NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76: The Agreement
And it's not like he could just hand out systems to everyone.
Kim Haru was about to refuse when the safe zone commander, quick-witted, spoke up first. "Please don't rush to turn me down, Mr. Kim. Whatever conditions you have, feel free to bring them up. I understand that what we offer in return will never truly match your contribution."
"That's not the issue," Kim Haru replied.
"How about I ask, what other concerns do you have, Mr. Kim?" the safe zone commander asked.
"I'm not very good at teaching others," Kim Haru hesitated.
The safe zone commander instantly let out a sigh of relief. "That's not a problem at all, Mr. Kim. You won't need to teach them everything step by step. Just give them a little guidance if they go off track, and that'll be more than enough. Even if you don't say anything, no one will force you.
Everything will go according to your comfort."
The safe zone commander's sincerity was evident, leaving Kim Haru unsure of how to respond.
The safe zone commander continued, "How about you come with me to the research institute? Maybe you'll find something there that piques your interest."
Seeing the safe zone commander's expectant gaze, Kim Haru nodded in agreement.
Without delay, the group immediately set off toward the research institute in the central district.
Along the way, Kim Haru glanced out the car window, taking in a rough view of Pyeongseong Saze Zone.
He finally understood the general layout of the Fourth District within the Pyeongseong Saze Zone.
At the very heart of Pyeongseong Safe Zone lay the central district, which was the safe zone's inner core. The research institute and the safe zone commander's office were located there. Moving outward, you would find the First District.
Those who lived in the First District were mostly the founding members of the safe zone, now holding important positions within it. They were people who wielded significant power.
Next came the Second District, which offered a slightly more relaxed living environment than the First District. Whether you had money or power, as long as you met the criteria, you could live there.
Kim Haru's villa was located in this district.
The Third and Fourth Districts formed the outermost regions of Pyeongseong Saze Zone. The Third District was home to ordinary ability users and their families, along with some well-off ordinary people who managed to secure housing there.
The Fourth District, on the other hand, mainly housed ordinary people or ability users whose powers weren't particularly useful for fighting zombies. Lacking in contributions, they couldn't earn more crystal cores, and thus, they couldn't improve their living conditions.
Fortunately, apart from using crystal cores as currency, the safe zone also implemented a points system. People in the Fourth District could find jobs in the Pyeongseong Saze Zone, either through labor provided by the government or by working for other ability users or ability user squads. They earned points this way to support their livelihoods.
Of course, since crystal cores were more stable in value, people often preferred to use part of their crystal cores for transactions instead of points. Each district in the Pyeongseong Saze Zone had a trading center where points and crystal cores could be exchanged at a fixed rate.
Sometimes, because ability users needed crystal cores to recharge and level up, ordinary people ended up holding even more crystal cores.
The safe zone commander explained all this as he noticed Kim Haru's curiosity about the outside world during the ride.
"Ever since the apocalypse began, the world's order has completely changed. It's no exaggeration to say we've regressed to a society akin to ancient times," the safe zone commander said, sighing in sorrow. "In fact, we might be worse off than ancient society. At least back then, food wasn't as scarce as now, and people didn't have to worry about turning into zombies after eating too much."
Kim Haru couldn't help but feel the weight of the situation too.
He had been in this world for so many days, without a phone, a computer, or even internet. Every day he went to bed early out of boredom. Was this still a modern society?
Soon, they arrived at the central district.
Shin Woncheon and the others didn't have the clearance to follow inside, so they were left at the entrance. Kang Yeongseok didn't go in either; she had other tasks to attend to in the Second District's logistics department, so she bid farewell to the safe zone commander and Kim Haru before leaving.
After the Pyeongseong Saze Zone commander verified his facial recognition and palm print, the gates of the central district opened, and the car drove straight in.
Unlike the First and Second Districts outside, the central district wasn't vast, and there weren't many buildings.
Within Kim Haru's line of sight, there were only three.
"That's my office over there, and the farthest building is the Animal Research Institute. The one in the middle is where we're headed—the Plant Research Institute," the safe zone commander explained to Kim Haru. "There are a few other facilities, but they aren't relevant today, so I won't take you there."
Kim Haru had no objections and followed the safe zone commander toward the Plant Research Institute.
The closer they got, the more familiar the scene felt to Kim Haru.
Rows of plowed fields stretched out before him, with one pit after another being dug. Some people were placing things into the pits, while others were watering the soil.
At first glance, the Plant Research Institute looked just like a small rural village. Wasn't it just a bunch of farmers working the land?
In the end, Kim Haru and the Pyeongseong Saze Zone commander signed a contract.
They officially appointed him as an external consultant to the Plant Research Institute at Pyeongseong Safe Zone. He was granted the status of a special-level researcher, without any need to follow a fixed work schedule or remain confined to the safe zone. He was given complete freedom.