In the early morning, the entrance to the warehouse was piled high with packed goods, resembling a tour group preparing for a long journey.
Lin Mo was carefully wrapping several backups of experimental data he had compiled from the secret basement, along with a few vaccine samples, in layers of oilcloth. These were his most important bargaining chips for this trip. As he packed, he leaned over to Chen Shouzhou, who was inspecting their gear, and reminded him in a low voice, "The Junk Black market... it's not an ordinary market. It's a wolf's den. Everyone there stares at the meat in other people's hands like a starving wolf. The slightest mistake, and you'll be torn to shreds."
Hearing this, Chen Shouzhou simply patted his bulging backpack, his face wearing its usual relaxed smile. "Relax, Old Lin, I know what I'm doing. I'm just going to sell some alcohol, trade for some parts and food. I'm not robbing a bank. We'll engage in civilized trade, polite business."
In his backpack, besides a few bottles of medical-grade alcohol that his [Resource Appraisal] skill had identified as "highly pure," were several newly made "Sichuan-style Extra Spicy Smoke Bombs." Civilized trade was the plan, but if someone decided to be uncivilized, he didn't mind letting them experience what it meant to "win them over with virtue"—his own unique, less-than-virtuous version of it.
The team assembled. Chen Shouzhou, Su Wan'er, and Lin Mo, along with one dog (Xiao Qi), set off for the black market. Su Wan'er carried the medical kit, Lin Mo was the technical advisor, and Chen Shouzhou was the operation's commander-in-chief, diplomat, and primary combatant. Xiao Hei was left behind to guard the house; it was now the safe house's most loyal head of security.
An hour later, they arrived at the "Junk Black Market."
It was converted from a large, abandoned shopping mall. The entrance was fortified with sandbags and barbed wire. Several burly men in leather armor, with machetes tucked into their belts, stood guard like sentinels, coldly scrutinizing everyone who entered.
The arrival of Chen Shouzhou's group immediately attracted a lot of attention. They were too "clean." Although their clothes were tattered, their demeanor was completely different from the numb, weary scavengers. Su Wan'er, in particular, couldn't hide her delicate features even with dirt on her face.
Su Wan'er felt the ill-intentioned stares and scanned her surroundings warily, subconsciously moving closer to Chen Shouzhou. She noticed more armed men lurking behind the railings on the second and third floors, secretly monitoring everything below.
This place truly was a wolf's den.
Following the signs, they passed through the bustling crowd and arrived at an area dedicated to information trading and brokerage services. A man with a scar on his face and shrewd eyes was sitting behind a broken table, leisurely picking his teeth. He was the information broker from Da Liu's notebook—Old Scar.
Old Scar lifted his eyelids, glanced at them, his gaze lingering on Chen Shouzhou's bulging backpack, before speaking lazily, "New faces. What are you looking to buy, or sell?"
Chen Shouzhou stepped forward and, without wasting words, placed a small bottle of medical alcohol on the table.
Old Scar's eyes instantly lit up. The laziness on his face vanished, replaced by the shrewd smile of a merchant. "Well, well, honored guests! This is good stuff! Tell me, what are you looking for? As long as it's in this black market, there's nothing Old Scar can't find out about."
"We need drought-resistant vegetable seeds and some common medicines, like painkillers," Chen Shouzhou said.
Hearing this, Old Scar immediately rubbed his hands together. "Got it! Of course! I know a woman named Li Sanniang who has a good batch of seeds. But she's got a strange temper, only trades for alcohol or rare medicines. I'll take you to her. After the deal is done, half of this bottle of alcohol is my commission."
"Deal," Chen Shouzhou nodded.
With Old Scar's introduction, they came to a remote corner. A woman who looked like a farmer but had exceptionally sharp eyes, Li Sanniang, sat behind a stall with a few unremarkable cloth sacks in front of her.
Chen Shouzhou placed another 500ml bottle of medical alcohol directly on the stall.
Li Sanniang took the bottle, uncorked it, sniffed it, and then dipped a finger in to taste. Her eyes instantly brightened. She nodded, took out a cloth sack from behind her, and pushed it forward. "One bottle for this. Plus two boxes of painkillers."
Chen Shouzhou opened the sack and saw several packets of vegetable seeds wrapped in oil paper, a generous amount. He nodded in satisfaction and completed the transaction.
Just as he was putting the seeds away and preparing to leave with his group, a burly man, who also had a scar on his left cheek, blocked their path with a few of his underlings.
This man's aura was completely different from Old Scar's, filled with aggression and brutality. He squinted, like a beast sizing up its prey, his eyes sweeping over Chen Shouzhou's bulging backpack.
"Friend, your bag is looking pretty full," he said, his voice raspy and tinged with amusement. "What kind of good stuff you got in there? Take it out and let us have a look."
This man was the second-in-command of the "Viper Gang," Lei Bao. He had been eyeing Chen Shouzhou's group of "new faces" for a while. In this black market, it was a rule that when a fat sheep walked in, you had to fleece it.
Faced with this blatant provocation, Lin Mo's face instantly turned pale, and he nervously gripped the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
But Chen Shouzhou remained calm. A smile even more enthusiastic than Old Scar's spread across his face as he said innocently, "Hey, big brother, a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I'm just a junk scavenger. I just traded for some seeds, planning to go home and grow some vegetables."
As he spoke, he actually took out a corn kernel he had just acquired and presented it as if it were a treasure, enthusiastically promoting it: "Look, big brother, organic vegetables, green and pollution-free. You want to plant some too? In this apocalypse, you need to supplement your vitamins to stay young and beautiful, and live a long life!"
Lei Bao was stunned by this bizarre move, subconsciously taking the seed. His men behind him also exchanged glances, having never seen someone so unconventional. Was this kid truly stupid, or was he just acting insane?
Lei Bao pinched the corn kernel, the amusement in his eyes gradually turning cold and sharp. He didn't press the issue, just sneered and waved his hand, clearing the path.
"Go on."
As if granted amnesty, Chen Shouzhou quickly pulled Su Wan'er and Lin Mo along and hurried away.
Watching them disappear, one of Lei Bao's underlings asked in a low voice, "Bao-ge, are we just letting them go?"
Lei Bao tossed the corn kernel in his hand and sneered. "Let them go? Such interesting prey, how could we let them go so easily? Send two of our smarter guys to follow them. Find out who they are and where they live. We'll make our move once they're out of the black market's territory."
"Yes, sir!"
The journey back was fast, the atmosphere tense.
"I think we're being followed," Lin Mo whispered.
"I know," Chen Shouzhou's expression remained relaxed, but his eyes had grown sharp. "They've been on our tail since we left the main gate. Two little tails, very patient."
As they were crossing an abandoned parking lot, Xiao Qi, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. It let out a low growl, staring at a dilapidated small building about fifty meters ahead.
Chen Shouzhou was instantly on alert. He immediately activated the [Danger Perception] skill the system had awarded him.
In his vision, behind several windows of that building, a few red markers representing "lethal threats" clearly appeared.
An ambush!
"Dammit, they're trying to pincer us!" Chen Shouzhou cursed inwardly.
He made a split-second decision, yanking Su Wan'er and Lin Mo back and ducking behind a row of abandoned cars.
At the same time, he pulled out an enhanced smoke bomb he had prepared earlier—a mix of chili powder, phosphorus powder, and some metal fragments—and tied it to a long stick he had picked up.
He took a deep breath and, with all his might, hurled the stick like a javelin towards the building.
WHOOSH—!
The smoke bomb traced a perfect parabola through the air and flew precisely through a broken window.
BOOM!
With a muffled explosion, thick, acrid smoke billowed out of the windows, mixed with the sound of clattering metal and a few suppressed screams.
The ambushers from the Viper Gang were thrown into disarray, their vision and breathing severely compromised.
"Move out!"
Chen Shouzhou shouted, not wanting to get entangled in a fight. He led his group to quickly change direction, circling around the other side of the parking lot and disappearing into the complex maze of ruined buildings.
In the distance, Lei Bao, who had just arrived, looked at the still-smoking building and then at the direction where Chen Shouzhou's group had calmly retreated. For the first time, a grave expression appeared on his face.
He slowly opened his palm, looked at the corn kernel, and sneered. "Interesting. This kid… he's no ordinary survivor."