Chapter 34

"Is there a Cloud Flow Tower in the city? What if you need to leave the city?" Qingchen asked about other matters.

"Leaving the city is generally more complicated. You can leave, but you need a visa to pass through customs," Jiangxue replied. "It seems that because smuggling is rampant, the tax collection agency has set up customs checkpoints. The tax collection agency in the Inner World is very powerful, comparable to a state machine of a financial conglomerate."

"Is the tax collection agency that powerful?" Qingchen was taken aback.

"Yes, it not only has a powerful enforcement department but also its own intelligence department, which is completely different from the Outer World," Jiangxue replied.

"What if someone really goes outside the city after passing through customs?" Qingchen asked.

"I've heard that there are Cloud Flow Towers scattered along the roads in the wilderness," Jiangxue explained. "Mechanical limbs also have larger energy storage options, similar to how we buy phones with 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB in the Outer World. The more durable ones are more expensive. Generally, people don't worry about durability, so they choose the cheaper ones."

"Oh, so it's about consumer choice," Qingchen nodded.

"In the Inner World, many young people pursue mechanical limbs, just like some kids in the Outer World chase after sneakers and new phones," Jiangxue explained. "Not only that, many people also decorate their mechanical limbs, such as embedding beautiful gold lines, gold edges, or even gemstones and diamonds."

Qingchen sighed, "I understand, it's like skins in games..."

Jiangxue thought for a moment, "That's not a bad way to understand it..."

Suddenly, Qingchen recalled the prisoners in Prison No. 18.

Many of them seemed to have gold decorations on their mechanical limbs. Gemstones and diamonds were rare, but gold was quite common, like Lu Guangyi!

Qingchen tentatively asked, "Are those embedded gold lines and gold bars real gold?"

"Yes," Jiangxue nodded.

"Then... is the gold in the Inner World the same as in the Outer World?" Qingchen asked again.

"It should be the same," Jiangxue said. "The five major financial conglomerate banks in the Inner World issue currency based on gold reserves."

Now, Qingchen finally knew how to make money in the Inner World!

He even clearly remembered how much gold each person had!

Other things might be hard to liquidate and could expose his identity, but gold didn't have that problem.

At this moment, Lu Guangyi might not even know what he was about to face.

Qingchen asked, "What are the means of transportation in the wilderness? Are they electric vehicles?"

"The military uses diesel engine cars," Jiangxue replied.

Diesel engines have high power output, low speed, and high torque, making them more suitable for military and heavy-duty off-road use.

Moreover, diesel engines have almost no electrical circuits, and they can be started by hand cranking or pushing, making them more suitable for harsh environments and climates.

Qingchen hadn't expected that the Inner World would still be using diesel engines...

Jiangxue added, "Of course, the military also has more powerful aircraft that use liquid oxygen and methane... I forgot the exact term. Rich people in the city use floating cars as transportation, which also use this fuel."

"Liquid oxygen and methane?" Qingchen asked.

"Yes, that's it," Jiangxue's eyes lit up.

"Space fuel," Qingchen sighed. "Now, Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets use this stuff."

Jiangxue said to Li Tongyun, "Xiaoyun, you must study hard like your big brother Qingchen. Look, I just mentioned half a name, and he could guess what I was talking about."

Qingchen's academic prowess was gradually becoming apparent even to Jiangxue.

Whether it was his interpretation of wireless charging earlier or his instant understanding of liquid oxygen and methane, it was clear he had a rich knowledge base.

It was a unique feeling, as if there was nothing this young man didn't know.

For Qingchen, the appearance of Jiangxue and Li Tongyun, the two穿越者 (time travelers), filled in some of his cognitive gaps.

In Prison No. 18, he couldn't ask too many questions to avoid exposing his identity as a time traveler.

After returning to the Outer World, the noisy information was hard to verify.

Now, hearing the real "Inner World" from Jiangxue was quite exciting for him.

Jiangxue's mechanical limb clinic was a good place to gather information, as it had all sorts of people.

Qingchen suddenly remembered something and asked, "So... Xiaoyun, did you call me to ask for help with something?"

Li Tongyun said, "My mom can't lift her arm. Could you please help take care of her for a day?"

At that moment, Jiangxue's arms hung by her sides. Qingchen could see that she hadn't washed her face that morning, had sleep in her eyes, and her hair wasn't tied in her usual ponytail. She hadn't prepared breakfast for Li Tongyun, looking quite disheveled.

The lack of power in mechanical limbs was indeed troublesome. In the Inner World, they could be charged anytime, but in the Outer World, they had to be used sparingly.

Qingchen then remembered another time traveler in Luocheng who had leaped onto a rooftop several meters high to escape being followed. He wondered how that person was doing and whether they had ended up paralyzed on the ground...

However, this was a good thing, as it made the modified mechanical limb users in the Outer World more cautious.

Looking at Li Tongyun's expectant eyes and Jiangxue's apologetic face, Qingchen sighed, "But I don't know how to take care of people."

It was Sunday, and he didn't have classes, so he had plenty of time. However, Qingchen only knew how to take care of himself and had never taken care of anyone else.

Jiangxue quickly said, "No, no, I don't need you to take care of me. I just can't cook for Xiaoyun today. Could you please help take care of her?"

It was clear that Jiangxue felt very guilty.

Li Tongyun, looking quite pitiful, said, "Big brother Qingchen, could you cook for us? I'm hungry."

Qingchen smiled, "Cooking isn't a problem."

As he spoke, there was a knock on the door: "Hello, is anyone home?"

Qingchen, standing in the living room, glanced out the window and saw the mysterious organization's off-road vehicle.

"Xiaoyun, go open the door for the guests. I'll go to the kitchen and cook for you," Qingchen said, then went into the kitchen and tied an apron around himself, leaving only his back to the guests.

Xiaoyun opened the door, and two young men in black suits walked in, addressing Jiangxue, "Hello, I'm Lu Yuan. We've met before. I'm from Kunlun."

Kunlun? Qingchen was taken aback in the kitchen. So, the organization's name was Kunlun.

He heard Jiangxue say, "Please sit down. Xiaoyun, quickly get some water for the guests."

The Kunlun member asked, puzzled, "What happened to your arm?"

"My mechanical limb is out of power," Jiangxue explained.

"Note this down," the young man said to his companion. He and Jiangxue discussed the situation with the mechanical limb, and it seemed they didn't know that mechanical limbs could run out of power.

Jiangxue asked, "What brings you two here?"

"Oh, we have a question," the Kunlun member said. "Last night, two criminals were involved in an incident. One of them fled from your place and was attacked in the neighborhood, breaking his leg. Do you know who did this? Don't worry, we're not here to追究法律责任 (pursue legal responsibility), we just want to understand the situation."

Qingchen's heart skipped a beat.