Chapter 102

Chapter 102: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 102

It can be said that Zhang Ji opened a new world for Gu Ning. They had never realized before that someone would be willing to exchange Crystal Cores for supplies. However, from Third Brother’s perspective, although they currently have supplies equivalent to a large supermarket, they are still limited. Plus, they go out to hunt zombies every day, so they are not short of Crystal Cores. But for Gu Ning, supplies can be bought with money, while Crystal Cores require risking one’s life to obtain.

Especially the evolved Crystal Cores. They have discovered that consuming evolved Crystal Cores a second time can expand the Special Ability pool within the body to some extent, meaning more Special Abilities can be stored, which is a significant advantage in battles.

The Crystal Core dug out from the brain of a tentacle-mutated zombie was given to Xiang Xu by Gu Ning. Xiang Xu’s Special Ability pool expanded by nearly a quarter, and this additional quarter allowed her to withstand over ten Special Ability attacks for a full minute.

The other six Mutation Crystal Cores were distributed among three mutated Special Abilities and Third Brother Zhong Xu’s method. A few more evolved Crystal Cores were given to the Special Ability users in the team, excluding herself. Finally, three evolved Crystal Cores were kept by Gu Ning as backup.

Their supplementary Crystal Cores have accumulated a considerable number through daily zombie hunts, amounting to almost a hundred.

The next day, a large cardboard sign appeared on the Management Office’s paid bulletin board, taking up most of the space. Written in bold black marker was “Crystal Cores Exchange for Supplies.” Below, in smaller print, it stated that one supplementary Crystal Core could be exchanged for five pounds of supplies, and one evolved Crystal Core for fifty pounds of supplies.

This was a price far above the market rate. Gu Ning not only wanted to obtain Crystal Cores but also hoped to use this opportunity to release a batch of supplies. On one hand, her space ability had already been exposed, and she believed many had their eyes on it. If the Three-Linked Team’s formidable strength couldn’t deter them, it must be due to a severe lack of supplies. Therefore, she decided to offer a very favorable trading method. By releasing a large amount of supplies, she could alleviate their immediate needs, and naturally, they wouldn’t be desperate enough to target her.

Another reason was Gu Ning’s soft heart. She was never a hard-hearted person; her cold-bloodedness was only directed at those who harbored hostility towards her. She watched as the people in the base grew thinner and thinner, and children who should have been lively and carefree were resorting to all sorts of methods for a bite to eat. If this continued, in a few years, the world’s population would dwindle further.

Ordinary people might find it hard to obtain evolved Crystal Cores, but with some luck, they might have one or two supplementary Crystal Cores. Five pounds of supplies, if rationed carefully, could last a person half a month. With this buffer time, they could hunt for more Crystal Cores.

It must be said that since supplies were already scavenged once at the beginning of the apocalypse, and now, over four months into the apocalypse, unless one ventured into zombie-infested areas, supplies in the surrounding remote regions were nearly depleted. In comparison, Crystal Cores were somewhat easier to obtain.

As soon as the sign was posted, it attracted many people who had stored Crystal Cores but lacked supplies.

By the afternoon, they had exchanged supplies for a large canopy at the Management Office. Jia Daozhang, along with several soldiers, carried bags of supplies from the third floor into the canopy. Each soldier was armed, and with Jia Daozhang, a Special Ability user, overseeing the operation, and their base right above, no one would be foolish enough to attempt a robbery.

Two meters outside the canopy, Third Brother erected a one-meter-high Earth Wall, leaving only a one-meter-wide entrance for those needing to trade.

Bags of rice, noodles, vermicelli, various biscuits, and sausages were piled inside the canopy. On the other side were stacks of winter clothes and quilts of various sizes, all bought by Gu Ning from the other world, though they were unaware and assumed she had collected them from the supermarket last time.

Within minutes, a crowd had gathered, standing outside the wall, drooling over the piles of rice and other supplies.

Seeing the crowd grow, Jia Daozhang cleared his throat and began explaining the trading rules. They not only accepted Crystal Cores but also valuable items like gold and diamonds in exchange for supplies. Few had Crystal Cores, but many had held onto gold necklaces, rings, and other valuables. Upon hearing this, they immediately turned back to their tents to find items to sell, not pondering the usefulness of gold in the apocalypse. Jia Daozhang and the others didn’t understand either, but they had to fulfill Gu Ning’s request.

The first customer was a Special Ability team living in the same building.

Both parties were acquainted. They exchanged one evolved Crystal Core for a bag of rice and several supplementary Crystal Cores for winter clothes, quilts, and some bread and biscuits, happily carrying their haul away.

To Jia Daozhang’s surprise, many ordinary people also brought supplementary Crystal Cores. Being kind-hearted, Jia Daozhang wouldn’t give extra to Special Ability users, but for ordinary people, he would secretly add an extra piece of bread.

Many children clung to the wall, staring longingly at the mountain-like piles of supplies. The children were all pale from hunger. Although Jia Daozhang felt uneasy, he knew that once you start, it’s hard to stop, and doing good deeds isn’t easy. Third Brother had once suggested setting up a porridge station specifically for the base’s children and elderly, but Hong Jie firmly vetoed it. Apart from a few enthusiastic soldiers, everyone else opposed the idea. With over a hundred thousand people in the base, including several thousand elderly and children, setting up a porridge station would likely lead to a host of troubles.

Zhang Ji never expected Gu Ning to pull such a move. He also vaguely guessed Gu Ning’s intentions, though he wasn’t sure if it was her idea or her team’s.

After meeting Gu Ning twice since the apocalypse, Zhang Ji keenly sensed that she seemed to be the core figure in the team. Generally, a Space System Special Ability user in a team only serves as a mobile storage, especially since Gu Ning was a girl… Recalling that most of the team members he saw that day were men, Zhang Ji couldn’t help but have other thoughts. Combined with Gu Ning’s statement that she was no longer related to Lu Jiazhi and her changed demeanor, Zhang Ji became increasingly convinced of his idea.

After all, such dynamics were common in the apocalypse.

The key was, could he possibly win Gu Ning over? He had previously been very interested in Gu Ning’s space ability, but given their past relationship, he couldn’t bring himself to kill her and take her belongings. It would be akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. But now, Zhang Ji suddenly realized he might be able to take the goose directly.

However, the specifics of how to do so required careful consideration.

Zhang Ji fell into deep thought…