Chapter 317, So Cheap?
Due to the pirates.
The formation of the Starflower fleet was also affected.
After such a long time, it finally arrived at the port.
"I'll go with you now."
The man nodded, "Yes, Deputy Steward, I'll wait for you at the door."
Wu Heng put on his coat and said to Andviel, "Veil, if there's nothing at the guild, head home early."
"Got it, Master," Andviel smiled.
Wu Heng stepped out of the guild and saw the Starflower carriage waiting at the entrance.
After getting in, the carriage headed towards the port.
......
The Starflower cargo ship.
It was a large ship, primarily blue and white. In terms of structure and size, it was bigger and more refined than the pirate ships.
The two seemed like products of different eras in terms of style and technology.
With the arrival of the Starflower fleet, the port was busier than usual.
Rows of workers were moving goods, with guards stationed all around.
Led by the man in the formal suit.
Wu Heng entered one of the ship's cargo holds directly.
As soon as he went down, he saw a mature and beautiful figure in a hood, standing surrounded by guards in the cargo hold.
Judging by the figure and the strands of hair peeking out from the hood, it was clearly 'Shanaila' herself.
Hearing footsteps, Shanaila turned and smiled, "Deputy Steward Wu Heng!"
"Madam Shanaila!" Wu Heng nodded in response.
It was like a meeting between business partners who had only seen each other once.
Shanaila nodded and walked further in, saying, "Your cargo has arrived. Over here are the leather armor and weapons, and inside are the grain shipments. The cargo hold has a moisture-resistant formation to ensure the dryness and quality of the grain."
As she explained.
The guards opened two wooden crates.
Inside were single-handed axes and wooden bows.
Wu Heng casually picked one up to inspect, finding the quality quite good.
He put it back and said, "I trust Starflower's reputation. There's no need to inspect further. Just have them transported to the ship at Port 3 of the guild, and I'll arrange for pickup."
"Certainly!" Shanaila smiled and instructed her subordinates.
A large number of workers immediately poured in to begin moving the goods.
At the same time, someone from Starflower came out to calculate the remaining balance.
Wu Heng took out the corresponding amount and completed the transaction.
As the workers moved the goods.
Wu Heng and Shanaila stood silently watching.
"What time did you get up today? You still look half-asleep," Wu Heng asked softly from the side.
Shanaila continued facing forward and replied quietly, "Don't ask. I got dragged here right after waking up, and I haven't even had breakfast yet."
"Ah, youth—able to stay up late every night!"
A small hand reached over and pinched his side lightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
......
After the goods were moved.
Shanaila needed to handle matters with the fleet and left with the Starflower people.
Wu Heng also headed to his own ship.
He opened the portal to the zombie world and transported all the cargo into the newly built warehouse.
The items procured from Starflower were divided into five types.
Wooden bows and single-handed axes, each with 2,000 pieces, leather armor with 50,000 sets, and 5,000 bags of flour and soybeans.
After transporting everything over.
He began directing the skeleton army to equip themselves with armor and pick up weapons.
......
"When did you get so much equipment delivered?"
"Probably last night. They were rushing it, building an extra wall in the warehouse for storage."
"Wow, these skeletons even know how to put on clothes themselves."
"Well, duh! They're probably smarter than you."
"Say, do you think using skeletons as a base to make silicone people could solve the stiffness and weight issues?"
"Uh? Dude, what line of work were you in before?"
In the distance, survivors from the old factory area were watching the skeletons changing equipment, discussing among themselves.
They originally thought skeletons could only perform simple attack motions, but now they saw them dressing themselves, picking up weapons, and moving goods.
They felt there was not much difference between the skeletons and actual people.
At that moment, Qi Hancai emerged from the dormitory, "Stop gawking and get back to work."
Hearing this, everyone dispersed immediately, returning to their posts.
......
Seeing Qi Hancai approaching, Wu Heng asked, "Have you planned the route to the military market?"
"It's been planned!"
Qi Hancai took out a map and showed him the route.
The survivors from the old factory area had traded with the military before.
They definitely had a safe route.
Plus, in the past few days, Wu Heng and the others had scouted the surroundings, making it easy to figure out the route.
Wu Heng glanced at it and said, "Get ready. We'll head to the military market tomorrow."
"How many vehicles do we need?"
After thinking for a moment, Wu Heng replied, "Three trucks. One filled with food, and the other two with skeletons."
After all, it was a public market, so the risk was low.
But they still needed to be cautious along the way.
Bringing some skeletons would be crucial to buy time for the convoy to retreat if necessary.
"Alright, I'll get everything ready."
Qi Hancai went to relay the tasks.
Wu Heng returned to his dormitory and opened the portal to the ship.
......
He walked up to the deck.
Wu Heng looked at his few ships anchored in the port.
Since he was wanted by pirates, there hadn't been an opportunity to set sail, so the ships stayed docked here.
He had initially planned to form a fleet and experience maritime trade, but as 'Shanaila' said, running a business took a lot of effort and clearly didn't suit him.
The second option was to rent out the ships and collect rent, like leasing houses.
That seemed more reliable for now.
Wu Heng stomped twice on the deck, "If only I could convert these into modern battleships or destroyers."
He stayed on the ship for a while.
Then disembarked, called a carriage, and headed to the central district.
......
Returning home.
Shanaila was already in the living room, chatting with the two maids.
The three were trying different hairstyles on the little owl, tying several on its head. Except for the miserable-looking owl, the three were having a great time.
They were all holding the little thing and laughing gleefully.
Seeing Wu Heng walk in, all three spoke in unison, "Welcome back!"
Then they all froze for a moment.
Next, Minnie and Andviel turned to look at 'Shanaila,' whose face turned red as she said, "Deputy Steward, you're back! Were you satisfied with the goods today?"
"Satisfied. With you overseeing it, of course, I'm satisfied." Wu Heng walked in and took a seat.
"That's good." Shanaila continued, "Do you need to order anything else? The fleet can bring it on its next return."
"Not for now. When I need something, I'll come find 'Chairman Shanaila.'"
"Alright!"
Minnie looked at the two of them talking.
Curious, she said, "Master and Sister Shanaila, you both speak so formally. Do you always talk like this?"
"Do we?" Shanaila asked.
"Yes, right, Sister Veil?"
Andviel also nodded.
At this moment, Chef One came up with dinner.
Wu Heng said, "Dinner time! Shanaila, join us for dinner."
The four sat at the dining table and began eating.
Wu Heng and Shanaila stopped calling each other by their titles and used their names instead.
After dinner, they chatted for a while before Shanaila left for her home.
Wu Heng took the two girls upstairs to rest.
......
The next day.
Andviel went to the guild, while Wu Heng headed straight for the zombie world.
Exiting the dormitory.
Qi Hancai approached.
"Everything's ready, we can leave anytime."
Today's mission was to head to the military trading market.
"Then let's go!" Wu Heng boarded a truck.
The convoy started and drove out of the old factory area.
......
Heading to the military market.
They had to take a long, winding route.
Fortunately, the roads were passable. Even in rough patches, they only encountered some bumps and didn't need to stop.
After roughly three hours.
The three military trucks arrived at the perimeter of the military zone.
In the distance, a market enclosed by cement walls could be seen.
Outside the walls, several modified vehicles were parked, most reinforced with iron plates and steel bars, radiating a wasteland style.
Barbed wire was strung atop the walls, and there was a heavy machine gun at the gate tower, along with guards carrying rifles.
It felt somewhat like an old prison.
The three trucks stopped at a distance.
The invisible Xiaoxiao returned from the other side and slipped into Wu Heng's body.
Shared images immediately appeared in his mind.
Behind the cement walls was indeed a market.
Many were selling their goods at stalls—medicines, tools, and even some were offering themselves.
Shouting to find a shelter after having consumed a Tier-1 zombie core.
What interested Wu Heng, however, were the military supplies located at the back of the courtyard.
They were separated from the regular shelter stalls by some distance.
A line of people was waiting there to exchange goods.
"Let's go," Wu Heng said.
"Okay!" Qi Hancai picked up the radio and informed the trailing vehicles before stepping on the gas and driving forward.
As they approached, someone came over to direct them to park.
Wu Heng had the others wait while he, with two skeleton attendants and Qi Hancai, headed towards the market.
......
As they approached the gate.
They were stopped.
"Which shelter are you from? Need to register," the guard said.
Wu Heng replied, "The Old Factory Shelter."
The guard curiously looked them over, paying special attention to the tall and strange-looking Skull-Crusher and Bloodhand, "Did your shelter change leadership?"
"We merged with another one. I came to check things out," Wu Heng said offhandedly.
The guard didn't probe further, just nodded and wrote 'Old Factory, four people' in his notebook before letting them through.
Wu Heng led his group inside.
The moment they entered, the sounds of hawking came from all directions.
Beer, medicine, winter cotton clothes, and quilts—it felt busier than a modern farmer's market.
They walked further in.
The goal was the military weapons; even if they couldn't get planes or tanks, a few rockets could be crucial in emergencies.
Halfway in.
Wu Heng suddenly stopped, lowering his gaze to a stall.
Five glass jars, each containing a blood-stained zombie core.
Five zombie cores?
"Are these for sale too?" Wu Heng asked.
"What, you think I put them here for show?" came the man's voice.
Wu Heng glanced up at him.
"How much?"
"What do you have?"
"Food."
"One 50-kilogram bag of grain per core," the man said sternly.
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow.
That cheap?