Chapter 627: An Encounter by the Street
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Zhang Lisheng had been to Feren City two to three years ago. At that time, Feren was still a desert city that was about to develop but after going through the series of changes in this period of time, as the end point of the journey to the Noah World in the western hemisphere and the bridgehead connecting to Noah on Earth, Feren City had now become a huge city with a population far exceeding one million people.
Of course, in this war-torn era, a big city did not represent prosperity.
Other than the four to five new agencies established for US government’s key departments, the consulates of the nation’s important allies and the agencies set up by various consortia and companies influential in the political circle of the US were allowed to use the modern blocks, the entire Feren was surrounded by slums with sc.r.a.p cars as the frameworks, leaving only one street with a width of one kilometer that was patrolled by soldiers with real guns and bullets in a 24/7 manner that ran through the entire city.
To this day, there were still thousands of refugees from all over the world who came here every day. For the sake of the dream of seeking redemption in the Apocalypse’s Ark,’ they risked their lives and traveled far to this city.
If these poor people could prove that they were US citizens.h.i.+p, then they would be lucky enough to get a number to partic.i.p.ate in the monthly immigration drawing of only 5,000 immigrants. If the number of refugees did not increase, based on the ratio, then they would be able to set foot on the Noah World as they wished after about 20 years later.
If the fugitives did not have a US citizens.h.i.+p, their chances of fulfilling their dreams would be almost negligible but fortunately, Feren was only several dozens of kilometers away from Noah’s spatial door so it was easy for them to obtain food supply from the foreign world. At the very least, they would not starve to death if they exiled here.
Not only that, even though the opportunity to relocate to Noah World was extremely hard to come by, a complicated issue could become very simple too if one could find the right path.
In a square office lobby affiliated to the US immigration department, using the ident.i.ty as a member of the design team of Peaward Construction Company for the sewer pipeline in the Noah World’s oasis city New Virginia B, Zhang Lisheng mixed with a group of real professional engineers and handed a genuine pa.s.s application to a fat middle-aged woman in window 7.
“Oh, an oasis city designer hired by Peaward Construction Company? But you look like a high school student only! Then again, you Asians have always looked younger, and are hardworking and smart. Not only that, you guys can always choose the best professions in university as well. How enviable! Did you study engineering? Well, Noah lacks engineer the most now.” The woman took the form and glanced at Zhang Lisheng before casually remarking. It sounded like a long series of nonsense but it was actually a very quick and skilled questioning.
“No, madam. I studied biology at the university. This time, I was hired by Peaward Construction to improve the sewer system in New Virginia B oasis with my understanding of the architecture of insect nests, so as to increase the Floor Area Ration of the population of the city.” The young man explained in the tone of a typical US nerd.
“Insect nest, oh, do you mean that the city where we live in Noah is slowly going to be as crowded as a wormhole?” The woman exclaimed in a fuss.
“It’s only a small waterway, ma’am. But, as the oasis population increases, the city will indeed become more and more crowded.” Zhang Lisheng said with a serious shrug.
“Hah! You dampened my originally good mood now, Mr. Biologist.” The fat woman dressed in the immigration department’s blue uniform remarked sulkily. After picking up a stamp to stamp on Zhang Lisheng’s pa.s.s application with a ‘thud’, she threw the doc.u.ments into a cylindrical machine next to her.
After the machine swallowed the form, it automatically ran by itself and released a faint roaring sound. A few seconds later, it spat out a one inch-squared hard paper with a three-dimensional laser head of Zhang Lisheng.
Picking up the piece of paper, she handed it to the black-haired young man outside the window and said with a shrug, “However, I still want to congratulate you from getting away from the h.e.l.l and ushering a new life. You should know how to use the pa.s.s right? Just stick it on the back of your left hand and hold it for ten seconds. Remember that the validity period is only one week. Even though there’s your headshot on your pa.s.s, I’ll immediately use it if I were you and kill the hopes of those thousands of ‘adventurers’ out there.”
“Oh thank you, madam.” Zhang Lisheng smiled bashfully and nodded, before taking the piece of hard paper and pressed it on the back of his hand. He then briskly walked out of the hall and by the time he let go of his hand in the dusty city, that paper printed with his headshot was already firmly attached to the skin of the back of his hand like a tattoo.
“What an amazing technology…” Touching the back of his hand curiously, he noticed that there was no slight unevenness at all. As Zhang Lisheng muttered to himself, he put on a mask and stood at the street looking around. All of a sudden, he heard a hoa.r.s.e female voice resonating from beside her, “The free desert bus service to Noah starts at 8 am and ends at 3 pm. There’s no more bus service now.”
Zhang Lisheng looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a white girl dressed like a Middle Eastern, with her head covered entirely in a dust-covered white thick cloak only revealing her delicate features looking at himself. At once, he blinked his eyes in disbelief with a shocked expression on his face.Read more chapter on vipnovel.com
After a few seconds of silence, he chuckled and lamented the coincidence of life while pretending to ask, “Thank you for reminding me, Miss. do you know where can I rent a car?”
“Renting a car to the Noah’s spatial gate will cost at least 200 dollars, and it can’t go directly to the New Was.h.i.+ngton oasis like a public bus. It’s more cost-effective to spend 100 dollars for a night in Feren and then catch the early bus tomorrow. If you are willing, perhaps there may be an unexpected happy event at night as well.” The girl said seductively.
“Oh is it so, Mich.e.l.le Lavin?” The young man was stunned again. Taking off his mask, he asked with his eyes wide, “Can you tell me now please, what kind of happy event will take place at night?”
“L-Lisheng? I-It’s you? O-Oh my G.o.d! Oh my G.o.d! You’ll punish me for my sins? No! I-I mean, my G.o.d…” The girl’s body went stiff as she cried out incoherently in alarm at a loss at what to do and subconsciously continuing to retreat.
“Are you surprised to see me, Mich.e.l.le? In fact, I feel the same as you now, especially when I see you getting customers here on the street!”
“No, I’m not working to get any customer! D*mn it, I’m just a liar at most and by no means a prost.i.tute!” Upon hearing this, the second daughter has given birth with the ex-wife of Zhang Lisheng’s stepfather suddenly stopped abruptly and yelled at him angrily, attracting the attention of the pa.s.sersby on the streets.
At the same time, three to four young women who also had their heads wrapped in cloaks with various colors not far away began to surround them. One of the tallest and strongest girls held Mich.e.l.le and asked in concern, “Mich.e.l.le, are you okay?”
Pointing at Zhang Lisheng, she scolded, “You a*shole! How dare you bully my, Deborah’s sister! Watch out or I’ll kick you in the nuts!”
Then, a ragged convertible jeep carrying several black men wearing camouflage clothes with their heads wrapped in fancy scarves that came out of nowhere abruptly stopped beside Zhang Lisheng.
“It’s no problem, Deborah, Apler. He’s the child of my stepmother, he’s my younger brother. It was all a misunderstanding just now.” Mich.e.l.le stepped in front of Zhang Lisheng and explained to that tall girl and the black young man wearing a pair of toad sungla.s.ses appearing to be lean yet powerful who had just jumped down from the jeep co-driver.
“Oh is it so? Oh, handsome guy, nice to meet you!” Deborah opened her mouth as her angry expression turned to surprise. She waved her hand embarra.s.singly at Zhang Lisheng and said to Mich.e.l.le, “My dear, it’s great that you can meet your loved ones whom you haven’t met in a long time. Just carry on with your chatting and there’s no need to do today’s work anymore.”
“But you have to double your workload tomorrow, or otherwise you won’t get seven bills this week…” The young black man wearing sungla.s.ses added while swaying his body around.
“No, sir, since you’ve already met me, she’ll no longer need this job tomorrow.” Zhang Lisheng interrupted the black man with a smile.
The young black man tilted his head and studied Zhang Lisheng who was standing behind Mich.e.l.le who was at loss at what to do before shrugging with a chuckle. “Boy, your sister has signed a work contract with us. You’ll have to pay a lot of money if you want to leave now.”
“Money is not a big problem.” Zhang Lisheng thought for a moment and took out a roll of hundred-dollar bills he brought with him before flas.h.i.+ng them out. “Look, I have plenty with me. Why don’t we go to your company or residence to see that work contract and fix this problem, shall we?”
“Everything is easy to solve if you have money. Let’s enter the car, oh dear tyc.o.o.n…” Apler’s eyes lit up as she laughed and opened the door of the co-driver seat of the jeep behind her.
“No, Apler, no, you can’t take him away…” Mich.e.l.le snapped back to reality and lost her cool, shouting out loud.
“Mich.e.l.le, but your brother has volunteered to follow us now. Don’t worry, we’re all ‘businessmen’. We just want to talk about your contract compensation.” The black man forcefully pushed away the girl.
An unnoticeable ferociousness flashed across Zhang Lisheng’s eyes as he also smiled at Mich.e.l.le and said, “Just wait for me here. I’ll come back in fifteen minutes at most.”
Then, he entered the jeep.
“Lisheng, they have helped me a lot. Things are not as you thought… things are not as you thought. Don’t… Don’t… Apler, don’t take Lisheng back to the ‘hotel’! Don’t take him back…” Mich.e.l.le seemed to have a lot of things to say, but she could not do so. She could only shout some nonsense helplessly but could not stop the car from speeding away.
Next to her, when Deborah saw her good friend who had shared joys and sorrow together for the past six to seven months struck with panic watching the jeep that was speeding away, she went up and comforted, “Don’t worry, Mich.e.l.le. You know that Apler, they all are not bad people. They won’t do anything to your brother. Alright? I’ll go back to the ‘hotel’ to see the situation later…”
“Don’t go back! D-Don’t go back!” The girl grabbed Deborah’s hand while trembling all over as she murmured under her breath ambiguously, “You’ll die… You’ll die if you go back…”