"This is a topographic map of the entire city. Come and take a look."
The giant god spread the map on the table, and everyone gathered around.
The map was bought at a nearby store and it took three hours. Usually no one buys this thing at all, because people in the slums can't go anywhere and can only stay in the slums, so the map is useless to them.
So, instead of spending three hours buying this thing, go to the bar and drink a few glasses of good wine and get drunk.
"This city was originally called Time City, which is similar to the name of Time Town we met before." Moonlight Rabbit said while looking at the name marked on the map.
"Maybe it has something to do with time, but there are still differences between the two places." Tian Tian said melancholy.
Zhang Ze pointed to a large yellow area on the map and said: "This is the slum area where we are located. It seems to be very large, but it is all factory areas and residential areas, not even a commercial area. It is very backward."
"On the contrary, although the area of the rich area is only half of the slum area, it has five commercial districts and tourist resorts. The living standard is much higher than here."
Zhang Feng curiously looked at the gray area outside the map and asked, "Then, where is the place outside Time City? Why is it not marked on the map?"
Everyone shook their heads, no one knew what was outside the city.
"When I summon Jin Kara next time, I'll just ask him."
Zhang Zedao: "We can't enter the rich area now because we don't have enough time and wealth, but we can't just wait. I suggest you look for clues in the slum area first, and by the way, think about how to earn time."
Jin Carat's time wealth can keep everyone alive for about a month, but we can't just sit back and rest in vain. It is still beneficial to earn more time.
Besides, everyone also needs time to use equipment, props and skills, especially Zhang Ze. Using [Summoning Technique] once will consume 20 hours, so he must find a way to earn more time.
So, everyone started to work separately, looking for clues about Shimen in the slums.
During the day, there are very few people on the street because they all go to work in factories.
Only unemployed vagrants are left wandering the streets. To put it bluntly, these people are just waiting to die, because they have no way to earn time, and they will eventually die when time runs out.
However, this kind of person is also the most dangerous!
They will do anything to survive!
However, the security in the slums is very poor. When the poor call the police, there are basically no police. When the rich call the police, the police arrive in a few minutes.
Therefore, the poor here must learn how to protect themselves.
In order to ensure the safety of their companions, Zhang Ze and others also formed teams and acted separately.
Dragon King, Little Princess Money and One Night to Know Autumn are in a group, Giant God, Moonlight Rabbit and Melancholy in the Sky are in a group, Use the Knife to Be Emotionless and Bird Yiren are in a group, Zhang Ze, Liu Yueying and Zhang Feng are in a group of three .
The four groups set off separately every morning and returned to Zhang Ze's residence in the evening to gather. Everyone shared the day's gains with others and then analyzed them together.
This situation lasted for ten days, and Shimen still had no clue.
"We have explored more than half of the slum area, and only the last few areas are left. It can be completed in three days at most."
The giant god sighed and said: "Unfortunately, there are still no clues to find the Shimen."
"Not only that, we haven't found a way to earn time!" Little Princess Qian said with a bitter face: "We can only last for more than half a month, what will we do next?"
There are too few opportunities to make money in the slums. If you want to do a small business, such as opening a store, you will have no place to purchase goods, because all the things produced by the factory have to be transported to the rich areas. The rich will be satisfied first, and then they will take their turn. to the poor.
The materials flowing back to the slums will be sent directly to shopping malls and supermarkets opened by the rich, and outsiders cannot buy them at all.
The purpose of this is to monopolize the market and control prices from the source. The rich will set whatever price they set, and there is no point in protesting!
This is how ordinary people's wealth is exploited.
In addition, people here are so poor that they have no free time to spend. Their only entertainment is to go to bars and drink.
So no one does business, and the conditions here simply don’t allow it.
"Oh, I really have no choice but to go back to work..." Moonlight Bunny felt her head hurt when she thought of the bar where she worked.
"Don't draw any conclusions yet. Let's discuss this matter after we explore the last area." Zhang Ze looked at the last area and said.
There was no talking all night, and the next day, each team set off again.
Brother Zhang Ze and Liu Yueying got on the bus and headed to their destination this time, a community called Myers, where about 3,000 people lived.
Because it is a very old community, the elderly here account for half of the total population.
The elderly cannot work, and they do not have benefits such as pensions and pensions, so they can only rely on family members for relief.
If the family cannot support them, they can only wait to die.
The three of them walked around the community. Their arrival made the old man sitting outside basking in the sun very curious. Countless pairs of eyes kept looking at them, making Zhang Feng feel uncomfortable.
"It's great to be young..." An old man narrowed his eyes and said greedily: "Especially for young girls, this body... tsk tsk tsk."
"Bah! Old pervert!" When Zhang Feng heard this, he glared at the old man dissatisfied.
Liu Yueying pulled Zhang Feng towards her and said: "Ignore them!"
The three of them walked around the community and found nothing of value, so they prepared to leave.
At this time, an old voice suddenly called them.
"Three young men, do you want your fortune told?"
The three stopped and looked back, only to see an eighty-year-old woman waving to them from a window.
"Brother, is this a liar?" Zhang Feng didn't like the old people here because of the old man before.
Liu Yueying also nodded: "I also think this is a lie."
Zhang Ze nodded, ignored the old woman, and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, the old woman spoke again: "I know you are looking for something. I can calculate for you where the thing is."
"Um?"
Zhang Ze retracted the leg he had just stepped out. He looked at the old woman in confusion and thought to himself: "How did she know we were looking for something?"
Liu Yueying and Zhang Feng were also surprised. Could it be that their intention was too obvious and the old woman discovered it?
"Let's go over and take a look."
Anyway, I haven't found any clues, so why not try my luck in the past? What if I really get something?
Moreover, based on past experience, this kind of "NPC" that suddenly appears and takes the initiative to say hello is likely to be helpful to them.
"Mother-in-law, how did you know we were looking for something?"
Zhang Ze walked to the window and asked.
The old woman had a wrinkled face, and when she smiled, her facial features were almost engulfed in wrinkles.
"Of course I know, because this morning, I calculated for myself that a noble person will come to me, so as soon as I see you, I will know that my noble person is coming!"
Zhang Ze smiled and said without comment, "Okay then, how much does fortune telling cost?"
"100 hours!"
The old woman tremblingly stretched out five fingers and turned over it, saying: "Don't think it's too expensive, I calculated it accurately!"
"Yesterday I calculated that the old man next door couldn't see the sun the next day, and he died at night! Hehehehe!"
Zhang Ze: "..."
"100 hours is too many, I can only give you... 20 hours." Zhang Ze bargained.
"80 hours!"
"40 hours, no more."
Although Zhang Ze sympathized with the old man, he couldn't let the other party ask for a high price.
"Okay." The old woman sighed. Although she was old, she was not stupid. It was obvious that if she continued to disagree, the distinguished guest would probably turn around and leave.
"You three, please come into the house. I can't tell your fortunes outside."
Zhang Ze and the others walked around the window and walked into the old woman's home through the door on the side. The room was dilapidated and dirty. It was obvious that no one had cleaned it for a long time.
"Yeah! Cockroach!"
Zhang Feng saw two big black cockroaches lying on a bowl of moldy food on the table nearby, and he suddenly felt sick.
Zhang Ze walked up to the old woman, moved a chair and sat down, and asked: "Old woman, how do you tell fortunes? Palmistry, or horoscopes?"
This is a common fortune-telling method in Zhang Ze's world, but it does not apply here.
"What are palmistry and horoscopes? I tell fortunes using destiny cards."
As she spoke, the old woman took out a pile of cards and asked Zhang Ze to draw three cards from it.
"Destiny card? Isn't this the Tarot card?" Zhang Feng interrupted.
But when everyone saw the patterns on the cards, they realized that they were not Tarot cards.
The three cards Zhang Ze drew were: "Beautiful Girl", "Knife-wielding Robber" and "Ruler with Crown".
"Hmm...interesting combination."
The old woman held the three cards and studied them for a long time. She closed her eyes and muttered something, and then slowly said: "I understand!"
"So where is what I'm looking for?" Zhang Ze asked in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, the destiny card will not directly point to the answer, but it will give you clues."
The old woman first picked up the girl's card and said, "This girl is a key figure. If you want to find something, she should have a lot to do with it."
"But if you want to find her, you need to find the robber first. He knows the whereabouts of the girl."
"As for this ruler, he is also a key figure. Although I don't know his role, you must not ignore him."
Zhang Ze squinted his eyes and stared at the girl's card, muttering in his mind: "Girl? Is Shimen related to the girl?"
The old woman put the cards away and said: "Okay, the fortune telling is over, please pay, noble man."
Zhang Feng shouted dissatisfied: "You didn't say anything! Who is the girl? Where is she? Who is the robber? We haven't explained clearly yet. We can't give you this money!"
When the old woman heard this, she immediately shouted angrily: "Are you trying to default on your debt? Are you bullying me, an old woman? Aren't you afraid of nightmares at night?"
After saying that, she grabbed Zhang Ze's sleeves and cried loudly: "I won't live long anyway, so I will fight with you today!"
Zhang Ze shook his head speechlessly. He didn't want to get entangled with the old woman, so he gave her 40 hours. The old woman immediately smiled when she received the time.
"Hey, this noble man still understands the truth!"
Zhang Feng snorted and said angrily: "An old shrew!"
The three of them left the old woman's house. The old woman suddenly leaned out of the window and shouted: "My lord, if you think my calculations are accurate, remember to come back and give me some time!"
Walking out of the community, Zhang Ze looked at the empty streets, still thinking about the fortune-telling results just now.
"The girl...the robber...has no clue at all..."
Zhang Feng said: "Brother, I don't think you should take that old shrew's words seriously, she is just a liar!"
Liu Yueying also nodded slightly in agreement.
Suddenly, Zhang Ze's eyes stopped on the wall across the street, and then he ran over quickly.
"Brother, where are you going?"
Zhang Feng was stunned, and Liu Yueying hurriedly chased after him.
Finally, they found Zhang Ze standing in front of a wall, looking at the promotional notices on it in a daze.
"What is this? A reward for missing persons?"
Zhang Feng saw a picture of a girl printed on the poster, with the notice below.
"The director of the Time and Wealth Bureau, Mr. Mike Simm, has issued a reward order to the citizens of the city. Anyone who provides any clues about Mr. Simm's daughter will receive a 100-hour reward!"
"If you can help the police find Mr. Sim's daughter, you will receive a reward of 10,000 hours!"
"I hope all citizens and friends will actively provide clues..."
The content on the notice was exactly the same as what Zhang Ze saw on the computer that day, but he didn't pay attention at the time.
But looking at it now, he is suddenly connected with the fortune telling just now.
"Could this be the girl mentioned in the fortune telling?"
Zhang Ze pinched his chin and thought to himself: "Is it a coincidence? Or is this true?"
He looked at the girl's name: Mike Elaine.
Liu Yueying was also surprised. She looked at Zhang Ze: "This girl...is related to Shimen?"
"I don't know." Zhang Ze shook his head. He pondered for a moment and said, "However, this possibility cannot be ruled out."
"Let's find this girl first."
Zhang Ze tore off the notice and said, "Even if it has nothing to do with her, the bounty is still quite considerable, and we just need the money."
…
In the evening, everyone returned to Zhang Ze's home. Zhang Ze told everyone what they had seen today, and then placed the notice on the table.
"I think we can move on to the next move."
He pointed to Mike Elaine's photo and said, "Find this girl and see if there are any clues about Shimen on her body."
At the same moment, Mike Sim's cell phone rang. The middle-aged man with a big belly answered the phone, and a cold voice came from inside: "Mike Sim, if you want your daughter to live, give me the key!"
Mike Sim's body shook, and his hand involuntarily grabbed the necklace hanging around his neck. There was a key hanging there, which was the key to the customs clearance!
"This key is very important to me... I can give you a lot of time, so much that you will never use it up!"
"Mike Sim, don't you understand what I'm saying? I want the key! I don't want time!" the other party roared on the phone: "I'll give you 24 hours to think about it. If you don't agree, then I'll give it to you." My daughter, collect the body!"
