After dealing with the young man, Brian felt the pressure that had been weighing on his chest for the past few days ease, making him feel much more comfortable. Indeed, although violence can't solve all problems, it can be used as a way to vent. It's still quite useful.
Ignoring the stares of the people around him, he turned around and looked in the direction from which he had come, heading back to the abandoned factory.
After crossing two streets and returning to the entrance of the abandoned factory, Brian raised his hand and checked the time. It was almost 9 o'clock. He saw a soldier walking towards the long table with a laptop.
After the soldier sat down, two more soldiers with rifles came behind him and silently observed the surrounding situation, maintaining order while also protecting themselves against anyone who might take the opportunity to cause harm.
When the clock struck 9 o'clock, a voice sounded from a nearby loudspeaker:
"Attention, all citizens of District XX are required to go to the Information Management Office to register their information. Do not crowd, obey the order, and line up in an orderly fashion..."
After hearing this, the crowd around him took out their ID cards and clustered in that direction. Fortunately, at that moment, an announcement came over the radio, and the weapons of the two soldiers were photographed and lined up in order of arrival: first come, first served.
The man who took the first spot sat down with an excited look on his face. He also knew the rumors circulating outside. Although he didn't believe them, whether true or not, he was very happy to secure this spot.
The soldier sitting across from him simply looked at him with a cold face, placed his hands on his notebook, and asked:
"Name?"
"Enoc."
"Age?"
"37."
"Profession?"
"Mechanical Engineer."
"..."
Brian stepped aside and listened to the soldier's questions. When he was first asked his name and age, he didn't feel anything strange. But when the soldier started asking about his occupation, work experience, etc., he knew the rumor had to be false. He secretly shook his head, lost interest in listening, turned around, and walked towards the trailer.
Beside the trailer, Osborne was holding both his and Kelly's ID cards and was about to get in line. He had just discussed it with Antoine, and the latter would temporarily help check his car for supplies.
At first, he was a bit worried if Antoine would agree, but what he didn't expect was that the other party agreed without hesitation, without any intention of refusing. This immediately made him feel somewhat dubious and suspicious. Was there a scam involved?
But since he had trusted the other party, he could only choose to believe that once they entered the quarantine area, all these supplies would have to be handed over. Even if they wanted to stay, they couldn't stay for long.
"Brian, I've been looking for you for a while. Do you have Sarah's and your ID cards with you?"
Osborne, who was about to leave, saw Brian walking towards him. His eyes lit up as he quickly confirmed whether Brian had his ID card. When he saw the other party nod, he continued, "Let's hurry. There's already a lot of people in line. I don't know if we'll make it!"
"Didn't I tell you I'd confirm it? Do you really believe in these rumors?" Brian looked at Osborne in surprise. If he remembered correctly, when the rumor first surfaced a few days ago, the other party didn't believe anything it said.
"This…"
Seeing Brian's surprised look, Osborne blushed, put his fist to his mouth, coughed twice, and said, "Although it might be a rumor and unfounded, it doesn't hurt to try anyway."
"There's no need to try; I've confirmed it must be false," Brian clapped and said confidently.
"How do you know?"
Walking toward the bench placed by Antoine outside, Brian sat down, took a sip of water, and slowly said, "I just went there to listen to the soldier's questions. Besides the basic information, they actually asked those people about their occupation, work experience, and a few other things, and it took nearly five minutes for one person to answer."
"Is there a problem with that?" After hearing the other party's explanation, Osborne still felt a bit confused and perplexed.
"Don't you understand? If the so-called lottery to select residents for the quarantine area is true, after confirming the information on the ID card, only the name should be filled in. As for the rest of the information, it can be confirmed in the quarantine area and asked for details later, instead of registering unnecessary information now. Such an inefficient approach will only greatly extend the time to identify the residents and waste a lot of valuable time!"
"So… what happens now?" Even Osborne realized something at that moment and stuttered slightly when he spoke.
Brian's lips curved slightly as he continued with a sarcastic expression, "Then, the so-called lottery to select the residents for the quarantine area is just to pacify the masses and create an illusion of fairness. The reason they want to confirm occupations is to select people who are suitable for entering the quarantine area, like engineers, doctors, or veterans like you…"
"As for confirming years of work experience, it should be to eliminate rookies who are unnecessary and ensure that those who stay can start directly."
Osborne rubbed his forehead, feeling a little dizzy. For a moment, he couldn't accept the fact. He also walked to the bench and sat down, looking at the residents in line in the distance and said bitterly, "So, does that mean ordinary people don't have a chance to enter?"
Hearing this, Brian couldn't help but roll his eyes. Suddenly, he felt like Osborne's IQ seemed a little off right now, so he said softly, "How is that possible! Not all members of a social system are elites. Ordinary people are also needed to increase productivity in the quarantine area; otherwise, you don't want those elites to work on factory assembly lines producing necessities."
"That's why I calculate that the people they choose should be older individuals from all walks of life, along with an equal proportion of young men and women between the ages of 20 and 35, and accept children over 10 years old at most. Of course, if there are families and children who meet both conditions, those two conditions would probably be the first choice."
"Now I'm really curious, who taught you these things?" Hearing the other party's clear analysis, Osborne looked at Brian in shock. Regardless of whether the other party's analysis was reliable or not, he was really curious about where a 13-year-old learned all this.
"The theory from an internet article taught me," Brian complained lightly in his heart, but he just shook his head and had no intention of answering this question.
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to want to answer, Osborne simply sighed and didn't ask any more questions. After all, everyone has their own secrets, and it wasn't really good for him to keep asking.
Sarah, who was sitting next to them, stopped talking when she saw the two of them. She hesitated and expressed her thoughts, "If what you said is true, it shouldn't be hard to guess. Sooner or later, someone should realize it, right?"
Brian turned his head and looked at Sarah next to him. Looking at her cute face, he reached out and pinched it. To be honest, he liked this feeling.
"Actually, some people noticed a long time ago, but so what if they know it's false? Instead of waiting here doing nothing, they might as well choose to take a gamble. After all, they won't lose anything. What if it's true? Then it turns out the government is still very clever."
After pulling his mischievous hand away, Sarah looked at him angrily. She didn't know why he always liked pinching her face. Although she wasn't disgusted, now there were other people here, and it was a little embarrassing, so she said angrily, "Then why don't we try too?"
Brian lightly touched his slightly sore hand and smiled, "What's there to prove? If it's false, it's false. And even if we go and get in line now, I'm afraid it's already too late. Uncle Osborne is a veteran. He once held the rank of lieutenant and has experience in commanding operations. Those people are very valuable now and will become fewer and fewer in the future, so he has a high chance of being selected."
As he spoke, he looked at Kelly and Sarah beside him and continued, "The three of us are between thirteen and fourteen years old. With a little training and study, we can become a batch of new forces in a few years; we'll definitely be the most important resource in the quarantine area…"
At that moment, even Kelly couldn't help but start asking questions, "There should be many children our age in Dallas! How did you know they'd definitely choose us?"
"Well…"
Now, Brian scratched his cheek and was left speechless. In fact, although there weren't many children his age in this city, there probably weren't so few either.
"Kelly, as Uncle Osborne's daughter, and your age is just right, as long as he can get in, you definitely can too… As for Sarah and me… I have to think about this issue again…"
Having said this, Brian suddenly looked up, looked at the people in front of him, and said slowly, "Actually, I just went to the administration office…"