“You actually harvested so many wild vegetables!”
The staff member at the turnstile gate glanced at Yinxing with a strange look in his eyes. She was really risking her life. Even though these bracken ferns were so tender they could burst with water, the mutated plants in the forest outside were terrifying. To risk her life for a handful of wild vegetables was a true gamble!
Besides, the contamination level was probably off the charts. It really wasn’t worth it.
“These vegetables have to be tested for contamination first, but little girl, don’t hold out too much hope. Very few wild plants out there are edible, and it hasn’t been easy for you…”
Holding the testing device, the staff member babbled a few words of comfort. After all, the little girl had put her life on the line to pick these, and he wanted to prevent her from having a breakdown.
Beep! Contamination Level: 13%
The device in the staff member’s hand emitted a beep to report the value. His words came to a sudden halt, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Contamination level 13!!!
His gaze locked onto the bracken ferns as saliva involuntatily pooled in his mouth, as if he could already taste the crisp, tender texture of fresh ferns.
Yinxing tilted her head in confusion. Why had the staff member suddenly frozen?
Was there something wrong with her vegetables?
“Are these bracken ferns for sale?”
So he wanted to buy her ferns. Yinxing smiled, not expecting business to be so easy. Someone was already looking to buy the moment she stepped inside.
The staff member couldn’t wait any longer. These were vegetables with a contamination level of only 13! Vegetables sold on the market generally had a contamination level around 30, and they were both expensive and terrible-tasting.
He didn’t know what kind of dumb luck this girl had hit to get wild vegetables with a contamination level of only 13, but he absolutely couldn’t let anyone else find out; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to buy a damn thing.
Pulling Yinxing off to the side, he said, “Little girl, your bracken ferns are very fresh, but they only fetch a good price while they’re fresh. I see that things aren’t easy for you, and if you haul them all the way to the market, they’ll be worth even less. How about this: I’ll buy them all from you for 15 credits a jin.”
15 credits!
Yinxing’s eyes lit up. The ferns she snapped were at least three jin, right? Rounding up, wouldn’t that mean fifty credits landing in her account?
Just as she was about to nod in agreement, a sneer suddenly sounded from nearby.
“15 credits? What good stuff is it? Let me have a look too!”
The sudden interruption of a male voice, carrying a bit of casual, rogue slackness, startled them both.
Yinxing tilted her head, observing the young man with a head of yellow hair who had suddenly appeared. He cracked his neck and reached out, directly snatching the basket of bracken ferns held by the staff member.
“Yo, these are really fresh.” When his gaze fell on the contamination level tag, he couldn’t stay calm anymore. “The contamination level is actually only 13!”
Snapping back to reality, his expression turned into a subtle half-smile as he looked at the staff member, who was now sweating nervously.
“Little girl, similar bracken ferns on the market usually have a contamination level around 30, and those sell for 20 credits a jin. Yours only have a contamination level of 13, yet he wants to snap them up for 15 credits. Tell me, how black-hearted can a person be~”
The guilty staff member was thoroughly embarrassed, but he still stubbornly argued, “I was just asking! Buying and selling is voluntary, and I didn’t stop her from bargaining. Where did you spring from? What’s it to you!”
The yellow-haired man wasn’t intimidated in the slightest; instead, his interest was piqued. “Yo, so tough, huh? Come, let me scan your badge number. Why are you running…”
The moment the staff member heard the yellow-haired man say he was going to scan his badge, he sprinted off, truly afraid he might lose his job.
“Bah, coward.”
The yellow-haired man spat disdainfully at the person’s retreating back. Turning to face Yinxing, he did a complete 180, his smile even carrying a hint of flattery.
“Hello, miss. My name is Qian Lai. I run a shop on Red Star Street, dealing in small business. To be honest with you, I want to buy your bracken ferns. I’ll offer 30 credits a jin.”
Wow, this person offered even higher credits!
“Don’t think I’m offering too low either. Once I take them back, they won’t be as fresh, and there aren’t many people who can afford them. I still have to contact customers, so this is the most sincere price I can give. Why don’t you consider it?”
Yinxing nodded heavily. “Alright, alright! My name is Yinxing. I’ll sell these vegetables to you.”
Qian Lai smiled with satisfaction. “Great, straightforward! I love doing business with a straightforward seller like you!”
Pulling out a scale, he weighed them. “2.4 jin. I’ll count it as a full three jin for you. I’ve transferred 90 credits over. Let’s add each other as contacts while we’re at it. If you have good stuff next time, feel free to find me. I guarantee I’ll give you a satisfying price!”
“Alright~”
Looking at the new yellow-haired avatar in her contact list, Yinxing felt indescribably good.
She was truly fortunate, running into another good person~
Ding! 94 account credits have been deducted. Remaining balance: -276 credits. Please keep working hard to clear your debt as soon as possible.
What?
Looking at the negative balance in her account, Yinxing’s mood wasn’t beautiful at all anymore.
Nobody had told her that credits would be automatically deducted! After bustling about for an entire day, she still ended up with nothing.
Even worse than this was that after finishing the last sweet potato, her stomach was still very hungry.
Her gaze shifted to the long, barely standing boundary wall behind her. As the sun set, the lush forest became increasingly dark, like a monster hidden in the shadows ready to devour everything at any moment.
But in Yinxing’s eyes, that was a treasure trove. Her nose almost seemed to catch a whiff of fragrance already.
She saw chestnut trees. Under the roasting of charcoal fire, the chestnuts would open with a pop, revealing the golden, fragrant, and soft chestnuts inside. Just thinking about it made one unable to stop swallowing saliva.
Chestnuts, chestnuts, sweet and fragrant roasted chestnuts—here she comes!
Pulling a barely usable curtain out from the ruins, she climbed up the wall and quietly flipped over to the other side.
At the same time, alarms blared at all exits, and the turnstile gates were automatically locked down. Several modified armored vehicles sped past, with two motorcycles leading the way, all carrying order-transcendent individuals inside.
“Captain, the fugitive’s signal has appeared within Sector 98. They are fleeing toward the residential district!”
The woman sitting in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle wore a red leather jacket. Holding a white cloth, she wiped a cold, glinting Tang straight sword, her mind completely undisturbed by the voice coming from the walkie-talkie.
“Damn it, that scum fled toward the civilian area. We’re going to have heavy casualties this time.”
The crew-cut man driving couldn’t help swearing. The woman didn’t raise her eyes, calmly speaking up, “Bombard from the sky toward the forest.”
“Alright, received!”
The man in a black cloak in the back seat gave a laughing reply. In the next second, he slipped out from the rear window. A pair of black wings suddenly unfolded behind his back, and at extreme speed, he melted into the dark night within an instant.
Looking down from the air, the running silhouette was particularly obvious.
“Haha, found you!”
BOOM—