Industrial Area

“This is my firearm factory. Several hundred workers are working for me, and they send these small metal pieces to the good or the bad guys. Let’s not go inside. The temperature is unbearable.”

The sentence sounded a bit conflicting.

Zhao Chenwu pointed at the in production firearm factory as he proudly explained to Jiang Chen. His gesture was no different than the modern world land developers.

“This is also my factory, but this place specializes in complex equipment such as stationary cannons. Those things mounted on the inner circle wall are produced mostly from my factory."

They walked in front of a much smaller building compared to the previous one. Zhao Chenwu pointed at the place as he lit a cigarette.

Apocalypse was no stranger to the cigarette. Alcohol could not be mass produced due to the shortage of food, so cigarettes became the choice of substance to alleviate pressure.

The tobacco here had a pungent smell, and not everyone smoked it. The radiation brought uncontrollable mutation to all organisms on this planet, but not all mutations were harmful. This tobacco for example, like any other mutated plants in the apocalypse, was well adapted to the soil condition on the wasteland. It could be grown without highly specialized techniques, which is one of the reasons why cigarettes were relatively cheap in the apocalypse. A lot of survivors would grow a few in front of their homes due to its recreational and medical value.

Jiang Chen naturally was not accustomed to the pungent taste. Zhao Chenwu laughed at the fact. Then, he signaled to him to not worry about it, and that he could throw it away if he didn’t like it. However, it was relative. When Zhao Chenwu took Jiang Chen’s Zhonghua (a top end cigarette), he felt the taste was too light to entertain himself.

“Oh? I am also interested in these automatic weapons, would Mr. Zhao be willing to sell me a few?” Jiang Chen saw a worker in a white uniform adjusting the half man-sized big machine with his tablet. The cannon rotated 360 degrees, aimed at the target inside the room, and unleashed its firepower.

“Haha, of course, that’s not a problem. However, these don’t get produced very quickly. Added by the fact that the Sixth Street is currently upgrading the northern inspection station’s equipment, it would be at least two months before it can be produced. Mr. Jiang would have to wait.”

“No problem.” Jiang Chen smiled without being too bothered.

The two of them walked side by side in the highly advanced factory. The female assistant Su Lei following behind them, as she carried Zhao Chenwu’s suitcase. The workers along the way saluted as they passed by which made him feel like a person of importance doing the tour.

Honestly speaking, as he took a trip to the factory, Jiang Chen became increasingly shocked by what he saw. There were magnetic hovering drones the size of a Frisbee, and half-built two meters high power armors.

Just like Zhao Chenwu said, the production rate of the equipment was extremely limiting. This was because military factories and related facilities were first target choices during the war. To obtain a civil production line was relatively easy, but to acquire a complete military production line were nearly impossible.

Including the power armor that was being produced, the majority of the equipment were being built by hand. Jiang Chen saw a worker use a tool similar to hammer to form the shape of the armor at high temperatures, and another worker carefully installed the microelectronic chips inside the armor. Perhaps all these production steps were done by high precision automatic production lines before the war, but in the apocalypse, a lot of things must be done by hand.

Of course, the missing production processes were for more complicated equipment. The production line for bullets was relatively easy to acquire. Despite limitations, the survivors still possessed a tremendous amount of firepower. Regardless how hard the zombies’ head are, a single bullet would solve the problem. Even for the Death Claw, who could rip through the power armor’s outer protection layer, tanks still existed as its natural predator.

A question was apparent. With all these powerful equipment, the human still can’t conquer the bloodthirsty mutants and zombies?

He thought about this point and was silent. He was curious as to what existed in the city center.

“Part of this equipment will become my private force, and part of it will be sold to the Sixth Street military or other interested buyers. However, the power armor is usually not permitted to be sold. The spider tank and other heavy equipment are also prohibited. With the exception that the Sixth Street Council approves the military purchase through voting, my factory would then began to produce the complicated equipment.” Zhao Chenwu did not seem to notice Jiang Chen as he rambled on. The words were meant as precautionary measures as it would be difficult if Jiang Chen wanted to buy a power armor.

“Hmm? So Mr. Zhao is considered a firearm merchant then?” Jiang Chen got rid of all the questions in his head and smiled.

“Somewhat. I still have a pharmaceutical factory, and I also operate some fixed assets within the inner circle. If Mr. Jiang is interested in buying a house in the inner circle, I would be of great help,” Zhao Chenwu inhaled the cigarette as he said with a welcoming smile. He then grabbed a bracelet shaped like an armguard and gave it to Jiang Chen.

“Mr. Jiang is often out venturing, this nitrogen armor will be my gift to you.”

“Appreciate the gift.” Jiang Chen didn’t reject the offer. He wore the bracelet on his arm before he looked at Zhao Chenwu, eyes full of questions.

How do you use this?

Zhao Chenwu signaled to the soldier that tested the equipment by the side. The soldier saluted and jogged to the middle of the separation chamber.

The soldier deployed the nitrogen armor in his hand as the dense gas surrounded him in thick turbulent waves. The bracelet in the middle spread the dense gas into a semi-hemisphere shape.

At that moment, a heavy machine gun appeared in front of the soldier as the pitch black barrel spat out waves of bullets.

The excellent sound insulation of the separation chamber made it impossible to hear any noises inside. Jiang Chen was surprised to discover that the moment the shots came in contact with the nitrogen layer, the bullets all bounced off. The soldier standing behind the shield still remained in a half standing position and looked like he didn’t even receive the impact of the bullets.

Holy! This is a protective barrier.

“Using the atomic vortex effect that forces the nitrogen to create a high-pressure circulation around a center point… Haha, the scientists can go figure the theory part out, I only care about the end result. Is Mr. Jiang satisfied with this?” Zhao Chenwu waved his hand to signal the end of the experiment as the machine gun disappeared.

“Satisfied, extremely satisfied. Is there any limitation with this equipment.” Jiang Chen fidgeted with the bracelet before putting it on.

“Not really, except the power consumption is quite high. The vortex equipment in the middle may overheat. One crystal is enough to initiate this equipment for one minute. The equipment will overheat with ten seconds of usage. After a period of usage, the used crystal would be higher than the cost to produce it. Also, it is not effective against laser and particle weapons, but it is quite exceptional against bullet weapons.” Zhao Chenwu let out a smoke ring as he explained.

“I didn’t imagine Mr. Zhao’s factory has the capability to develop weapons,” Jiang Chen exclaimed.

“Haha, of course, but this thing doesn’t sell that well as not a lot of people can afford it. However, my scientists have been working to integrate this device onto the power armor to see if it can be useful as a part of it. Let’s not talk about this anymore, the scientists can take care of these headaches. Haha, like what I said before, I only care about the end result.”

After they had left the factory, Zhao Chenwu took Jiang Chen to the pharmaceutical plant for a tour. Except the plant was rather small, so there was not much to be seen. Apparently, the genetic vaccine produced from this place accounted for 30% of the Sixth Street’s market share. Some other vaccines were also among the popular choices on the wasteland, such as steroids and blood makers.

After a tour of everything, the two returned to the front door of the ghetto.

It was the same labor market manager called Wang Yi. The moment the bold and fat guy saw Zhao Chenwu, he dashed out and saluted in the most exaggerated fashion. His look was comical but not annoying. The fat man had his ways as he managed to live comfortably in the apocalypse by flattering and kissing a*s, not many could manage to pull it off.

Zhao Chenwu didn’t waste a single word as he glanced at his personal assistant Su Lei before continuing to bloat with Jiang Chen. Su Lei took out a piece of paper and handed it with professionalism to Wang Yi. Wang Yi carefully took that piece of document and promised that he would take care of it. He ran back into this office and took out a stack of paper.

“Choose whoever you want, these are all excessive labor without work. You don’t need to worry about the possibility of stealing other factory’s worker.” Zhao Chenwu waved his hand as Su Lei gave the stack of documents to Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen had made the agreement of 30 people with Zhao Chenwu already, and he promised to pay 20 crystal per person. It was included in the price of the goods they already exchanged.

The official price for the criminal was one crystal, the other 19 was based on the cost of Jiang Chen’s demand to install the latest insurance system. Zhao Chenwu didn’t make a single crystal in this deal as he sold it at cost to Jiang Chen. Compared to the potential profit of the trade agreement, he didn’t care about the small gains and losses. The latest insurance system was far more exceptional compared to the electronic bracelet. It used nanosurgery to install microchips at the neck of the criminals. If anyone betrayed or resisted, Jiang Chen could immediately activate the destruction program in the chip, and the betrayer’s head would fly off like a soccer ball. Although cruel, Jiang Chen was not ready to risk his own life for the sympathy of irrelevant people.

At the same time, the chip was equipped with a lie detector, GPS tracking, visual sensor, and neural shut off system. The criminals would have no privacy nor the ability to betray. It was far more advanced than the electronic collars. Though of course, it came at a hefty price too.

However, Jiang Chen was an understanding guy. As long as they have no ill intentions, he didn’t mind letting them enjoy a much more comfortable life.

“Haha, let me know if you see anyone you like, they will be “deported” because they possess terminal illness.” Zhao Chenwu only needed to open his mouth before he decided the fate of this group of people.

The feeling of power was an excellent feeling.

Jiang Chen had the pile of resumes in his hand as he flipped through everything. The resumes lacked bullsh*t compared to the modern day ones and explicitly stated the person’s worth. A special examination, using an artificial intelligence’s testing system, was done to objectively determine a person’s abilities. For example, if one possesses computer knowledge, the artificial intelligence would divide the knowledge of equipment into five levels.

Construction major, or mechanical major. In the Sixth Street with an excessive workforce, without an exceptional skill, it would be impossible to find a job. At the firearm factory that Zhao Chenwu didn’t even want to step in, everyone was a mechanical scientist on the production line.

But to Jiang Chen, these guys were far more valuable, and he terribly needed their help.

The advanced technology specialist comprised of one-third construction, mechanical, and chemistry applications and technologist made up the remainder of the choices. Individuals with special abilities were prioritized, for example, people who could cook would be considered by Jiang Chen.

Subsequently, people with good body conditions were prioritized since upgrading the mansion required labor.

Lastly, families were considered first because people part of a family have a unique sense of belonging and connection. Jiang Chen would not have to worry about their loyalty. Also, he didn’t want to take care of people's' hormonal needs.

Jiang Chen handed the chosen resumes to Su Lei and the professional female assistant headed to the ghetto with the 30 resumes in her hand.

Zhao Chenwu had already arranged everything with the manager of the ghetto as the group of people were gathered quickly before they were taken to a quarantine room. They used the excuse, testing for diseases, but all the reports were already forged. All 30 of them were diagnosed with the X1 virus and were then taken to a room to have the microchip implemented.

Human rights? That’s a joke, there were no human rights in the apocalypse.

The moment they received the nutrient supply from the survivor base, their freedom no longer belonged to them.

Jiang Chen didn’t rush to see the people he selected. Instead, he returned to the inner circle. Zhao Chenwu put Jiang Chen’s ID on the inner circle whitelist, which meant he no longer needed to pay a one crystal entrance fee. Although the tax was not a huge amount, it was a friendly gesture.

The purchased individuals were placed as supplies and were guarded by Zhao Chenwu’s own force into the underground sewer system. They headed for the arranged trade point and waited for Jiang Chen to accept the supplies at that point.

Despite the fear that may be going through the individuals' heads, Jiang Chen accepted Zhao Chenwu’s invitation to have dinner together. On the dinner table, the Sixth Street boss constantly flattered him, which make Jiang Chen quite amazed by the power of money. Regardless of age, money talked.

In the end, he only needed to consider how to expand his power to preserve the cake in his hand.