capable of activation. Admin access allowed. One new phase is allowed for every two rank increases]
[Basic Form]
[25x ammunition magazine form, completely automatic, red dot sight, functional system online]
[Form 1]
[Double Tap Rifle: Firing efficiency doubled. Ammunition exhaustion rate increase. Cost 17% Battery on phase change]
[Form 2]
[Blasting Pole: Single firing efficiency. Ammunition exhaustion rate quintupled. Cost 14% Battery on phase change and 7% on consecutive shot]
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[Local Tyrant][Value: 295 Credits]
[Maintenance Cost: 11 Credits/Task]
[Rank 3][Melee Only]
[Information:]
[Melee 11cm long heat blade. Built entirely from Pure Cultist Crystal. Allowing clear access against Cultist-Type Mutant Alternative. Upgrade available at Rank 7]
[Force Form]
[Fierce Tyrant: 2minutes activation. Cost 60% Battery on activation. Fierce Tyrant increases the blade by 7cm, making it 18cm in total length. Carries Fire Damage when activated]
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[Wanli's Core][Value:310 Credits]
[Maintenance Cost: None]
[Rank 2][Communication Only]
[Information:]
[Wanli Support System (WSS) Handheld Device. Triple all performance and scanner range. Admin access allowed. System Backup available]
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"All three of them is good stuff." Chen Fan nodded on the three gifts available from his screen option, but still, hesitates to choose one of them because he'd yet to understand the importance of each item.
If he's choosing based on their rank, the Rank 4 Priestess Alternate will be the best choice for his self-protection. Although the activation battery cost 10 credits to purchase, given the option to wield a Rank 4 Weapon is equivalent of making your own threat level 8 points and above.
An excessive offense, that's what he will get if he chooses the Priestess Alternate. But was that the best choice, especially to a miner that only been to New Earth once?
Next on the list is the Local Tyrant, one of the best weapon experience miners uses. But one of the prerequisite to use this weapon will be focusing on melee, which wasn't his forte at this time. Unless he's considering that he lived too long, it will be impossible for him to focus in melee.
Lastly, the Wanli Support System which comes in the form of a new handheld device. Although there wasn't an issue with his own unit, it was a proper choice to upgrade the support system, which can be said to be enhancing your field assistant for better support.
"Mr. Chen?" the exchange staff worried that Chen Fan might take too long to consider, thus hurrying him.
"Oh! I will take the Wanli Support System. Please pass my thanks to the M.I.C for their generosity." Chen Fan replied, choosing the third option out of three. On a side remark, Chen Fan is partially thanks to her reminder as it cut him off from considering too much.
"Great! I will make the request for you. It will be available for collection the next time you participate in a mining operation. As for now, I will issue you a payment of 60 Credits for the resources you provide," the staff said after she took in all the resources mined by Chen Fan.
"Thank you. If there's nothing else, please excuse me." Chen Fan politely excused himself from the counter, but before he managed to go out from the Exchange Building, the corporation employee stopped him for some less relevant matter.
"Brother Chen, congratulations at becoming the third best miner in this batch." the corporation employee congratulates him for taking the third place in overall material mining. Unless one decided to do this for fun, all miners paid attention to the performance board, where it will determine the qualification for higher grade mining attempt.
While he stays at 3rd spot amongst the fifteen, his result was only 60 credits. The second place for this intake got 81 credits from this mission, with the first place taking 97 credits. Although the results weren't too bad as a third place, only those in the top spot will get a proper evaluation.
Like what they said, one that stands at runner up for a hundred times wasn't as qualified as a person in the champion once.
"How can Chen Fan helps?" he replied the call with a proper attitude, where it successfully obtained the corporation employee's impression.
"Under the order of Captain Lee, I am to deliver a message to you in person. Captain Lee is very interested in you and wants you to consider entering his team as a temporary recruit. As for your pay, it will be 50 credits a week, along with plenty of other soldier benefits."
"If you're interested, contact this number. It's belonged to Captain Lee in person so you can answer him yourself. That's all I am ordered by Captain Lee. I hope that the next time I meet you, you're a much stronger Miner..."
The corporation employee finished what he has to say and left Chen Fan on his own. The latter continued walking until he's back to where he used to stay for the last eighteen years.
Eight days ago, he's still somebody entirely depending on the Yubo Space Continent's provision, studying and learning without paying anything for what he's given. But one week later, he's no longer the same youth as before.
In this Space Continent he lives, Credit is something treated more important than a human's life. Because of how these value that easily added or deducted is rewarded by putting one's life in his job, every single credit used is recorded with full information on how it was used.
Assuming that one unemployed resident used the credit to purchase something, he will be immediately caught and thrown to New Earth to be worked to death as a convicted soldier, or a slave miner. But no matter how strict is the rule related to the credit, there are still those dares to challenge their authority.
Of course, the strictness still can be exploited by the credit owners.
Through bringing the subject of pity into the establishment, the credit owner can gloriously spend the life-risking earned credit for the person, without any limitation on a set figure.
But for youth like Chen Fan, somebody without the luck with the opposite sex, visiting the brothel is obviously the first choice he will make. Carrying that 60 credits in his M.I.C Identification Card, Chen Fan walks towards the biggest brothel in the Sector 60 Section 61.
"Young boy! Why are you here? Want this sister to accompany you for the night?" one of the butterfly ladies went closer to Chen Fan when he approaches the building.
Through the view from outside, the brothel is fit to bear the title of the biggest brothel in S60/S61. Only the number of butterfly ladies outside of the building reach 50, with more waiting just on the side of their main entrance.
"Xiao Hong, come here! Quick!" another butterfly lady came to them and snatched her away, stated that there's another [Water Fish] swimming over to the brothel. Hesitated but forced, Xiao-Hong followed with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"This young master, are you here for human delicacies, heaven delicacies, or both?" another lady, somewhat in her twenty-five or six approached him with a question. Due to the size of her rack and deadly beauty, Chen Fan submitted to her charm.
"I am here for both. Lead the way." Chen Fan replied.
His return of words brings this lady to smile, but, no matter how generous this "Young Master" looks, one will have to open his pocket to gain that hint of trust. This can be said as usual in their day to day work as the world contains too many actors but too little stage to perform.
"Can young master blinds Lingqi's eyes while we're on our way inside?" she requested Chen Fan to show her some wealth he will spend in the brothel. Through a seductive action, the ID card shown by Chen Fan was touched by Lingqi, where it made her eyes open wide.
"Sixty credits! This is a golden pig hiding in a cowhide! What great luck for me after so long!" Lingqi is stunned by his credits. This finding made her started to make a grand plan to devourer every point in the card.
"Let me bring you to the Private VIP room reserved for an esteemed young master like you." Lingqi invited him to make his way up into the VIP lounge, but then, Chen Fan's reply gave her a regret that she will not forget it for at least a month or two.
"No need. Bring me to your chamber. We'll have to use our time efficiently so I can return to mining two days later." Chen Fan said as his weapon is already ready to strike.