bookbashuk Chapter 30 Ron
Chapter 30 Ron
If it weren't for the lack of money, who would want to go to work...?
Behind the man in the trench coat, Xu Yang looked rather dejected. The first floor of the black building was a spacious lobby filled with all sorts of people, with corridors on both sides.
After passing through the corridor on the right, the two arrived at a large conference room with a stage at the top and rows of black leather seats below.
At this moment, a few people were sitting scattered around. They were dressed in different ways and should all be members of this so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But what exactly does the so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs do? Xu Yang still has no idea.
The staff didn't say anything, and the man in the trench coat couldn't say anything either. He was brought here in a daze, and unsurprisingly, he will probably join this organization soon.
……
The only good news was that after the man in the trench coat brought him here, he took the blue number plate from him and left, looking quite anxious, perhaps to torment the next person.
Xu Yang smiled with relief.
He casually found a seat and looked around. The conference room was quite spacious, the stage at the front was empty, and many seats were also empty, with people constantly coming in and taking their seats.
It seems we'll have to wait a while longer...
Not long after, another person sat down next to him. Xu Yang glanced at him and recognized the young man—the white-haired guy who had been ripped off at Cole's shop before.
The other person seemed to recognize Xu Yang as well: "You are...?"
"The Secret Pagoda".
"Where is that unscrupulous merchant?"
"That unscrupulous merchant."
They easily found a topic to talk about and began chatting. The young man's name was Ron, and he had only arrived at Settlement Three yesterday, but his background was somewhat special compared to most people.
He comes from a large city.
【Humanity】
[A healthy adult male, whose body has undergone some planned genetic modifications, possesses a youthful spirit full of exploration and contains mutations.]
[Note: I once dreamed of traveling the world with a sword.]
……
At this moment, Ron raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Yang with considerable puzzlement: "You haven't heard of Haiyuan City? Although it's not as famous as Future City, it's still a major city, isn't it? You haven't even heard of it?"
Xu Yang shrugged and continued, "Never heard of it. Tell me what this Haiyuan City is like. I'm free anyway, and I'm quite interested."
"..."
"Well, there's not much to say, it's just a really boring place."
"Like all the major cities, everyone follows the Federation's [training program]. There are fixed tasks to do every day. In short, you know at a glance everything you're supposed to do in this life." Ron put his hands behind his head, his tone somewhat listless.
Xu Yang blinked, raising an eyebrow slightly: "What's the training program?"
"It's like a schedule. After a newborn in the giant city is born, the Federation can calculate what he is best suited to do in his life based on his genes, and then set life goals for him, and plan what he should do at each stage of his life, listing everything in detail. This is called a training program."
Ron remarked with some emotion, "The people of Giant City will spend their entire lives revolving around this plan, ultimately becoming the person they are best suited to be according to the Federation's plan."
Xu Yang, standing nearby, frowned slightly as he listened; this seemed to be a very dogmatic thing.
What about free will?
"So you came to the settlement because of the training program?"
"No." A complex look flashed in Ron's eyes. "I ran away. I didn't like my training program. I prefer the unknown to something that I can see the end from the beginning."
Well, so this is what free will is all about.
"Doesn't the Federation or that Haiyuan City care?" Xu Yang then asked.
"No matter what, the Federation isn't a bandit's den. Of course, we can choose to leave, but we'll lose our status as citizens of the Giant City."
Ron waved his hand, as if it were a trivial matter.
But everything is clear in my memory; it's not as easy as it sounds.
In fact, when this idea was still just a thought, his classmates, friends, and even his parents looked at him like he was crazy.
Yes, a madman.
The identity that many people would kill to obtain—a resident of a megacity—not only means an incredibly comfortable life, but also that behind him is a behemoth called the Federation, which will provide him with support in every way for the rest of his life.
The price paid was simply to live according to the federally mandated plan.
This plan is even based on an individual's innate talents, and is the plan that best utilizes those talents.
But he... doesn't like it.
Rebellious young people are more likely to do things they love and are fascinated by.
Thinking of this, Ron's eyes darted around.
His parents once told him: "Loving something doesn't necessarily mean being good at it; rather, being good at something leads to loving it." Most people in this world spend their entire lives searching for what they are good at, but often fail to find it.
The Federation has already found the answer for the residents of the giant city from various biological perspectives: as long as they follow the upbringing program specified at birth, everyone can live in the best and most suitable way for themselves.
Ron sighed inwardly. Perhaps they were right.
But just like every time I felt regret before, this feeling was quickly overshadowed.
He then glanced at Xu Yang beside him, hoping to get some strange looks from him.
The gaze that once instilled fear now evoked a secret joy in him. It made him feel unique, different from others, and special.
It's like the psychology of a certain child; being different gives him strength.
This time, however, Ron was destined to be disappointed.
Xu Yang, a resident of the Union who had joined the Federation less than a day ago, didn't think as much as the locals did.
He was simply satisfying his curiosity: "Oh, I see."
"..."
Ron pursed his lips.
"By the way, what good food is there in Haiyuan City?"
Does sashimi count?
……
The two chatted idly, and gradually, the surrounding seats were filled until everyone had arrived.
After a while,
With a steady gait, a tall, muscular middle-aged man walked onto the stage. He had a scar on his face and a buzz cut.
A deep voice came from the front: "Ahem, everyone, please be quiet."
"My name is He west, and I am the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is to say, the minister. The person who handled my onboarding died yesterday, and the higher-ups forgot to arrange a replacement, so I am temporarily filling in this time."
Xu Yang's eyelids twitched, but the people around him remained calm and composed.
Standing in front of the podium, He west cleared his throat: "Before we go any further, there are a few things I need to say, even though everyone already knows them. But there's no way around it; official departments just have to follow procedures."
"First of all, our department's work is different from other official departments in other communities. If you wish, you can even do it entirely part-time. You don't have to be in the office regularly, and you can arrange your own time, but you must be present at least once a month."
It sounds pretty good, but can a job really be this leisurely?
Xu Yang had his doubts.
Sure enough, on the platform, the middle-aged man paused suddenly, a slight smile playing on his lips: "But we don't have a base salary, only some scrap materials as a subsidy, to ensure you don't starve, but don't ask what we eat."
In the lower seats, only a few people's expressions turned sour; most people's expressions remained unchanged.
Just as Xu Yang was wondering what kind of job this was, He Xi above continued, "Our main salary comes from mission attendance. All matters in the entire settlement that require going out will be handled by our department. I believe everyone knows this."
"The so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs is essentially an employment organization; it was just a department created specifically for the sake of management."
He west explained it this way, with a hint of self-deprecation: "It can be seen as a freelance job managed by the government. It's neither official nor free."
"but--"
He suddenly changed the subject, "Now that I've read out the bad points, there are naturally some good points too."
"This is related to the acquisition of various rare resources and even the status of residents of the megacity."