thefictionvixens Chapter 010 I Have No Name
Chapter 010 I Have No Name
His coworker's reminder made Lu Chen stop what he was doing.
The feeling of something foreign in my throat grew stronger and stronger.
Lu Chen was still holding water, squatting on the ground and coughing softly from time to time.
After waiting for a minute or two, the coworker finally nodded and said, "You can drink it now."
Lu Chen quickly lowered his head, put his mouth to the surface of the black water, and began to suck it up.
After finishing the drink, Lu Chen let out a long breath, finally feeling that most of the foreign object sensation in his throat had disappeared.
However, what made Lu Chen somewhat uneasy was that the dust in his throat seemed...
It seems to have been washed down by the water and taken into my stomach...
"Hey...look at you."
"I told you to tear a piece of cloth from your clothes and cover your face to block the dust, but you absolutely refused."
"Feeling better now?"
The friendly teasing did not interrupt Lu Chen's actions.
He carefully drank half a handful of water, flicked the black powder and residue from the bottom of his hand to the side, and then stood up with a light cough.
Clench your lips, pinch one nostril closed, and exhale sharply!
A wisp of gray-black "smoke" suddenly shot out from the other nostril, causing Miner No. 2 to chuckle.
Lu Chen then used the same method to 'clear' the nostril that had been pinched earlier.
Then he looked up at the sky and exhaled a long breath.
Finally feeling much better in his nasal cavity and throat, he smiled and coughed lightly, turning to look at miner number 2.
"This is the only piece of clothing I own."
Upon hearing this, miner number 2 immediately leaned back.
Hi~
"How much [time] is the clothing worth?"
Even mining suits are only [3 hours old] – and they're brand new!
"You can buy this in at most [2 hours]."
...
"But what if we go to a doctor to have the coal dust cleaned from our nasal cavity and trachea?"
"Hey!"
"—It will take at least 20 days just to use the water that's already been used!"
"Not to mention the cost of treatment."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment, and then slowly nodded.
The first thing Lu Chen figured out in the City of Time was how expensive water was.
—No more than 200 ml, and it must be kept for 6 hours!
Yu was right yesterday.
That glass of water yesterday could very well have been the only glass of water Lu Chen drank in the City of Time, and the last sip of clear water.
Before paying off all his debts, Lu Chen will most likely not be able to afford clean water.
At the same time, the unconscious grumbling of Miner No. 2 reminded Lu Chen of another saying by Yu.
It's cheaper to treat illnesses than drinking water...
"tomorrow."
"I'll definitely bring a mask tomorrow."
After a brief moment of thought, Lu Chen still didn't give a direct answer: Why couldn't he bear to tear his clothes?
—It's not because of the shame of "clothes covering the body".
It is [time].
This mining suit and helmet already cost Lu Chen an extra 6 hours, which was not part of his plan.
This also caused an extremely unexpected turn of events in Lu Chen's plan.
Without this extra expense, Lu Chen would have found it quite easy to complete the jade's test.
— Just stay in a rope hotel for two days, eat black bread for two days, and then work in the mine for two days.
Now, in addition to minimizing expenses and working at the mine for two days, Lu Chen needs to find another way to earn an extra [1 hour and 46 minutes].
This doesn't even include the time it will take Lu Chen to buy the masks tomorrow.
Therefore, Lu Chen was extremely resistant to any actions that might cause additional expenses in the next two days.
For example, tearing clothes to use as face masks;
As a result, I won't be able to enter the mine tomorrow, so I'll have to buy another piece of clothing.
However, Lu Chen didn't need to tell Miner No. 2 about this test of jade.
"We've worked together for a day, and I still don't know your name."
Upon hearing this, miner number 2 scratched his head and smiled, "I don't have a name."
Most parasites don't have names.
His uninhibited remark startled Lu Chen slightly.
A hint of sympathy flashed in his eyes, but he quickly forced a smile.
"You can ask me anything now."
After saying that, Lu Chen smiled and looked at Miner No. 2, quietly waiting for Miner No. 2 to ask a question.
Lu Chen was extremely wary of parasites—or rather, of anyone other than Yu.
But Lu Chen's wariness towards miner number 2 was much less.
There are two reasons.
Firstly, unlike other parasites, they only live for a little over a day.
Miner No. 2 has a full 52 days on his left arm.
Lu Chen didn't ask for the specific reason.
But Lu Chen could roughly sense that, as a fellow "rich person," Miner No. 2 wasn't very interested in Lu Chen's "63 days."
There was envy and longing, but no covetousness.
Secondly, the friendliness of miner No. 2 towards Lu Chen had a clear motive.
—Lu Chen, as a survivor, aroused great curiosity in Miner No. 2.
In particular, the old Yuan 2025, where Lu Chen lived before his hibernation, held a strong attraction for Miner No. 2.
In order to hear about the year 2025 from Lu Chen, Miner No. 2 was even willing to pay [4 minutes]!
Although it wasn't much, it was only worth a piece of black bread.
This is enough to show how strong this curiosity is.
Therefore, Lu Chen was happy to make such a deal with Miner No. 2.
—Information exchange.
only……
"I still need to go to the factory, so I don't have much time."
"Today, you can start by asking the three questions that interest you most and that you most want to know."
"I'll tell you the rest tomorrow."
Not only the factory—Lu Chen also needed to visit the shops outside the mine.
Lu Chen wanted to ask: What price could he get for the second-hand mining suit and helmet he bought today, which he had spent 6 hours buying?
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the second miner's expression immediately turned anxious!
After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously asked, "You're going to the factory... do you have to go alone?"
Lu Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously shook his head.
Then Miner No. 2 immediately grinned.
"Then I'll go with you."
"On the way, we took turns asking each other questions, one after the other."
Lu Chen nodded with a smile and walked towards the mine gate.
I went to the factory just to find out if the daily wage there was really lower than that at the mine.
It's nothing shameful, there's no need to hide it.
Having reached an agreement, the two smiled and walked together to the mine gate.
Upon arriving at the row of security checkpoints, Lu Chen immediately noticed a new card reader on the side of the checkpoints.
Unlike before, the notch Lu Chen saw was facing upwards, indicating a card reader for receiving money;
These card readers have their notches facing down, requiring miners to keep their wrists facing upwards and press them against the reader to receive their wages for the day.
The term "card reader" seems rather inappropriate now.
"Scan pupil information."
"Recovered: No. 9527, temporary miner."
Distribution time: [2 hours per day]
...
"Distribution complete."
Lu Chen withdrew his arm from under the card reader and looked down at the timer on his left arm.
It is now approximately 19:20 PM.
陆晨的时间余额为：【00:64:21:18:10】
After receiving their wages and leaving through the gate, Lu Chen and his companion entered the shop.
After each buying a slice of black bread and paying for the "time," Lu Chen, with a gloomy face, was the first to walk out of the shop.
Shops are only willing to buy back secondhand equipment you carry for the price of [30 minutes]!
The last glimmer of hope in Lu Chen's heart was shattered.