"Are you sure this price is 'cheap'?" Lin Sizhi asked.
Yang Yuting's profession is a company executive, which is evident from her appearance and demeanor.
She wears exquisite light makeup, and although her clothes don't stand out, upon closer inspection, each piece is highly designed, likely from some international luxury brands.
Moreover, her aura gives off a clear sense of privileged upbringing.
"Of course, it's very cheap!"
Yang Yuting earnestly said, "We can gauge the general purchasing power from the ingredients.
"Calculating from the price of cola and eggs, one minute of visa time here roughly equates to one dollar in the original world, doesn't it?"
Lin Sizhi nodded, "No problem."
Yang Yuting continued, "Then, let's calculate based on the minimum hourly wage in the original world:
"Working for an hour yields about 20 to 30 dollars, at the highest standard, an hour can only be converted into 30 dollars.
"But here, an hour is equivalent to 60 dollars.
"That's enough to buy two pounds of chicken wings or six pounds of potatoes.
"Isn't that considered cheap?"
Lin Sizhi remained silent for a moment, "But have you considered this is a world where even a breath requires payment?"
Yang Yuting was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized.
"Hmm?
"Ah, right...
"In this world, even if you do nothing all day, you'll spend 24 hours of visa time, which equates to...
"1440 dollars!"
This number startled her.
Lin Sizhi nodded, "Yes, to survive in this world, we must earn at least 1440 minutes of visa time every day.
"And on that basis, even considering only basic living needs, we still need to earn extra visa time beyond one hour.
"1500 minutes daily salary is the baseline income for our survival in this world.
"Moreover, the 'labor cost' of prepared meals is significantly higher here than in the original world.
"Take fried rice with eggs, for example. Normally, it should cost around 15 dollars, but here it has doubled.
"Can you imagine spending 30 dollars on a simple roadside stand's egg fried rice?"
Yang Yuting's complexion visibly turned a bit unsightly, "That does seem a bit expensive..."
The two fell silent.
After considering for a moment, Lin Sizhi decided to order a tomato and egg rice bowl.
Then he placed his left hand's visa wristband under the machine for a swipe.
"Beep."
After a soft prompt sound, the screen displayed Lin Sizhi's remaining visa time.
[117 days-21 hours and 53 minutes]
"So, I still have over three months to live..."
It was hard for Lin Sizhi to determine whether this period should be considered long or short.
If calculated based on life expectancy in reality, assuming a life expectancy of 70 years, three months could clearly be described as "not far from death."
But one undeniable fact remains that perhaps he and these people have already died.
Every minute lived in the New World is akin to a sort of gift.
In many similar survival-themed movies, the surviving days issued according to the game rules are generally calculated by the day.
Being given three months right away is already quite generous.
Moreover, more visa time can be earned through games in the Walkway later.
Although there's some risk involved, as long as you're alive, there's hope.
"What! So little!"
53-year-old delivery man Ding Wenqiang looked at the screen showing the visa time.
[11 days-13 hours and 37 minutes]
"Brother Ding, how much visa time do you have left?" Su Xiuqin asked anxiously.
Ding Wenqiang's expression was a bit stiff, "See for yourself."
Su Xiuqin took a glance, "11 days... Brother Ding, I'm about the same as you, I have 17 days."
She then looked at Qin Yao beside her, "Little girl, how much time do you have?"
Number 7, Qin Yao, 24 years old, is a fashion model.
She's the youngest and most beautiful among all the players.
"I... I have 45 days."
Qin Yao hesitated for a moment, but still answered truthfully.
Ding Wenqiang's face darkened as he scanned around and soon spotted Wang Yongxin, separated by an empty vending machine.
"How much time do you have left?"
Wang Yongxin looked at him somewhat baffled, "Why should I tell you?
"It's like directly asking relatives and friends how much savings they have; it's very rude behavior, isn't it?"
Ding Wenqiang's eyes widened, "Kid, who are you calling rude?"
It was Fu Chen who hurried to mediate, "Okay, okay, Uncle Ding, there's no need to argue over this. In fact, visa time is indeed relatively private information, and it's normal not to want to make it public.
"If you really want to know, I can tell you my remaining visa time: I have one month and ten days left."
Police officer Cao Haichuan came to the vending machine on Ding Wenqiang's right side and unobtrusively separated him from Wang Yongxin, then swiped his own visa.
"Yo, I don't have much time left either, only 21 days.
"No worries, didn't the community rules just state that we can still earn time?
"If we can earn it, what's there to worry about?
"Huh? There's actually tobacco for sale here?
"And Bai Jiang? Haha, that's great."
Cao Haichuan immediately spent 10 minutes of visa time to buy a pack of Bai Jiang, and the vending machine thoughtfully even included a lighter.
"Want a smoke?" Cao Haichuan offered.
Ding Wenqiang shook his head, "Maybe next time."
"Alright." Cao Haichuan didn't even bother to order food and went straight with his cigarette to find an outdoor area where he could smoke.
Lin Sizhi listened from afar, quickly organizing the relevant information in his mind.
"My visa time is more than twice that of the normal time.
"Could it be because of Wei Xinjian?"
According to the rules, when a player dies in the game, the game's designer receives all of the player's remaining visa time.
So, the additional time that Lin Sizhi has likely comes from Wei Xinjian, or it's a special reward after completing the game.
Therefore, if others learn about Lin Sizhi's visa time, it could very well be a hidden threat.
Although there are many ways to cover it up in the short term, as time goes on and everyone learns more about the rules, this hidden threat could potentially take root.
Lin Sizhi quickly completed the payment and exited the vending machine's purchase interface.
The screen displayed the "Preparing Meal" prompt, and soon, a steaming tomato and egg rice bowl appeared in the vending machine's window.
"Brother Lin, have you already ordered? How much time do you have left?" Fu Chen asked casually as he saw Lin Sizhi approaching with the tomato and egg rice bowl.
"About the same as you, more than a month." Lin Sizhi replied with his usual expression.
Fu Chen nodded slightly, "Hmm... looks like my estimate was correct. The New World issues a basic visa time according to some fundamental rule...
"Each person's baseline visa time is roughly a month.
"But depending on various factors, this time can fluctuate.
"For example, young people's visa times are generally more than a month, and older people's times might be reduced. Or it may correlate with the wealth one possesses in the real world."
Fu Chen then looked at Wang Yongxin, clearly thinking that Wang Yongxin would be the most suitable control group for verifying this.