Cheng Tingyu's capsule hotel was located on the outskirts of the outer city, where the apparent level of technology was even lower than before his time travel. To make a living, Cheng Tingyu originally planned to rely on his relatively good physical condition to find a labor-intensive job. Once he had stabilized, he would gradually plan his future direction.
But after staying at the capsule hotel, her thoughts changed again.
Many people have stayed here for quite a long time. Judging by the occupancy of the inn, it seems that a physically demanding job without any entry barriers might not be that easy to find.
Cheng Tingyu quickly confirmed his suspicions.
She went around to all the fast-food restaurants, bubble tea shops, and convenience stores in the area, but she couldn't even get hired for the lowest-requirement intern positions.
Cheng Tingyu shrugged helplessly—why hadn't she brought along a degree and ID when she traveled through time..
The clerk in charge of recruitment said methodically, "To get a job, you must provide a residence permit for F0631 City."
Cheng Tingyu asked without much hope, "Is the ticket okay?"
For outsiders, the ticket to enter City F0631 serves as their temporary ID.
The clerk shook his head with the same attitude: "No, this is the regulation of the Public Security Bureau and the Inspectorate."
Cheng Tingyu asked a few more families and received the same answer from all of them.
Employment truly is a daunting challenge that spans across time. Cheng Tingyu calculated the days his savings could still support him and, for a moment, even thought that if there were any side jobs that provided food and lodging, he might as well just move there and make do..
It was now October, the weather neither cold nor hot. After a fruitless morning, Cheng Tingyu sat on a bench by the roadside and took a gulp of the complimentary mineral water from the capsule hotel.
Her guess was correct; people coming into the city from outside couldn't access those low-threshold, ordinary jobs.
However, F0631 City had gathered a large number of outsiders and even provided capsule hotels to accommodate them. Even if it was just to eliminate safety hazards, there would definitely be some arrangements. Cheng Tingyu speculated that this city might have some special work that required manpower to complete.
"Development zone..."
Cheng Tingyu softly repeated the term he had learned yesterday at the capsule hotel.
Based on yesterday's conversation, it can be inferred that going to work in the development zone most likely does not require a residence permit, but correspondingly, there is an undeniable element of danger.
She put the remaining half bottle of water into her bag and asked a passerby for directions to the development zone.
A young woman dressed as an office worker glanced at Cheng Tingyu with slight surprise and pointed her to the bus stop. "You can take the No. 33 bus directly to the development zone." She paused and added, "If you're just going to the development zone, you can get one free ride per day."
Cheng Tingyu had already suspected the danger level of the development zone. When he learned that the bus to the development zone was free to ride, he became even more certain of his thoughts.
——The world won't drop pies, only traps.
Cheng Tingyu got into the car, and after about forty-five minutes, the bus arrived at its destination.
The surrounding scenery was even more desolate than the market in the wasteland.
Between the development zone and the urban area, there was a simple corrugated iron barrier, with a sheet of printed paper pasted on the wall—
C008 Development Zone Recruitment Notice
The recruitment time in the development zone is from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM. Latecomers will not be entertained. For more detailed information, please visit the duty area and inquire with the staff.
The outer district is ring-shaped, while the development zone is situated at the boundary between the outer district and the outside world. It is generally in a fragmented distribution, managed by the Development Association of F0631 City, with different areas of the development zone having different codes.
This area in front of us is Zone C008.
Cheng Tingyu had already decided to set off in the afternoon, and by now, the recruitment time had long passed. She decided to follow the instructions on the paper and head to the duty room to learn more about the job details.
Beyond the corrugated iron wall used to separate the outer district, there was an expansive area stretching as far as the eye could see. Compared to other parts of the outer district, the development zone had a rather poor level of greenery. Cheng Tingyu could even feel the grit carried by the wind.
On the land of the development zone stood a few buildings, each maintaining a certain safe distance from one another. After asking a middle-aged man wearing a "Supervisor" badge and smoking a cigarette for the location of the duty room, Cheng Tingyu put his hands in his pockets and leisurely walked over.
When he was about five meters away from the duty room, Cheng Tingyu keenly sensed the situation inside the room.
The window of the duty room was frosted, so theoretically, people on either side shouldn't be able to see each other. However, for Cheng Tingyu, who had initially mastered the power of the "Secret Eye," this level of obstruction wouldn't completely prevent her from observing.
Her right eye told her that there were six people in the house: two working, three slacking off, and one sleeping.
——It can be said that it is a very pleasant workplace atmosphere.
A clock hung on the wall, showing the time as five past three.
A young woman wearing a work badge stood up, rolled the paper form in her hand into a tube, and knocked on the head of her sleeping colleague: "It's almost time for the inspection patrol, get up quickly."
Cheng Tingyu walked steadily forward. There were many gravel pieces in the development zone, which made a "crunching" sound when stepped on. Although they were somewhat uncomfortable underfoot, they didn't affect her balance. However, just as Cheng Tingyu was one meter away from the duty room, the stones under her feet suddenly became extremely slippery and then began to collapse downward.
A familiar sense of weightlessness enveloped Cheng Tingyu.
Just before her vision changed, a thought unrelated to the current situation flashed through Cheng Tingyu's mind—she suspected that her ability wasn't "Mystic Eyes," but rather "If you walk properly, you'll inevitably step into a dungeon..."
The wind howled, and something cold was filling her lungs with each breath. On the desolate mountain path, trees covered in white snow lined both sides. Cheng Tingyu slowly stood up, holding onto a branch, and the thick snow reached up to her knees.
She was actually wearing a thick coat appropriate for the season in the game, but the surrounding temperature was so low that it completely penetrated the coat's defense, allowing Cheng Tingyu to fully experience the coldness wrapped in ice and snow.
——It was insulated against the cold, but not completely.
The cold wind blew in gusts, lifting snowflakes mixed with shards of ice. Cheng Tingyu glanced around, his gaze suddenly sharpening.
About five meters away from her, Cheng Tingyu saw six people dressed similarly to her.
Even though they were so close, she failed to notice their presence immediately.
A man whose face was completely covered by a hat took two panicked steps to the side, then stopped dejectedly and hesitated, "Have we entered the instance?"
"How did we enter the instance? We clearly haven't reached the inner part of the development zone yet..."
"This is a serious dereliction of duty by the inspection team; they have completely failed to ensure the safety of the residents!"
"I should have bought an emergency insurance..."
"Actually, even in the central district, there's a chance of triggering a dungeon, let alone when we're working in the development zone."
Just as people couldn't help but start shivering and complaining, someone looked up at the face of their companion and suddenly screamed, "Who are you!"
Cheng Tingyu completely understood the person's doubt—unlike the last time they entered the instance where it was just a quick change of outfit, their appearance had also changed this time.
In a place without mirrors, where most of the head and face were covered by clothing, this wasn't information that could be easily noticed. However, Ting Yu was a "Sharp Eye" player, skilled at capturing details. She stood up and moved slightly, realizing that she had shrunk by about three centimeters.
If it weren't for the thick snow affecting Cheng Tingyu's observation, she could have made the judgment even faster.
The six people who entered the instance with Cheng Tingyu were all locals from F0631 City, and they were the same development zone employees who had been in the duty room earlier, possessing basic knowledge of the instance.
After entering the instance, suddenly changing appearance is not an uncommon phenomenon.
A woman's voice rang out: "I am Yu Wenran. To make it easier to identify, could the other colleagues also state their names?"
Influenced by Yu Wenran, the flustered attendants also calmed down and began to state their identities—
"Li Junhui."
"Yan Jiayu."
"Liú Xuěhóng."
"Sun Xiaolin."
"Zheng Ruinan."
"A passerby asking about the recruitment situation in the development zone."
A strange voice sounded nearby, causing Yu Wenran's heart to skip a beat. He instinctively turned around and immediately saw a person dressed in snow gear standing there, smiling at him and the others. It was unclear how long they had been standing there.
The surrounding wind and snow, along with the initial chaos of entering the instance, could affect one's judgment. It wasn't until the other party took the initiative to speak that the employees in the duty room, now in different shells, realized that an unidentified outsider had mingled into their team.
Yu Wenran: "...I don't know how to address you?"
Cheng Tingyu put his hands in his pockets, his eyes curving into a smile: "Just call me Xiaolu."
Yu Wenran was silent for a moment, then softened his tone: "You don't need to be too nervous. The turnover rate in the development zone is quite high. Although we are colleagues, we haven't known each other for long."
She noticed that the other party intended to conceal their identity, and immediately made a remark to smooth things over.
The tenure of these duty officers in the development zone varied. Those who had just arrived did not yet understand why Yu Wenran was particularly kind to Cheng Tingyu, while a few senior employees had already begun to speculate.
Most of those who came to the development zone duty office to inquire about job opportunities were drifters from desolate areas. They found it difficult to obtain official residence permits and had no choice but to try their luck in dangerous places.
Residents of F0631 City, if they are lucky, might never trigger a side quest in their entire lives. However, those who grow up in the wastelands mostly have experience in clearing side quests.
The current Cheng Tingyu, in their eyes, is a seasoned individual with experience in clearing game levels.
Cheng Tingyu smiled, "I thought that after entering the city, it wouldn't be so easy to encounter unexpected situations."
Implicit truths can sometimes lead to consequences beyond their literal meaning. To the ears of the staff on duty, Cheng Tingyu's words meant, "She indeed often entered the copy under unexpected circumstances before."
Yu Wenran: "Once it is discovered that a formal employee in the development zone has triggered a side quest during work, the leaders will contact the inspection team for rescue, so... so we at least have to hold on until then."
As she spoke, she kept her eyes on Cheng Tingyu, trying to discern his thoughts.
Cheng Tingyu did not respond but said, "Your voice is trembling."
Yu Wenran was taken aback.
Reminded by Cheng Tingyu, she belatedly realized that the surrounding temperature had dropped to an unbearable level. The cold seemed to penetrate her clothing, condensing directly onto her body, and her hands and feet were already feeling the stinging pain brought by the severe chill.
The temperature in the snowfield did not allow them to stay here for long.
With the experience from the previous instance as a foundation, Cheng Tingyu roughly had some strategies for dealing with the instance and decisively checked his personal belongings first.
In addition to her winter coat, she also carried a backpack filled with a change of clothes.
In addition, Cheng Tingyu had a badge in his pocket that read "Fitness Hiking Group."
A similar badge, everyone had one in their pocket.
The copy was indeed doing its utmost to provide a reasonable background for the sudden appearance of Cheng Tingyu and the others in a desolate, snow-covered wilderness.
"..."