City of Time: Falling into the kill zone at the start

Chapter 026 Fortune Lies in Peril

"Shall we go take a look...?"

With that murmur, Yu fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he said with deep doubt, "Every scavenger sets a few rules for themselves that they will never break."

For example, when encountering other scavengers, never back down;

"Or perhaps they try their best to avoid encountering other scavengers."

...

"My principle is: safety should be the primary consideration in all actions."

"If there is any possibility of danger, then no matter how high the expected return, we must never take the risk..."

As she said this, Yu slowly shook her head, her face still full of hesitation.

Jade was unwilling to accept this.

Yu was unwilling to give up so easily after picking up a resurrected person for the first time and discovering the "hibernation silo" for the first time.

But not giving up means taking risks...

"We are teammates, and you are the captain."

Whatever decision you make, I will obey.

Just as she was hesitating, Lu Chen's calm, gentle, yet firm voice rang out beside her.

Yu Xunsheng turned his head and saw Lu Chen shaking his head slightly at him with a faint smile.

"But as your teammate, perhaps I should remind you."

"Zhao Jie's recovery took a whole day longer than mine."

"Scavenger No. 3994 returned to the city one day later than you."

"Even if it takes him 20 days to cut in line, he will still leave the city at least one day later than us."

...

"Furthermore, teaming up with other scavengers takes time."

"If he leaves the city tomorrow morning, he will most likely be alone."

"If he wants to form a team, he might not be able to leave the city until tomorrow afternoon, or even the day after tomorrow."

Lu Chen stopped halfway through his sentence, not at all worried that Yu would not understand the implied meaning of his words.

as predicted.

As Lu Chen finished speaking, a glimmer of clarity appeared in Yu's previously doubtful eyes.

After pondering for a moment, he slowly nodded as if deep in thought.

"That's right."

"If he leaves the city tomorrow morning, he will definitely be all alone."

"He will arrive at that 'hibernation pod area' no earlier than tomorrow afternoon."

"If a team is formed, he won't be able to arrive in that area until the morning of the day after tomorrow at the earliest."

"Um……"

In an instant, lightning flashed through Yu's mind as it rapidly processed information.

Lu Chen knew that Yu was assessing the risks.

After a long silence, Yu finally seemed to have made up her mind and leaned down to look at the instrument panel behind the steering wheel.

"It can still travel 200 kilometers..."

Then he turned to the side, grabbed the map in front of Lu Chen, and placed his thumb and little finger on "Haven" and an unmarked area in the eastern suburbs, respectively.

"The straight-line distance is approximately 120 kilometers."

"If you take a straight route, you'll need to cross a sandstorm area."

"If we bypass the sandstorm area, it's about 180 or 190 kilometers..."

Muttering to herself, Yu still had a slightly hesitant look in her eyes, and involuntarily looked towards the passenger seat next to her.

After a moment's thought, Lu Chen nodded solemnly.

"Worth a try."

"We'll rush to that area overnight and start the search immediately."

"The search will continue until noon tomorrow, and the car will be fully charged."

"At that time, regardless of whether we find the hibernation pod or not, we will leave immediately."

Actually, what Lu Chen wanted to say was: Explore until tomorrow night.

Because if scavenger number 3994 arrives in that area tomorrow, he will definitely be alone.

Yu just said: If it's just one person, then Yu can handle it.

In addition, Lu Chen is there—although he may not be of much help, he's not entirely useless either.

At least on paper, this would create a 2v1 numerical advantage, psychologically deterring scavenger number 3994.

If scavenger number 3994 forms a team, they won't be able to reach that area until the day after tomorrow at the earliest.

Therefore, the two of them could explore until tomorrow night before leaving that area.

But in the end, Lu Chen moved the exploration deadline forward to noon tomorrow.

—To completely eliminate the possibility of encountering scavenger number 3994 in that area and avoid any potential risks.

This aligns with the survival rule that Yu set for himself: never take risks.

"Tomorrow at noon..."

In the driver's seat, her brows furrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought once more.

After a long while, she took a deep breath and turned to look at Lu Chen.

"Tomorrow at noon."

"Whether you have a harvest or not, leave immediately at noon."

Lu Chen nodded heavily.

Yu took another deep breath, turned the car key, and started the pickup truck.

We drove the vehicle slowly along the edge of the sandstorm belt, heading east from the harbor.

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Throughout the journey, Yu's expression remained stern, and she did not utter a single word.

Lu Chen understood: This was because driving at night was also a risk.

—Of course, it's not a traffic safety issue.

It's because you have to turn on your headlights when driving at night.

In the vast expanse of scorched earth, a single car headlight provides a clear target for other scavengers in the darkness.

However, Lu Chen wasn't too worried.

Again.

Outside the City of Time, most scavengers are caught in a dilemma—a wolf in sheep's clothing, afraid of both sides.

Neither side wants to encounter the other, nor does the other side want a direct conflict.

But Yu clearly didn't think that way.

There are roughly three types of scavengers.

"One type is the 'coward' like me, who prioritizes risk avoidance and cautiously ventures out of the city to explore."

"Outside the city, we try our best to avoid encountering other scavengers, and even if we do, we make great concessions to avoid conflict."

"This type accounts for about 40% of scavengers."

...

"The second type is the even more cowardly coward."

"To avoid risks, they will try to stay in the city as much as possible, and as long as they have enough time to survive, they will stay in the city."

"Eating black bread, staying in rope hotels—or even working as temporary laborers in mines and factories."

"Do whatever saves time."

"Only when time is running out and survival is nearly impossible will they reluctantly leave the city, explore the surrounding area for a few days, and then rush back to the city."

"—They go out of town to scavenge, and they don't even need to store [time] in a bank."

"This category accounts for approximately 59% of scavengers."

...

"Less than 1% remain, which is the third category."

"I usually refer to them as: supermale syndrome patients."

After saying that, Yu shook her head and let out a bitter laugh, while Lu Chen also forced a smile.

—They only account for 1% of scavengers, a very small minority;

He was also referred to as a "hyperandrogen syndrome patient".

There's no need to elaborate on who they are.

"Outside the city, do they actively seek out other scavengers and then coerce and rob them?"

Yu nodded, then shook her head slightly.

"It's not just plunder."

"There are also a very small number of perverts who simply enjoy killing—or even torturing.

...

"Scavengers who go out of the city in groups are often this type of person."

"When they leave the city, they will temporarily form an alliance due to the huge expected benefits."

"Once they get their hands on the profits, they'll turn on each other and try to monopolize them."

"—Or perhaps, the expected returns didn't materialize."

"At this point, they will vent their anger about not getting what they want on their teammates."