stonecrandall Chapter 073 At Least Not Now
Chapter 073 At Least Not Now
Around 18 p.m., Lu Chen and Yu arrived at the No. 2 recovery point.
Unlike the street-facing No. 1 and the tucked-away No. 3, the No. 2 recovery point is located next to a clinic.
The location isn't exactly deserted, but it's still quite secluded.
Upon arriving at Revitalization Point 2, a black robot quickly emerged to greet Lu Chen and his companion.
As Lu Chen had predicted, the two of them did not manage to meet the daughter of No. 9529 on this trip.
—The person has already been taken away.
The only information Lu Chen and Yu could obtain was the other party's job number.
18-154-9541.
Like No. 9529, he became a top figure in District 18 the moment he was revived.
As for the reward for retrieving the hibernation pod, it is the default of [2 years].
...
After receiving the [2 years] of compensation and storing it in the [capsule], the two went to Rehabilitation Point 1.
As the two had predicted, the two large hibernation pods they retrieved were both medical experimental subjects.
Like Lu Chen, No. 9542 had cancer before going into hibernation.
Upon recovery, they were burdened with 6 years of bank debt, as well as monthly interest payments for 300 days.
Therefore, Yu was not in a hurry to sign the "Private Debt Repayment Agreement" with the other party.
—Anyway, this debt won't disappear.
It's not too late to sign a "Private Debt Repayment Agreement" once the other party demonstrates the ability to "potentially repay bank debts".
Conversely, if one cannot even repay bank debts, and is unlikely to live more than three months, then signing a "Private Debt Repayment Agreement" would be meaningless.
The Private Debt Repayment Agreement is a template agreement from the City of Time.
It takes time to buy.
Although it's not expensive, and each serving only takes 30 minutes, it's still not free.
To put it nicely, Yu doesn't want a "Private Debt Repayment Agreement" to put pressure on No. 9542, who is already heavily indebted.
To put it bluntly, it's really just number 9542, not worth Lu Chen and Yu spending [30 minutes] to buy a "Private Debt Repayment Agreement" that is likely invalid.
...
Number 9543 was a bit luckier.
Before going into hibernation, the reason for participating in the hibernation experiment was due to a genetic defect.
In 2025, genetic defects will clearly be much more difficult to treat than cancer.
Cancer can be cured with a bit of luck—or at least there's a chance to extend lifespan.
However, in the face of genetic defects, human technology in 2025 will inevitably be helpless and have no solution.
Fortunately, more than 300 years later, genetic defects are no longer considered a difficult problem.
Therefore, the treatment cost for patient 9543 was much lower than that for patient 9542, who was suffering from cancer.
Both individuals' hibernation pods were recycled at a discounted price over 5 years.
Number 9542 used a cancer cure drug worth [10 years], plus the initial funds of [1 year], and incurred a bank debt of [6 years].
In contrast, patient number 9543 only incurred treatment costs of [3 years]!
After deducting treatment costs and recovering the hibernation pod for 5 years, there are even 2 years left!
It must be said that among the medical experimental products, number 9543 was undoubtedly one of the luckiest.
With no bank debt, no sense of urgency to repay monthly interest, and plenty of time at hand.
Therefore, Yu couldn't help but pay more "attention" to No. 9543.
—No. 9543 still owes Lu Chen and Yu [2 years] in scavenging fees!
However, Lu Chen and Yu couldn't possibly let No. 9543 use all of his two years to pay off his personal debts and then die on the spot.
Therefore, after a brief discussion with Lu Chen, Yu drafted a private debt repayment plan, number 9543.
First, the 2 years that No. 9543 had were taken back by Yu Xianxing for 1 year.
In this way, the personal debt owed by No. 9543 to Lu Chen and Yu will only have [1 year] left.
Subsequently, Yu purchased a "Private Debt Repayment Agreement," formally signed it with No. 9543, and established a debt relationship.
The debt is for a period of 1 year, with a repayment period of 8 months, and each month is for 60 days.
Including principal and interest, the repayment period is 480 days, which is 1 year and 115 days.
The interest rate isn't low, but it's still much more "conscientious" than bank debt.
No. 9543 did not persist, immediately agreed, and promptly repaid the 60 days for August.
Lu Chen and Yu Xin were also more favorable towards Lu Chen because of his positive attitude in repaying the loan.
...
After resolving the debt issues of No. 9542 and No. 9543, Lu Chen and Yu stopped interfering.
—It's not that the two are heartless and want to abandon the resurrected ones they picked up;
Rather, this "business" had already been planned and staking out by someone in advance.
Hello.
"My name is Zhao Jie."
"Recovered patient number 9528".
Outside the revival point, Lu Chen and Yu each lit cigarettes and leaned against the wall.
Looking at Zhao Jie with a half-smile, he led the two who had just stepped out of the recovery center into the water shop across the street.
As the shop door closed, Yu Guai smiled and glanced at Lu Chen beside him.
"He should thank you for finding him such a good way to make money."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, then smiled and flicked off his cigarette ash.
Then bring the cigarette to your lips and slowly inhale.
"Phew~"
"He was just lucky."
"During this period, hibernation pods have been brought back one after another."
"To think of staking out outside the recovery site, you're quite a smart person."
His casual remark caused Yu to raise an eyebrow and look at Lu Chen with a hint of amusement.
"What's wrong?"
"What does that imply...?"
Lu Chen shook his head and smiled, his expression still calm and composed.
"rest assured."
"I will not let Zhao Jie join our team."
"—At least not now."
...
"At this point, Zhao Jie can only be described as having accepted reality and managed to survive to a certain extent."
"But for us—for our team, Zhao Jie is not a valuable teammate."
"Taking him out of the city to scavenge is like bringing a burden on him for no reason."
"I won't do something so foolish."
As he spoke, Lu Chen turned his head slightly and gave Yu a frank smile.
"Besides, our team doesn't currently need to add a third player."
Upon hearing this, Yu finally nodded in satisfaction.
He raised his cigarette, took a puff, and then casually tossed the cigarette butt aside.
In an instant, several miners, their bodies covered in black soot, rushed over and snatched the still-burning cigarette butt.
Yu ignored this.
Lu Chen glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, then threw down the cigarette in his hand.
He instinctively reached out to step on it, then paused for a moment, and finally pulled his foot back.
"Since we have nothing else to do, how about we meet Zhao Jie?"
Yu spoke softly, drawing Lu Chen's attention away from the parasite snatching the cigarette butt beside him.
Turning my head to follow the sound, I saw Yu Man exhaling a relaxed breath.
"Just to pass the time."
"Anyway, you and he have an agreement to meet from time to time."
"One more bystander shouldn't make a difference, right?"
Lu Chen had no doubts and nodded calmly.
The two of them leaned against the wall, waiting for Zhao Jie while chatting idly.
"You said number 9529, what's his name?"
"I bet it's either Zhang Shengli or Li Jianguo."
...
"His daughter should be named something like Mengmeng, Wanwan—or Xiao Ai or something like that..."