Dead bodies were not a big deal on the wasteland. The place was not exactly the definition of a civilized society.
Sun Jiao used the intercom, beside the door, to call the servers and explained to them that she encountered an assassin. Moments later, a few servers came in and dragged the body away. Before they left, they were considerate enough to spray the carpet with blood dissolver, which cleaned up all the nasty blood stains. The manager also came personally to apologize for the intruder.
In the apocalyptic world, death was common and natural.
It appeared that this was also not the manager’s first time taking care of an incident like this. He handled the situation seamlessly. Sun Jiao and Jiang Chen then politely rejected the offer of a complimentary steak dinner made of mutant cows. It was simply a gesture, since no one who could afford this place cared about a complimentary steak meal.
The suite didn’t have a kitchen; it only had a microwave and a dusty rice cooker that sat at the corner of the dining room. Most of the rich who lived here did not prepare food themselves, but a few wealthy exceptions did prefer to eat luxurious food like rice.
In this world, rice was considered a luxury. Despite the existence of a few farmlands, rice production was still very limited. Therefore, most of the people who lived here survived on nutrient supply and only ate cooked food for special occasions.
But of course, Jiang Chen was an exception. He took out a bag of rice from the storage dimension and washed it before he put it into the rice cooker. In less than half an hour, the steaming rice was finished, and the smell immediately dazzled Sun Jiao.
Jiang Chen didn’t hide his special ability in front of Sun Jiao anymore, and Sun Jiao didn’t inquire further. Jiang Chen knew that she was curious, but is especially grateful that she respected his privacy. Jiang Chen knew that one day, he would tell her all his secrets. For he couldn’t even understand some of the miracles himself, it would only cause more confusion if she knew.
After he poured the contents of the can onto a plate and heated it, the dishes were placed on the dinner table and a not-so-fancy dinner was prepared.
It was not fancy because Jiang Chen has had enough canned foods, but the dinner did include things like curry chicken, spicy tofu, and a lot of things Sun Jiao had never seen before. So, the dishes were still quickly swept clean.
Jiang Chen patted his flat stomach as he eyed the empty rice cooker. He was quite shocked to discover that the gene vaccine not only strengthened his muscle, but it also increased his appetite. He at least ate two times his usual amount. He finally understood why Sun Jiao ate so much; she was not just a foodie after all.
"I made a little more so we could have some for breakfast tomorrow, but it looks like you ended up finishing it all." Jiang Chen laughed as he looked at Sun Jiao’s happy face after the meal.
She blushed as she eyed Jiang Chen with an angry look. "What, are you worried?"
"No, I can afford it regardless of how much you eat," Jiang Chen said while shaking his head.
Although it was not exactly sweet talk, Sun Jiao looked euphoric, as a smile appeared on the "bold" girl’s face.
"Help me clean up." Jiang Chen rolled his eyes as he grabbed the plates.
"Okay."
He stared at Sun Jiao’s flat stomach in disbelief. He wondered where the five bowls of rice went.
"The commercial bank building at Qing Pu is located in a crowded area. The zombie concentration, as well as radiation, are all extremely high. Also … dangerous mutant creatures will be there." She lied flat on the bed and pointed her finger at the full-sensory computer screen, as a three-dimensional map appeared.
"This is the map. If we need to get the gold from inside, we’ll have to enter from here and then pass through the safety tunnel… Come on, are you even listening to me?" Sun Jiao shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"What is… this?" Jiang Chen wiped his drool and gazed at the advanced tech product.
The physical part was only the size of a pen, and a square prism projected out from the side displayed the screen. The three-dimensional visual hovered above the rectangular prism.
A product that only appeared in sci-fi films, now appeared right in front of his eyes. Jiang Chen couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This thing was probably worth more than all the gold in Wanghai city.
It would be nearly impossible to sell these kinds of products. If Jiang Chen showed this product to anyone, a lot of government organizations would immediately find him and discuss with him about contributing to the country as a patriotic citizen.
"It’s a full-sensory computer. Although it is not as reliable as a portable computer, the functionality is much more advanced. There has to be a limit to your lack of knowledge." Sun Jiao rolled her eyes again.
"Fine, what is a dangerous mutant creature?" Jiang Chen sighed as he accepted the fact that he was oblivious. He lied beside Sun Jiao and continued to stare at the screen.
"For example, the Roshan we saw today, or this…" Sun Jiao’s finger swiped across the screen. A figure that was similar to an alien appeared on the screen, " ...Death Claw. Its energy level is between 60-70. Its speed is extremely high and its sense of smell is very sensitive. The body is covered by a layer of protective armor, so normal bullets cannot deal real damage to it. Therefore, the best solution is to run away, but even that is difficult to do."
A light aroma of lily tingled Jiang Chen’s nose. Because Sun Jiao used the shampoo and body wash from the modern world, Sun Jiao’s body casted an attractive fragrance.
However, since they were in the middle of a serious conversation, Jiang Chen managed to control himself.
As he recollected his thoughts, Jiang Chen stared at the Death Claw in deep thought.
"Do these things appear near the commercial banking building?"
"Death Claw will appear anywhere, but they usually prefer to be near places that have been impacted by a nuclear bomb. I am not exactly sure about this, but typically when there is a high distribution of zombies, there will be other mutant creatures in the vicinity. This is because zombies are considered food for the mutants."
"… Do you have any plans?" Jiang Chen asked after a brief pause.
"Of course there are two options. First, we can use this route to infiltrate the underground vault directly and then use explosives to open it. Or second, we can use this way instead to enter the main control room, obtain the access code, and then use the regular route to get into the vault."
"Where did you get all this information? Are they reliable?" Jiang Chen was visibly shocked by the clearly labeled route.
"Liuding Town. They have the most accurate map databases there. Apparently they got it from the satellite before the war, so it should be trustworthy."
"What exactly is this Liuding Town, I’ve always heard you talk about it." After Sun Jiao’s explanation, Jiang Chen was curious.
"Bo Hai, it’s an aircraft carrier." Sun Jiao continued with a grin, disregarding the shock on Jiang Chen’s face. "So, my boss, it’s time for you to make a choice."
"The first plan is too dangerous, and the explosion would create too much noise. If it manages to attract all the zombies, then there is no way to get out."
"That’s my concern as well. Although attracting all the zombies would be an exaggeration, it is not too far off."
Even during the day, zombies still possess some attack power. If they receive any strong stimulants, they would attack.
"How about through infiltrating the network? Do you know how to hack?"
"How would I know those things?" Sun Jiao laughed. "To survive in the wasteland, great shooting ability is more than enough. However, there are quite a few specialists out there, and they often don’t live in the best conditions. It wouldn’t be too difficult to hire one."
After a long period of consideration, Jiang Chen made a choice cautiously. "Then let’s go with option two… Where can we hire these people?"
"We can hire them here, from the ghetto at Sixth Street. All the people without combat power live there." Sun Jiao pointed outwards as she turned off the computer. "Oh, we also don’t have to worry about the Huizhong Mercenaries. Although they are active in the Song Jiang area, we can kill their men here. Besides, killing them would be understandable, given you are a target for them anyways."
"You are right. I have a feeling they are going to come after us when we leave the area, or at least continue to follow us."
"Do you need me to prepare a bit?" Sun Jiao sighed as she stretched her graceful and slim arms.
"In that case, we can do this…"
After Sun Jiao had heard Jiang Chen’s plan, her eyes lit up.
"Wow, you are a more terrible human being than me! Why don’t you go to the labor market tomorrow then, it is at the front entrance of the ghetto. The commission fee is usually one crystal and they will let you pick until you are satisfied."
"Ok, it’s better to work separately for now. Make sure you hide before leaving," Jiang Chen warned.
"Understood." Sun Jiao shrugged with the same careless expression. "I have plenty of enemies and a mercenary group is nothing to me. If it is not for the fact that I am worried about you, nobody could stop me from leaving."
[I promise, if I want to leave, no one could stop me either.] Jiang Chen murmured in his head.
He turned off the bedside lamp and the light in the room changed into a soft orangey glow. It was very late into the night, and through the bulletproof window, there was not a single soul on the street.
"Oh, are you sleeping now?" Sun Jiao turned around with the blanket just covering her body. She grinned at Jiang Chen.
"You little devil… We have things to do tomorrow. Now sleep."
He already fought a hard battle earlier with her. If it continued like this daily, Jiang Chen questioned if his body would be able to handle it.