Chapter 7: Prices

“Are you sure this price is ‘cheap’?” Lin Sizhi asked.

Yang Yuting’s profession was that of a corporate executive, a fact that could be roughly discerned from her appearance and demeanor.

She wore exquisite, subtle makeup, and while her clothes didn’t look flashy, a closer inspection revealed that every piece had a distinct sense of design, likely coming from some international luxury brand.

Her temperament, moreover, gave off a clear impression of someone accustomed to a life of privilege.

“Of course it’s cheap!”

Yang Yuting said earnestly, “We can determine the general purchasing power based on food prices.

“If we calculate using the price of cola or eggs, 1 minute of visa time here is roughly equivalent to 1 yuan in the original world, right?”

Lin Sizhi nodded: “No problem.”

Yang Yuting continued: “Then, let’s calculate based on the minimum hourly wage of the original world

“Working one hour earns you anywhere from 20 to 30 yuan. Let’s use the highest standard: 1 hour only converts to 30 yuan.

“But here, 1 hour is equivalent to 60 yuan.

“That’s enough to buy two pounds of chicken wings or six pounds of potatoes.

“Doesn’t that count as cheap?”

Lin Sizhi was silent for a moment: “But have you considered that this is a world where you have to pay just to breathe?”

Yang Yuting was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

“Hmm?

“Ah, right…

“In this world, if you do nothing all day, you still spend 24 hours of visa time, which is equivalent to…

“1,440 yuan!”

This number startled her.

Lin Sizhi nodded: “Yes, in order to survive in this world, we must earn at least 1,440 minutes of visa time every day.

“On top of that, even if we only consider basic living necessities, we still need to earn at least another hour of visa time.

“A daily wage of 1,500 minutes is our baseline for survival in this world.

“Not only that, but compared to raw ingredients, the ‘labor cost’ of finished meals is also far higher than in the original world.

“Take egg fried rice, for example. At normal prices, it should be around 15 yuan, but here it has doubled.

“Can you imagine spending 30 yuan for a simple roadside bowl of egg fried rice?”

Yang Yuting’s expression turned noticeably unpleasant: “That does seem a bit expensive…”

The two stopped talking.

After considering for a moment, Lin Sizhi chose to order a tomato and egg rice bowl.

He then placed his left-hand visa bracelet under the machine to scan it.

“Beep.”

After the soft prompt sound, the screen displayed Lin Sizhi’s remaining visa time.

【117 days - 21 hours 53 minutes】

“In other words, I have over three months left to live…”

It was hard for Lin Sizhi to say whether this amount of time should be considered long or short.

If calculated by lifespan in reality, assuming a life expectancy of 70 years, three months could clearly be described as “not far from death.”

But there was one point that couldn’t be ignored: he, and perhaps all these people, might already be dead.

Every minute lived in the New World was a kind of gift.

In many similar survival-themed films and television works, the survival dates issued according to the game rules are basically calculated by the day.

Being given three months right off the bat was already quite generous.

What’s more, one could earn additional visa time through games in the arcade.

Although there was a certain level of danger, regardless, as long as one was alive, there was still hope.

“What! It’s so little!”

53-year-old delivery driver Ding Wenqiang looked at the visa time on the screen.

【11 days - 13 hours 37 minutes】

“Brother Ding, how much visa time do you have?” Su Xiucen asked, looking worried.

Ding Wenqiang’s expression was stiff: “See for yourself.”

Su Xiucen took a look: “11 days… Brother Ding, I’m about the same as you; I have 17 days.”

She looked at Qin Yao, who was standing to the side: “Young lady, what about your time?”

No. 7 Qin Yao, 24, was a fashion model.

She was the youngest and prettiest among all the players.

“I… I have 45 days.”

Qin Yao hesitated, but answered truthfully.

Ding Wenqiang’s face darkened. He looked around and soon saw Wang Yongxin, who was separated from him by an empty vending machine.

“How much time do you have left?”

Wang Yongxin gave him a puzzled look: “Why should I tell you?

“Not to mention strangers, even asking friends or relatives how much money they have in their savings is considered very rude, isn’t it?”

Ding Wenqiang’s eyes widened: “Kid, who are you calling rude?”

Once again, Fu Chen was the first to step in to mediate: “Alright, alright, Uncle Ding, there’s no need to argue about this. Remaining visa time is indeed private information; it’s normal not to want to disclose it.

“If you really want to know, I can tell you my remaining visa time: one month and ten days.”

Detective Cao Haichuan walked to the vending machine to Ding Wenqiang’s right, calmly separating him from Wang Yongxin, and then scanned his own visa.

“Yo, I don’t have much time left either, only 21 days.

“It’s fine, didn’t the community rules just say? We can still earn time.

“Since we can earn it, what’s there to worry about?

“Hmm? They actually sell cigarettes here?

“And White General brand? Heh, that’s great.”

Cao Haichuan immediately spent 10 minutes of visa time to buy a pack of White General, and the vending machine even thoughtfully included a lighter.

“Smoke?” Cao Haichuan pulled one out.

Ding Wenqiang shook his head: “Next time.”

“Alright.” Cao Haichuan didn’t even bother ordering food; he took the cigarettes and went to find an outdoor area where smoking was permitted.

Lin Sizhi listened from afar, quickly organizing the relevant information in his mind.

“My visa time is more than double the normal amount.

“Is it because of Wei Xinjian?”

According to the rules, when a player dies in a game, the game’s designer receives all of that player’s remaining visa time.

So, the extra time Lin Sizhi had likely came from Wei Xinjian, or perhaps it was a special reward for completing the game.

Therefore, if others found out about Lin Sizhi’s visa time, it could very well plant a hidden danger.

Although there were many ways to cover it up in the short term, as time passed and everyone became more familiar with the rules, this hidden danger could potentially take root.

Lin Sizhi quickly finished his payment and exited the vending machine’s purchase interface.

The prompt “Preparing meal” appeared on the screen, and soon, a steaming bowl of tomato and egg rice appeared in the vending machine’s window.

“Brother Lin, are you done ordering? How much time do you have left?” Fu Chen asked casually as he saw Lin Sizhi walking toward him with the tomato and egg rice.

“About the same as you guys, a little over a month.” Lin Sizhi’s expression remained normal.

Fu Chen nodded slightly: “Hmm… it looks like what I estimated. The New World’s issuance of basic visa time must follow some kind of fundamental rule…

“Everyone’s baseline visa time is about one month.

“But depending on certain factors, this time fluctuates.

“For example, young people generally have more than a month, while older people have deductions, or perhaps it’s related to the wealth one possessed in the real world.”

Fu Chen looked at Wang Yongxin again; clearly, if he wanted to verify this, Wang Yongxin was the most suitable control group.

(End of chapter)