YM778.TV Chapter 34: Kunlun Guest
“Generally, leaving the city is quite troublesome. You can go out, but you need to go through customs” Jiang Xue replied, “It seems because smuggling is rampant, the tax collection agency has set up customs checkpoints. The tax agencies in the Inner World are extremely powerful, comparable to corporate military forces.”
“The tax agency is that formidable?” Qing Chen was stunned for a moment.
“Yes, they not only have a powerful enforcement division but even have their own intelligence department, completely different from the Outer World,” replied Jiang Xue.
“So what if you go through customs and really leave the city?” Qing Chen asked.
“I heard that on the wilderness roads, there are also Yun Liu Towers scattered about,” Jiang Xue explained, “As for mechanized limbs, there are models with larger energy storage, just like how we buy mobile phones in the Outer World with 64G, 128G, 256G options — the more durable ones are more expensive. Generally, people don’t worry about durability, so they choose the cheaper options.”
“Oh, it’s just driving consumer choice,” Qing Chen nodded.
“In the Inner World, a lot of young people pursue mechanized limbs, just like how some kids in the Outer World chase after sneakers and new cell phones,” Jiang Xue explained, “Not only that, many people also decorate their mechanized limbs with beautiful gold lines and edges, or inlay them with gems and diamonds.”
Qing Chen remarked, “I get it, it’s like the skins in games…”
Jiang Xue thought for a moment, “In that sense. it’s not incorrect…”
Suddenly, Qing Chen recalled the prisoners in prison number 18.
It seemed that many people’s mechanized limbs had gold decorations. Gems and diamonds were rare, but gold was quite common, like Lu Guangyi, for example!
Qing Chen ventured to ask, “Those inlaid gold lines, gold bars, are they real gold?”
“Yes,” Jiang Xue nodded.
“Then… is the gold in the Inner World the same as in the Outer World?” Qing Chen asked again.
“It should be the same,” said Jiang Xue, “The five major financial consortiums banks in the Inner World all issue currency based on gold reserves.”
Now, Qing Chen finally knew how he could make money from the Inner World!
He even clearly remembered who had how much gold!
Other items might be difficult to liquidate or could expose one’s identity, but gold did not have this problem.
At this moment, Lu Guangyi might still be unaware of what he was going to face.
Qing Chen asked, “What is the transportation on the wilderness, is it electric vehicles?”
“The military uses diesel engine vehicles,” Jiang Xue answered.
Diesel engines, with their high power output, low revolutions per minute, and high torque, are more suitable for military use and heavy-duty off-roading.
Moreover, diesel engines barely have any electrical circuits, and can be completely started by cranking or pushing, making them more suitable for severe environments and climate conditions.
Qing Chen hadn’t expected that the Inner World was still using diesel engines…
Jiang Xue added, “Of course, the military also has more powerful aircraft, powered by liquid oxygen meth… meth, something I’ve forgotten. Wealthy people in the city also use hover cars as transportation, which also use this fuel.”
“Liquid oxygen methane?” Qing Chen inquired.
“Yes, that’s it,” Jiang Xue’s eyes brightened.
“Aerospace fuel, huh,” Qing Chen mused, “This stuff is what Musk’s SpaceX rockets use nowadays.”
Jiang Xue said to Li Tongyun, “Xiao Yun, you must study hard just like your brother Qing Chen. See, I just mention part of a name, and he can guess what I want to say.”
Jiang Xue was gradually becoming aware of Qing Chen’s scholastic aptitude.
Whether it was his earlier interpretation of wireless charging or now instantly understanding liquid oxygen methane, one definitely couldn’t do this without a rich reservoir of knowledge.
This was a unique feeling, as if there was nothing the young man didn’t know.
For Qing Chen, the appearance of the two transmigrators, Jiang Xue and Li Tongyun, filled some gaps in his knowledge.
In prison number 18, he had to avoid exposing his transmigrator identity, so he could not ask too much.
After returning to the Outer World, the noisy information was hard to discern as true or false.
Now, hearing the true “Inner World” from Jiang Xue excited him somewhat.
Jiang Xue’s mechanical limb clinic was frequented by all sorts of people, making it a good place to gather information.
Suddenly remembering something, Qing Chen asked, “So… When Xiao Yun called me, did she want me to help with something?”
Li Tongyun replied, “My mom can’t lift her arm anymore. Could you please help take care of my mom for a day?”
At that moment, Jiang Xue’s arms hung by her sides, and Qing Chen could see that she hadn’t washed her face that morning, still had sleep in her eyes, her hair wasn’t tied back in its usual ponytail, and she hadn’t prepared breakfast for Li Tongyun; she looked quite disheveled.
Having a mechanical limb run out of power was indeed troublesome. In the Inner World, one could recharge it anytime, anywhere, but in the Outer World, one had to be more conservative with its use.
Qing Chen also remembered that there was another transmigrator in Los Angeles City who, in order to evade a tail, had jumped several meters up to a rooftop. He wondered what had become of them, whether they had ended up paralyzed on the ground…
But this was perhaps for the better, as at least the modifiers of mechanical limbs would have to be more cautious in the Outer World.
He looked at Li Tongyun’s hopeful eyes and then at Jiang Xue’s apologetic expression, and sighed, “But I don’t know how to take care of people.”
It was Sunday, no classes, so he had plenty of time, but Qing Chen only knew how to take care of himself and had never really taken care of anyone else.
Jiang Xue quickly said, “No need, no need, you don’t have to take care of me. It’s just that I can’t cook for Xiao Yun today, could you please help take care of her a bit?”
It was evident that Jiang Xue genuinely felt guilty.
Li Tongyun said pitifully from the side, “Brother Qing Chen, could you cook something for us? I’m hungry.”
Qing Chen smiled, “I can certainly cook.”
No sooner had he spoken than a knocking sound came from outside, “Hello, is anyone home?”
Standing in the living room, Qing Chen glanced out the window and was shocked to see the mysterious organization’s off-road vehicle.
“Xiao Yun, go open the door for the guests. I’ll go to the kitchen to cook,” Qing Chen said and then headed into the kitchen, tying on an apron, leaving only his back visible from outside.
Xiao Yun opened the door and two young men in black suits entered. They addressed Jiang Xue, “Hello, I am Lu Yuan. We have met before, from the Kunlun people.”
Kunlun? Qing Chen paused in the kitchen, realizing that the name of the organization was Kunlun.
Then he heard Jiang Xue say, “Please have a seat. Xiao Yun, please pour some water for our guests.”
The Kunlun members asked with curiosity, “What happened to your arm?”
“The mechanical limb has run out of power,” Jiang Xue explained.
“Make a note of this,” the young man said to his companion after understanding the situation with the mechanical limb, seeming unaware that mechanical limbs could run out of energy.
Listening secretly in the kitchen, Qing Chen guessed that the other party, as Jiang Xue had said, might indeed be a newly formed organization, thus not very familiar with the Inner World.
Jiang Xue inquired, “What brings you two here?”
“Oh, we wanted to ask about something,” one of the Kunlun members said, “Last night there were two criminals, and one of them, after fleeing from your residence, had his leg’s shin bone broken in an attack in the neighborhood. Do you know who did this? Don’t worry, we’re not here to press legal charges. We just want to understand the situation.”
Qing Chen’s heart suddenly raced.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS
Lordbluefire
Footnotes:
[1] Author likely uses the words ‘corporation’ and ‘financial groups’ interchangeably. In the past, the raws used were ‘corporation’ and occasionally ‘financial group’
[2] The raws for Lu Yuan can be translated as ‘A far road’ or ‘Distant Journey’. It might be a codename instead of the character’s real name. If it’s a codename I will amend it in the future.