Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The child's home was nearby, just a ten-minute walk away. As Zheng Yifan approached, he noticed that there were no adults around, but quite a few children filled the streets, joyfully occupying the entire area and laughing loudly.
Perhaps it had been a long time since they had felt this happy. The Hope Gathering Place was doing well in this regard; no one dared to cause trouble.
"Uncle, do you have any money? There's a grocery store up ahead, and we’re running low on spices at home. I need to buy some!" Just as they were about to reach the child's house, he suddenly spoke to Zheng Yifan with a hint of shyness.
Zheng Yifan was taken aback for a moment before realizing that it wasn't that they didn't have much at home; rather, they rarely used spices. Aside from salt, they probably had none left.
Even though the Hope Gathering Place had plenty of supplies, newcomers wouldn’t receive favorable treatment. They needed to exchange their hard work and effort for what they needed.
Zheng Yifan believed that once this child's parents returned, they would surely gain a lot. Chasing Zombies yielded Zombie Crystal s, which could be exchanged for supplies. Renting firearms and buying ammunition wasn't expensive; as long as they didn't waste bullets, it was like playing a shooting game while following the Zombies.
"Aren't all the adults out? Is there really a grocery store still open?" Zheng Yifan asked in confusion.
"The grocery store up ahead is still open because their child hasn't left yet. We can buy from him. We need quite a few ingredients for boiled fish, but it will take more than two coins to get everything," the child said. Though he was tempted by food, he understood that those two coins required killing several Zombies to obtain enough Zombie Crystal s.
Hunting for Zombie Crystal s had been incredibly difficult in the past. It was only because of this uncle beside him that he could see his harvest; he must be wealthy.
"Just a little over two coins? The uncle has that," Zheng Yifan replied with a smile as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten-coin bill.
This was currency printed within the Hope Gathering Place, currently in circulation as their Currency.
Originally based on gold or silver standards or credit Currency, within the Hope Gathering Place, everything was based on food. Every coin could be directly exchanged for food, so its value fluctuated with food prices.
Of course, these were prices for old grains; newly produced food in the Hope Gathering Place wasn’t priced this way. It would cost at least double.
However, many people in the Gathering Place who earned higher incomes preferred consuming the newly produced food there.
This food was cultivated using Zombie Fluid and could provide the energy needed by the body without making one feel hungry easily. Eating old grains could be uncomfortable; a Superpowered Individual couldn’t feel full without at least two pounds of rice.
Even eating less would require four pounds of rice, so everyone frantically went out hunting to gather supplies.
The grocery store was just a short distance ahead, and Zheng Yifan spotted it from afar. At the entrance stood a girl, on her tiptoes, eagerly gazing into the distance.
“Zhang Qing! Stop looking already. The time for holding the Gathering Place has passed; it’s time for the counterattack now. Do you know what a counterattack means? It means we humans are going to hunt down Zombies. When your dad comes back with the spoils, we can have a feast,” the boy said excitedly.
His excitement was palpable.
Now that the war had shifted to a counteroffensive, it meant their parents had survived. Once the counterattack was over, they could celebrate their victory.
“Zhao Huan, I know my father will definitely return; he’s a Superpowered Individual. But there aren’t many supplies left in the store. If my father comes back late, we’ll run out of stock,” the girl said angrily, glaring at Fellow with a face full of frustration.
“Hey! That won’t do! Do we still have lantern peppers? Hurry and get me half a pound of those, and also some other seasonings for boiled fish. This uncle is treating us tonight; I need to eat well! Unlike you, I don’t have a good father; mine is just a First-Level Esper. As long as he returns safely, that’s good enough for me!” Zhao Huan urged quickly.
The girl shot a glance at Zheng Yifan and then at Zhao Huan. “Are you really trying to mooch off someone again? Does this uncle find it easy to go out and fight? After all that effort, you want to take advantage of his spoils.”
She glared fiercely at Zhao Huan.
After being scolded for a while, Zheng Yifan realized that this Fellow often relied on others for food and drink. Although she usually only managed to scrape by with leftovers, it was enough to fill her stomach.
If even a First-Level Superpowered Individual was in such dire straits, one could only imagine how ordinary people were faring now. Zheng Yifan looked into the distance where ordinary people's homes stood; they all seemed similar at first glance, but upon closer inspection through the windows, one could see that they likely had no furniture at all.
The development of Hope Gathering Place still needed to continue. At the very least, they needed to capture several cities to meet the internal demands of Hope Gathering Place.
Zheng Yifan didn’t have access to large warehouses in the real world where he could buy unlimited supplies; he could only gaze longingly at the city.
“Uncle! Each seasoning is just one dollar seventy cents; I’ll buy them properly without wasting your money,” Zhao Huan said as she collected several packets of seasonings from the grocery store and stepped outside, looking sheepishly at Zheng Yifan.
In her hands was a bag containing the seasonings.
There weren’t many; it was clear that she only needed what was essential.
Zheng Yifan estimated that there should be many chili peppers inside the bag, as it was shaped like them.
It was clear that Fellow really liked spicy food.
Fortunately, most spices were stored in a dried form, so even after two years, they could still be consumed.
If they were fresh ingredients, they would have spoiled long ago.
As for the issue of expiration, who really cared? People in the apocalypse were more resilient than those from before; as long as the food didn't taste bad, it was still edible.
Zheng Yifan pulled out two coins from his pocket and said, "No need for change. Consider the rest my treat for you all to have some candy."
He smiled happily, having not walked with children for a long time. Although beside him was a glutton trying to take advantage of the situation.
"Let's go! Uncle will treat you to something delicious. If the young lady wants to join, come along too. Today, Uncle's buying plenty!" Upon seeing the girl, Zheng Yifan suddenly thought of something and cheerfully invited her.
"Really, Uncle! Can I go too?" The girl showed no shyness at all; she quickly closed the shop door and happily followed in Zheng Yifan's footsteps.
She had been eyeing this for a long time. Zhao Huan had found a big Rich Tycoon to treat them! Currently, there weren't many adults in the Gathering Place, so they mostly ate instant noodles, and most of those were wholesale types without even a seasoning packet. (To be continued...)
Comment 0 Comment Count