CHAPTER 638: CHAPTER 174 DEBT REPAYMENT IN FLESH (VOTE FOR MONTHLY TICKET)

The Archbishop had left; as an important figure, he had to attend to his affairs, even if his life was nearing its end, some matters took precedence over all else.

Xu Shu hadn’t left; he might be insignificant, but he, too, had his own business to tend to.

This building was the stronghold of the Cao Gang, but it couldn’t really be considered a true "stronghold."

Because this place was a public administrative office for external affairs.

The first floor was for accepting transportation jobs.

Of course, the so-called "transportation" of these days was also misleading business—looking at those cruise ships on the docks, which one could actually carry grain?

The rivers in the city wouldn’t allow you to operate cargo ships; even less so would you dare to on the rivers in the Wasteland, even if you dared, there were none to operate.

The so-called transportation was merely for show.

Times had changed, these days, if you wanted to transport materials, you could only go by land, and those with real skill could take "air transport," letting Lie Zhenzi help with the delivery—at least that was the case in the D8B3 zone.

Xu Shu walked into the bustling lobby on the first floor, where no one recognized him, so he blended in like someone looking for work.

There were many middle-aged men, each holding a number ticket, shouting loudly to speed up the clerks, looking to hire sturdy labor.

These people were Wasteland Travel Merchants, no matter the size of their caravan, they came here to find manual laborers.

Many civilians were willing to work for caravans because the risk was relatively lower and the pay wasn’t bad, with an outing earning them a small two thousand.

Those lucky enough to work for the caravans were like cabbages waiting to be picked, crowding the open space outside.

Those less fortunate, or those who seemed less capable of working, were unwanted; these people would then go scavenging, waiting for someone to organize a scavenging team.

No one would leave the city alone to scavenge; first, because you can’t go far on foot, and second, going solo was akin to courting death; even the garrison advised everyone to team up for such ventures.

Where there was demand, there was a market, and the Cao Gang conveniently became an intermediary platform.

With just a small fee, you could be arranged into a team to leave the city together and even be provided with a vehicle for the trip, so this business of the Cao Gang was doing quite well.

For instance, Xu Shu had come here before, the first time he left the safe zone in his life. He wouldn’t say this place was quick, but over a hundred kilometers outside the city, he became a target for human traffickers. Later he died and then came back to life again, surviving until now.

Thinking back, Xu Shu felt those guys back then definitely weren’t just after his kidneys.

It was likely they were aiming to kidnap people for sacrifices from the start!

Of course, not all Pioneering Teams were "Meat Ticket Teams"; such a high fatality rate would raise suspicions among the officials of the safe zone, and the Cao Gang would be quickly exposed.

Out of ten teams, only one or two would be handed over to undercover bruisers to be directly captured and taken away; the rest were left to their own fates.

Such a death rate wouldn’t draw much attention; the Cao Gang had been in this business for a long time, and they knew the ropes.

Xu Shu waited at the entrance for a while, thinking he came here to settle an affair today, only to realize he didn’t know who to look for.

In the hall of the first floor, he scanned around and didn’t see anyone who looked capable of fighting.

At that moment, a saleswoman with a big and pure conscience approached, smiling sweetly as she said, "Young man, what service do you need? Tell your sister, and she’ll help you choose."

Looking at her approachable smile and her enthusiasm in calling him brother and herself sister, Xu Shu finally showed a smile, "I’d like to ask, where is the loan section?"

"Short on cash?"

The saleswoman’s eyes lit up, coming closer to say, "What kind of money does the young man want to borrow? We can provide both secured and unsecured loans."

Xu Shu asked her, "What’s secured and unsecured?"

"Secured means mortgage; you need to pledge something valuable, the disbursement is slow, and the interest high; unsecured is a bridging fee, just sign and put a seal, and it’s done, disbursement is fast, you come today, you can take the money today, and the interest isn’t expensive. Sister recommends you, if you’re in urgent need of money, like someone in your family is sick or something, to take the bridging fee."

The saleswoman was very enthusiastic, but Xu Shu felt her conscience might be crooked.

He laughed, "I’m not here to borrow money; I came to repay a debt."

"To repay? Then follow me." The saleswoman’s eyes flickered with a strange light and led Xu Shu upstairs.

On the second floor, after a corridor flanked by many Security Guards with bulging waists, clearly concealing firearms,

They passed several office areas along the way; the people inside were dressed formally, and their style of work seemed clean and efficient, with occasional signing and sealing happening.

It was evident that this was the place for handling loans.

The saleswoman didn’t stop here; instead, she continued walking with Xu Shu to the end of the corridor, pointing at the ornate double doors at the end, her tone much colder, "In there, go on in."

After saying that, she left, whooshing away swiftly, thoroughly unceremonious.

Not only was her attitude cold, but she herself had also turned cold.

Only a tiny uniform remained in place.

"Nowadays saleswomen are getting ruder and ruder, leaving without saying goodbye. I still miss the one who introduced me to the Meat Ticket Team back then." Xu Shu muttered to himself, tossing the saleswoman’s perfume-scented ring, earrings, and tongue stud into the trash bin.

"Sir, Sister Corpse Dog is asking what a Meat Ticket Team is," Ji Yu whispered timidly.

"A Meat Ticket Team is a team specifically provided for your consumption," Xu Shu casually replied.

Ji Yu then said, "Oh, I see! Also, Sir, Sister Corpse Dog is asking what if there are too many people, disturbing the balance?"