The sky gradually brightened. Clara glanced at the time on her wristband. It was already after 5. Bored, she opened the Chat Channel to see what everyone was up to. By then, the channel was blowing up.
Region ScanPopulation in Region¦ 8385
“That many died overnight?”
Clara frowned. She scrolled up and read through the messages, and only then understood what had happened. They weren’t the only ones attacked by creatures that night; many survivors had been attacked too. And the creatures weren’t just mutant wolves. There were lions, tigers, bears, zombies, and worse.
Many people had died. A lot were injured and asking to buy medicine in the regional channel. Some were also looking for Big Red, asking her to sell some High-Energy Milk.
Chat Channel💬Anonymous Player-Hahaha! Last night our squad held the gas station and took out a dozen mutant dogs. Dropped a bunch of meat and materials. Guys, tonight we’re having dog meat hot pot.-💬Anonymous Player-The guy above is full of shit. Tonight we’re having chicken and mushroom stew.-💬Anonymous Player-Water... anyone got water? My lips are already cracked. If I don’t get water soon, I’m going to die. I’ll trade you my girlfriend. She’s soaking wet.-💬Anonymous Player-Screw off! At a time like this, you’re still treating women like cargo? I’ll give 10 Steel Ingot for a bottle of water, just to stay alive.-💬Anonymous Player-Big Red, please, save me! Sell some more water and milk. I can’t hold on much longer.-💬Anonymous Player-It’s only the second night and it’s already this terrifying. The zombie tide in seven days... I can’t even imagine it...-
Reading the messages, Clara didn’t put up the High-Energy Milk. She needed to lay low for a while. She could sell Healing Salve instead. It carried her mark too, but it was better than letting people work out her ability. And right now they would definitely hand over raw materials for a chance to survive.
She posted on the trading interface.
MerchantItemTradeStock💧 Purified Water 3.4 ozClotting Herb x2 (or) Regenerating Rubber Vine x250Note ¦ anti-inflammatory medicine on request — needs Clotting Herb x2 and Regenerating Rubber Vine x1.
The moment it went up, the regional channel blew up.
Chat Channel💬Anonymous Player-The seller is at it again. They actually have medicine.-💬Anonymous Player-Crafting for you? What kind of genius move is that? So if you have raw materials, you can trade them for finished medicine?-💬Anonymous Player-Please, sell me a Healing Salve. I’ll trade you D-rank snake meat.-💬Anonymous Player-Damn, I only have 2 Clotting Herbs. Who has Regenerating Rubber Vine? We can go trade together.-💬Anonymous Player-Haha, I have all of them, and I can still drink water. Awesome.-💬Anonymous Player-Anyone not injured, step aside. Give the chance to the injured. I already bought it. Hurry up and craft it and put it up for sale.-
Meanwhile, on a stretch of highway, a young man in plain clothes sat in his car. He was Arms Dealer K. His real name was Todd Whitaker. Right now, he was full of regret. He was the one who had sold this blueprint to Clara.
“Take that, you glutton... Take that, you glutton...”
If I’d just held out one more night, I’d be the one getting rich now. Then I could have all the meat I wanted. Would it kill you not to eat meat?
Todd beat his chest and stomped his feet. The more he thought, the angrier he got.
No. If I can’t have it, no one else should.
Then he posted in the regional channel.
Chat Channel💬Anonymous Player-Don’t buy from her, everyone. You’re just handing her money.-💬Anonymous Player-That Healing Salve only needs one Clotting Herb and one Regenerating Rubber Vine. But this bastard is charging us double. Isn’t that treating us like idiots?!-
As soon as the messages went up, people chimed in.
Chat Channel💬Anonymous Player-Holy crap, is that true? That’s so shady.-💬Anonymous Player-Damn, what a crook! We’re fighting for our lives out here, and she’s making a fortune behind our backs.-
Seeing that he had turned the crowd, Todd pressed the advantage.
Chat Channel💬Anonymous Player-You have life-saving medicine, and you don’t even think about helping your fellow survivors. Instead you’re thinking about making money? Did a dog eat your conscience?-💬Anonymous Player-Still holding onto life-saving meds and monopolizing them, playing supply and demand games. What’s the difference between you and those vultures profiting off people’s suffering?!-💬Anonymous Player-I say we all boycott her. Nobody trades with her. Let’s see if she lowers her price. When it drops to one material per dose, we buy. If she had any conscience, she’d give it to us for free.-💬Anonymous Player-If it were me, I’d make medicine for everyone for free and help everyone get through this crisis.-
Clara read his words and almost laughed out loud.
I’ve seen shameless, but never this shameless.
Then someone with the ID Luna sent her a message.
Private Chat💬Luna-My name is Luna Bennett. My sister is Cute Bunny. She traded with you using blueprints before.-💬Luna-I can see that guy is messing with you. I can help you tell him off. What do you say, need a hand?-
Not long ago, Luna had bought Healing Salve and noticed the red heart pattern on it. She knew it was Big Red, the woman who had been trading with her sister. When she saw someone causing trouble, she got upset. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Clara looked at the message, a little confused.
Who is this? Do we even know each other?
She wasn’t going to answer this weird act of friendliness. Better to avoid trouble. Just as she moved to close the chat window, her finger paused on the close button.
Luna Bennett? Cute Bunny?
She remembered this ID. It was a pretty good blueprint supplier. But the name Luna stirred some dusty memories deep in her mind. She typed a reply before she knew what she was doing.
Private Chat💬Anonymous PlayerClara Bennett-Is your sister named Mia Bennett?-
The moment she sent it, Clara froze.
Something’s wrong. Speaking without thinking... like there’s another person in this body, a “she” waking up. Two souls? Or is the original owner’s lingering consciousness influencing me?
Her brows knitted tightly. For the first time, she felt an unfamiliar fear toward this body of hers. It wasn’t her own intention. It was the instinct of this body that drove her to ask.
Luna answered in seconds.
Private Chat💬Luna-Yeah, how did you know?-
Seeing the confirmation, Clara’s head buzzed. Countless memory fragments flooded in. Unlike before, this time it was all of them. A little girl with pigtails, laughing and playing on a college campus, and three sisters lying on the lawn before graduation, imagining the future.
Clara, teacher. Mia, taekwondo coach. Luna, dance student. The three were sisters who had grown up together.
She sat frozen in the driver’s seat and murmured.
“This is too much of a coincidence.”
She drew a deep breath, settled her complicated feelings, then sent a friend request.