Chapter 177 Deep Virtual 4
It was still raining outside. Xie Ning noticed that Zhan Lin didn't have an umbrella, so she invited her to share one. When the two of them stood together, Xie Ning realized something was wrong. Zhan Lin was too tall... She hadn't noticed when they were sitting together, but when Zhan Lin stood up, Xie Ning realized that she was a whole head taller than her.
She was holding on... with considerable difficulty.
"Haha, I'll hold it up." Zhan Lin took the umbrella from Xie Ning's hand.
Xie Ning's gaze fell on Zhan Lin's prosthetic arm holding the umbrella. The mechanical arm was not exquisite in appearance, but it was very flexible. Xie Ning recognized the origin of the prosthetic arm at a glance; it was a product of Huarui Technology Company.
The price is around 30,000 Federal Dollars. It is a relatively outdated mechanical technology product. Even so, since the security guard's salary is not high, this is not something that Zhan Lin, who has only recently become a full-time security guard, can afford. It should be a benefit for employees of the Security Bureau.
The benefits of having a stable job here are quite good, but the salary is not high.
West Street is a relatively prosperous street, but it is not wide, even narrow. There are many small shops with flashing neon lights on both sides. Even late at night, it is still bustling with people, and the crowds come and go like a tide.
They were annoyed by the rain, but that didn't stop them from wandering through the crowded streets. Street kids dressed in flamboyant clothes released their energy with music on a small, semi-open stage, while homeless people with bottles of liquor lay next to trash cans, letting the rain soak their faces.
The people here are at opposite ends of the spectrum from the well-dressed, fashionable elites she saw in the upscale restaurants on the maglev train. Every era has its class gap between the rich and the poor, and Xie Ning is not surprised by this.
Zhan Lin bought knife-cut noodles by the roadside, while Xie Ning looked down at the puddles on the ground. In just a short while, her calves were covered in mud. Although her calves and shoes were wet from the rain at the hospital entrance, the place was clean.
The ground here is not only uneven but also very dirty and messy. Although there are trash cans by the roadside, there is all kinds of litter scattered everywhere, which shows that the order here is also very chaotic.
"Uncle Wei! Why has your knife-cut noodles gone up in price? It used to be five yuan, but now it's six yuan?"
The middle-aged man, whom Zhan Lin called Uncle Wei, had a cigarette dangling from his lips and was rapidly slicing noodles into the pot. Hearing this, he replied without even looking up.
"Don't ask me about that. The price of flour has gone up since yesterday. I heard that the rebels have occupied Nanhu District, which is full of planting bases. With less supply from Nanhu District, flour has become scarce. Do you think I should raise the price?"
"If I don't raise prices, I'll lose all my capital."
After saying that, he threw a handful of greens into the pot, and soon scooped out the noodles and greens into a bowl, then added broth, and a bowl of delicious knife-cut noodles was ready.
Zhan Lin swallowed hard as she looked at the minced meat on her face, then readily used her wristband to swipe a card onto the cash register next to her. Immediately afterward, a payment notification sounded.
Then he handed another serving to Xie Ning, saying, "Here, have some knife-cut noodles!"
Xie Ning, who was focused on researching, was taken aback and waved her hand somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm not hungry."
She took an expensive energy booster; she won't be hungry for the next five days.
"Eat up! Uncle Wei's cooking is amazing!" Zhan Lin was very enthusiastic. When she saw Xie Ning looking at the news about the rebels occupying Nanhu District, she came over to take a look as well. As she looked, she began to sigh.
"These rebels are despicable. They seized Nanhu District, which directly disrupted the market. Fortunately, the federal government intervened to regulate the market, otherwise rice and flour prices would have risen even more sharply." People who couldn't afford to eat would have faced even greater difficulties.
Xie Ning nodded, but his mind was not on the government's response.
In short, the rebels are a group that openly defies federal jurisdiction. They are said to have committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities, according to information found online.
She certainly wouldn't believe such one-sided accounts; one has to experience everything and everyone firsthand to get the most authentic feedback.
Of course, Xie Ning doesn't want to make contact with the rebels right now, since the rebels mean trouble.
What intrigued her was that the rebels not only had human leaders, but also androids in management positions. It's worth noting that while androids possess superpowers and immense strength, they also have short lifespans. To humans, androids are more like tools, tools for handling dangerous tasks.
Moreover, such powerful androids are still very rare, and they are basically all controlled by the federal government. Most other androids are just like ordinary people, but their lifespan is also just as short.
Even so, ordinary androids are still very expensive and not affordable for the average person.
In this world, androids cannot be considered human; they do not have the most basic human rights.
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