Chapter 318, Cheap Prices
Wu Heng raised his head to take another look at the stall owner behind the counter.
The man was sitting on three red bricks, draped in a tattered black cloak stained with oil, which covered his figure. It was bulging, hinting at something hidden underneath.
Only through the gap in the hood could the muzzle of a gun be seen.
Judging by the length and shape, it appeared to be an 'AWM sniper rifle,' similar to the one Wu Heng owned.
The setup gave off a vibe of an old-time martial arts hero.
After sizing up the man, Wu Heng turned his attention back to the stall.
There were five glass jars on display, and the price of one zombie core per bag of grain seemed quite reasonable.
In fact, it felt somewhat disproportionately cheap.
Something capable of enhancing human physiology and breaking limits was worth just a bag of grain?
"One per bag?" Wu Heng asked.
"No bargaining. If you're short on grain, try other stalls!" the stall owner replied curtly.
His tone was cold and somewhat impatient.
Wu Heng didn't mind the attitude; instead, he felt pleased to confirm the low price.
"I want to inspect them first before deciding whether to buy," Wu Heng said.
The black hood tilted slightly, "Go ahead."
Wu Heng picked up one of the jars and unscrewed the lid, releasing a putrid stench from inside.
[Mutated Zombie Core]
(Description: Energy crystal of a mutated creature, can enhance physical attributes, with a chance of being tainted by toxins.)
An attribute prompt appeared.
It was a first-tier zombie core, with no issues.
Wu Heng continued inspecting the rest, all of which were first-tier cores.
He looked up at the man again.
Had this person found a den of mutated zombies?
Bringing so many at once.
After sealing the jars, Wu Heng asked, "Do you have more?"
The hooded figure quivered slightly, and the man spoke in a puzzled tone, "You plan to buy?"
"Yes, I do."
"I have three more. You can buy them all, but no discount," the man emphasized.
Wu Heng nodded, "I'll take them all. Where are they?"
"Where's the grain?"
"The grain's on the truck. Bring the cores, and I'll take you there for the exchange."
"I hope you're serious about this deal," the man said, packing up his stall and heading out.
They exited the market and arrived where the trucks were parked.
...
Seeing Wu Heng and Qi Hancai return.
Wang Chengang and a few others jumped down from the trucks, "Back so soon?"
"It's fine. Give this brother eight bags of grain," Wu Heng instructed.
Then he turned to glance at the hooded man in the distance, "Rice or flour?"
"Half and half."
"Move four bags of rice and four bags of flour!"
"Got it!" Wang Chengang nodded and directed the others to unload the bags onto the concrete ground nearby.
The cloaked man drove a pickup over and parked a short distance away.
He got out and inspected each bag of grain.
After confirming there were no issues, he opened his backpack and tossed over a plastic bag in addition to the five jars.
Inside were three more first-tier Corpses Cores.
"Eight cores, deal complete."
After speaking, he loaded the bags of grain into his pickup.
Just as he was about to leave.
Wu Heng spoke up again, "We're from the Old Factory Shelter. If you have more cores to sell, you can contact us directly. One core per bag of grain, and if you have more than five, we'll give you an extra five kilograms of soybeans."
The man raised an eyebrow and looked at him from the driver's seat, "I've met the leader of the Old Factory Shelter before, and you're not him."
"We merged, and now I'm in charge. You'll get exactly what I promise," Wu Heng replied confidently.
The man glanced at him and then at the trucks behind, saying, "Alright, I'll remember that. If I find more, I'll reach out to you."
Wu Heng nodded.
The man stepped on the gas and drove off without another word.
It seemed he came to this market solely to sell Corpses Cores.
Qi Hancai, watching the pickup disappear, commented, "Don't they plan to use the cores themselves?"
"Maybe the risks are too high for them."
"Yeah, that could be it," Qi Hancai nodded.
Wu Heng glanced around at the armed guards and said, "Wang Chengang, take someone with you and scout the market for anything we might need. If you find something, trade for it."
"Understood!" Wang Chengang nodded, grabbing another person and heading off with Wu Heng's group back to the market.
Wu Heng took Qi Hancai and the two skeletal attendants to the military exchange area in the center.
Wang Chengang, on the other hand, wandered around the stalls.
The market had various tools and vehicle parts on sale, and there might be something they needed.
It was a good opportunity to trade.
...
Wu Heng reached the military exchange area.
Inside the building, it was more like an office than a showroom.
There were two blue notice boards at the entrance.
They listed the exchange prices for various firearms and ammunition.
[Rifle: 25 kilograms of grain each; Ammo: 20 kilograms for 100 rounds.]
[Heavy Machine Gun: 75 kilograms of grain each; Ammo: 30 kilograms for 50 rounds.]
[Grenades...]
[Rocket Launcher: 90 kilograms of grain, including one rocket.]
[Sniper Rifle...]
[Cannon: 500 kilograms of grain, 23mm shells at 10 kilograms each.]
[Military Radio, Military Headset...]
There were quite a few exchangeable items, but not as many as Wu Heng had imagined.
Planes and tanks weren't on the list.
It seemed that the resources here weren't that abundant.
According to the interrogated corpses, the military had around 300 people.
How did they get so much stuff out here?
Or did they organize people to raid military bases for these supplies?
The latter seemed more likely.
Wu Heng focused on the cannon.
He had encountered cannons before.
Back in the county, they acquired two armored vehicles, one of which had a mounted cannon.
However, both vehicles had been left at the county's bus station for safety.
Wu Heng studied the image of the cannon.
It seemed somewhat different.
The last one they acquired was a single-barreled cannon, but the one in the picture was a double-barreled one.
Unsure if the image was accurate.
He wasn't short on other firearms and ammunition.
But this kind of cannon piqued his interest.
After examining the first notice board, Wu Heng shifted his gaze to the second, which listed the purchasing prices.
[First-Tier Zombie Core: 40 kilograms of grain.]
[Second-Tier Zombie Core: 80 kilograms of grain.]
[Medicines: 1 to 30 kilograms of grain.]
[Gasoline: 10 liters per kilogram.]
[Special Vehicles...]
[Machinery...]
The military's purchasing prices were much lower.
No wonder the man selling his cores earlier set his price at '50 kilograms.'
It was already much higher than the military's offer.
Plus, with these prices.
Common items like gasoline, various tools, and vehicle parts were all in the purchasing range.
But the prices were particularly low.
It felt like as long as you came to trade, you wouldn't starve or be idle.
...
"I feel like we're like tycoons," Qi Hancai approached and whispered.
The prices here were so low.
The Old Factory Shelter was definitely rich in comparison.
The grain in their warehouse could allow them to splurge here.
This solidified Qi Hancai's confidence in her decision to join the 'Old Factory Shelter.'
Ma Zhiyong might have a local commander title, armored vehicles, and various guns, but so what?
Now they had everything they could possibly want.
Saying they could buy out most of this military market wasn't an exaggeration.
Wu Heng felt the same way and whispered, "Keep it low-key. We're on their turf."
"Got it!" Qi Hancai, her face flushed with excitement, managed to contain her joy.
They stood by and watched for a while.
As the queue for exchanges dwindled, Wu Heng stepped forward, "I'd like to trade for firearms and ammunition."
The staff member was a middle-aged woman, "Just tell me what you want to exchange for."
"One cannon and 100 rounds of 23mm shells," Wu Heng said directly.
The woman, who had her head down, snapped it up suddenly.
She glanced at him and then at Qi Hancai beside him, "Did you check the price list?"
"I did, and I'm prepared to make the trade," Wu Heng replied confidently.
He wasn't buying many shells, but there was no choice; the grain he brought was limited.
He initially wanted to trade for more military radios and machine gun bullets, but those would have to wait for another trip.
Seeing that Wu Heng was serious, the woman picked up the radio, saying, "Captain Yang Long, please come to the hall. Someone here wants to buy a cannon."
"Roger that!"
Thud, thud, thud~!
Soon, a group of people in camouflage uniforms descended from upstairs.
The leader appeared to be in his late twenties.
The woman signaled toward Wu Heng with her eyes, and the man quickly approached, extending a hand, "So, you want to buy a cannon?"
"Yes."
"Then let me show you!" he said, leading the way outside.
Meanwhile, the survivors standing in the hall were watching them closely.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"New faces, huh?"
"Yeah, and they're buying a cannon. Must've taken over a granary or something!"
"Unlikely. Last time a shelter tried to take over a granary, I heard the rats were bigger than cats—swarming everywhere. The shelter didn't take it over and lost several truckloads of people."
"That woman looks pretty healthy, not at all malnourished. She's quite plump!"