182: Survivors' experiences (2)

Registration Site

"Name." An Engineer didn't even look up, his fingers resting on the keyboard.

"Wang Dazhuang!" a dark-skinned man replied loudly, his voice resonant.

"What was your profession before the apocalypse?"

"I worked at an auto parts factory, tightening screws on the assembly line!"

The Engineer typed rapidly on the keyboard: "Alright, you are assigned to the parts processing plant. The monthly salary is 3000 points, which is enough to cover your food, accommodation, and utility expenses, with some left over. The first month's food, lodging, and utility fees are waived."

"Got it! Thank you, Officer!" Wang Dazhuang happily took the updated ID card and walked away, beaming.

"Next!"

A lean but sturdy-looking uncle around fifty years old stepped forward: "Wang Donggen."

"What did you do before?"

"I've been farming my whole life; I'm quite handy with crops!"

The Engineer nodded: "Good, report to the plantation. The monthly salary is also 3000 points." Registration complete, the job information was entered into the card. Wang Donggen smiled honestly, carefully put away the card, and left.

"Li Li!" A young woman in her early twenties with delicate features but looking weary stepped forward.

"Profession?"

"I am a nurse, a nurse at the Third Municipal Hospital!" the girl quickly emphasized, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Upon hearing this, the Engineer finally looked up and sized her up. Medical personnel were an extremely scarce resource in the apocalypse.

"Go to that white medical vehicle over there and take the nursing skills assessment. It includes intravenous injections, medication dosage calculations, and a written test on basic nursing theory. If you pass, you will be assigned to work at the resident hospital." The Engineer pulled out a special form, wrote her information on it, and handed it to her.

Li Li took the form and asked cautiously: "Of... Officer, may I ask, what is the compensation for nurses like?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Medical positions are compensated favorably. The base salary for a general nurse is 3500 points, and 4500 for a licensed doctor. If you held a senior title before the apocalypse, or are an expert with significant research achievements, you will enjoy special talent treatment, negotiable," the Engineer explained.

A radiant smile instantly bloomed on Li Li's face. After thanking him repeatedly, she hurried toward the medical vehicle.

"Officer! Officer! My name is Pang Bo. I am a Ph.D. in biology, specializing in genetic engineering. Before the apocalypse, I published a second-author SCI paper in a sub-journal of 'Cell'!" A man in his early thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking haggard but unable to hide his scholarly air, stepped forward eagerly and introduced himself rapidly. This was the very Ph.D. from the "four major pits" who had been teased earlier.

The Engineer's eyes lit up, and his attitude became noticeably more attentive: "Oh? A highly educated talent! Very good! Take this form and go to the 'Special Talent Recruitment Channel.' Our base's biological Engineer is there, and he will personally assess your professional capabilities. If you pass, you will directly enter the base's Advanced Research Center to work. The starting monthly salary is 6000 points, you will be allocated a talent apartment, and you will enjoy special supply quotas."

Hearing such generous terms and feeling the base's regard for talent, Pang Bo couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. He nodded vigorously, took the form, and left with a light step. Knowledge was indeed hard currency at any time!

"Officer, Officer! It's my turn! I studied civil engineering! Do you think I can get a good position?" The civil engineering guy who had previously teased the biology Ph.D., Pang Bo, squeezed forward, looking expectant.

The Engineer didn't even look up: "What was your educational background before the apocalypse? Do you have a registered structural Engineer or architect certificate?"

The civil engineering guy's confidence instantly deflated, and he said sheepishly: "I... I graduated with a bachelor's degree, the... certificate is still being studied for..."

The Engineer didn't even think about it and directly swiped his ID card: "Go to the construction team for an internship first, and follow the master craftsmen to be responsible for the daily maintenance and expansion projects of the base. The monthly salary is 3000 points. If you perform well and show ability, we'll talk about it later."

"Ah... it's... it's 3000 again..." The civil engineering guy looked lifeless, hanging his head as he walked out, as if he had heard the sound of his dreams shattering. He hadn't expected that even in the apocalypse, he couldn't escape the civil engineering curse of a "3000 monthly salary."

"Haha, young man, keep it up! Every profession has its masters!" A slightly hoarse but resonant voice rang out. A man in his fifties, with a receding hairline but meticulously combed hair and rimless glasses, stepped forward. Although his face was slightly thin, his complexion was ruddy and his gaze sharp; it was evident that he had been well-groomed before the apocalypse and had long held a position of authority.

"Hello, Officer, I am Wang Kunlin." The man's tone was calm and unhurried. "Before the apocalypse, I was a Level 3 Professor at Qianzhou Medical University, a master's supervisor, and simultaneously served as the Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Municipal First People's Hospital. I have presided over four provincial-level projects and one national key research and development plan project."

Upon hearing this, the Engineer's attitude immediately became very friendly, and he quickly pulled out a high-level talent registration form: "Professor Wang, I've heard much about you! Please take this and go directly to the Special Talent Channel. The head of our base's medical department and several medical Engineers are over there, and they will arrange a professional assessment for you. With your qualifications, once you pass, you will be directly appointed as a respiratory medicine expert and discipline leader at the resident hospital! You will enjoy high-level talent treatment, compensation is negotiable, the starting point will not be lower than 10000 points, and you will be immediately allocated talent housing."

"Very well, thank you for your trouble." Professor Wang Kunlin nodded slightly, took the form, and walked toward the special channel with composure, his face carrying the confidence and calm unique to a scholar.

The registration work was proceeding in full swing, and every survivor found their place in the new world here; the fire of hope was reignited in everyone's eyes.

The registration inside the gymnasium was still in full swing, with the crowd moving slowly and orderly. Meanwhile, in the assessment area temporarily partitioned off on one side of the venue, the screening for professional talent had already quietly begun.

Medical Assessment Area - Nursing Station

Li Li sat at a simple desk, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead, concentrating fully on answering a nursing professional written test. The questions covered basic nursing theory, handling common acute emergencies, principles of aseptic operation, and key points for nursing special injuries and diseases that might be encountered in the apocalyptic environment. She would occasionally frown in thought, then write furiously, and sometimes stop to gesture with her hands, appearing exceptionally serious. Several other nurses who had also passed the preliminary operations were also answering questions nearby, and a tense silence permeated the air.

Special Talent Channel - Biology Assessment Room

Pang Bo was led into a quiet small room. Inside sat two middle-aged men wearing pristine white lab coats with serious expressions. The logo of the Red Alert Legion was clearly embroidered on the left chest of their lab coats—these two were senior Engineers in the field of biology promoted via the system's hero badge.

"Old Wang, this kid is into genetic engineering; I'll leave him to you." One of the slightly older Engineers said to his companion.

"Fine." The Engineer called Old Wang nodded, looked sharply at Pang Bo, and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit."

"Hello, Teacher." Pang Bo took a deep breath, trying to appear calm, and sat down composedly. He could feel that the professional aura of the two examiners in front of him was very strong.

Engineer Wang didn't engage in small talk and went straight to the point: "Young man, since you are in the field of genetic engineering, we will assess your core capabilities. Listen carefully to the questions—"

He slowed his speaking speed to ensure Pang Bo could record clearly: "If you want to use genetic engineering technology to construct an engineered bacterium capable of stably secreting 'anti-extreme environmental stress protein,' and you need to achieve controllable expression of the protein through an 'inducible promoter'—please briefly describe: 1. Which model microorganism would you choose as the recipient bacterium, and explain the main reason. 2. In the entire core process of gene cloning and vector construction, what do you think are the two most critical steps? And explain their importance. 3. Why, after construction is complete, must you prioritize the 'promoter activity verification experiment' to confirm if the construction is initially successful, rather than directly detecting the expression of the target protein?"

(Questions obtained from the internet by Xiao Feng, not professional, please be gentle with criticism; friends who don't like reading this kind of stuff can skip it)