Chapter 8

The weather is getting drier and drier. As a southerner, I really can't stand this dryness. I feel like even breathing is difficult, and my nasal passages are so uncomfortable.

Me too. I can't stand the dryness. Last night, I poured a basin of water out of the bucket and put it next to me. The evaporation of the water increased the humidity, and I felt a little better.

The system dispenses bottled water and gasoline, each with a snap-lock on top. It opens to pour, and closes to prevent leaks and evaporation.

In the chat messages, five or six out of ten were discussing the negative effects of the drought, while the rest were hawking deals.

Qiao Ning looked around and found that what everyone lacked most was water, moisturizing products, foods and drinks with high water content, and gasoline.

As for materials... Qiao Ning hardly saw any buyers of materials. Most people were exchanging materials for supplies, and they couldn't even get the materials to go.

Occasionally, someone will request to buy materials, and the transaction will be completed quickly once the request is posted.

Qiao Ning thought for a moment and posted a message requesting to purchase materials:

[Long-term, large-volume purchase of basic materials: iron blocks, copper blocks, silver blocks, gold blocks, plastic, rubber, and glass (quantity as needed); glue in any quantity. Exchangeable goods include: food, small amounts of water, gasoline, fruit, and vegetables.]

If you're interested, please message me privately or send me a trade request. I'll trade directly if I think it's suitable.

Shortly after she sent the message, her private chat box was flooded with hundreds or even thousands of messages. Some were begging for her charity, some were expressing resentment and hurling insults, and many were offering outrageous prices, clearly trying to bargain and take advantage of her.

There weren't many people genuinely interested in making a deal, and Qiao Ning wasn't satisfied with the prices offered.

Just then, Qiao Ning suddenly received a message from Li Yangxing.

[Sister Qiao, I just saw your request to buy materials in the server-wide chat. Do you really need them? I have plenty! You can trade with me! I promise I won't let you lose out!]

Qiao Ning was a little surprised. With so many messages scrolling by, she only posted one, yet Li Yangxing saw it.

Out of curiosity, Qiao Ning subtly asked about her doubts. Li Yangxing seemed a little embarrassed and sent a blushing dog emoji before explaining: "I've set you as a special follower. As soon as you send a message, I'll get a notification so I don't miss any of your messages, Sister Qiao."

Qiao Ning understood.

She didn't continue the conversation, instead saying, "I'm really short on materials. If you have any extras, you can exchange them with me; the price is negotiable. What are you currently lacking?"

Li Yangxing replied instantly: "I'm lacking good food. I've been eating biscuits, instant noodles, steamed buns, and bread for several meals. I just want to eat something tasty. Also, I'm lacking wound medicine and moisturizing items."

"Am I missing too much? It's okay, Sister Qiao, just get me some more. You saved my life last time, and I haven't properly repaid you yet."

Qiao Ning knew he was referring to their previous transaction of medicine. For Qiao Ning, it was simply a matter of money and goods being exchanged, but for Li Yangxing, it was clearly more than that. He had always remembered this kindness.

After saying that, Li Yangxing sent her a large amount of materials via email.

Transactions in the trading area exceeding a certain amount are subject to transaction tax. Sending items via email is considered a "gift" and is not taxed regardless of the amount.

Resources are so precious that players wouldn't easily use email gifts to trade unless they trusted the other party completely, even if it saved them taxes.

Li Yangxing trusted her.

"By the way, Sister Qiao, I got a few pieces of equipment from the treasure-guarding monster today, and I think one of them is quite suitable for you. You should need it. I'll send it to you now, and you can see if you can use it."

She had just finished reading the message when she saw another box in her inbox. After receiving it, a wooden crate resembling a supply box appeared in her car.

Qiao Ning opened it, and inside was a set of ultra-thin protective clothing with an odd color and a style that resembled thermal underwear.

[Stone python skin coat:]

Clothes made from python skin are breathable, lightweight, and cool to wear.

Equipment Level: Blue

Attribute: Defense 2 stars

Durability: 100

Note: Because stone pythons have thick, rough skin and are difficult to hunt, stone python skin clothing is quite valuable.

Qiao Ning's eyes lit up. This was a real gem! She wanted to be polite with Li Yangxing, but she couldn't find a reason to. Because she genuinely needed defensive equipment!

This one piece of equipment alone can be exchanged for a lot of supplies.

With equipment scarce and the number of monsters guarding treasures increasing, this stone python skin coat is essentially a life-saving item. Who wouldn't want it? Anyone with a bit of wealth would probably sell everything they own to get one.

Qiao Ning calculated the materials Li Yangxing had sent:

1000 iron blocks, 1000 copper blocks, 300 silver blocks, 100 gold blocks

Plastic*400, Rubber*300, Glass*200, Glue*50

Good heavens, did he strike gold?

Compared to the meager amount of materials Qiao Ning provided, Li Yangxing's materials were ridiculously abundant.

This is only a portion of what Li Yangxing sent; it may not be all of his inventory.

Qiao Ning was genuinely envious.

With so many materials and a rare piece of defensive gear, it would be unreasonable for Qiao Ning not to exchange some more supplies.

This is a great piece of clothing; I really needed it, so I'll take it.

She then sent the supplies via email:

Food: 1 pound of braised pork (secret recipe), 2 bags of snail rice noodles, 2 bags of fatty rice noodles

Vegetables: 1 pound of tomatoes, 1 pound of leafy greens

Fruit: 1 pound of sweet oranges

Medications: First aid kit*2, external wound spray*1, internal injury medicine*1, heatstroke remedy*2 boxes

Moisturizing items: 20 packs of moisturizing wipes, 5 moisturizing lip balms, a moisturizing set including face cream, shampoo, body lotion, and hand cream, plus 4 bars of cleansing soap.

Special Item: Vehicle Repair Card *1

Fruits and vegetables were indeed scarce, and Qiao Ning hadn't given out many; she could only squeeze out this much for Li Yangxing.

As for the vehicle repair cards, she created two this afternoon, bringing the total to four, including the ones she had already obtained. While it's not many, she can continue creating more, so giving one away won't be a problem.

Less than two seconds after the supplies were sent, Li Yangxing sent a series of exclamation marks in a private message!

[Sister Qiao! You really are... I'm so happy! How can you be so kind?! You must be a savior sent from heaven to save me! You're so honest and kind; in this treacherous game, you'd get tricked... Don't worry, Sister Qiao, I'll definitely work hard to become stronger. As long as I'm here, no one will dare to bully you!]

Qiao Ning stared at the message speechlessly for a long time, wondering why this kid had such a strong bias towards her.

The supplies she gave me were mostly things I regularly found and couldn't use up. She didn't give me things like gasoline and drinking water, which have significantly lower drop rates and I might not have enough for later in the game.

This game is just too good at creating chaos; some are starving while others are overflowing.

Qiao Ning didn't set Li Yangxing as a special follower, but she pinned his messages to the top to prevent his private chats from being buried. He was her material supplier, and she had a stable source of material transactions, which was much better than her wandering around the market like a headless fly.

Qiao Ning's Card Crafting Expert talent allows her to endlessly create cards, except for a cooldown period. Currently, only one type of card can be crafted, so there's no need to specifically set it in the system's crafting menu. The crafted cards are automatically placed into the car's glove compartment by the system.

Before Qiao Ning went to bed at 10 o'clock, she made another vehicle repair card.

Qiao Ning yawned, then contentedly turned off the car lights and went to sleep.