Chapter 140 Satisfaction Guaranteed
The setting sun, like blood, painted the ruins of the desolate town with an eerie orange-red hue.
Qiao Xi and Shen Han walked side by side on the uneven street, occasionally kicking up broken bricks or the bones of unknown animals.
The so-called "black market" is nothing more than a spontaneous gathering point formed by a few relatively intact buildings. There are many people, but they all carry the vigilance and alienation unique to the end times.
They walked and stopped, their eyes casually sweeping over the various trading points, some visible and some hidden.
Josie noticed that the goods circulating here were a mixed bag: mud-covered cans, rusty weapon parts, suspiciously colored jerky, and even a few wilted mutant plants carefully placed on rags.
Transactions often involved crystal cores, but more often it was a barter system, with bargaining conducted in hushed tones, creating a tense atmosphere.
Josie frowned slightly, and under the cover of examining a rusty dagger, she approached Shen Han discreetly, lowering her voice, "This place is a mixed bag. There seem to be a lot of supplies, but they're all common items. If we want to exchange for a large number of crystal cores, it seems... we don't have any particular advantage."
Their stronghold didn't have any special supplies.
Chen Han's gaze, sharp as a quenched blade, swept over the stall owners who gripped their weapons tightly and looked at him with hostility, finally settling on an area subtly surrounded by several burly men.
He turned his head and said in a low voice, "Not necessarily. Professor Fu's experimental results are probably the most sought-after resources here."
He had spent a considerable amount of time at their stronghold and had personally witnessed the survivors who had been left behind turn into superhumans.
After further investigation, he had a clear understanding of the entire stronghold's situation.
Fu Jinxing's team has developed a "catalyst" that can awaken superpowers in ordinary people, and its value in today's world is as powerful as a nuclear bomb.
“Think about it,” he said, revealing the reality directly, “Once this news gets out, which of those ambitious base leaders and armed chiefs outside wouldn’t go crazy for it? Turning all their cannon fodder into superhumans, dominating a region, or even…unifying the whole world, wouldn’t be a dream.”
Josie's heart skipped a beat; the Catalyst was indeed a trump card capable of overturning the existing order.
But is it appropriate to expose it now?
Shen Han seemed to see her hesitation. "Xi Xi, you can go back and discuss this with Professor Fu. Now, use the ability catalyst to exchange for crystal cores to improve the strength of low-level ability users and seize the initiative. If you become stronger, even if others covet what you have, they will have to think twice about whether they have the ability."
On the contrary... if they keep it hidden, no matter how many superhumans they convert, without enough crystal cores to improve their strength, they will only end up as cannon fodder.
"Hmm, you make a good point. I'll go back and discuss it with Brother Jinxing."
As the two were talking, they had just turned a corner filled with abandoned vehicles when seven or eight figures blocked their way like shadows.
The leader was a bald man with a face full of scars, a hideous centipede-shaped scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin, and a blood-dripping wolf's head tattooed on his bare, thick arm.
The men behind him all had buzz cuts, and their faces, necks, or arms were tattooed with various ferocious beasts and skull patterns. Their eyes were fierce, and they openly sized up Qiao Xi and Shen Han, as if assessing prey.
"Hey, you two look unfamiliar!"
The bald man grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, and said in a rough voice, "I, Scorpion, am the boss of this area. I know this place inside and out. If you want to trade for anything rare, you can't go wrong with me! It'll save you from wandering around aimlessly and getting into unnecessary trouble."
He deliberately showed off the machete stained with dark red dirt that was tucked into his waistband.
In the apocalypse, Josie has seen plenty of people like this.
Her face was expressionless, showing neither flattery nor fear.
Her shapeshifting ability may not be the strongest in direct combat, but her ability to survive is absolutely top-notch. Moreover, she has the unfathomable Shen Han by her side, who gives her the confidence to step into any dangerous situation.
"Brother Poison Scorpion, right?" Josie's voice was clear and calm as she looked directly at him. "Thanks. We don't lack supplies, but what we urgently need right now is a large number of crystal cores, the higher the grade the better. I wonder... if you have any connections?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "large amount" and "higher level".
A glint of greed flashed in the scorpion's cloudy little eyes, almost overflowing with lust.
He glanced around, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Haha, you've come to the right person! Come with me, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
He made a "please" gesture, pointing towards a huge, half-collapsed abandoned factory on the edge of town.
Shen Han remained expressionless, simply shielding Qiao Xi half a step behind him, his eyes sweeping over the restless figures around him like a cold pool.
Feeling reassured by his silent protection, Josie followed Scorpion without hesitation.
The factory interior appeared even more dilapidated and gloomy than the outside.
The high dome was covered with cobwebs and rusted steel beams. Light streamed down through broken windows and leaks in the roof, forming pale beams that illuminated the dust floating in the air.
In the empty factory, there were twenty or thirty men standing or sitting, most of them with bare chests and backs, their bodies covered with tattoos.
The moment Qiao Xi and Shen Han stepped in, all eyes focused on them like searchlights, filled with undisguised malice and greed, like a pack of hyenas eyeing lambs that had strayed into their territory.
"sit!"
Scorpion sat imposingly on a dilapidated sofa with a missing leg and bricks propping it up, and pointed to two equally dilapidated chairs opposite him.
Immediately, a waiter eagerly brought over two plastic bottles of beverages with fancy packaging and blurry fruit patterns, and slammed them onto the stained small table in front of the two of them.
"These two are clearly big businessmen, asking for a large number of crystal cores right off the bat. They've got quite the nerve! I wonder... where they're from? I've never seen them before?"
The scorpion leaned back slightly, deliberately creating a relaxing atmosphere.
Josie glanced at the unusually brightly colored drink; in the apocalypse, even clean water was precious.
She didn't touch it. Instead, she gently picked up the bottle and casually twirled it in her hand, the bottle reflecting an eerie luster in the dim light.
"Brother Poison Scorpion, in the black market, asking about someone's background... isn't that against the rules?" Her voice carried a hint of mockery.
Scorpion's fleshy face twitched, and he forced an even more fake smile: "Haha, girl's right. I was too talkative. Let's be friends!"
He pointed to the drinks again, "After walking for so long, let's have some water to moisten our throats first, and then we can talk slowly."
"Oh?" Josie let out a cryptic chuckle, flicked her wrist, and the bottle was placed back on the table with a "thud," the force not too light or too heavy, but it made the liquid inside the bottle sway slightly.
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