342, June 1, 7:30 AM.
Tang Li drove Peng family father and daughter to the exchange.
The weapon sales point wouldn’t open until 8 AM, so Tang Li decided to explore the trading area first.
The last time she visited the exchange was when she tested the mechanical exoskeleton.
After that, Tang Li had been shuttling between home and the black market, never returning to the exchange.
It had been 41 days since her last visit.
Upon entering the trading area, Tang Li noticed many new items had been put up for sale.
For instance, the flying motorcycles, which she had heard about in her previous life, were now available, thanks to the arrival of the research team from Country R.
Even though she already had a flyer on her mechanical exoskeleton, Tang Li still planned to buy a flying motorcycle and headed to the shop that sold them.
The technology for flying motorcycles had been mature even before the catastrophe began.
Powered by an internal combustion engine, they were 3.7 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high, with a vehicle weight kept at 300 kilograms.
The maximum load capacity was 100 kilograms, with a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour and a range of 40 minutes.
Before the apocalypse, policy restrictions prevented them from being road-legal.
Even now, they were not road-legal within the shelter.
However, outside the shelter, having a flying motorcycle could save a lot of trouble.
Like helicopters, flying motorcycles could take off and land on flat ground. But unlike helicopters, they were much easier to operate, much like riding a motorcycle.
The flying motorcycles available at the exchange were based on pre-apocalypse models, with the only addition being an electromagnetic isolation shielding layer to mitigate the interference from geomagnetic storms.
However, they were extremely expensive, costing 4 million credits each.
Despite the price, Tang Li still bought one.
With her space replication ability, Tang Li was sure she wouldn't lose out no matter what.
However, as Tang Li was making the payment, she encountered a group of people she hadn't expected.
"Miss Tang, we'll cover the cost of this flying motorcycle for you. You don't need to pay any credits."
The speaker was the translator, Xiao Jin, who was standing next to Tanaka and Watanabe.
This group was led by Section Chief Wu and his entourage.
Tang Li didn't recognize anyone in the group and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am an assistant at the Country R Research Institute of the Jiangcheng Research Academy. My surname is Jin, and you can call me Xiao Jin. These two gentlemen are Professor Tanaka and Professor Watanabe from our institute."
Hearing Xiao Jin's introduction, Tang Li suddenly understood.
So, these were the people from Country R that Song Pinxuan had warned her about, the ones who wanted to involve her in experiments for their body enhancement serum.
"If that's the case, then I cannot accept this flying motorcycle."
There was no such thing as a free lunch.
How could these people from Country R possibly give her this flying motorcycle for free?
Tang Li was certain that if she accepted the flying motorcycle to save 4 million credits, she would lose much more in the future!
Moreover, she wasn't someone who lacked 4 million credits.
"Miss Tang, you must be aware that we wish to invite you to participate in the body enhancement serum experiments."
"Now that the entire world has entered the era of catastrophe, if the body enhancement serum can be developed, it would be beneficial for all of humanity."
"Consider this flying motorcycle a gift to welcome you."
"As long as you are willing to participate in our experiments, you can enjoy all the technological achievements of our research institute for free!"
"Miss Tang, your robust physique is beneficial for our research on the body enhancement serum. By participating in the research, you will also gain benefits. Once the body enhancement serum is developed, all of humanity will benefit!"
"Isn't this a win-win situation? We sincerely hope Miss Tang will consider it."
Translator Xiao Jin directly revealed the intentions of the people from Country R.
Upon hearing this, Tang Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Since you've been so direct, I'll be straightforward as well."
"I will not participate in your body enhancement serum experiments."
"If I don't participate, then my body is the strongest in this world. If I do participate, there will be people stronger than me, which is not a good thing for me."
"The reason is this simple, so you don't need to waste more words."
After speaking, Tang Li left the flying motorcycle shop with the Peng family father and daughter, not even bothering to buy the flying motorcycle.
Anyway, the flying motorcycle didn't require custom orders. She could have someone buy it for her at the black market later; there was no need to buy it in person.
If she bought it herself, she feared that these people from Country R might tamper with it, and it could be detrimental to her once she took to the skies.
After Xiao Jin translated Tang Li's words to Tanaka and Watanabe, their expressions turned grim.
Tang Li had made her stance clear; inviting her to participate in their body enhancement serum experiments through normal channels was impossible.
However, they certainly wouldn't give up that easily.