Bab 38: Slave Arrangement
Editor: Lis_, Rainystars
The next day, Jiang Chen checked out from the Paradise Island Hotel. He then said goodbye to Zhao Chenwu before beginning his journey back home.
The underground sewage system's restructuring plan had already started. A few military personnel from the Zhao Corporation had already occupied the entrance. The busy construction vehicle, along with the workers with polyethylene boards, demonstrated the emphasis Zhao Chenwu placed on this trade route.
Soldiers with full combat gear saw Jiang Chen approach and signaled him to stop. After verification of gene ID to identify that Jiang Chen was a person of importance to the boss, the soldiers saluted and stepped aside to allow Jiang Chen to pass.
Although they worked under a corporate structure, the private forces already possessed military discipline and capability that made Jiang Chen gain a better understanding of the Sixth Street’s ability. On the surface, the civil-military was protecting the safety of the Sixth Street, but the real forces were the private forces of the capitalists. The civil-military acted more like the police.
If these soldiers faced the Roshan, it would be an easy fight, unlike last time.
The actual construction of the underground sewage system has yet to begin. Jiang Chen jumped on top of the mold covered concrete floor. His surroundings were pitch black. He opened his tactical flashlight as well as the three-dimensional map on the full sensory computer. After finalizing the direction, Jiang Chen headed home.
The atmosphere felt repressive.
After the civil soldiers had taken them to the quarantine room, a bad feeling sprouted from everyone’s head. The examination that they all acquired X1 virus has rectified their suspension. Then a few people in white coats that looked like doctors ordered soldiers with genetic medication to pin them on the bed. After they had regained their consciousness, everyone’s neck felt oddly sore.
"All of you have been injected with the slavery microchip. I don’t think I have to explain further. You’ll be taken to your new owner in a bit, you pigs." Cheng Weiguo still clearly remembered the cold and condescending gaze. To the Sixth Street, the unemployed were pigs that wasted food.
It was a conspiracy.
But no one resisted.
They were no longer new to the survivor camps. After they have accepted the aid, freedom is only a mere wish. If they didn't work, they would receive one nutrient supply a day. This would only prevent them from starving to death, but a few had died anyways.
All of them huddled in a circle as six soldiers in black combat gear stood by the side. Some have guessed that the Zhao Corporation purchased them, but with the supplies stacked beside them, it only made them feel like they were part of the items sold.
"Honey, did they do anything to you." Cheng Weiguo worriedly held his wife’s hand.
"No, I lost my consciousness after they injected tranquilizer. I feel the same way as you guys, only a bit sore in the neck," Zhou Jiexi wanted her husband to remain calm as she gently held his hand and answered softly.
"The couple should spend some intimate time together. Maybe we will be sold as slave labor somewhere. The man will work, and the woman...hehe," A middle-aged man opened his mouth, and he said grinning.
"What the fu*k did you just say?" Cheng Weiguo felt the tremble from his wife’s hand as rage filled his chest. He furiously glared at the man.
"What, do you want to fight?" The middle-aged man drowsily yawned as he pointed at the back of his neck. "Come, I won’t fight back. Let’s see if you die or I die first."
Slaves are the private property of the owner. If a fight broke out between slaves, the usual consequence was that both parties would be executed in public. The private forces have already noticed the disturbance, and they pointed their guns to deter the fight. These people were properties of the boss’ valued friend. If anything happened, they would receive punishment.
Cheng Weiguo clinched his fist but had to let it go. The other slaves saw that nothing happened and all lost their interest without paying more attention.
Suddenly, the private forces all moved. The six of them lined up and saluted to a young man. They got on the small moving vehicle and then left.
What does it feel like to be stared down by thirty pairs of eyes?
It didn’t feel like anything special, especially when he knew he controlled their life. The apathetic feeling to life felt particularly real.
Jiang Chen let out a breath as he got rid of the uneasy feeling from his mind. He didn’t want to become a cold-blooded politician. He wanted to be a wealthy man who lived a lavish life.
Unambitious is not a terrible way to experience life.
However, to accumulate wealth on this chaotic piece of land, he must have the necessary forces. If he weren't a rich man, he would just be a prey. If he met Huizhong Mercenaries again, he would fall victim again.
Force and deterrence were necessary, and he must get used to them.
He recollected his thought as he scanned through the jittery figures and slowly let out a long breath.
"Okay, look at me. I will be your future master," Jiang Chen clapped his hand as he shouted.
His voice echoing through the dark sewage system had a strange feel to it.
"I know you guys all have a lot of questions in your mind, such as if you would be used as a lure or carry a weapon to go fight in the front line. Fortunately, I can guarantee that it won’t happen."
Jiang Chen sensed that everyone let out a sigh of relief. The thirty heart beat related indicators have all decreased on the EP.
A pleased smile appeared on his face before he took another deep breath and spoke out.
"You guys are lucky because I am your master and I believe you will experience that shortly. You work for me, and you won’t starve. I can even let you guys live a wealthy life as you have never imagined before. However…"
At this point, Jiang Chen gradually slowed his voice down and purposely lowered his voice as he added a sullen chillness to his tone.
"I am a kind and sympathetic person, but the only thing I cannot forgive is betrayal. You all know the microchip installed at the back of your neck. For me, you have no privacy at all. For traitors, there is no punishment other than death. That’s all."
His words of certainty transmitted through the pitch silent underground sewage system. The frightened, fearful, and worried pupils dilated as they didn’t dare to make a sound.
Afraid? That’s right! That’s what he wanted to instill in their heart.
Carrot after stick, he knew that these people would be obedient. He was aware that the moment they smelt the first bowl of congee after so many years, these frightened and uncertain people would immediately praise him as the second god.
"What are you all waiting for! Grab everything and let's go home!" Jiang Chen waved his hand as the slaves stood up quivering and lifted all the supplies.
He climbed out of the exit. After he had ensured the safety of the surrounding, he lowered the hook and cables down. People below hooked the supplies up and lifted the stocks one by one. The production equipment were all disassembled and stored in boxes; assembling can be done in the mansion.
He led the slaves with packs of supplies as they carefully traversed through the deserted streets full of lifeless zombies. Jiang Chen finally saw his mansion, or "dirt fortress".
He pressed the doorbell. Quickly, a graceful figure jumped into his firm embrace as she hugged his neck.
"Did you pick up girls?" The cat-like eyes gazed at Jiang Chen as Sun Jiao examined him top down.
"Shouldn’t the first sentence be I miss you?" Jiang Chen patted Sun Jiao's back with a bitter smile. This girl was even naughtier. An audacious girl transforming into a caring woman?
"You haven’t answered my question yet." Sun Jiao smirked as she drew a circle on his back with her finger.
"I swear to God, no!" Jiang Chen raised his hand and swore. At the same time, he added a sentence in his mind.
[If the robot doesn’t count.]
Although her sixth sense made Sun Jiao a little suspicious, Jiang Chen didn’t smell odd so she quickly let it go.
After she had kissed Jiang Chen again, she began to order the slaves on the side to move things into the mansion. Then started to plan on how to settle these slaves.
The grass field in front of the mansion was circled out and used to build temporary tents for them. The small traveler-sized tents were purchased with Zhao Chenwu and could barely fit two people. Due to the limitation of space, they would have to squeeze a bit, but it would still be better than sleeping outside.
Of course, there were still rooms in the mansion, but Jiang Chen wasn’t kind enough to let these strangers live in his home. Even if they have no ability to fight back and kept a clean record in the ghetto, he still had trust issues. Without the proper loyalty and allegiance, Jiang Chen could only treat them as strangers.
Yao Yao understandingly followed Jiang Chen’s instructions and brought a giant pot. She dumped half a bag of rice along with an ample amount of water. Then she added some cabbage leaves and some ground pork into the pot with two spoons of salt and a small spoon of gourmet powder.
She opened the natural gas and started to cook in the giant pot.
After a giant wooden spoon had mixed all the ingredients, Yao Yao tiptoed to cover the pot.
She sniffed and adjusted the fire before waiting quietly for the congee to cook. Although she didn’t understand why Jiang Chen would make such a delicious meal for the slaves, she would support his decision regardless of the motive.
[Brother’s sympathetic look was handsome.]
Perhaps it was the fire, but Yao Yao’s face blushed in redness.
Slowly, she was getting to the age where she had her own fantasy..
Bab 39: Jobs and Responsibilities
Editor: Lis_, Rainystars
When bowls of congee mixed with cabbage leaves and ground pork were brought to the table, everyone gulped at the smell of delicacies.
Hungry eyes stared fixedly at the table; if not for the slavery microchips, they would have dashed at the food like monsters.
Jiang Chen was happy to see their expressions. These people were his slaves, but he would rather treat them as employees as long as they were obedient like now. As long as no one dared to rush for the food without his permission, he was satisfied.
Gulp…
Jiang Chen glanced at Sun Jiao beside him with an awkward smile. Even this foodie gulped at the sight of the food. He lowered his voice and said, “Didn’t you just eat? Why are you hungry?”
“None of your business.” Sun Jiao threatened him with a flash of her teeth before she averted her gaze with a blushing face.
She wasn’t necessarily hungry, but she was driven by an instinct for food.
“Ahem, what are you guys waiting for? Time to eat.” Jiang Chen signaled that they could eat with a smile on his face.
His voice was like a heavenly melody to them.
When Jiang Chen said the word “eat,” almost all of the slaves wanted to profusely thank him.
These refugees were law-abiding people which meant they were easy to control. They needed only two meals a day to survive, and even without the deterrence of the microchips, no one was foolish enough to have ill intentions when they saw Jiang Chen’s generosity; a fool would never have the ability to find another fool to scheme together anyway.
Of course, as a method of deterrence, the microchips did an excellent job.
“Don’t rush and eat slowly. If you’re not full after twenty minutes, then you can line up again to have another bowl. Of course, if you dare to overeat and puke it out, I’ll make you eat everything you vomited!” Jiang Chen stood by the giant pot as the slaves one by one went up and carefully used a ladle to pour congee.
“That’s disgusting,” Sun Jiao whispered by Jiang Chen’s ear.
“I can’t let these people who haven’t seen rice before waste it, right?” Jiang Chen quietly replied with a shrug.
“This meal consumed two pounds of rice, two pork strips, and three cabbages. A lot of the food in the basement was brought out to exchange for supplies, and as for the rest…”
The stored cans of food were used to trade, and the cabbages and perishable rice were originally supposed to last the three of them for a month. Now that thirty people needed to be fed, the food in the basement was nowhere near sufficient. After all, Jiang Chen bought those at the supermarket, so the quantities were small.
“Stop, these things aren’t even worth mentioning where I come from. I’ll go again soon to bring more back,” Jiang Chen responded with a bitter smile. At the same time, he was planning to rent a storage space in the rural area and use a food distributor to purchase some non-packaged food.
Using sandpaper every time was too much of a hassle.
But this audacious Miss Sun Jiao was becoming more of a homemaker. The dissatisfied pout in her eyes at his “wastefulness” oddly made Jiang Chen feel a rush of emotion.
The more this girl transformed into a civilized person, the more attractive she became.
Jiang Chen touched his slightly burning nose and stopped peeking at the side of her face.
The mansion was no longer empty like before and with this many people, he had to be aware of any intimacy.
When he saw the completely cleaned out bowls accompanied by eyes that were still frightened but now held a hint of gratitude, Jiang Chen coughed as he signaled for everyone to look at him.
“Are you guys full?”
No one responded.
“If you want to eat tomorrow, then you better answer all of my questions.” Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes.
“Yes!” Everyone hesitantly opened their mouths.
Jiang Chen nodded his eyes, pleased.
“Excellent. Hearing your response makes me confident that I’m not raising a bunch of mute pigs. The way I speak may be offensive to you because you guys are nothing to me! Thanks to me, none of you have to starve anymore, and this is a comfort not many can imagine. Therefore, you all have to prove your worth! Prove that you’re worth the three meals you eat every day!
Yes, I will provide three meals a day. But don’t be too happy yet. People slacking off are not included! I don’t want to be your master because that means I have the responsibility to feed you. Instead, I want you all to consider me as your boss. You are my employees, but the consequence of being fired is quite high. I don’t think I need to explain any further.”
Not a single person argued against his words.
To a person who offered them food without torture, they felt only gratefulness. As for what to call him, they didn’t care even if Jiang Chen made them call him daddy; they would do so without any hesitation.
Dignity? That was for people who weren’t hungry.
Also, as a civilized individual, Jiang Chen treated them with some respect for his personal reasons. If they were cute girls, it might have been acceptable, but the thought of this bunch of men calling him master only gave him goosebumps.
And most importantly, he didn’t want his inner self to change from hearing the title “Master.”
After everyone finished eating, Jiang Chen adjusted his mindset and continued to speak.
“Rome wasn't built in a day’s time. You all are the first ones to join me in building my empire! I’ll bring order and prosperity to this lawless land, and you must contribute to my vision and in return, I’ll continue providing the food that ensures your survival. That’s enough from me. From tomorrow on, everyone has work to do. Clean up the bowls after yourself. Whoever’s name I call, stay behind. The rest can go back. Remember one thing, the mansion is a restricted area. If anyone enters without my permission, they will be killed immediately.”
His last sentence rang out with a deathly chill.
He monitored the thirty heart rate indicators in his EP, and he nodded with satisfaction. Without any abnormal stimulation, the heart rate would not fluctuate, which meant that they don’t have any strange thoughts.
Everyone brought their bowls with them at their dismissal and headed to the sink with Yao Yao’s guidance. He was thankful for the automatic water treatment system which provided them with city-wide safe and clean drinking water in the post-apocalypse.
Everyone whose names were called stood quivering in front of Jiang Chen. They didn’t know what their master would make them do.
“Zhou Jiexi.”
“Yes.” Zhou Jiexi gently bit her lip as she bowed down to Jiang Chen staring on the ground. She had a husband who loved her dearly. To be truthful, she was afraid that Jiang Chen would require some disdainful need from her. If that was the case, she couldn’t resist. For her husband’s life, she would shamefully accept.
She was clearly thinking too much. Although she was rather attractive, Jiang Chen wasn’t into married women, and he especially was not interested in forcing anyone.
Also, Miss Sun Jiao was standing beside him.
“You all don’t have to be so afraid. I won’t eat you guys,” Jiang Chen said as he shrugged at the two males and two females. He then asked the wife, “Do you know how to cook?”
“Mhmm.” It was an odd question, but Zhou Jiexi truthfully nodded. As a qualified wife, of course she knew how to cook. It was just that ever since she woke up from the hibernation chamber with her husband in the survival base, she hadn’t seen rice in a long time.
“You’ll be responsible for the food of these thirty people. I’ll give you a menu in a moment.” After he finished, Jiang Chen didn’t bother to look at Zhou Jiexi’s expression as he flipped to the next page. “Wang Qin.”
“Here!” The timid girl with freckles was frightened by Jiang Chen’s voice.
“This is not elementary school. You don’t have to say here, just say yes.” Jiang Chen gently smiled at the peculiar gazes of the four people before getting back to the point. “You’re an accounting major. Therefore, you’ll be responsible for the supplies in storage. I’ll give you a copy of the key, and I need a record for every supply’s usage. This is an important task, and I cannot allow you to make a mistake. Do you understand?”
“Understood!”
Great. Although the voice was a little weak, it certainly showed her determination which pleased Jiang Chen.
Her timid personality made him especially satisfied with his choice.
“Lu Huasheng.” Peanuts? Jiang Chen almost burst out laughing at such an odd name.
“Yes.” A responsible-looking middle-aged man cautiously nodded in response.
“I heard you were the chief developer of Huajian Real Estate?”
“That was before the war.” Lu Huasheng smiled bitterly.
“I don’t care when it happened, I only need you to redesign this base for me. That’s right, I want to build a survival camp far larger than Sixth Street. I’ll need you to draw a layout plan with the mansion in the center and expand the radius of the base by two times. The design of the wall, where to put it, how much material is required, and the survivors’ building—I trust you know these better than me. I want to see the result by tomorrow at six o’clock.”
“I need a full sensory computer and a memory card,” Lu Huasheng cautiously said. “For drawing purposes.”
“Here you go.” Jiang Chen said without even blinking. Jiang Chen purchased a bunch of these cheap, second-hand equipment that littered the Sixth Street.
“Okay, that’s it. You three can leave now.”
The ones released let out a breath of relief as they looked compassionately at their companion left behind before they quickly left with their bowls.
“Hehe, boss, what about me?” The person remaining was a middle-aged man with a pair of glasses. His figure was rather lean, meaning he was unable to do any physical labor. He saw that Jiang Chen didn’t say anything which made him uncomfortably scratch his head as he asked in a timid voice.
The other three people were all assigned tasks to complete, but this young boss didn’t give him any instructions which made him quite afraid. His mind began to wander to see if he did anything wrong to upset the boss.
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