Chapter 172: Chapter 156 Inner City
Tao Yu took another look at his sister, and although Tao Lan’s face still bore the pallor of postpartum weakness, the sleeping baby in her arms made her seem so resilient.
Standing in line, she even smiled and waved at Tao Yu, signalling for him to hurry into the city.
Seeing his sister’s smile, Tao Yu also took a deep breath.
Then, he turned and headed towards the city gate.
As a ‘partner,’ Tao Yu’s method of entering the Inner City was much simpler than that of the queued laborers.
His watch already contained his identity chip, which Panda had arranged for him when he set up the company, so he didn’t need to be checked when entering, just a quick ‘beep’ with a swipe.
However, the convenience came with a price tag of 10 points of Yuan Force.
For an average Outsider family, this could be considered a day’s income.
“Even if my sister and brother-in-law had such privileges, I’m afraid they wouldn’t use them,” Tao Yu sighed to himself.
His brother-in-law could probably enter through this route as well, but his high-level work card would exempt him from the entry fee, a reward for his diligent work in the Inner City over the years.
If they really had to pay for such work cards, it would almost equate to working for free for a day.
“Laborers enter the city to serve the Inner City residents; their ‘entry fee’ is actually the value of their labor. Whereas junior partners’ entry doesn’t necessarily bring benefits to the Inner City, so this threshold is set…”
As Tao Yu passed through the thick walls of the Inner City, the streets of the Inner City gradually came into view.
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Completely different from the dirt roads and muddiness of the Outer City.
Although the overall style was not exactly clean, under the generally dim lighting, it brought a kind of oppressive sensation to the atmosphere, and even on the streets there was the occasional piece of trash.
But, all in all, it was much better than the Outer City!
On the two-lane roads paved with asphalt, you could see the drains along the sidewalk, populated with pedestrians of various appearances. At this early hour, it was mainly the laborers from the Outer City who had just passed their inspections.
The rare natives of the Inner City were easily distinguished by their vital energy and attire.
Brightly colored hair and various non-mainstream hairstyles were easy tells.
From their yawning state, it seemed many had rich nightlife and were just returning home to catch up on sleep after their nightly diversions.
Besides, most shops along the streets were still closed, presumably because it was too early for them to open, except for a bar with a colorful logo that was just closing its doors.
Those neon signs seemed to have been flickering all night long.
The adjacent buildings had a somewhat abstract style, with a wide variety of shapes as if there was no unified plan.
Giant neon signs formed various advertisements and slogans that filled the entire field of vision, extending upwards.
Those multistory buildings, reaching dozens or even hundreds of stories high, all had bizarre styles.
Those abstract architectural forms that would have been mocked online in a previous life were common here, and one could not see two alike.
“In the Outer City, one needs to worry about the occasional appearance of Grey Mist creatures; in the Inner City, no such concerns exist…”
As Tao Yu entered the Inner City and took a breath of the air, still tinged with a hint of exhaust, he felt the environment was just so-so.
It wasn’t as nice as the Development Zone; Las Vegas was almost cleaned up now and honestly looked better than here.
Looking back at the laborers steadily emerging from the checkpoint, many of them seemed much livelier the moment they stepped into the Inner City.
It was as if this place embodied their hopes and aspirations.
Looking up at the sky, the Floating City loomed directly above the Inner City, adding to the oppressive atmosphere, as if the sky itself had lowered.
“First, I’ll find a few high-score Inner City missions, get the assessment qualification sorted out, and before I go back, secure the ‘Intermediate Partner’ status.”
Originally, if it weren’t for Uncle Hu’s situation, Tao Yu had not planned to secure the ‘Intermediate Partner’ status so soon.
An identity that could stand firm in the Inner City, it was unlikely that many newcomers would meet the criteria so shortly, with talent, family, and resources all being indispensable.
And it’s probably mostly those who relied on mechanical augmentations and exotic body implants; while cultivation might not be inferior in the later stages, there was indeed a gap in the early stages!
An Outsider, frankly speaking, was already quite conspicuous.
But!
When Tao Yu saw his sister queuing up so early in the morning, holding her child, he knew that even if he hadn’t been involved in Uncle Hu’s troubles, he would have to do the same!
“Quickly becoming an Intermediate Partner, gaining a foothold in the Inner City, a lot of issues will resolve themselves automatically. Doubts, jealousy, coveting, all will disappear in the face of strength…”
Tao Yu recalled the abrupt change in attitude from Panda and the others after he had killed Taff and took a slow breath.
With the advantages given by the Suns as a cover, it wasn’t unthinkable to maintain the level of an ordinary ‘Intermediate Partner’ on the surface.
If trouble arises, it should be focused on oneself!
Besides, once he became an Intermediate Partner, he’d only need to reveal his capabilities when addressing specific issues.
Those who should know would know, and he need not care about others who didn’t!
Compared to the cautiousness of other laborers from the Outer City, too afraid to even look up, Tao Yu’s movements were much more natural.
Looking at the few Inner City locals who were laughing and chatting as they exited the bar, he was not the least bit concerned or troubled.
He had killed so many of them already.
The Inner City Pioneers no longer held any aura of importance in his eyes; in the end, they were mere mortals, and beheading would mean death…
…
“Even the Task Hall opens so late…”
Tao Yu glanced at the notices he had downloaded at the city gate and walked up to a Task Hall with an exaggeratedly styled entrance, resembling a circus tent, in front of him.
It was one of many Task Halls within the Inner City. At the moment, besides the flashing signs, the entrance to the Hall was closed tight.
However, perhaps because some time had passed since the city gate, there were already seven or eight people waiting at the Task Hall.
Tao Yu swept a glance and noticed a few with an air similar to the Inner City inhabitants he had encountered on the street earlier, and the others felt more like the mercenaries he had seen in the fortress hall before.
They were very likely junior partners as well, possibly even junior partners who hadn’t acquired official Inner City status, and like Tao Yu, they were there for the higher rewards and points offered by Inner City missions.
When Tao Yu arrived at the entrance, the people gave him a glance, but no one came forward to strike up a conversation; they just waited in silence.
“The Inner City isn’t all safe, but this place is definitely one of the relatively better-secured areas…”
Tao Yu glanced at the surveillance cameras in front of the Task Hall.
With the technology of Starshine City, if they really wanted, at least the Inner City could be easily filled with cameras.
Not to mention, among the resources scavenged everywhere in the new Development Zone were many such devices.
But, judging from what he had seen so far, the places equipped with cameras in the Inner City were actually in the minority.
Typically, places like the city gate and Task Hall had coverage, but ordinary streets and alleys had none at all. Even without a strict traffic system due to the low number of vehicles, there were no cameras at intersections, even if there were odd-looking traffic lights.
What exists must be reasonable. Since the Inner City has developed into its current state, there must be corresponding reasons.
The reason definitely isn’t a lack of money, that’s for sure…
While waiting, Tao Yu maintained a low-level meditation technique and breathing exercises; not wasting time had become his instinct.
If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t exercise properly, he would have liked to practice his boxing on the spot.
After about twenty minutes, with seven or eight newcomers joining, sounds finally came from within the Task Hall.
Through the glass in the door, they spotted a girl with pink hair and sleepy eyes with a mechanical arm approach the door to unlock it. She then pushed the heavy-looking door open with a force that seemed mismatched to her stature.
“Step back, step back, watch out not to get hit,” she muttered as she continued her task without pause.
After opening the door, she took out several signs and placed them at the entrance.
The signs had big, bold but few words, though highly noticeable.
They were essentially a few sets of rules.
Like no fighting, no loud noise, and the like.
“Miss Mag, are there any new tasks?”
“Miss Mag, has someone completed the debt collection task for the Broken Fang Group?”
“Miss Mag is still so energetic.”
“You look even prettier today.”
“Another day full of vitality.”
“…”
As the girl was opening the door and placing the signs, several regulars who seemed to be used to queuing up started to greet her.
From their attitude, one could guess that this sweet-looking and seemingly adorable girl was probably in charge of this daily, and her strength and abilities were not to be underestimated.
“Cut the chatter and don’t be loud, don’t you know?” Mag muttered, not seeming very patient.
Dealing with this repetitive task every day seemed normal.
However, she then seemed to notice Tao Yu, and her displeased expression brightened slightly.
“Ah ha, finally some new blood, and he’s a handsome guy at that.”
At this, several nearby people also focused their gaze on Tao Yu, scrutinizing him.
Fortunately, since they were all here so early to line up for work, there were no hostile intentions mixed in, just a measure of assessment and observation.
“Miss Mag is quite adorable, too. I’d like to take on a few partner missions around eight hundred points each, preferably not too complicated, something one person can do, and with a shorter duration. Do you have any recommendations?”
Tao Yu fully utilized his advantage in looks and asked with a cheerful smile.
From the attitude of the people around, one could tell that Mag, the staff member of the Task Hall, was clearly aware of many tasks, and likely had access to plenty of internal information and data.
Task points usually correlate with the difficulty of tasks and various weighted bonuses.
If it was simply based on the Yuan Force price, without any point weight bonus, company tasks with about eight thousand Yuan Force compensation would be required.
The difficulty and complexity were bound to be high.
But if there were tasks that had been long uncompleted, or had weight bonuses and recommendations, there could be various levels of point increases.
Tao Yu himself was nearly completely unfamiliar with the Inner City environment. Although he was confident in taking on tasks at this price point, it would certainly be best if he could understand a bit more…