City of Time: Falling into the kill zone at the start

Chapter 001 Hello, Resurrected One

Goodbye, Mr. Lu.

"I believe that by the time you wake up, human technology will have advanced to the point where it can conquer cancer."

...

"Relax and take a deep breath."

"Dizziness is normal..."

The last image in Lu Chen's memory was the slowly closing hibernation pod lid, stealing away the last ray of light from his eyes.

As darkness descended upon the hibernation pod, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over Lu Chen, who could no longer resist and slowly closed his eyes.

A short while later, Lu Chen woke up again for no apparent reason, only to find that there was light in front of him again.

"out…"

"Well…"

"What... went wrong...?"

I opened my mouth instinctively, only to find that my throat was already incredibly dry in just a few moments.

With each breath, every wisp of air flowing through the throat felt like a sharp blade slicing through flesh, causing waves of burning pain.

Lu Chen quickly stopped talking and slowed his breathing.

He tried to sit up, but his limbs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and he couldn't even move his fingertips.

Not just the limbs.

Instead, the whole person is trapped in a sticky, sluggish feeling, as if soaked in glue.

Every tiny thought requires tremendous effort to reach the nerve endings.

Visibility was also blurry, as if looking through a thick layer of frosted glass covered in grease.

[Any side effects of the medication...?]

[This... I guess it's a failed hibernation attempt...]

Thinking it over, Lu Chen used all his strength to focus his gaze on one spot.

That was a light.

It wasn't the cold, white, shadowless light of the laboratory I remembered.

Instead, it was a more murky, darker light, with a rusty color.

Then, a mechanical voice rang in Lu Chen's ears.

"Recovered Patient No. 9527, Lu Chen."

"The individual is 23 years old and male."

"Hibernation period: 2025 AD, 46 BCE".

"Pupillary light reflex is normal, function is normal—inject revitalizing agent."

"Stage III Localized Thermonuclear Radiation Sickness - Injectable Treatment."

...

As Lu Chen perceived these words, at the same time he heard them, he also felt two distinct sharp pains on the side of his neck.

Then, Lu Chen clearly felt his muscles gradually awakening, his blood flowing again—and even his soul returning to its place, as if he were undergoing a complete 'resurrection'.

After only a short while, Lu Chen regained a lot of strength and turned his head slightly to the side, following the mechanical voice he had heard earlier.

What came into view, however, was something entirely made of metal, roughly human-shaped…

"machine…"

"The instrument..."

When I tried to open my mouth again, the stinging pain in my throat did not lessen in the slightest.

Despite his reluctance to give up, Lu Chen forced himself to sit up inside the hibernation pod.

Slowly turning his neck, he finally realized that he was no longer in the bright and spacious laboratory of his memory.

The four walls were mottled, and the only hanging lamp was also rusty.

Inside the room, there was only Lu Chen sitting in the hibernation pod, and the black robot in front of him, which was 'watching' Lu Chen.

"Recovery process complete."

"Reading out: The Thirteenth Amendment to the Respondent Management Ordinance."

"Hello, survivor number 9527."

In the old year 2025, you voluntarily went into hibernation due to a medical experiment.

In the year 2071, a global nuclear war broke out, wiping out the old human civilization.

The survivors gathered together, built the City of Time in the ruins, and designated the old year 2077, the year the war ended, as the Genesis Era.

It is now the year 294 of Genesis, and you have been dormant for 346 years.

The mechanical sounds flooded his ears like a tidal wave, but Lu Chen seemed to have lost his soul, still sitting blankly in the hibernation pod.

The robot paused briefly, seemingly giving Lu Chen time to absorb the information.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Chen blinked gently, as if his soul had returned to its place.

Then the robot started up again.

"In the City of Time, all order is based on the core principle of [time]."

"Time is both currency and the lifespan of every resident."

"When [time] reaches zero, life will end, and the body will be reclaimed by the City of Time."

...

"According to the Resuscitation Management Act, your hibernation pod will be reclaimed at a price of [5 years]."

"The [2 years] are your reward for scavenging outside the city, finding your hibernation pod, and bringing it back to the City of Time."

"Before you went into hibernation, you had stage III localized thermonuclear radiation sickness—what survivors often call: cancer."

"During the recovery process, the City of Time consumed a healing potion to treat your cancer, worth [10 years]."

Another series of rhythmic mechanical sounds entered his ears, and Lu Chen finally managed to calm down a little.

As Lu Chen pondered the robot's words, he felt increasingly lost.

It remained dormant for 346 years;

Now, it is already a 'new era';

The cancer in my body has been cured.

This place is called: City of Time.

Even though he couldn't believe it and felt that everything was so unreal, Lu Chen forced himself to accept this information as much as possible.

But what Lu Chen couldn't understand was: time?

Using time as currency, and also as life itself?

When time reaches zero, does life come to an end?

This……

Seemingly seeing through Lu Chen's doubts, the robot stepped forward, grabbed Lu Chen's left arm, and held his wrist tightly.

Before Lu Chen could react, a long, thin black box was suddenly slammed down by the robot!

"Ha!"

"Heh~!"

"Hmm..."

In an instant, smoke billowed from Lu Chen's left arm, sizzling loudly.

Lu Chen tried to shout, but no sound came out of his parched throat.

My wrist was gripped tightly, with no chance of freeing myself.

Lu Chen clenched his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Those short thirty seconds felt like thirty years.

The moment his wrist was released, Lu Chen quickly pulled his arm back to his chest and instinctively tried to blow air.

To his astonishment, he discovered that a string of numbers had been branded onto the inside of his left arm by the black box in the robot's hand.

【01:00:00:00:00】

...

【00:364:23:59:59】

【00:364:23:59:58】

【00:364:23:59:57】

...

Under the dim indoor lighting, the numbers emitted a dazzling green glow, rhythmically pulsating with Lu Chen's heavy breathing.

Countdown?

When this thought appeared in his mind, Lu Chen inexplicably felt a pang of fear, as if life were slipping away.

At this moment, the robot started up again, and the familiar mechanical voice rang out once more.

"The healing agent is worth [10 years], and the hibernation chamber is worth [5 years]."

"To ensure you have ample time to repay the remaining debt, the City of Time grants you [1 year]."

"Your remaining debt [for 6 years] will be collected by Time Bank on your behalf."

"Please go to any branch of the Time Bank before 23:59:59 PM on the 30th of each month to repay the interest for that month."

"The monthly interest payment for the debt is [300 days]."

"For entities that repay debts in a lump sum: After 6 years, starting from the next full calendar month, no further interest will be calculated on the debt."

...

"The [2 years] of compensation belonging to the scavenger will be considered a private debt between you and the scavenger."

"Bank debt has a higher priority than any form of private debt and is subject to the supervision of the City of Time."

"Please communicate with the scavenger himself regarding the repayment arrangements and sign the 'Private Debt Repayment Agreement' as soon as possible."