The food market in the early morning was extremely noisy. The four to five meter long gate was packed with people. There were four to five long lines that stretched all the way to the main street. Most of the people who came to line up early in the morning were women and old women. They were already experienced in lining up. They held a small bench and chattered about their daily lives.
Luo Kai was standing in one of the lines and felt a little drowsy. After an unknown amount of time, his nose smelled an orchid fragrance. He opened his eyes and saw a young girl standing in the line beside him. The girl had a head of beautiful black hair, fair skin, delicate features, and a body like a willow. She was a little too beautiful.
Luo Kai unconsciously felt his Qi and blood surge. This was the effect of the accelerated secretion of hormones in his body. Although his mental age was already forty or fifty years old, his young body's energy was extremely vigorous. When he saw a beautiful girl, his heartbeat unconsciously sped up. He stared at the girl for a long time.
The girl sensed Luo Kai's impudent gaze and turned her head to roll her eyes at him. Her slender neck shone with a white luster under the morning sun. She looked like a proud white swan.
Luo Kai lowered his head in embarrassment. He was secretly embarrassed. Why was he acting like a fool?
Luo Kai only bought the meat when it was close to noon. It was three pounds of fat streaky pork. He was not in a hurry to go back to cook. He learned from the other coachmen and parked his shabby tricycle at the entrance of the food market. There was a lot of traffic at this time. However, Luo Kai was not like the other coachmen who took the initiative to solicit customers. Whether business came or not depended on luck.
In the afternoon, the flow of people became sparse. Luo Kai tightened his collar and leaned on the tricycle to fall asleep again.
"Are you going to Puming Iron Works?" A clear voice sounded in his ears.
Luo Kai was shocked. He hurriedly raised his head and saw a graceful figure in front of him. It was that beautiful girl.
Luo Kai was in a difficult position because Puming Steel Works was located in the northeast corner of Longyang County City. It was very remote and a round trip would take a long time. Although he looked unwilling, his mouth was very honest. "Go!"
The girl was carrying several large bags. When she saw Luo Kai's appearance, she recognized that he was the lecher. She frowned and wanted to turn around and leave, but there were too few coachmen willing to go to Puming Iron Works. She hesitated and asked, "How much?"
"One hundred."
Luo Kai demanded an exorbitant price. Normally, the price in the city would be around 30 star dollars. However, if he wanted to go to the Puming Steel Factory, he would have to add on the cost of the round trip.
The girl didn't bargain. She put the bag on the cart while panting. She looked at the broken cart to find a place to sit.
Luo Kai hurriedly put up a small folding stool. "Sit on this."
Accompanied by a burst of fragrant wind, the girl straddled the scooter, and Luo Kai immediately began to pedal with all his might.
Now that the bicycle army had retaken the human cities, Luo Kai's driving skills were very good and he was very strong. The wheels of the cart were like wind and fire wheels, shuttling through the streets and alleys at an extremely fast speed.
The girl nervously grabbed the horizontal bar. Finally, she couldn't help but say, "You … slow down."
Luo Kai turned around and smiled at her embarrassedly. He slowly slowed down and took out a map from his pocket. He rode while studying the nearest route.
Puming Iron Works belonged to the Great Lord's Mansion of Seongma Province. It was the largest iron and steel manufacturer in Longyang County. It was involved in both upstream and downstream industries. Not only did it produce all kinds of civil machinery, but it also produced guns, bullets, steam tanks, and other military equipment. It was extremely wealthy. Such a top business group naturally had very good treatment. It was said that there were many quotas for overseas exchanges every year.
Luo Kai scratched his head. With his current earning speed, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to gather enough money to get a passport in his lifetime. The only way was to find some big business groups. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't help but turn around and ask, "That … that girl, are you a worker at Puming Iron Works?"
The girl glanced at him and nodded. "Yes."
"Hmm … is your factory still recruiting?"
The girl curled her lips and said, "Our factory is only recruiting engineering students." What she meant was that a tricycle rider like him wasn't qualified to join the factory.
Luo Kai secretly sighed. It seemed that he had to think of other ways. He silently pondered. Other than going to Higashimogami Province to earn money, he was also thinking about what he wanted to do in the future. He didn't want to use illegal means to find a way out. There were very few other ways.
In this world, there were probably only two ways out. One was to go to school, and the other was to become a soldier. If they wanted to go to school, they could choose to go to a sports school or an engineering school. The sports school focused on the cultivation of physical fitness. The best of them had the opportunity to learn physical skills. However, the sports school's tuition was very high. If they wanted to learn physical skills, they would need a lot of money to buy gene agents. It wasn't something that ordinary people could afford. Normally, only the nobles and the upper class would go to the sports school.
There was also the engineering school, where they would learn all kinds of mechanical technology and biological knowledge. The best of them would have the opportunity to enter the Biological Genetic Research Institute and the Mechanical Research Institute. The students of the engineering school wouldn't be affected by external economic factors. They would also have the opportunity to use their intelligence and wisdom. It was the best choice for the commoners.
The other way out was to become a soldier. Nowadays, there were endless disputes between the major countries. Seongma Province and the neighboring countries were fighting for the right to control the Tieheng mine. Large numbers of soldiers were recruited year after year. The military rewarded the soldiers with large amounts of gene agents and official positions. However, the Tieheng battlefield was known as a meat grinder. On average, tens of thousands of soldiers died there every year. It was a way to win a future by sacrificing one's life.
The girl saw Luo Kai's melancholy face and felt sympathy for him. She hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Actually, our factory is also recruiting ordinary workers. However, it will cost money. You'll have to ask for the details yourself."
Luo Kai turned around and smiled at her. "Thank you."
While they were talking, they had already reached a small alley. Two fierce-looking men suddenly rushed out of the alley and blocked the car. They shouted, "Stop! Kid, I told you to stop! Didn't you hear me?"
Luo Kai frowned and stopped.
The two men were wearing loose khaki overcoats. Their mouths were full of yellow teeth, and they had cigarettes in their mouths. Their eyes were fixed on the girl, and their saliva was about to flow out.
The two men didn't even look at Luo Kai. They walked up and surrounded the car. One of the men couldn't help but touch the girl's hand. "Little sister, how about we be friends?"
The girl's face was filled with nervousness. She quickly stood up and shouted, "Go away, I'm going to call for help!"
The security in this city was extremely bad. Luo Kai had experienced it for the past two months. However, this was the first time he had encountered someone harassing a woman in broad daylight. He pressed the button to get off the car and said, "Move aside, it's not my fault if you hit me!"
The two men then turned their eyes to Luo Kai. They rolled up their sleeves and said fiercely, "Kid, are you looking for a beating? Get out of here."
Luo Kai didn't talk nonsense. He suddenly jumped up and grabbed the hair of the two men. One of the men was pulled from the left to the right. He pulled him from the air and then threw him to the ground. Their heads had a close contact with the ground.
"Bang!" Smoke and dust flew everywhere. The two strong men were lying on the ground with blood on their faces. They could only breathe in and not out.
This set of actions was simple and crude, but also extremely fierce. The girl screamed, jumped out of the car, and ran away without looking back.
Luo Kai was stunned. He hurriedly shouted, "Hey, we haven't reached the iron factory yet … Don't you want your things?"
The last sentence had an effect. The girl stopped and slowly walked back step by step. She looked at Luo Kai with eyes full of fear.