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"Hey girl, are you kidding me? All my photovoltaic panels add up to at least a thousand square meters. Are you really going to take them all?" Lao Zeng pointed at He Zhaonian, the only one of the three carrying a backpack, and said doubtfully, "Don't lie to me. He can't even fit five bags of flour in this bag."
"The flour is in our truck outside. We're well-prepared. Don't worry, there's enough," Tao Sai lied calmly. "Boss, just order the goods. We'll go get the flour. We'll agree on a price and make a fair deal."
"Okay!" Hearing the girl's words, Lao Zeng finally put his concerns to rest. It would be great if all these panels could be sold. Leaving them in the warehouse for too long would be a waste. He already had enough for his own use, plus a spare.
Most importantly, he really couldn't stand those guys who wanted to get rid of him with just a piece of rotten cabbage!
"Boss, if you have thousands of square meters of photovoltaic panels here, I may not have enough flour. Do you want anything else?" He Zhaonian quietly checked the quantity in the warehouse. He only brought fifty bags of self-raising flour. Judging from the boss's expression, he was almost vomiting blood after bargaining down to one bag of flour for ten square meters. He was afraid that the boss would kill him first if he bargained any lower.
"Anything else?" asked Lao Zeng.
"Do you want some noodles?" He Zhaonian said, using his backpack as a cover again as he took out a handful of noodles from the [Warehouse]. "These are the thin egg noodles, and we have the thicker ones, the thickest ones too. We have them all."
"You want to exchange a handful of noodles for ten square meters? I won't do that." Lao Zeng shook his head.
Although instant noodles are good, a handful is only enough for a few meals, and the feeling of fullness is not as good as that of steamed buns and cakes made of flour. He even suspected that these people just wanted to take advantage of the situation, and he had to stick to the bottom line no matter what.
"How about this, two handfuls of noodles for ten square meters." Tao Sai said in negotiation.
"That's more like it." Lao Zeng had a false alarm.
"I still have bread, toast bread, which is very filling." As he said that, He Zhaonian took out a five-slice toast bread from his backpack like Doraemon opening a treasure bag.
"We also have instant noodles, both in bags and barrels, and hot and sour noodles. The Bai family's hot and sour noodles are amazing..."
Just hearing this made Lao Zeng's mouth water. To save food, he'd been eating rice and kimchi, or even bland porridge, until he felt like vomiting. As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Those who'd grown up with the days of lavish meals, hot pots, and barbecues couldn't handle this.
Tao Sai keenly noticed Lao Zeng's swallowing action, and his desire for all kinds of food was clearly visible on his face. It was obvious that the mask he had deliberately disguised was broken.
So Tao Sai took advantage of the situation and continued to bargain.
Originally, goods were clearly marked with prices, leaving little room for maneuver. But now, with the disappearance of a monetary system, values fluctuate wildly, and bartering offers room for bargaining. Tao Sai, unleashing the bargaining skills she'd learned from her grandfather, observed his subtle expressions and body language, offering a price that was as sharp as a coin, effectively controlling Lao Zeng's bottom line.
Lao Zeng took out a notebook and a pen and painfully wrote down every deal agreed upon by both parties. Only after the deal was finalized did he begin to doubt it.
Oh my god, why was he so bewildered as to agree to this price?
Lao Zeng quickly finished counting the photovoltaic panels, and both sides calculated the total amount. On the other side, flour, noodles, toast bread, instant noodles, hot and sour noodles, ham sausage, self-heating rice, self-heating pots... boxes and bags of food were brought in by Tao Sai and others and piled up in the open space of the warehouse.
Then they began moving the photovoltaic panels. These panels are block-shaped, each approximately 1.8 square meters in area and weighing around 18 kilograms. Moving them manually would be tiring, so Tao Sai borrowed four flatbed trucks from Lao Zeng. Tao Sai was in charge of loading the panels, while He Zhaonian and Cheng Li handled transportation, creating a clear division of labor.
The weather was too hot, and Lao Zeng saw them sweating profusely and wanted to help move, but Tao Sai declined.
Tao Sai lightly moved the photovoltaic panels and placed them on a flatbed truck, which were then carefully transported out by He Zhaonian and Cheng Li. In less than an hour, all the photovoltaic panels in Lao Zeng's warehouse were cleared out.
In the end, they replaced a total of 1,320 square meters of photovoltaic panels, including both monocrystalline silicon and bicrystalline silicon, with a full range of models and powers. It was more than enough to install on the "Deep Sea Fish", and there would still be some left even if it was to fill up He Zhaonian's soon-to-be-upgraded fourth-level ship.
Seeing the empty warehouse, Lao Zeng felt a sense of loss, but when he turned around and saw the huge pile of food in the corner, his mood was instantly soothed. There was nothing to be reluctant about. With this pile of food, his wife and daughter would not have to starve. It was enough for the whole family to eat for several months. After a few months, the potatoes he planted on the roof should be ripe.
Thinking of this, Lao Zeng's mood suddenly relaxed. Nothing is more important than being alive.
After the photovoltaic panel transaction was completed, Tao Sai did not leave in a hurry, but continued to bargain and buy the matching batteries from Lao Zeng.
The industrial power supply Zhou Weixing added to the "Deep Sea Fish" is actually sufficient, but there is no harm in having more batteries.
"Sister, why don't you take a look at the home appliances in my store?" Lao Zeng, who had exchanged a few bags of oatmeal powder and millet, suggested.
Ordinary people really wouldn't be able to sell his household appliances, but they were different. They got so many photovoltaic panels and batteries from him. Now that they had electricity, of course they had to use electrical appliances, otherwise what was the point of generating electricity?
"How about it? Come with me to my store and take a look. You can take whatever home appliances you want and just give me some supplies as you see fit." Lao Zeng said generously.
It wasn't that he was being generous; he simply couldn't find a price for the appliances. The brand-new appliances he had in his shop were essentially no different from junk. So, he thought it would be better to just do them a favor. Perhaps if they were happy, they'd give him a few more noodles. He believed they had the means. Even if he didn't give them anything, or gave them too little, it wouldn't matter much.
Tao Sai was originally planning to evacuate, as he had almost purchased all the electrical appliances for the Level 4 shelter ship. However, after hearing what Lao Zeng said, he simply turned around and went back to take a look, thinking that it would be a waste not to take any.
Lao Zeng's shop is actually quite large, occupying four storefronts in this originally bustling electrical appliance city. The shop is fully stocked with all kinds of electrical appliances.
Tao Sai browsed the rows of shelves and spotted several air fryers, which he found useful for frying small foods without using too much oil, making them relatively healthy. There was also a large commercial oven with a capacity of 500L, suitable for grilling fish, shrimp, and other items. It could hold five baking trays at a time, enough for a boatload of people.
She would take whatever electrical appliances she liked, not only considering whether she already owned them but also considering whether she had spare parts.
Finally, Tao Sai also picked out a few hair dryers. After washing, she needed to dry her hair. That was fine in the summer, but in the winter, it took too long to dry and she'd easily catch a cold if she wore it on her body. She actually had two showers on the boat: one she'd bought online and one she'd brought from her rental house in Southern California. But with the number of people on the refugee ship, two were becoming less common.
"Sister, you came here in a truck, right?" Lao Zeng asked in surprise.
He clearly saw them installing more than 1,300 square meters of photovoltaic panels and more than a dozen large batteries, and now they have moved out so many electrical appliances, including ovens, washing machines, and refrigerators, all of which are quite large.
"Yes, we drove a semi-trailer." Tao Sai said casually, lying as naturally as breathing.
In fact, they transported the goods to an empty corner of the alley, and then Tao Sai secretly loaded them into the warehouse.
Tao Sai upgraded the warehouse in advance, spending 100,000 gold coins. The capacity of the warehouse was expanded from 100 cubic meters to 1,000 cubic meters after it was upgraded to level 2, a full tenfold increase.
Photovoltaic panels and electrical appliances are not exclusive to "Deep Sea Fish". Tao Sai considered allocating some to He Zhaonian, Tang Yingxue and Shi Jiahui.
He Zhaonian's ship "Weiguang" has always relied on diesel generators to generate electricity, so he stockpiled diesel and batteries.
However, diesel is a non-renewable energy source, and the fuel for the refugee ship is a game prop sold in the [Mall]. It cannot be used in reality, let alone for generating electricity.
Therefore, although diesel generators have advantages such as considerable power generation and fast power generation speed, they are becoming less and less with use, and will eventually run out. Only solar energy and wind energy can last for a long time.
Coming out of the electronics store, He Zhaonian had a look of relief on his face and couldn't stop smiling.
"Sister Sai, I didn't feel anything when I moved the goods from my own supermarket at first, but now, I finally realize the joy of stockpiling! Especially when it's so cost-effective!" He Zhaonian cried.
He felt happy just thinking about it. The value of food had risen to an unprecedented level. The food he took out from the [warehouse] in exchange was just a drop in the bucket.
Tao Sai, who was walking side by side with him, suddenly stopped and his expression changed from relaxed to serious.
"Xiao He, take my phone and look at the offline map. There should be a scrap yard nearby. Cheng Li will go with you. Be careful." Tao Sai said.
Waste can be scanned directly into materials, without the need for her large [warehouse] to store them.
"What about you?" The smile on He Zhaonian's face disappeared instantly.
Gao Shuai squatted in a dark corner, holding his breath and waiting for a long time. Only after confirming that the surrounding situation was absolutely safe did he carefully crawl out.
It was not difficult to see that he had encountered a powerful player. Although he could not tell who was the player and who was the character among the three of them, the girl teleported to his face in less than two seconds. Fortunately, he reacted in time and hid.
In the short two seconds that she charged forward, he felt an unprecedented pressure, a determination to kill, and the innate aura of strength.
He suddenly thought of a scene: a female general in a white helmet and armor, holding a spear upside down, riding her horse and charging into the enemy camp.
Well, a little handsome.
Gao Shuai dismissed the thoughts in his mind and stopped thinking about those trivial things. The important thing was to get down to business.
He stood in front of the scrap pile and continued to scan each piece of scrap into materials. The material value continued to increase until it was full.
"You didn't leave?" The scrap yard owner noticed him.
"No, I've always been here." Gao Shuai replied.
"What did you get?" the boss asked curiously.
He carried the rice upstairs, a solid fifty kilograms. If he didn't find what he wanted in the scrap warehouse, he wouldn't return the rice.
Gao Shuai waved the partially rusty large wrench and pliers in his hands. The ship would be upgraded to level four soon. Many facilities on the ship needed to be updated and repaired, and these tools were needed. He had left them behind specifically when scanning the metal parts.
The boss nodded, and the mocking expression on his face could no longer be controlled. He said, "What a fool to exchange 50 kilograms of rice for this."
Gao Shuai didn't take it seriously and thought to himself, when you see the current situation in the warehouse, you will know what crying means.
"Uncle, goodbye!" Gao Shuai waved with a smile.
Just as he stepped forward, the space was quietly distorted by a mysterious force, and a vortex appeared.
Gao Shuai stepped forward and stepped firmly on the ground, and suddenly realized something was wrong. Before he could turn his head, a leg suddenly stretched out from the space wormhole behind his head, and kicked him on the back of the neck with a tactical boot, kicking him two meters away.
Tao Sai, holding a T7 pistol, immediately emerged from the wormhole. Without any hesitation, she pulled the slide, loaded the bullet, aimed the black muzzle at the target he kicked out, and pulled the trigger with her index finger.
The wormhole's precise opening was a result of his [Vision] skill. Their evacuation from the scrapyard was certainly no simple matter. Before leaving, Tao Sai had cast a transparent eye on the scrapyard owner, choosing him as his Vision. Tao Sai was certain the player hadn't gone far, and was ready to return at any moment.
Twenty kilometers away, in the electronics store, Tao Sai was bargaining with Lao Zeng, occasionally losing sight of the man. Finally, his efforts paid off, and the unfamiliar young man reappeared in the viewer's field of vision.
Gao Shuai reacted quickly and used the force of being kicked to roll over on the ground. The bullet almost grazed his ear, and he found cover without any danger.
"Beauty! Beautiful lady! Miss! Don't kill me, don't kill me! It's all a misunderstanding!" Although he was begging for mercy, his expression was extremely serious. He quickly pressed his back against the cover and loaded the T7 pistol at the same time.
The shelter was the tall and sturdy iron door of the scrap yard. Tao Sai could not see what was on the other side through the iron sheet.
If you go out rashly, you might get ambushed. This player has a fast reaction time and seems to have some unknown powerful skills.
Tao Sai held his breath and looked down, suddenly seeing a small shadow projected from the bottom of the iron door. The sunlight slanted in from outside the scrap yard, and the bottom of the iron door was not hanging much in the air, so the small shadow outside could be seen from inside, but not from outside.
She tiptoed and approached silently, determining his lurking position through the small shadow.
But the iron sheet on the door was too thick, more than one layer, and pistol bullets could not penetrate it.
Tao Sai held his breath and silently switched to the appropriate skills.
Suddenly, a fierce light flashed in her eyes. She clenched her fist and punched the iron door with a [charged] punch. The moment her fist touched the surface of the iron sheet, it was [tempered]. After a loud bang, her fist directly twisted the iron sheet, making a hole in it, and then she punched out heavily.
Gao Shuai, who was behind the iron sheet, was hit in the face by a punch. He was instantly thrown back with a clear crisp sound, and his entire jaw was dislocated.
Gao Shuai rolled on the ground for a few times and suddenly felt dizzy. He supported his body with his hands and tried to get up.
Tao Sai pulled her right hand out from the iron door. At the moment of impact, her arm was protected by [Tempering] and was safe, but a second later, the sharp iron cut her arm and the blood could not stop flowing.
With 40 points of resistance, skin wounds will heal quickly. Tao Sai didn't care too much about it. He endured the pain and chose to hold the gun with his left hand.
She opened the iron door and found her target struggling to get up on the sidewalk outside the scrap yard. She took aim and pulled the trigger.
However, the moment the gunshot rang out, the target disappeared from the spot.
The next second, the target appeared on the blind path five meters away. He jumped up and climbed over the wall on the side of the scrap yard.
Teleport?
Tao Sai was stunned for a second, realizing that he also possessed this skill.
After regaining his composure, Tao Sai raised his gun and fired several shots. The bullet trajectory kept following his figure, but never hurt his flesh. He watched him jump into the scrap warehouse again.
This was undoubtedly a tough opponent, with strong resistance to blows, reaction speed, courage and judgment. He knew that escaping on the street would make him a sitting duck, so he boldly returned to the scrap warehouse and used the complex terrain to cover himself.
Tao Sai calmed himself down, removed the magazine, quickly loaded the gun again, raised his gun and walked into the scrap yard step by step.
The scrap yard is large enough, with five warehouses inside. There are piles of debris, blind spots and shadows everywhere. It is not easy to find his hiding place, and he may move randomly.
"Shall we talk?" Towsey said.
She was still approaching the warehouse step by step, with her arms open. Her left hand loosened, and the gun, which had been clenched, rotated in her palm. Her index finger slightly hooked the trigger guard, and the muzzle of the gun was facing downwards, no longer aggressive.
"What are you talking about? You knocked out two of my teeth! My back teeth!" A voice came from the warehouse where cardboard was piled.
As soon as the word "talk" came out of the voice, Tao Sai's binaural effect captured the location and rushed forward instantly, but the source of the sound was still empty, exactly the same as the previous scene.
Tao Sai realized something was wrong and was about to escape when sparks flew from the muzzle of a gun sticking out of the darkness. She failed to react in time and the bullet pierced her ankle.
Taosai rolled down the cardboard pile and tried to hide herself, but the bullet in her ankle slowed her down significantly.
The muzzle of the gun in the dark T continued to fire, and blood holes appeared on her torso. Gao Shuai slowly walked out of the shadows while shooting, with a smug smile on his face, "Hehe, now we can talk, little sister."
As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared from the spot and reappeared behind Tao Sai, instantly throwing her to the ground. He raised his gun and pointed it at the back of Tao Sai's head without hesitation. With a bang, blood splattered half of his face.
The next second, Tao Sai jumped down from behind him, using gravity and arm strength to pierce the sharp spring knife directly into the back of his neck.
Gao Shuai's eyes were filled with fear and despair, his whole body twitching and struggling, he fell forward powerlessly with the knife handle on his neck, pressing down Tao Sai's bloody clone.
At this moment, it seemed as if some kind of shrouding shadow was broken, and the surrounding scene was completely new.
Tao Sai looked down and saw that the person whose neck she had stabbed had disappeared out of thin air, and the spring knife on the ground was not even stained with a trace of blood.
Looking around, the scene changed, replaced by the original scrap yard. There were no signs of fighting, the iron door was intact, and the bullet holes left by the shooting had also disappeared. The owner of the scrap yard was sitting leisurely on a rattan chair, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, as if nothing had happened.
Tao Sai seemed to be hit by something, and she suddenly realized that she had just broken through the illusion.
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