Apocalypse Rebirth: 3000 million won at the beginning

Chapter 2149 Headquarters Residence, Not Easy

"Comfortable~"

Zhang Qian finished the soup in the bowl, not leaving a single drop.

"belch--"

He let out a loud burp, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, got up, and walked out of the restaurant.

As he approached the front desk, the waiter greeted him with a smile, "Please take care, and welcome back again!"

Zhang Qian walked out of the restaurant with his head down.

As dusk settles, the streets are bustling with residents strolling around.

The noise bothered him, and the flashing neon lights of the hotel across the street made his eyes sting.

There are no restrictions on the installation of lights on this street, so the private shop owners have decorated their shops in all sorts of bizarre and unusual ways, and the lights are a riot of colors.

It looks very flashy.

Guided by his memory, he walked toward the electronics store.

Compared to privately owned electronics stores, official stores offer more guarantees and longer warranty periods.

Although the price will be slightly higher, he would prefer to buy a phone that he can use for a longer period of time.

There were so many people on the street that it took him more than ten minutes to finally reach the Big Camphor Tree Electronics Shop.

The headquarters has a large electronics storefront, with four storefronts covering more than 400 square meters.

The store is filled with a wide variety of electronic products, from headphones and computers to mobile phones, as well as charging fans, induction cookers, and electric kettles.

Zhang Qian had no interest in browsing other categories of electronic products and went straight to the mobile phone counter.

Various models of mobile phones are displayed under the transparent glass:
For Hua, Apple, Rice, Popo, Vovo, Cool, Plus One
They have everything from basic feature phones to the latest 16 Pro models, perfect for an apocalyptic world.

The prices range from 99 points to 699 points, a significant difference.

His budget was 200-300 points, so he specifically looked at phones within his budget.

Unlike pre-apocalyptic mobile phone pricing, post-apocalyptic mobile phone point-based pricing prioritizes memory size.

Secondly, consider battery capacity and battery life, and screen clarity. Only then should you consider whether it lags or not.

After all, it's the apocalypse, there's no internet at all, so it can't be used as a communication tool.

Most people use this phone for entertainment and relaxation, such as playing single-player games, reading novels and watching movies, or listening to music.

Or it could be used as a flashlight, to listen to the First People's Broadcasting Station of the Big Camphor Tree, or as a compass.
Different needs lead to different requirements for mobile phones among residents in the post-apocalyptic world.

Soon, he set his sights on a pre-apocalyptic Huawei phone, the P20 series, with 128GB of memory.

This phone would have been on the market for several years before the apocalypse.

Although the image quality isn't as good as a new phone from before the apocalypse, the memory size is still decent.

“I want this one,” he said to the sales clerk, pointing to the P20 in the glass display case.

The shop assistant took the phone out of the glass display case and said with a smile:

"This phone is priced at 299. If you add ten more points, we will give you a phone case worth 30 points as a gift."

"???" Zhang Qian was shocked. "Phone cases are so expensive? Before the apocalypse, a phone case only cost a few dozen yuan."

The shop assistant smiled and said, "As you know, this is the apocalypse. The factory still needs to make molds for this phone case, so the cost is not low. If you don't want the phone case, you can just buy the phone without it."

Zhang Qian was somewhat conflicted.

If this were before the apocalypse, the price of a phone case would be at most one-tenth of an average person's daily wage, a few dozen yuan.

But now they want to sell it to him for thirty points. Even with a 30% discount, it still costs him a day's worth of points, which would have been equivalent to several hundred or even a thousand yuan for a phone case before the apocalypse.

However, if you don't have a phone case, and the screen breaks when it falls on the ground, you'll have to spend points to repair it.

Thinking of this, he said with a heavy heart:

"Okay, get me a phone case."

The salesperson selected a black one that he liked, applied it, and then tried to sell it to him:
"We're having a special limited-time event. For just 30 more points, you can download 10 single-player games, 100 novels, 300 songs, and 30 movies for free in the Electronic Information Room. Keep downloading until your memory is full."

"Can I download half at a time, and then download the other half later?" He was worried that if his phone filled up its memory, it would lag.

So he wanted to download half of the files temporarily, then clear the memory after he finished reading them, and then download the rest later.

Unexpectedly, the shop assistant shook his head and said:

"No, that won't work. Let me do the math. What I just mentioned—10 single-player games, 20 novels, and 300 songs—would definitely cost over 50 points to download directly from the electronics room. But if you do it through me, it only costs 30 points."

"That's a great deal!"

After thinking about it carefully, Zhang Qian felt that what she said made sense.

He felt cheated; he had only planned to spend a little over 200 points, but now his budget had jumped to 339 points.

"Alright, then we'll do it your way," Zhang Qian said helplessly.

Seeing that he had agreed, the shop assistant's smile widened, and she continued:
"Although the battery of this phone has been replaced, it's still quite troublesome to have to queue up to charge it after it runs out of power. I recommend a power bank to you, which also offers 300 free charging sessions."

You can simply charge your phone anywhere there's a power outlet and swipe your loyalty card to use it.

At the headquarters base in Dazhangshu, charging is also charged. Small electronic products are charged per charge, with each charge requiring 0.02 points.

When Zhang Qian heard the shop assistant trying to sell something again, he wanted to curse.

What the hell.
But he asked aloud:
How much?

Seeing that she had a chance, the female shop assistant quickly replied:
"With just 100 points, you can take home a 5000mAh battery."

"How much? 100!?! You might as well rob someone!"

Zhang Qian rolled his eyes. "No need, just settle the accounts for me."

After saying that, he handed over the points number card.

For ordinary residents of Dazhangshu, charging their devices might require queuing and spending points, but he works for the Ministry of Agriculture, specifically in a plantation outside City 1.

Charging is easy for him; there are sockets in the greenhouse, so he can charge his device anytime.

This can be considered an invisible benefit for agricultural workers.

The shop assistant tried to push the sale further, but Zhang Qian had already lost patience to listen.

The constant sales pitches made him a little impatient.

"Hurry up and settle the accounts, I have something to do later."

Seeing that he really didn't want to buy a power bank, the female shop assistant had no choice but to give up. "The phone is 299, the phone case is 10 points, and you can download a series of files for 30 points, for a total of 339 points."

As they were talking, the female clerk took his points card, inserted it into the card reader, entered the PIN, and the payment was successfully deducted.

The female clerk then operated the computer and registered his points card number.

The headquarters in Dazhangshu uses a local area network, so information on their computers can be synchronized to other places, and the electronic information room can also see Zhang Qian's permissions.

"It's all set. Just take your points number card and your phone to the Electronic Information Room to download it."

Zhang Qian took the phone and phone case, his heart bleeding.

I spent over 340 points today, that's way too much!

He is a very frugal person, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to accumulate so many points.

Holding his phone, he left the electronics store.

Just as he stepped out of the electronics store, the giant clock on the wall above the entertainment complex in the center of the commercial district rang precisely on time.

dong dong dong~
Hearing the bell, he knew it was eight o'clock.

I have to get up early tomorrow; it will take me half an hour to get to work.

I haven't taken a shower yet.
Let's download things early tomorrow.

With that in mind, he walked straight towards the residential area.

Normally, after leaving the commercial area, he would drive a shared electric scooter back to his residential area.

It only requires 0.01 points.

However, he had spent too many points today, so he preferred to walk those two kilometers.

On the way back, he couldn't stop feeling remorse and muttered to himself.

"Why did I act so impulsively today? Sigh." "Wow, I've got so many points! For the next week, I'm only eating corn tortillas and I'm never having any special meals again."

"Hmm, save some points."

"Prices in Dazhangshu are rising so fast! You have to pay points for everything, even to ride an electric scooter."

He muttered to himself the whole way, and finally returned to residential area B at 8:30.

The housing in Zone B of the buffer city is slightly better than Class C housing, but worse than Class A housing.

It's somewhere in between, neither here nor there.

However, he chose a four-person room in the B-grade housing, which cost the same as an eight-person room in the A-grade housing.

Back in the dormitory, as usual, no one was there.

Two of my roommates work the night shift on construction sites, and the other works at an entertainment center.

All three of them worked the night shift, so Zhang Qian rarely encountered them.

Put the newly purchased phone into a private locker and lock it.

He sat on the bed in a daze for a minute, then got up to get soap, towel, washbasin, points number card, and his old short-sleeved shirt and trousers. He went downstairs.

We arrived at the public shower room on the first floor, where there were still empty seats.

The public bathhouse is similar to the pre-apocalyptic university shower rooms or the shower rooms in swimming pools.

Each person has their own spray nozzle, but machines are installed on the walls.

Residents have to swipe their points number on the machine before the water will come out of the sprinkler.

Each time you swipe, it will spray water for 5 minutes, and each time you need to swipe 0.3 points.

Just as he was about to swipe his card, he suddenly noticed a waterproof sheet pasted on the wall.

[Friendly reminder: Due to the ongoing drought, in order to conserve water resources, the price for each shower has increased to 0.32 points. We hope for your understanding.]

Depend on!
After seeing this reminder, he couldn't help but complain:
"The price has gone up again. Six months ago, a bath only cost 0.04 points, and now it's almost ten times that."

"Taking a shower costs more than buying a tortilla!"

Rambling thoughts.

Wages have increased for all professions in Dazhangshu, but prices have also risen.

The only thing that remains unchanged is that corn tortillas, a basic strategic resource, are still worth 0.25 points each.

He was somewhat reluctant to take a bath.
tangled.

But after a long day of work, covered in sweat, it's hard to sleep without taking a shower.

Left with no other option, he swiped his points card.

Drop~
Zizizizi~
Water sprayed out of the nozzle the instant he swiped his card.

Hot water was poured over him, and he comfortably squinted his eyes.

five minutes later.

He took a shower on time, and to save points, he didn't even fetch water to wash his clothes. Instead, he washed them while taking a shower.

After taking a shower, he felt refreshed and hummed a little tune as he walked back to his dormitory.

He didn't greet anyone on the way, even though he had seen some of them countless times, like the people next door, whom he saw almost every day.

But they didn't communicate with each other.

Zhang Qian quite liked this feeling; he was just afraid that the people next door would greet him and chat with him, and he would have to respond, which was too much trouble.

Back in his dorm, he dried his hair and felt thirsty, so he picked up the water bottle and poured water into his cup.

Only after he poured it over did he realize that his kettle was empty.

"Damn it, which of those three bastards drank my water again without even saying hello? Damn it!"

Harboring resentment, he cursed a few times.

But even if you curse your mother, you still have to drink water.

He carried his water bottle and ran to water collection point number 23 in area B to queue up for water.

After waiting in line for ten minutes, he filled a kettle with hot water.

The reason we don't fill the shower room with water is because the water in the shower room has a strange smell. Some people get diarrhea after drinking it and end up having to see a doctor, which costs points.

To get drinking water from this water point, you only need 0.01 points.

Therefore, everyone prefers to come here to get clean drinking water.

I got some water and went back to the dormitory.

He gulped down two mouthfuls and felt completely revived.

Looking at the time displayed on his MP3 player, it was already 9:30. He went to the balcony and looked down at the flow of people coming and going.

Every now and then, a few children would run around below, laughing and playing.

The lights of the commercial district in the distance were flashing, and as he gazed at the distant commercial district, his eyes gradually became unfocused.

I don't know why, but a strange sense of loneliness welled up in my heart.

Further away, the outer city wall resembled a colossal beast lurking in the darkness.
First outer city.

The administrative building, office of Liu Jianwen, deputy minister of the military department.

Xiao Jun, who returned here this afternoon, told Liu Jianwen about the discovery of survivors on Taiwan Island.

After Xiao Jun left,
Liu Jianwen summoned Lao Bi, the helicopter squadron leader, and tasked him with conducting an expedition to Taiwan and rescuing survivors.

"Old Bi, you probably know the whole story."

"I'll give you one day to prepare tomorrow. The day after, you'll take a few helicopters to Taiwan to scout out the area and mark all the factories there that still have potential for investment."
"And find out how many survivors are left over there, and find a way to let them know about our Great Camphor Tree force, so that they can come over later."

"Xiao Jun has now made initial contact with a group of survivors in eastern Kaohsiung. You can also contact them to get information from them and ask them to help you with your work."

After hearing the order, Lao Bi frowned and said:

“Vice Minister, I’m not questioning your decision, I just feel that we can’t even collect enough supplies from the southern and central cities right now, so why do we have to go all the way to Taiwan?”

Moreover, in the past, you couldn't take a boat there; you could only fly a helicopter, and the amount of goods that could be transported was extremely limited.

The return on investment is too low.

Hearing Lao Bi's question, Liu Jianwen wasn't angry. Instead, he took out a piece of paper from the drawer:

"This is a list that the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Industry compiled on the spot."

"Before the apocalypse, Taiwan had significant advantages in semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, and display panels, with some industries even surpassing those on the mainland. Moreover, it possessed strong competitiveness in precision manufacturing fields such as CNC machine tools and industrial robots."

"This list contains the most essential things you need to find when you go to Taiwan."

"I'm not telling you to look for everything indiscriminately. Just look for items related to the categories on this list. There are some things we can't find here."

Old Bi glanced at the list and spread his hands, saying:

"I only know how to fly helicopters. I don't recognize any of the things on this plane. Could you send me a few experts? That would make it much easier to find things later."

Liu Jianwen waved his hand and said:

"I know, I'll arrange that for you tomorrow, don't worry."

After thinking for a while, Lao Bi offered some other forms of support, which Liu Jianwen agreed to one by one. Finally, Lao Bi couldn't think of anything else to add, so he said:

That's all for now. I'll add more if I think of anything else later.

Looking at the seasoned veteran from the military department in front of him, Liu Jianwen said helplessly:
"Okay, that's all for now. You can go back now."

Old Bi nodded:

"Minister, I'll be going now."

After Lao Bi left the minister's office, Liu Jianwen rubbed his temples and contacted the communications department to inquire:

"Wu Xingchen, ask around in the oil city when the commander will be able to return."

"receive."

(End of this chapter)