Abyssal Wanderer

Chapter 4 NO.0004: Death Penalty and Respite
[Charon [-] has been successfully reconnected. Passengers are requested not to move around in the compartment. They are balancing the air pressure inside and outside the cabin...]

A formulaic voice broadcast sounded, and the closed door in front of the carriage slowly opened with a "chick".

【Welcome to Tartarus. On behalf of Pluto Diving Company Reception Center, I wish you a happy day】

Pluto, the god of the underworld in Roman mythology; Tartarus, the underworld in Greek-Roman mythology.

In other words, they were presumably taken to the headquarters of the Pluto Deep Diving Company.

Jiang Zhou thought so, his body stood up involuntarily.

Not only him, there were about 40 people in the entire carriage, including those prisoners who were still asleep, all stood up in unison, and were controlled to line up to the aisle of the carriage.

The thing that imprisons them is not only a restraint device, but also a powered exoskeleton that can control their movements.

A few seconds later, accompanied by the sound of chaotic footsteps, several people pushed the door against the light and walked into the carriage.

"Just these people?"

The person in the lead glanced around for a week, and asked a little casually.

It was a blond man in a long black trench coat, and his expression revealed the arrogance typical of middle-level managers with real power.

Behind him, a female adjutant with capable short hair looked at the data pad in her hand and replied:
"That's right, Director Ye. They are all members of the 'Icarus' organization. According to the plan, they will be sent to the medical department for frontal lobe pretreatment, and then..."

"Medical Department, where is Perth Fanny?"

"Yes."

The man called Supervisor Ye gave a "tsk", then waved his hand and said:
"Choose ten adjusters of 'Depth 2' and send them to No. [-] Deep Submersion Warehouse."

The short-haired woman was stunned for a moment when she heard the order, and then said with a look of embarrassment:

"That's not good, Director Ye. Just take away ten of them, and they're all the adjusters of Depth 2... Minister Fanny already lacks technical slave labor, and I can't explain it here."

"I will write a report to the higher-ups, and Fanny will not dare to have any opinions."

The tone of the other party is not negotiable.

Having said so much, the short-haired female adjutant had no choice but to nod in admiration.

She pressed the data pad in her hand, and an aircraft named "Newton's Sigh" by Jiang Zhou hovered in front of her, projecting a light blue projection interface.

"Black Falcon-136, adjusted depth, depth 2; Psychic index: 0.95; Authorization to modify: Owl Type III tactical goggles, crocodile-level subcutaneous carapace, Hurricane Type 2 adrenal pump, edge enhancement system, ceramic steel claw blade... "

She looked at the scanned documents and read.

"This is fine, next."

Director Ye nodded, indicating to continue.

"Qianxia Ying, adjust the depth, depth 2; mental index: 0.97; transformation authority held, illusion 4 type self-sensing nano-inkjet, life-support module-winter."

"Okay, next."

……

"What are they doing?"

Jiang Zhou turned his head to look at 136 and asked in a low voice.

The latter shook his head, indicating that he was not clear either.On the other hand, Qianxia Sakura rolled her eyes and said in a low voice:
"B6, is your head just to make yourself look taller? You haven't noticed that yet? That senior company dog ​​surnamed Ye plans to pick a group of people from us to help him mine."

"Mining?"

Jiang Zhou asked curiously.

In his day and age, the term “mining” was often used in addition to its literal meaning to describe some kind of decentralized blockchain financial activity.

If you want to say that gambling is also okay, the difference is not very big.

"It is to be forced to work as a 'miner' in the abyss dark net to help the company salvage the technology left over from AI in the past. This is how Pluto Deep Dive started its business."

Qian Xiaying explained.

"Is it dangerous?"

Jiang Zhou asked a question that he thought was stupid.

"I heard that the people who were caught by the company and sent to mining labor labor, as consumables, can't live for an average of three months."

Jiang Zhou nodded upon hearing this.

It's a bit like saying that, except that they are mining cards.

In addition, Jiang Zhou noticed that Qianxia Ying's mood improved significantly when she spoke.

There is undoubtedly a great difference between the death penalty and the reprieve.

"There's no way I'm going to work for a company dog."

Black Falcon-136 turned black when he heard the words, and he said firmly.

In this regard, Qian Xiaying immediately persuaded:

"As you said before, as long as you have one breath, you will never accept death as your destiny. In this case, let's live first before we talk about it."

Her tone of voice sounded like that of a believer who was tempting the bishop to pretend to convert.

"When I say breath alive, I definitely don't mean..."

136 wanted to explain, but Qian Xiaying lowered her voice and interrupted:
"Besides, don't you even know how to touch fish?"

"Fishing?"

136 is a little confused.

"We can pretend to cooperate, and then go to be moths of the company and eat them from the inside - wasting the company's resources is also a form of resistance. Besides, isn't being transformed into a zombie slave labor also helping the evil, to mine anyway? You have the freedom to fish."

Qian Xiaying explained seriously.

This girl is definitely fooling the honest man...

Jiang Zhou thought to himself.

Although he came from 100 years ago, he can think clearly with his toes. Since the other party dares to let the rebels who resist the company do things for him, there are ways to make them obey.

Even the companies of my own era had all kinds of "employee incentive" mechanisms to prevent fishing. How could those capitalists in 100 years later have no means?

However, it seems that Black Falcon-136 really believed it. After hesitating for a few seconds, he looked at Jiang Zhou and said:

"If that's the case, what should this little native man..."

"The one surnamed Ye just said that he only needs to adjust people. So..."

As Qian Xiaying said, she also turned her head to look at Jiang Zhou, with the kind of apology that the survivors show towards the dying people on their face.

Jiang Zhou felt his heart sink.

As Qianxia Sakura said, explaining to the people in the company that she is not a member of the so-called "Icarus" rebel army will only have the opposite effect... Take a step back, even if you can really convince them, the other party is not big Possibly let yourself go.

After all, one thing more is worse than one thing less. How convenient it is to deal with him, a three-no man, and those rebels.

But right now, is there any other way he can save himself?
Anxious, Jiang Zhou quickly thought of ways to get himself out of trouble.

Even if it's like 136 and Qian Xiaying, it's okay to change his death sentence to death sentence with reprieve...

A possibility flashed through his mind, and Jiang Zhou grasped it keenly.

Risky, but worth a try.

Thinking of this, he turned his attention to the few Pluto employees not far away.

"This is fine too, let's include it... By the way, what number is it?"

The man called Director Ye asked casually.

"It's the ninth one... But Director Ye, there are no more depth 2 adjusters among the prisoners."

The short-haired female adjutant raised her head and said.

"Just nine adjusters with a depth of 2 or more? Armed forces of this level can also make the Nord resettlement area go crazy?"

Supervisor Ye shook his head, and continued:
"Then find a 'depth 1' adjuster with a high mental index to make do with it."

"In that case, it's best to choose..."

"I!"

A loud voice interrupted the short-haired adjutant, and everyone's eyes turned to the source of the voice.

It was Jiang Zhou who made up his mind to speak.

He paused for a second in the eyes of everyone, and then continued:
"Compared to the adjuster of 'depth 1', you'd better choose me."

That being said, he actually doesn't even know what "Depth 1" and "Adjuster" are.

…………

Ye Qian is in a very bad mood at the moment.

Because of the failure of his trash in the Nord resettlement area not long ago, it seems that anyone can step on Tartarus now.

That slut in the medical department, Perth Fanny, can openly trip her up; her adjutant dares to openly question her decisions.

Now even a lowly captive caveman dared to speak loudly in front of him.

"you?"

Looking up and down at the caveman who didn't show any signs of adjustment, Ye Qian suddenly had some evil tastes like playing with mice.

"Tell me why?"

he asked without haste.

Before the caveman opened his mouth, the adjutant beside him hastily explained:

"Director Ye, the scan shows that no information about this person was found in the birth registration of the Nord resettlement area. He is probably just a black household at the bottom of the resettlement area. He is a native, and he doesn't even have a brain-computer interface. It's impossible for people to..."

"Please shut up."

Ye Qian looked at the latter with a gentle smile, and said softly: "This is the second time you have interrupted me today."

There will be no third chance.

The short-haired adjutant clearly saw the meaning in the eyes of his boss.

Her face instantly turned pale, she didn't even dare to say "understand" or "sorry", she just lowered her head and stepped aside.

Ye Qian beckoned, and the powered exoskeleton restraining the caveman walked in front of him under control.

"Tell me why?"

He looked at the caveman and asked again with a smile.

And the man looked directly into his eyes, and threw out a slightly absurd answer.

"Because I'm dying."

(End of this chapter)