Reboot: Mechanic

contemporary romance

Chapter 17: Barcode Scan

Shi Tian wasn't being overly paranoid for no reason considering how he had no knowledge of what type of person Krissie was.

Not to mention, she was involved with a plan alongside Benmos to extort and possibly have him killed if it wasn't for his decisive action, and usage of the Esper Special Bullet to ensure Benmos would die in one shot.

The risk was simply far too much that outweighs the pros of him having an arm replacement. And if what Krissie said was true, then he could find the person that could assist him with an arm replacement himself.

What was the point of needing a guiding assistant who could easily backstab him once he lowered his guard?

"The person I know is in a location that was quite hidden from the public eye. Only those who are local would know of the location, and even if you can find him, he's an eccentric person that won't accept anyone's request just because they asked." Krissie explained.

"Hmph, if you know all of that, then why would you be in the control of Benmos? Go find some other foreigners to trick." Shi Tian sneered coldly.

"It's exactly that I have been abused before that you should trust me. Wouldn't you think it'll be dumb of me to try and trick someone that can kill Benmos in such a swift manner? I want to live in this cruel world as well, so why can't you give me a chance?" Krissie shouted desperately.

And when Shi Tian heard her last words of 'why can't you give me a chance', he soon recalled Sheng Lan telling him the same thing when he prevented her from doing some trivial task because of her disabled legs.

"Fine, if what you say is the truth, then I'll let you have some Source Crystals in return. However, don't blame me for being ruthless if you are trying to scheme against me." Shi Tian retracted his pistol from pointing at her and told her to lead the way.

He was also given a chance to survive with firearms in his inventory because of Yolanda's willingness to hand a gun to him. Thus, he decided to pass on that glimpse of kindness to those who are desperate like him, but it was just for this one time.

Kindness in this world was a luxury, especially when he realized no people are worth his effort to save.

During the time when he was being extorted, none of the people nearby had offered a hand to assist him. They were all simply standing still and watching the show, thinking that it was an entertainment scene for them to enjoy.

As Krissie made her way to the entry point, she turned around and informed him, "We'll need to give the soldier one Source Crystal to enter Gearits and have a barcode scan. The barcode scan is universal and used to detect if the person is a fugitive or wanted criminal."

"Barcode scan?" Shi Tian raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding this part.

Meanwhile, Krissie lifted her sleeve up slightly and revealed her wrist.

"There's a barcode stamped on my wrist, but it's invisible, and only a special method from the government could scan it." She explained.

And she continued, "If foreigners don't have the barcode on their wrist, then they are required to have one stamped before they are allowed to enter the city. This is also why most people refuse to enter the city because it's essentially giving up your identity to the government, allowing them to check up on you whenever they want to."

Shi Tian's expression changed slightly when he finished hearing her explanation.

With his intelligence, it wasn't hard to comprehend her meaning that having a barcode stamped to a person's wrist was no different than giving up your fingerprint or DNA to the government database.

"Is there another way around to enter the city without having a barcode stamped to the wrist?" Shi Tian asked. Since she explained it, then there must be another method to avoid being barcode scanned.

After all, whether there is white on the surface, black would always be right around the corner. Good and bad are always coexisting together, just like yin and yang.

Unfortunately, Shi Tian was disappointed to hear Krissie say it was impossible to even try to sneak into the city or bribe an official to enter. All entry points had cameras, and even the black market or underground people refused to take on the job of sneaking people into an occupied city.

After all, if one snuck in a person that was actually infected, then it was enough to cause the entire city to collapse. A person being infected wasn't something to joke about, so the crime of sneaking someone into a city was worse than murder, rape, or other heinous crimes.

"If you absolutely want to enter Gearits, then you must have a barcode scan stamp on your wrist. Otherwise, you would never be able to enter the city." Krissie said, not hiding any information lest he would stop trusting her.

Not to mention, this was common information, so she was a bit surprised that Shi Tian didn't know about it. Nevertheless, she now needed to rely on him to survive, so she didn't dare to call him out for his ignorance of common knowledge.

Meanwhile, Shi Tian was silent as he never wanted to be under the surveillance of some government again. The last time that happened, he was trapped completely in the shelter center and was even captured as a lab rat in the end.

After pondering for a while in search of a solution, Shi Tian decided to head back and look for Benmos's corpse.

If what Krissie said was true, then Shi Tian had a plan in his mind.

'Krissie has the barcode scan stamped on her wrist, so Benmos should be the same. If I cut the skin of Benmos wrist, then I would have a barcode scan as well.' Shi Tian thought to himself.

done.co