"Are you still envious of others living in ocean-view mansions? Are you still yearning for powerful weapons that can wreak havoc? Are you hesitant to buy the expensive items in the base store because you're broke?"
"Don't hesitate, pick up your radio and contact station number xxxxx immediately. Oasis Group, ensuring your worry-free life in the apocalypse!"
Lu Sheng and the others: "..."
The lines sound so familiar; they don't sound like anything good.
"This ad looks like a pre-apocalyptic loan shark operation. Could it be that those same scoundrels are back to their old ways?"
The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.
In recent years, microloans have become particularly rampant, with advertisements everywhere, making it seem like you don't have to repay the loan.
Lu Sheng's classmates had taken out predatory loans, and the interest compounded, causing them to owe more and more money. In the end, their families had to sell their house in a small fifth-tier county to help pay off the debts.
(Friendly reminder: Stay away from online loans, protect your wallet, and avoid overspending.)
"The advertisements are really loud, but how much can I actually borrow if I go there?" Zhang Xiaojuan looked curiously at the boy outside the safe zone.
The boy, expressionless, pulled a crumpled flyer from his pocket.
The Crystal Core Loan offered by Oasis Group also allocates loan amounts based on the borrower's type and level of superpower.
The higher the level, the stronger the type of superpower, and the higher the amount of crystal cores that can be borrowed.
Although not explicitly stated, the various conditions set on the flyer already exclude ordinary people and low-level ability users.
"Good heavens! A third-tier ability user can borrow 200 mid-level crystal cores? A fourth-tier user can borrow 500, and a fifth-tier user can borrow 1000??"
Zhang Xiaojuan gripped the flyer tightly, pointing to the amount on it and looking up in surprise.
At current prices, 200 crystal cores are enough to live a life of luxury in a large base for at least two months. For a third-tier ability user, that's a considerable sum of money, and the temptation is immense.
"And the interest rate doesn't seem particularly high?" Han Rui leaned closer and found the interest rate on the loan amount page.
“They’re just trying to fool idiots like you.” Zhang Xiaojuan snorted and found a line of barely legible print in a corner. “This Crystal Core Loan uses compound interest, interest on interest. Once you borrow it, you’ll be skinned alive.”
Just like before the apocalypse, these deceptive clauses are hidden in obscure and easily overlooked places.
For ordinary people with superpowers, the temptation of this amount is simply too great.
In most areas, zombies have now formed hordes, with very few lone individuals remaining. Even for mediocre third- or fourth-tier ability users, obtaining a large number of crystal cores is not an easy task.
No matter the time, you can't get anywhere without money.
In the apocalypse, without crystal cores, even food and shelter become problems.
Many people take out their first online loan with the idea that they can pay it back quickly. However, according to this compound interest calculation method, even if the hole is filled as quickly as possible, the interest is almost equivalent to one-third of the principal.
“But this is the apocalypse. Nobody has school or job, and some are so unlucky they don’t even have family or friends. If they’re determined not to pay back their money, what can the Oasis Group do about these superhumans?” Sun Tiantian asked curiously.
Before the apocalypse, the typical debt collection methods for online loans would involve bombarding the borrower's contact list, contacting all their family, friends, and colleagues, and using social pressure to force them to repay their debts.
But in the apocalypse, everyone has almost no social connections, so how are these loan sharks going to collect debts?
Lu Sheng toyed with the chip, about the size of a soybean, in his hand. "That's why we need to implant chips in the minds of borrowers."
"What will happen if you can't pay it back?"
Everyone had the same question and turned to look at the pale-faced boy.
"The Oasis Group requires borrowers to pay off their debts with jobs." The boy lowered his head slightly, his gaze occasionally glancing at the zombie security guards doing calisthenics in the courtyard.
Xiao Yu was skeptical. "But with so many types of superpowers, managing them isn't an easy task. If someone really wanted to run away, they probably couldn't stop them, right?"
The boy remained silent, then dug a chip out of the head of another unfortunate fellow at his feet and twisted it between his two fingers.
Bang!
A loud explosion, like a firecracker.
A faint smell of burning wafted from the boy's fingertips; two two-centimeter-long cuts had been blasted into his fingertips.
The boy didn't seem to care about the wound, but the little girl next to him suddenly stiffened and moved her neck.
"If this exploded in someone's head, their brains would be cooked..." Zhang Xiaojuan swallowed hard.
Who could come up with such a wicked idea...?
Lu Sheng took a closer look at the taciturn young man in front of him.
He was probably seventeen or eighteen years old, about 1.78 meters tall, with a fair complexion and an academic appearance. Although his clothes were tattered, they weren't dirty, indicating that he was someone who paid attention to hygiene.
The girl next to him was about fifteen years old. She was wearing a hat and a mask, so her face couldn't be seen. You could only roughly tell that she was a petite girl.
The boy had a rope tied around his left hand, with the other end of the rope tied to the girl's right wrist.
The rope, about a few meters long, was folded into a coil and held tightly in the boy's hand.
These two people are actually tied together?
The boy's attack range was just within the length of the rope...
"These people must be your companions, right? Otherwise, why would you all travel together? You even killed your own companions, you must not be a good person!" Han Rui's little head became unusually alert, and she subconsciously pressed for an answer.
"How do you know so much about Crystal Core Loan?" Sun Tiantian asked with a hint of doubt.
The boy raised his head, his blank gaze finally landing on Lu Sheng's face.
"I met them in H City and helped them deal with a fifth-tier mutated wild dog. We traveled together for a few days."
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