Chapter 129: The Labor Market

The faintly reddish glow in the southwestern sky was indeed from reflected light. Lu Xin and Gecko drove straight along the road and soon noticed that the reddish glow became more distinct, like a hazy mass of red mist, under which dim lights could be seen.

After walking for about ten more minutes, they spotted a rusty roadside signpost.

Tilted crookedly by the roadside, it bore several hastily scrawled large characters and an arrow symbol in bright red paint:

“Blackwater Town”

“…”

Beneath these words, several slightly smaller characters read: “fuel,” “food,” “Big Saf…”

The last character was somewhat unreadable.

“Services are quite thorough…” Gecko perked up slightly. Following the arrow’s direction, they turned the vehicle onto a small path paved with crushed gravel.

Both sides of the path were dark and desolate, covered in tall, waist-high Wasteland Grass.

Occasionally, Lu Xin would hear faint rustling sounds from the grass and see the blades shifting.

Gecko chuckled softly and explained, “Rabbit.”

Lu Xin glanced over. “Can we shoot one?”

“Definitely not…”

Gecko looked startled and hurriedly stopped him, whispering, “Those rabbits belong to Blackwater Town. They’re scouts.”

“By the time we reach Blackwater Town, these people will have already figured us out.”

“…”

Lu Xin finally understood that “rabbit” meant a scout.

They drove along the small path for around half an hour before reaching the brightly lit area that had seemed deceptively close. The settlement was built on relatively high ground, enclosed by a perimeter of rough wooden fence posts, each standing about three to four meters tall. The posts were thickly woven with a menacing Barbed Wire Fence. The lights they had seen from afar were only a small fraction radiating outward from above the fence.

Outside the fence stood rows of dark, Large Trucks. Some were empty; others were piled high with goods.

Some men stood guard by the trucks, both vigilantly watching their surroundings and silently dragging on cigarettes.

At the end of the path was a rusted sheet-metal gate with a guard booth next to it, fitted with iron bars.

“Wasteland Scavengers. Here to rest.”

Gecko drove straight up to the booth and called out loudly.

“Scavengers?”

The man inside the booth seemed to have known Gecko and Lu Xin were coming. He cast a scrutinizing look their way, eyeing them through the window, and remarked with a smirk, “Doesn’t seem like it. You two look pretty clean…”

He spoke loudly. Several men inside the booth holding guns casually drifted closer. Nearby workers resting or chatting by the trucks likewise turned their attention toward them.

“We’re damn Wasteland Scavengers, not street scavengers! Why shouldn’t we stay clean?” Gecko slapped his car door forcefully for emphasis, putting on a boisterous grin. “What? We gotta cover ourselves in mud just to get in?”

“Just asking.”

Seeing Gecko’s unflinching demeanor, the man inside the booth merely shrugged and recited the rules disinterestedly:

“Standard rule: You can enter the town, but only Handguns allowed. Heavy firepower stays in the vehicle.”

“What counts as heavy firepower?”

“The stuff that goes ‘da-da-da-dak’ is heavy firepower. It stays put. Stuff that goes ‘bang-bang-bang,’ you can bring with you!”

“Parking: Two choices! Inside the fence, one hundred Alliance Currency per day, or ten Canned Food. Guns and bullets can be used as payment. We’ve got folks guarding vehicles inside, but valuables stay on you.”

“Park outside? That’s on you. Leave someone behind to guard it. We’re not responsible if something happens.”

“…”

Lu Xin quietly noted how the parking rules alone held so many intricacies.

“The ‘bang-bang-bang’ type is definitely staying with us. Obviously!” Gecko produced his Handgun and rapped it against the car door. “We’ll park inside. Spare us the trouble of someone swiping our tires!”

Numerous surrounding eyes, noting the gun in Gecko’s hand, looked away.

“Bringing Handguns doesn’t mean you get to fire them willy-nilly! Firing inside the town grounds, right or wrong, costs you a thousand bucks first!”

The man grumbled as he took the one hundred Alliance Currency handed over by Gecko. “Niuzi! Come escort them!”

“Coming!”

The large iron gate swung open. Out ran a young man holding two halves of a wooden tally token.

He snapped one token in half. One half went to Gecko; the other half was tied to the left rearview mirror. Standing ahead, he gestured emphatically:

“Alright! Drive right in…”

“It’s fine, you won’t scrape it. Go ahead and drive!”

……

“A hundred just to park…”

The thought pinched Lu Xin’s heart a little.

But then he reconsidered: It’s an official trip anyway, all expenses could be reported…

Then another thought crossed his mind—if he saved money on official business, maybe he could keep the rest…

…

The car stopped on a wide, flat patch of ground behind the iron gates. Gecko leaped out, pulled the key from the ignition, and slammed the door shut.

“Is it alright to park here?”

Not having much experience out in the world, Lu Xin still felt uneasy. “Won’t there be trouble?”

“Don’t you worry about that.”

Gecko patted the rear bumper of the car. “Our ride here? Not something your average person can handle.”

Lu Xin nodded, turning to see that Mother and Little Sister had already gotten out.

Mother was smiling toward a certain direction.

She was looking at a wall, but her gaze seemed to pierce through it, extending to somewhere much farther.

“It is getting very close. You must be ready.”

Seeing Lu Xin glance her way, she smiled and nodded at him.

Little Sister beside her was already brimming with excitement, her eyes sparkling bright.

…

“Gentlemen, what brings you to the town?”

After stopping the car, the young fellow named Niuzi led Lu Xin and the others out of the parking lot.

He appraised Lu Xin and Gecko with an eagerness mixed with scrutiny, grinning. “Blackwater Town’s got more to offer in food, drink, and fun than Highwall City ever could. Whether you’re looking for a place to stay, a drink, or a bite to eat, I can take you there…”

Then, lowering his voice conspiratorially, he added, “And if you’re looking to buy… other kinds of goods? There are different spots for that too. The big market’s closed now, won’t open till tomorrow. The smaller ones though? That depends on what you need. I probably know the right place for it.”

“Can you buy people?”

Hearing this, Gecko chuckled and winked at the young man.

“Of course…”

Niuzi’s interest was instantly piqued. He lowered his voice further. “Our labor market’s the biggest one around these parts.”

He counted off on his fingers as he spoke: “Prime male laborers? Sold in groups of three or more, ten thousand a pop. Young female slaves? A bit pricier, a single one runs five or six thousand, but you can buy them individually. Older ones? Not worth much, usually thrown in as freebies…”

“Short term? You can rent, that’s a lot cheaper, but you gotta put down a deposit…”

“…And don’t you think it’s too pricey!”

“Times ain’t like before, with folks running loose everywhere. Prices naturally go up. Might get even steeper later…”

“……”

Listening to this, Lu Xin couldn’t help but give Niuzi a strange look.

Having grown up inside Highwall City, he’d never known such a “labor market” existed outside…

Gecko seemed aware of such things but clearly hadn’t expected this topic either.

He frowned. “Who wants to buy that sort? Gives you a bad conscience. I was asking about the other kind…”

“Ah, that. You’re awfully prim and proper about it…”

Niuzi instantly lost interest, seemingly looking down on such minor deals.

He waved a hand loosely toward the street. “Plenty of that. Take your pick…”

“Tsk, tsk… Nice…”

Gecko shook his head. Though he sounded quite intrigued, he turned to look back at Lu Xin.

Lu Xin, at that moment, glanced toward an empty spot, as if confirming something first.

Then he looked deeper into the town and said slowly, “Let’s walk around first.”

“Alright, we’ll walk around first.”

Gecko slung an arm around the young man Niuzi’s shoulders, stuffing a few coins into his hand. “We’ll look for you again later.”

“No problem! I’ll be right here by the gate…”

The young man named Niuzi agreed cheerfully, though a shifty look flashed in his eyes.