Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Absolutely!" With just those words, Nono was already ready for action. Her demeanor was filled with determination; this was the biggest gamble of her life—either success or failure. Failure would mean the arrival of a nightmare for the future.
She knew all too well that she was like the best drug for men, driving them mad with desire.
The young man waiting quietly stood before Nono, his head bowed and avoiding her gaze. He understood his own worth and knew what was most important.
He wasn't a Superpowered Individual, and he had no right to covet those beautiful girls. Perhaps after selling his Garbage Essence Fruit, he would consider buying an Essence Fruit for himself, desperately wanting to try it out.
Zheng Yifan didn't care about much else; as long as someone was buying Essence Fruits, that was enough. The specific prices were already established rules—buying and selling really didn't require much skill. The unique trade of Scorpion Droppings was not difficult at all.
The aroma from the Leg of Lamb on the grill slowly wafted through the air. Zheng Yifan sat beside it, constantly turning it over while Ten Thousand Steps, the fat guy, drooled with anticipation, fixated on the roasted Leg of Lamb.
As the scent spread, the entire botanical garden gradually filled with the smell of grilled meat, driving those who were hungry nearly insane.
Outside the door, several people were watching the boy exchanging food. They were all waiting for results; if he could really trade Garbage Essence Fruit for food, they would all make a fortune.
They didn't know how many Garbage Essence Fruits Ancheng had, but they knew that in Ancheng, these were likely priced like stones on the street—if they could sell them, it would be a lucrative profit.
"There are a total of 18 Essence Fruits. Among them, 18 are of good quality and 100 are of poor quality. The good ones will be purchased at full price—one tael each. There has been no precedent for poor quality ones. However, the leader has allowed some flexibility; ten poor quality ones will count as one good one as a favor to you. In total, that's about eight taels—here's your food!" Nono weighed it for the boy and handed over the food.
To be honest, it was only about 0.5 kilograms of rice—not enough for one person to last a month.
But they didn’t mind. As long as they could exchange for food, this was just a harvest for a few people nearby. Others' Essence Fruits were still piled up in warehouses or carelessly tossed aside somewhere. Others might not know, but he had been planting Mutated Plants and knew those places all too well. Twenty-odd kilograms of food wasn’t heavy; looking at Zheng Yifan still grilling the Leg of Lamb, he remembered the promise he received—that after selling everything, he would treat him to a meal.
"Quickly go hide your food! The Leg of Lamb still needs more than an hour to finish roasting—don't rush!" Zheng Yifan smiled and urged him to hide it away. He also reminded him not to miss this opportunity; he definitely wouldn’t stay in this city for too long.
"Yes, yes, yes!" He nodded repeatedly and hurriedly ran outside with excitement.
"Boom!" The entire botanical garden was in an uproar. What was the Garbage Essence Fruit? It was literally garbage, but now it had value. Everything would be completely different.
Where was the Garbage Essence Fruit? On the streets, in the houses, in the green belts. It was everywhere; just follow the grass and you would find it. It was obvious and easy to spot.
Everyone turned their heads and rushed outside. Some with a bit of brains and capital focused on other Gathering Places. They had a wealth of Essence Fruit resources; for just one percent of the price, they could exchange for Garbage Essence Fruit from them, then return to redeem it for a hundredfold profit.
Don't take too little; no one would bother to exchange for it. In this apocalyptic world, people didn't mind having a little extra food; even a single grain of rice could become a lifesaver.
"Go find Essence Fruit!" The crowd surged with madness as more and more people learned the news.
But inside the botanical garden, the boy was unaware. He was the first to rush in, holding a plastic bag containing a pound of rice that he had prepared for exchanging for Essence Fruit.
He could only ensure that this food wouldn't be snatched away because there were rules within the botanical garden that protected their rights from being infringed upon. Each person was allowed only half a pound of food; the rest were vegetables they secretly grew in the garden—easy-to-cultivate crops that thrived and bore fruit easily.
Among them, Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes were particularly favored varieties. If not for the limited seeds, they would have planted these crops all over the empty spaces.
With a pound of rice, he was confident he could exchange for thousands of Essence Fruits. This amount wasn't too much within the entire botanical garden.
A wave surged forth; those who could obtain food would secure their footing even more firmly in this apocalypse. The boy was merely one of the first to reap profits. Years later, due to this opportunity, he became a wealthy Tycoon.
At that time, he could only look up at Zheng Yifan, who had once shared a meal with him. He watched as Zheng Yifan bravely headed to battle—the final battlefield—carrying the hopes of all humanity.
Zheng Yifan didn’t care how those people obtained their Essence Fruits; anyway, all the Essence Fruits he had just collected had already been exchanged for A-Level Essence. He didn’t need low-grade Essence Liquid taking up space on him. As he lay on the bed looking at the girl who seemed so pitiful, Zheng Yifan contemplated when to give her some Essence Fruit. Now that they were in unfamiliar territory, he didn’t know if there were any dangers nearby.
He was not afraid of ordinary dangers; he only feared whether there would be beasts outside that could invade.
After all, this city was just a temporary stop for him. He might come back, but for now, it was definitely a matter of taking a shot and leaving. Even if he had thoughts of leaving a team behind to help reclaim this place, those were merely thoughts.
He did not want to leave too much influence behind; a Hope Gathering Place would be enough to expand slowly.
Just like now, he only wanted to extract the Essence Fruit from this city and then leave, without any other thoughts.
However, not seeking trouble did not mean trouble would not find him. Food was the most precious resource in the apocalypse, even more valuable than Essence Fruit, at least in this city.
Slowly approaching the entrance were over fifty strong men. They were the real power players of the Telecom Building Gathering Place. Upon hearing that they could exchange Garbage Essence Fruit for food here, they all came to see if they could figure out how to use this Fellow's method of exchanging Garbage Essence Fruit or perhaps get Zheng Yifan's food.
There was also the hidden food warehouse behind him.
“Chirp chirp!” The swallows flew through the air, leaving behind a series of cheerful calls. Below them were the humans they had always protected. In the Post-Apocalypse, travelers and staff from the botanical garden occasionally fed them. Even when the apocalypse first began and beasts had not yet mutated, they had eaten crumbs of bread fed by others. This basic food had helped them survive the initial hardest times and enter the mutation phase.
Now, after completely mutating, the swallows returned to guard those who had once helped them.
However, today it was clear that they encountered evil people. The fifty-odd individuals looked at the botanical garden with fierce expressions; they were all Second-Stage Espers. Among them were a few Third-Stage Espers, who could shake the ground with their presence in this city. Other upper-tier figures from different Gathering Places were unwilling to provoke them.
At the entrance of the botanical garden, they spotted the kind swallow. This swallow was merely at Second Tier, barely reaching Third Stage; it looked quite ordinary. A few Fellows cast disdainful glances at it. Others might not understand its true nature, but those among them who were Third-Stage Espers could see its strength at a glance or at least make a rough estimate.
“Get lost! How dare a beast block our way!” shouted the leader of the crowd loudly.
“Boss, this creature actually wants to protect us! Hahaha! How ridiculous! Do we really need a beast to protect us with our powerful abilities?” The man laughed heartily. His superpower allowed him to know the thoughts of those beasts and deal with them accordingly. Thus, his status in the Telecom Building's Gathering Place was always quite special; he usually assessed whether an area was safe.
"Die! Beast, get out of my sight!" The leader of the Fellow swung his right arm, which transformed into a pure black mass, dark energy swirling into countless shadows that coiled in midair before him.
Zheng Yifan suddenly turned around, staring outside. It was a familiar sensation, reminiscent of his encounter with the Night Demon.
He could never forget the Fellow who had nearly killed him. Yet now, he felt that same presence again, just outside, tormenting an ordinary beast.
The Swallows were inherently gentle creatures. Having never received a substantial supply of Zombie as food, they merely guarded the vicinity of the botanical garden, their strength growing slowly. They remained at the Third Stage and had not evolved.
Zheng Yifan dared to assert that if this Swallows were to hunt extensively, it could at least match a Fourth-Stage Esper in strength.
Now, facing a Third-Stage Esper, he could only manage to hold his ground. Against the exceptionally powerful Third-Stage Esper before him, he found himself nearly unable to defend.
The Fellow's right hand became engulfed in darkness, like a nightmare from hell. The power in his hand seemed to resonate with the shadow of the Swallows, drawing them closer together. When the shadow of the Swallows completely overlapped with his own, something changed.
The once-gentle Swallows transformed, becoming cold and filled with the scent of slaughter. Its previously vibrant feathers began to wither, taking on a desolate appearance.
That was the power of shadows; that was the essence of darkness. Compared to him, Hu Lao San seemed like a mere clown.
It was the purest form of dark power—or perhaps the power of shadows. (To be continued...)
Comment 0 Comment Count