Chapter 424: Chapter 424
The moment these words were spoken, the entire team was stunned for a few seconds; even the priest was left befuddled by the question.
Bowing his head, the priest slid down his sunglasses and glanced at the young woman, Jing Shu, mulling over his thoughts for quite a while before slowly saying, "You must not spare the eye; life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Those without faith in God have already descended to Hell."
Jing Shu frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Lingling stepped forward and explained, "It’s from the Old Testament of the Bible, the Book of Deuteronomy. It means that if one is harmed, one should inflict equal harm on the enemy. He’s probably saying he has already inflicted equivalent harm on his enemies, sending those unbelievers to Hell..."
Once again, Jing Shu was hit with the full force of her lack of cultural knowledge, a shock worth ten thousand points; without a proper education, one couldn’t even understand what people were saying.
Monkey said irritably, "Why not just say he avenged his companions and wiped out the enemy? Who can understand when you make it so complicated?"
"If you listen to the word of God and act according to His Word in all things, you will receive strength upon strength, grace upon grace, and live your entire life in God’s blessing. Otherwise, there is nothing!" the priest said mournfully.
The group collectively despaired. Now that everyone had arrived, it was time to discuss the mission objectives and task allocations. As for this extra team member... Jing Shu felt he was unreliable, but being able to avenge one’s companions could be considered a form of strength, right? She was curious, how exactly did this person take revenge?
To be precise, Zhuangyan Temple was located in the River Valley District, an hour-and-a-half drive from the bustling center of New York. The priest had now brought the group to his domain: a very large Christian church in New York.
When she first arrived in New York, as someone who had never been to the United States, Jing Shu was greatly shocked, even amidst the apocalypse. This country was just too wasteful with its resources!
Resources in New York seemed endless, inexhaustible. Even now, the entire city was still ablaze with lights, a dazzling display of its seemingly undiminished revelry, although it was said that the M Country Government had already restricted electricity use. However, most families were still generating their own power, keeping lights on and machines running twenty-four hours a day.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the United States had popularized solar energy long ago. It was commonplace for each household to have solar power; a villa with a yard was the typical American way of life.
Even though the sun was gone now, faint light could still generate some electricity. Additionally, many families had also started using the type of bacteria-generated electricity Jing Shu had bought, which was not widely distributed in the Underground Black Market or Austin. However, upon arriving in New York, it seemed that everything was preserved as it had been before the apocalypse. Jing Shu truly felt the city’s vitality—the extravagant indulgence reminiscent of its dazzling lights and nightlife, and its advanced technology. Most importantly, people here were very busy, as if everyone had their own work to do.
However, the crime rate here was alarmingly high. Soon after entering the government-administered part of the city, they could frequently hear gunshots and various screams, frightening Jing Shu so much that she donned a bulletproof helmet.
Supermarkets, large retailers, and supplies were partly controlled by the government. The rest was controlled by capitalists and grain merchants who had established their own currencies and held considerable sway. Money from before the apocalypse could no longer purchase anything.
Even the United States, once the world’s strongest economic power with its most advanced pharmaceutical and technological systems, had seen its productivity plummet significantly. The United States, resistant to change, refused to adjust prices. This ultimately led to a partial economic collapse and disunity following internal strife.
As a result, New York was in disarray, with various factions vying for power, and its currency fragmented into dozens of types. Capitalists, as always, seemed to be the root of all evil. Various official bodies had even established policies for mutual currency exchange.
This meant that New York now had over twenty different currencies issued by various factions, all of them officially recognized.
Crucially, all these different factions could exchange their respective currencies. However, they charged steep transaction fees.
When Jing Shu and her group first arrived in New York, they were virtually immobile without money—an absolute necessity anywhere.
Since Jing Shu and her group didn’t have green cards or visas, they were considered ’illegal invaders breaching national territory security.’ To stay in New York, they had to pay. How could they get money? They could exchange supplies, provided they were strategic materials. They could also work as temporary laborers or even as mercenaries for the government.
For expediency’s sake, they exchanged food they had robbed en route for government coins issued by the M Country Government. This allowed Jing Shu’s group to obtain ’7-day visas,’ permitting them a legal stay in New York.
The car they had stolen ran out of gasoline, and refueling at the exorbitant prices required a specific currency. This was the currency issued by EP Company, an oil monopoly giant in the United States, known simply as gasoline coins. One liter cost one gasoline coin.
Where could they get gasoline coins? They could be obtained by exchanging equivalent goods or by converting other currencies at the refueling station. The exchange rate was 1.2 government coins for 1 gasoline coin, so the group exchanged some.
Similarly, 1.2 gasoline coins could be exchanged for 1 government coin. Likewise, there were Food Coins; 1.2 government coins could be exchanged for food equivalent to 1 Food Coin. The major capitalists profited from these exchanges, earning high fees on every transaction. This system effectively kept the people of the United States in a perpetual state of uncompensated labor.
This monopoly, which forcibly controlled the market economy and imposed high taxes and transaction fees, fueled public dissatisfaction. A steep 20% transaction fee on a single exchange left people with little choice but to work for the grain merchants, the government, or the capitalists. Latest content publıshed on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥
As for other supplies, it went without saying. Banks in New York no longer dealt in currency. Instead, they offered bizarre services like ’store rice, receive wheat,’ ’low-interest wheat loans,’ and ’one-year interest-free food storage.’
This truly confirmed the adage that rich capitalists live comfortably no matter where they are.
The current state of the United States was like watching predatory capitalists blatantly display ’Fundraising!’ on their faces. However, their methods were far more sophisticated; they didn’t amass wealth themselves but rather had the public do it for them.
As they walked through the massive church, many people were still coming to ’worship,’ and numerous nuns approached with friendly smiles. The priest led Jing Shu and her companions to an empty, secluded chapel. Along the way, they learned that the priest was the administrator of this famous New York church and was about to be promoted to bishop.
For a person of Chinese descent to climb so high and achieve such status was quite a feat.
Yang Yang spread a map on the altar table and pointed to a corner, saying,
"In two days, the priest will lead the nuns to Zhuangyan Temple. Retrieving the cauldron will be up to the Monk. He lost a bet five years ago; now he just needs to win it back. If he wins the bet, we get the cauldron. If he loses, we’ll take it by force."
"Is there a possibility that if we win, the other side won’t give up the cauldron?" Lingling asked.
A slight smile played on Yang Yang’s lips as he said, "Impossible. They know the cauldron is only effective with a specific formula, and they’re aware we still need to find that person. Even if they lose the cauldron to us now, should we fail at the next stage, it will return to their hands."