Chapter 316, Cargo of the Starflower
Made contact with the military?
The location of the military market wasn't hard to find; in fact, it was publicly available to various shelters.
As long as you made contact and inquired, they would provide the exact location.
"Are there any requirements for trading there?"
Zhao Yanqiu said, "There aren't many requirements; the number of people entering the market can't exceed five, and if you want to sell goods, you need to register in advance."
"Just those two?"
"Yes, those were the only two mentioned by them."
For other shelters, these weren't particularly strict requirements.
Just getting there already involved high risks, so if there were more stringent requirements, no one would bother going.
"What's the most popular there?" Wu Heng continued to ask.
"The most popular items are food and medicine, followed by weapons and equipment provided by the military. With winter approaching, cotton clothing and blankets should also sell well," Zhao Yanqiu replied.
The market's rules were similar to those at the auto repair shop.
Except that the roles were reversed.
The auto repair shop provided food, daily supplies, and weapons in exchange for gold and silver from other shelters.
The military provided firearms and ammunition in exchange for food and various supplies.
But the goal of both was the same: exchanging for needed items.
"Are we going to trade with them?" Zhao Yanqiu asked.
"Not in a rush, let's assess the situation first."
Wu Heng definitely planned to visit the military's market, but not right now.
Food had become the most valuable currency in the apocalypse, with all trades based on it.
Wu Heng had ordered 5,000 bags of food from 'Shanaila,' and once they arrived, it would be enough to exchange for the supplies he needed there.
"Okay."
Seeing that she had nothing else to report, Wu Heng said, "Alright, keep monitoring the radio."
Zhao Yanqiu nodded in acknowledgment.
Wu Heng left the room and returned to his top-floor dormitory.
He opened the portal and returned to Gold-Silver Island.
......
Walking downstairs.
Minnie and Andviel were playing with the little owl in the courtyard.
Chef One was starting to prepare dinner.
Wu Heng sat in the living room, contemplating the idea of dealing with the military.
Firearms remained highly effective against zombies, but the noise easily attracted hordes.
With enough manpower and weapons, dealing with zombies wasn't that difficult.
The problem was, the more zombies you fought, the larger the horde would grow, eventually overwhelming you.
Back in the county, the Flame God Shelter also had a decent arsenal of guns, but they rarely used them against zombies unless absolutely necessary.
After all, with only a hundred or so people in a shelter, any outbreak would draw thousands.
Even minor scratches or bites were fatal.
The military was likely aware of this, which is why they sold firearms—partly to exchange for needed goods, and partly to enable more survivors to defend themselves.
"I don't lack food, just depends on whether they have what I want."
Soon, Chef One brought dinner, and Wu Heng called the two girls back in from the courtyard.
The two girls ran in quickly.
They ate together.
After dinner.
They trained in the courtyard until nightfall, then went to the bathhouse to wash and rest.
......
The next morning.
After breakfast, Wu Heng went straight to the zombie world.
Coming out of the dormitory, the survivors downstairs were already busy with their work.
Standing at the entrance of the dormitory, he waited for a moment until Qi Hancai approached quickly, saying, "We made over 70 spears yesterday, plus there's a pile of scavenged kitchen knives and hammers over there."
The city was densely populated.
After clearing several old residential areas nearby, the number of skeletons had exceeded 20,000, nearing 30,000.
The number of troops was rapidly increasing, but the weapon supply couldn't keep up.
Apart from the scavenging team, the survivors' main task was now making weapons.
If they couldn't kill zombies, at least they could speed up weapon production!
"Let's go over," Wu Heng said.
Qi Hancai nodded and led him to the side.
In an open area, there was a pile of kitchen knives, hammers, axes, and other makeshift weapons.
It seemed that anything that could be used as a weapon had been brought over.
Wu Heng looked at the 'Big-Head Skeleton' behind him, "Bring the unarmed skeleton soldiers over to pick up weapons."
Whoosh~!
Amid the sound of bone joints creaking.
A large group of skeletons formed a line and moved forward from one side.
They bent down to pick up the weapons from the ground and then walked back into the formation in an orderly fashion.
It was as if they had been trained, moving with impressive precision.
Once all the weapons were distributed.
Wu Heng continued, "Bring the convoy over. We're heading out to clear zombies."
"Alright!" Qi Hancai nodded and spoke into the radio, "Bring the convoy around."
After the convoy arrived.
One of the drivers got out and handed the keys to Qi Hancai. Wu Heng, along with a few skeletons, boarded the bus.
The convoy started moving, guarded by skeletons, leaving the gates of the old factory area.
......
On the bus.
Qi Hancai held the steering wheel, occasionally glancing at the passenger seat.
After thinking for a while, she found a topic to ask, "My lord, which type of zombie core did you use to awaken your ability?"
Qi Hancai was also an ability user.
Although wall-climbing and leg strength enhancement weren't particularly effective in killing zombies.
At the auto repair shop, she was the strongest person next to Wu Heng.
Zombie cores contained the virus, but in some ways, they also broke human physical limitations.
Wu Heng knew what she was asking about.
Summoning skeletons was a skill tied to his profession, but to Qi Hancai and the others, it appeared as if he had awakened a special ability.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "I've taken a few types, but I awakened an ability from the core of a Big-Head Zombie."
He gave a vague response.
The ability he actually awakened from the core was [Enhanced Willpower], which allowed him to guard his consciousness and resist negative states that affected his will.
It wasn't a lie.
Hearing that Wu Heng had taken several types of cores, Qi Hancai's expression became quite animated.
Shock, hesitation, and a hint of disbelief—she held back for a while before finally saying, "You have an amazing constitution."
She almost blurted out, 'You're really lucky to be alive.'
"There are some techniques involved. I'll tell you when I have the chance. Take more potions to help improve your constitution too," Wu Heng said casually.
Hearing this, Qi Hancai's arm trembled slightly.
Techniques?
He really had figured out a method to take the cores safely.
Wu Heng had not only summoned skeletons but also cast fireballs and easily taken items out of nowhere. Clearly, his abilities weren't limited to one.
He must have found a way to reduce the toxicity.
A method that even the central station didn't know!
"Alright, I'll do my best," Qi Hancai promised.
She was secretly pleased with her decision to join the auto repair shop.
She didn't have to worry about food and drink anymore, and now she had learned such valuable information.
"Don't spread it around, it could cause problems."
"I won't say a word to anyone," Qi Hancai vowed seriously.
"Good." Wu Heng continued, "How have you arranged the workshops at the old factory?"
"Two of them are set up as production workshops. Some equipment and tools are over there, making weapons for the skeletons. The rest aren't assigned yet, they're still empty."
The old factory area was massive, with old signs in the warehouse marked "Factory 16 of Machinery."
But the factory had long been abandoned, and there was no equipment left inside.
There were several workshops, but with the number of survivors, producing iron spears and arrows didn't require all of them.
"Designate one workshop as a warehouse. Build an internal wall and an iron door inside; I'll need it later," Wu Heng said directly.
"Okay, I'll arrange it when we get back."
The bus continued forward.
As they left the safe zone, the sounds of zombie roars began to emerge around them.
As the numbers increased.
Wu Heng began issuing orders to the skeleton army.
The skeleton dragons dropped solid iron bombs.
Then came the rain of arrows.
After those two attacks, there weren't many zombies left able to get close.
They were knocked to the ground by the skeleton army, their spears and kitchen knives relentlessly striking down.
"Advance!" Wu Heng ordered.
The skeletons began marching forward, and Wu Heng followed behind, holding his 'Spinal Staff' and casting [Battlefield of the Dead].
Skeletons stood up from the ground and joined the ranks, advancing with them.
This area was cleared.
Wu Heng ordered the skeletons to continue forward, clearing out other zones.
......
As dusk approached.
The skeleton army returned, with its numbers increased once more.
Wu Heng checked his experience bar.
It was already at a quarter; just a few more rounds and he would reach level 14.
A step closer to 'Shanaila.'
The army returned to the courtyard and went into standby mode.
Wu Heng spoke with Qi Hancai briefly, then returned to Gold-Silver Island.
......
The next day, at the guild.
He hadn't been here for a few days.
Wu Heng came to sit for a while.
Nearby, Andviel was tying a tuft of hair on the little owl's head into a small upright tuft.
Then she pulled out a silver mirror to show the owl.
The little owl, annoyed, stood on the table and shook its head furiously, trying to get rid of it.
This made 'Andviel' laugh non-stop.
"Veil!" Wu Heng called out.
Andviel walked over, with the angry owl flying behind her, its eyes glaring at him.
Wu Heng petted the owl's feathers, then asked, "Do your rangers gain skills through training after switching professions?"
"It requires long-term training. We grew up in the jungle and received training from our clan," Andviel explained.
"For children from commoner families, which professions are easier to switch to?"
"Usually warrior or ranger, professions that rely on training to quickly become professionals without needing inheritance or extensive time studying books. Most common families spend a lot of time maintaining their livelihood," Andviel elaborated.
To her, her master seemed like a noble, and a very wealthy one at that.
So she explained everything in detail.
Wu Heng nodded, finding her words quite reasonable.
It was similar to how, in modern society, those with good family backgrounds had the resources to continue their education and broaden their horizons.
While others had to spend more time sustaining their livelihood.
Simple professions allowed these people to become professionals more quickly.
"Makes sense."
"Do you have someone in mind to switch professions, Master? You can choose based on their strengths."
"Just asking."
While they were chatting.
There was a soft knock on the door.
Andviel opened the door.
A man in a neat suit, with the 'Starflower' emblem on his chest, stood at the door.
Without entering, he glanced around the room and spoke softly, "Excuse me, is Deputy Steward Wu Heng here?"
"I'm here. What's the matter?"
"Deputy Steward! Chairman Shanaila asked me to inform you that the cargo you ordered from Starflower has arrived at the port, and you can inspect and receive it at any time."
Upon hearing this, Wu Heng's heart stirred.
The cargo had finally arrived!
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