Chapter 285 - 284: Driver’s License, Bicycle, and Speed Limit

Chapter 285: Chapter 284: Driver’s License, Bicycle, and Speed Limit

In the previous world-line, the Tokyo Metropolitan Area was a lawless place. When you were street racing, who cared about having a license or breaking the speed limit?

After driving without a license for so long, Shi Tiexin had completely forgotten that such a thing even existed.

But now, Shi Tiexin found that his biggest obstacle was traffic law.

"Listen, Shi, our Jingtuan is a legitimate organization. We absolutely do not permit driving without a license. If you want to ride a motorcycle, you must have a license. Otherwise, it’s a no-go." The HR manager’s expression was serious.

In this world-line, all sorts of Heart and Power Techniques existed. The average baseline for human physical fitness and intellectual development was far higher than in other world-lines, so starting a trial period at fifteen or officially joining the workforce at sixteen wasn’t an issue.

Once you were over twelve, child protection laws no longer applied.

But a sixteen-year-old was still a kid, prone to acting without thinking through the consequences. The HR manager was worried Shi Tiexin didn’t have a lick of sense. If he got caught driving without a license, or worse, got into a serious traffic accident, it would become major news that "rival companies" could use to attack their organization in the media.

The HR manager said with a straight face, "If the disciplinary department catches you driving without a license, they will deal with you severely. Don’t think you can just ignore this because you’re young and hot-headed!"

Shi Tiexin scratched his head. He knew he couldn’t fight the law, so he nodded and said, "Don’t worry, sir. I definitely won’t drive without a license. I’ll go get one right away."

"Get a license?" The HR manager chuckled. "You’re not even eighteen. What license are you going to get?"

"Huh?" Shi Tiexin genuinely didn’t know this. "I can’t get a license? I’m old enough to sign an employment contract at sixteen, but not old enough to get a driver’s license? What kind of rule is that!"

"That’s the rule." The HR manager clapped Shi Tiexin on the shoulder. "The world is full of idiotic rules. You’re not allowed to drink before you’re twenty, either. What can we do? You can’t fight city hall. We just have to follow the regulations."

Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

’I can’t drive without a license, and I’m too young to get one. How am I supposed to make deliveries?’

Just then, a voice suddenly cut in.

"On a bicycle, of course, young man."

Shi Tiexin turned his head and his eyes fell on a middle-aged man. The man’s strongest impression on him could be summed up in a single word—greasy.

People say you get greasy at thirty, but this middle-aged man was on a whole other level. A big round face, small eyes, a portly frame—none of that was unusual. Plenty of people had that kind of build, which at most would make them ordinarily greasy.

But this man, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, was exceptionally, extraordinarily greasy.

With just one glance, Shi Tiexin felt as if he could read words written all over the man’s face. "Greed" was in his left eye, "Lust" in his right. "Caustic" was written on his cheeks, and "Harsh" across his forehead. In short, from the very first moment, Shi Tiexin’s instincts told him this was a master sly dog.

Shi Tiexin had seen plenty of sly dogs like this before; the head of security he’d met in Xiongan was one of them. However, in terms of sheer greasiness, that security chief was leagues below the man standing before him now.

Normally, Shi Tiexin kept his distance from people like this, respectfully avoiding them. A sly old dog like him would never be kind to an orphan, and not kicking him while he was down would be an act of great mercy.

But today, the behavior of this ultra-greasy sly dog was upending Shi Tiexin’s preconceptions.

"Ah, Teacher Tang, you’re here." The HR manager maintained a professional smile. "Perfect timing. Let me introduce you. This is young Shi Tiexin, a first-level Outer Disciple who just joined us. Shi, this is a fifth-level Outer Disciple member, your senior. Everyone calls him Teacher Tang, and you can too."

Shi Tiexin immediately and obediently said, "Hello, Teacher Tang."

"Haha, good, good! The brothers are too kind, I don’t deserve the title. We’re all brothers in the same organization!" This Teacher Tang wasn’t tall. He reached up with some effort to pat Shi Tiexin’s shoulder, his expression surprisingly enthusiastic. "Since you’ve called me ’Teacher,’ I’ll give you a couple of pointers."

"In our organization, there are a lot of young guys like you who don’t have licenses. The solution is to ride a bicycle. Don’t look down on bicycles; a lot of people with licenses choose them too. Bicycles don’t require approval, they’re easy to park, they save money, they’re more flexible for getting through narrow alleys, and most importantly, their speed limit is high."

"Speed limit?" Shi Tiexin had never considered this. "Bicycles have speed limits?"

"Of course. According to the Space City Ecological Stability Act, the larger the vehicle, the lower the speed limit. Bicycles are small, so their speed limit is high. Tumu Castle regulations state that the speed limit for bicycles within the city is ninety, and on secondary highways or better in the suburbs, it can go up to one-fifty."

"One-fifty..." Shi Tiexin found it hard to imagine someone riding a bicycle at 150.

"What’s wrong with one-fifty? You don’t know? Some masters love riding bicycles. A speed limit of one-fifty is barely enough for them. We have people like that in our organization, but they’re all Inner Sect Disciples. Their delivery efficiency is way higher than with motorcycles or cars. Even among the Outer Disciples, there are guys who can make a bicycle fly. For them, a limit of ninety is just barely enough to show what they can do."

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe, imagining what it would be like to break the speed limit on a bicycle.

"Um, Teacher Tang, could you please take Shi here and show him the ropes? I have to take a call." The HR manager left, and the greasy middle-aged man led Shi Tiexin out of the office.

Unlike his roommates, this fifth-level Outer Disciple, Teacher Tang, was enthusiastic whether the HR manager was present or not. No, to be more precise, he became even more enthusiastic after the manager left.

He spoke eloquently and gave detailed explanations. Shi Tiexin listened and found his words to be logical and well-founded, not just nonsense he was making up. Looking out at the bustling inner courtyard of Jingtuan, he saw that there were indeed many people setting off on bicycles, which made him believe Teacher Tang’s words.

"Jingtuan provides the uniforms. You don’t have to buy them; the organization gives you a set for free. You can go get one from the front desk later."

’They’re that nice?’

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but marvel again. A top-tier organization was a top-tier organization, completely different from the penny-pinching Xiongan.

"However, you have to provide your own vehicle. Jingtuan can’t possibly provide them. For one, the cost is high. For two, different people have different needs. And for a third, to be blunt, if there’s an accident, a vehicle registered to an individual means the individual bears the liability. The organization’s responsibility is, at most, administrative. But if the vehicle is registered to the organization, then it becomes a huge headache for us."

Teacher Tang held nothing back, speaking with a frankness that seemed almost too intimate for a new acquaintance.