Wu Xiaolan arrived at an open-air second-hand car trading market.
The biggest advantage of this place was its low prices; she might be able to unearth some good items on the cheap.
At this moment, the small market was filled with the scents of engine oil, dust, and the noisy hubbub of bargaining.
All kinds of accident-damaged and flood-damaged cars were brazenly displayed, and sellers’ shouts rose and fell in succession.
Wu Xiaolan wove through them, searching for a suitable small cargo truck.
Though she currently had 50 million in her card, a cargo truck wasn’t strictly necessary—she had a spatial dimension to store goods, and the small truck was merely for public cover.
A dozen minutes later, she stood before a rusted small cargo truck, sinking into contemplation.
A sign written in chalk on top caught her attention:
“The engine still turns, pay money and drive away.”
A chubby boss strolled over, still holding half a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe): “Miss, looking at cars?”
“Yeah.”
Wu Xiaolan walked around the small cargo truck once; aside from its unappealing exterior, it didn’t have any major flaws.
“How much?”
The boss casually patted the car door: “Thirty thousand minimum.”
“Thirty thousand?” Wu Xiaolan raised an eyebrow. “This car’s age is older than I am, right? Are you sure you want 30,000?”
“Hey, you can’t put it that way.” The boss took a bite of his crepe. “This car has a soul! Look at this rust—that’s all the precipitation of time!”
Wasn’t this blatantly trying to scam someone?
Wu Xiaolan gave an awkward smile: “Let me look around some more.”
Just as she was about to turn away, she suddenly heard a commotion coming from deep within the market.
“Fellow villagers and folks! Step right up, don’t miss out! Apocalypse RV massive blowout sale! Original price 10 million, now 1 million! Buy and you profit, miss it and regret it for a lifetime!”
Hearing the sound, Wu Xiaolan walked toward the crowded area.
Squeezing through, she found herself facing quite an extraordinary behemoth.
A modified RV resembling a steel fortress appeared before her eyes.
The body was grayish-green, with rugged lines like an armored vehicle. Thickened, reinforced protective bars wrapped around all sides, and wide, deep off-road tires looked capable of crushing any obstacle.
The most incredible part was the windows, which actually emitted a special eerie glow—clearly a combination of high-strength bulletproof material and special energy.
In Wu Xiaolan’s eyes, this vehicle was practically tailor-made for the apocalypse.
At that moment, a tall young man wearing dark-gray wear-resistant denim work clothes and heavy work boots was energetically explaining the RV while speaking with a heavy Sichuan-Chongqing accent, enthusiastically inviting onlookers to step inside and experience it.
He looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his short hair slightly messy, with dark stubble on his chin, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright and spirited, his every move exuding an unrestrained, rugged vibe.
“Bosses, my vehicle is made with solid materials and is absolute value for money.”
He slapped the heavy body, producing a loud thud-thud sound. “See this RV glass of mine? Special material you simply can’t buy on the market. Forget ordinary impacts—even bullets can’t pierce it.”
“Especially the communication equipment on my car—that’s quantum encrypted communication technology with nano-antennas, do you understand? Even if there’s no signal, you can still contact whoever you want.”
“And this monitoring system!”
He pointed to the hidden cameras on the roof and around the vehicle: “High-resolution imaging, infrared night vision, and biometric recognition all in one! Paired with the vehicle’s AI, any slight movement within a hundred meters—living or dead—triggers an alarm immediately. You won’t even need to worry about encountering zombies in the apocalypse.”
He talked up an ordinary RV until it sounded like a marvel of the universe.
Most of the onlookers held a novelty-seeking mindset, discussing in low voices.
“If it’s really that awesome, shouldn’t it cost tens of millions? Selling for 1 million? Who are you kidding!”
“And apocalypse zombies… Has this young fellow watched too many movies? Is something wrong with his brain?”
“And his advertising pitch—why don’t I understand a word? Was it AI-generated?”
“Exactly, I want to buy an RV to go play in Tibet, this thing looks bulky and impractical.”
Seeing no one buying, the car-selling boss grew somewhat anxious: “I’m telling the truth! The apocalypse is really coming! Hoarding some supplies won’t leave you at a loss!”
An older, middle-aged woman rolled her eyes: “I’ve hoarded—hoarded a refrigerator full of dumplings, enough to eat until the New Year.”
Wu Xiaolan couldn’t help it and let out a soft snort of laughter.
“Sigh! You guys really…”
Seeing this, the young man stepped down from the vehicle alone, looking exhausted, and picked up a bottle of mineral water to chug heavily.
After talking for most of the day without selling a thing, his throat was parched.
Wu Xiaolan and a few scattered onlookers toured the inside of the vehicle.
She found that the interior design was still very impressive, with a very rational layout and complete living facilities.
Not only were there a simple kitchen, bathroom, and folding beds, but the storage space was also extremely massive, and the control system was integrated into a touch screen panel, overflowing with a high-tech feel.
This vehicle almost perfectly matched her fantasy of a “mobile safe house”!
In case her safe house encountered an accident in the future or required relocation, this would be a second life!
She could consider buying it.
After getting off, Wu Xiaolan walked up beside the young man and asked casually, “Boss, can this car of yours really defend against zombies?”
The young man had been treated as a liar all morning; he didn’t expect anyone to actually chat with him proactively about this car and zombies, let alone a young girl who looked like she knew nothing about cars.
So he put away the cigarettes and lighter he was about to pull from his pocket and handed Wu Xiaolan a business card instead.
“My name is Shu Daoshan, what should I call you, little sister?”
“Just call me Wu Xiaolan.”
Holding the business card Shu Daoshan handed over, Wu Xiaolan finally confirmed the three characters of the boss’s name.
Note: Shu Daoshan sounds identical to “Shu Dao Nan” (The Road to Shu is Difficult, a famous classical poem), but also sounds like “Count to Three” (Shu Dao San).
“Boss, your surname is quite unique.”
Shu Daoshan spoke very straightforwardly: “Everyone always says my name is so unique, sounds just like a pay-fear-husband (pà’ěrdōu—a henpecked husband in Sichuan dialect). Today’s actually the first time anyone noticed my surname, oh.”
“What can you do, names are given by parents, they just wanted me to dare try anything, not to fear setbacks, but also to know when to quit while ahead, so they named me Shu Dao San (Count to Three).”
“As a result, when registering my household residence, the staff typed the wrong character, which is why I’m called Shu Daoshan (Road to Shu Mountain) now, though I think it doesn’t sound too much better than the previous name.”
Wu Xiaolan smiled: “I think it sounds pretty good, there probably won’t be duplicate names.”
Shu Daoshan grew more excited the more he spoke: “Not gonna lie to you, in our place there are often young girls shouting out for their husbands and kids: ‘I’m counting to three!’ Every time I hear a girl shout that, I feel like they’re calling me, oh, that gets me so excited!”
“Haha, big brother, you’re quite humorous.” Wu Xiaolan was amused into giggling.
“Eh, just average humorous.”
Shu Daoshan stood up and casually patted the RV behind him: “Little sister, are you interested in this RV of mine?”
“Yeah, I’m quite interested.”
Wu Xiaolan carefully sized up the RV: “It’s just that I’m curious if all those configurations and functions you mentioned can operate normally? They sound so high-end.”
“Of course!” Shu Daoshan patted his chest. “Produced by Shu Daoshan, must be a fine product! How about this, since you’re sincerely wanting it, I’ll give you a discount!”
A few second-hand car dealership bosses nearby simply couldn’t watch anymore.
It was true their usual car sales had a bit of markup—everyone trying to make money did that—but this shameless fellow had bragged all the way past the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.
They pulled Wu Xiaolan aside to advise her: “Little girl, you better hurry up and leave, don’t get scammed by him. This guy just came to our market today, talking complete nonsense. Selling a car with either zombies or the apocalypse—sounds creepy as hell, I suspect something’s wrong with his head.”
“Yeah, a 1 million customized RV, how could it possibly have so many functions? Satellite communications, nano-antennas, bioenergy—why doesn’t he claim he can directly contact aliens?”
“Don’t speak so harshly!” Shu Daoshan stepped forward to argue: “You sell your scrap metal, we don’t interfere with each other. What I have here is high tech! What do you guys know?”
Seeing the two sides on the verge of shouting at each other, Wu Xiaolan hurriedly separated them from the middle.
“Hey, harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth, stop arguing.”
Wu Xiaolan first smiled gratefully at the car dealership bosses: “Don’t worry, bosses, I won’t be scammed…”
Then she turned back to continue asking Shu Daoshan: “Big brother, how much more can you discount this car?”
The few people who had been earnestly trying to persuade her watched as Wu Xiaolan remained stubborn, insisting on rushing forward to get scammed; they could only respect other people’s property and drop their desire to help.
Besides, the waters in the second-hand car market ran deep; every day there were bound to be a few unfortunate souls.
“If you’re sincere about wanting it, 950,000?” Shu Daoshan’s tone was tentative; he wasn’t entirely sure what the girl before him was thinking.
The big brothers selling cars nearby were grinding their teeth until they squeaked.
In broad daylight under the clear sky, how could a scammer openly swindle an innocent and ignorant young flower of a girl?
They desperately wanted to call the police.
Wu Xiaolan remained silent, feigning calmness as she stroked the car body, while actually communicating constantly with the system in her mind.
“Little Ding, I’m very satisfied with this RV’s exterior, especially the glass. It looks really special, seeming a bit like the energy feel on my space boundary wall. Can you help me check if the rest is reliable?”
[“Host, Little Ding is not a professional analysis system, but according to my spatial detection function, this RV’s spatial defense value can reach around Level 7, with Level 10 being max.”]
Wu Xiaolan was somewhat surprised. Last night, Little Ding had said the defense capability of the nuclear facility protection doors in their world was only Level 8.
Furthermore, the thickness of a nuclear facility protection door was at least 30 to 50 centimeters, whereas this RV’s defense power was only one level lower, yet its frame thickness was only about 10 centimeters—which could be described as both lightweight and sturdy.
Thinking of this, Wu Xiaolan looked closely at Shu Daoshan again.
She saw Shu Daoshan standing there with a slacking posture; he was tall, but his whole person looked loose and sloppy, not looking like anyone formidable.
He managed to get his hands on materials like this—Wu Xiaolan couldn’t help marveling inwardly: truly, dragons and phoenixes hide in the markets, sages lurk in humble alleys, and奇人 (extraordinary people) exist in the car market!
Wu Xiaolan hadn’t been interested in that satellite communication function anyway; to her, as long as travel was convenient, sturdy, and durable, that was what mattered.
During the apocalypse, she had zero people she needed to contact; holing up inside the RV with food and drink to survive was her ultimate goal.
Analyzing further, Wu Xiaolan figured even an ordinary RV would cost 300,000 to 400,000. If it were modified to be as sturdy and reliable as this one with complete interior facilities, it would cost at least 700,000 to 800,000 minimum—not to mention this vehicle used very special materials.
Having figured it out, Wu Xiaolan said to Shu Daoshan: “Big brother, make it cheaper, how about 700,000?”
Seeing Wu Xiaolan silent for so long, Shu Daoshan had thought she didn’t want to buy it anymore, never expecting her to counter with a final offer.
As long as price negotiation happened, there was hope.
Shu Daoshan was currently in dire need of money, but 70 million—wait, 700,000—he still felt it was a bit low.
This RV had cost him quite a lot of materials.
“Little sister, an ordinary RV still costs 300,000 to 400,000 to buy. With my modifications, 700,000 doesn’t even cover my costs.”
Seeing that bargaining was possible, Wu Xiaolan hurriedly said: “But my financial resources are limited, and besides, I’m probably the only one willing to believe your talk about the end of the world. If I don’t buy it today, this car of yours…”
The implication was clear: if she didn’t buy it, Shu Daoshan couldn’t sell this car.
The car-selling bosses nearby were planning to call the police to arrest the scammer, but hearing Wu Xiaolan say this, they directly gave up.
This mental patient meeting a mental patient—the two of them seemed to be reading from the exact same script. Were their brainwaves connected, or had the bioenergy on the car taken effect?
Why was their condition a match?
In short, one was willing to hit and the other was willing to endure; they couldn’t be bothered with this idle business.
Shu Daoshan had already decided to sell the car to Wu Xiaolan, but still feigned a heart-wrenching expression, clutching his chest in pain as if he were taking a massive loss: “Fine… alright! Consider it making a friend!”
“Then… deal!” Wu Xiaolan also put on an expression of suffering a heavy financial bleeding.
Both of them had master-level acting skills possessed, but they quickly signed the contract and completed the transfer.
Wu Xiaolan added Shu Daoshan’s contact info just in case she needed to consult him later on how to use certain functions.
Shu Daoshan readily agreed, not forgetting to ask Wu Xiaolan to introduce him to clients.
“Little sister, I professionally sell modified doomsday RVs. If any friends around you need one, contact me—guaranteed high quality and low price.”
“Okay.” After acknowledging, Wu Xiaolan decided to stroll over to other stalls. Buying an RV hadn’t been in her original plan; she still hadn’t bought the small cargo truck for hoarding supplies.
Leaving that stall, Wu Xiaolan quickly took a fancy to a small cargo truck at the neighboring boss’s stall.
Ordinary, sturdy, with a spacious truck bed, and most importantly—unconspicuous.
Seeing Wu Xiaolan hadn’t left yet, the boss asked, “Little girl, didn’t you just buy a big bread-van? Why are you interested in a small one too?”
In his eyes, the doomsday RV Wu Xiaolan bought was just a flashy, useless tin shell.
This matched his stereotype that some girls didn’t consider performance when buying cars, only whether the exterior looked good enough.
Wu Xiaolan didn’t mind his words; although an RV could also haul cargo, driving an RV everywhere at this time was simply too ostentatious.
Moreover, she knew this boss meant well, just ignorant of the impending apocalypse.
Wu Xiaolan continued asking for the price: “Boss, how much for this small cargo truck?”
Hearing that Wu Xiaolan was probably genuinely interested, the boss put down his work, stood up, patted the car body, and replied: “I sell cars honestly, unlike some people.”
Saying this, he even glared sideways at Shu Daoshan next door who was preparing to pack up his stall.
“Little girl, don’t look at this as a second-hand car; its performance is very good, and its condition is great. Hauling cargo or modifying it is a breeze. If you’re sincere about buying, 8,000, non-negotiable.”
Wu Xiaolan felt this price was very reasonable and was about to agree when Shu Daoshan’s lazy voice sounded from behind.
“Little sister, I have this kind of car too. How about 5,000?”
Before Wu Xiaolan could refuse, the boss instantly snatched up a broom from nearby and swatted it right at Shu Daoshan’s backside.
“Brat, you dare steal my business, tired of living are you? Believe it or not, I’ll chase you out of the market and make sure you can never step foot inside again?”
A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake.
Shu Daoshan had deliberately intended to piss off that boss anyway—who told him to undermine his pitch earlier while he was selling the RV?
Right now, holding his head, he ran quite far away, grinning and standing in the distance with a slacking smile.
“Just joking, what are you getting so mad for? You sell, you sell, I’m not in a hurry.”
Cursing, the boss put away the broom and ignored him, continuing to introduce the vehicle to Wu Xiaolan.
Quite satisfied with this small cargo truck, Wu Xiaolan paid the money readily.
After completing the paperwork, Wu Xiaolan discovered that Shu Daoshan hadn’t left yet, smoking a cigarette as if waiting for her at the market entrance.
Sure enough, the moment Wu Xiaolan drew near, Shu Daoshan walked right toward her.
Enthusiastic to the point of looking somewhat suspicious.
“Little sister, are there any other cars you want to buy? Big brother has all kinds of vehicles here, modified ones, super comfy, absolutely reliable.”
Wu Xiaolan thought about it seriously. According to the system’s hints, the apocalyptic environment would be complex and volatile with the possibility of extreme weather, so she indeed needed to buy some other means of transportation as spares.
First was a snowmobile, allowing her to travel smoothly through snow during extreme cold weather.
Then a kayak, to escape and survive in case of a flooding disaster.
Of course, bicycles that didn’t rely on any energy sources in the apocalypse had to be bought too, and highly maneuverable motorcycles were also indispensable.
Hearing the items Wu Xiaolan wanted to buy, Shu Daoshan’s eyes lit up instantly.
“That… leave it to me, I’ll make you an in-game duplicate Bobo car. You can pick any color you want, only charge you 300,000, how about that?”
Wu Xiaolan didn’t play games, didn’t know what a Bobo car was, and on top of that, Shu Daoshan spoke in the Sichuan-Chongqing dialect, which she didn’t quite understand; she only caught the number “300,000.”
“So expensive?” Wu Xiaolan couldn’t believe it. Her budget for buying second-hand vehicles of those types was 150,000 max. 300,000—was Shu Daoshan trying to slaughter a familiar?
Seeing Wu Xiaolan’s expression, Shu Daoshan knew she had misunderstood, and hurriedly waved his hands to explain: “Aiyaya, little sister, don’t panic. This Bobo car is no ordinary thing: land, water, and air three-in-one, can switch to full silent mode, doesn’t consume too much energy, guaranteed to satisfy you.”
As he spoke, he casually pulled up an AI-generated concept image from the internet and showed it to Wu Xiaolan.
Wu Xiaolan didn’t need to go to work today; she wore a casual pink tulle dress, with a bun tied on her head adorned with a pretty bow.
Guessing that Wu Xiaolan liked pink, Shu Daoshan had specially asked AI to make a matching version.
A pink, translucent, egg-shaped Bobo car appeared before Wu Xiaolan’s eyes, decorated with a pretty bow on top. The exterior was half high-tech, half gorgeous aesthetics—there was no girl who wouldn’t be tempted.
Especially not a financially capable girl with financial freedom like Wu Xiaolan.
Sure enough, Wu Xiaolan’s gaze was completely captivated by the concept art; never had any car made her feel so tempted before.
“This car is so pretty.”
Wu Xiaolan’s eyes lit up: “Big brother, can you really build this?”
“Can build, can build, simple as pie.” Shu Daoshan raised an eyebrow while holding his tablet; he knew this transaction was about to go through.
“However, if you want it done faster, why don’t you just hand over that pink small moped you drove today, and I’ll modify it directly using that.”
The boss who had just sold Wu Xiaolan the small truck couldn’t watch anymore.
Holding his phone, he walked up to Wu Xiaolan and showed her the app on his screen.
“Little girl, have you downloaded the National Anti-Fraud App? Why not download one first?”
Shu Daoshan was pushed quite far away by the boss’s bulky torso, showing an expression of utter helplessness.
“Hey, why are you boss-man delaying me from making money? Everyone sells one, I sell one, fair competition, alright?”
Too lazy to bother with him, the boss, considering that Wu Xiaolan had bought a small cargo truck, earnestly began introducing the National Anti-Fraud App to Wu Xiaolan.
“Girl, morals aren’t what they used to be these days, public standards are declining. Some people will stop at nothing to make money—you’ve got to guard against it!”
Staring tightly at the screen, Wu Xiaolan subconsciously pulled her phone from her bag. Right when the boss thought she was about to download it, Wu Xiaolan said: “Big brother, I’ll download it later, let me make a payment first.”
“…”
Amidst the boss’s grief-stricken gaze, Shu Daoshan grinned from ear to ear, showing all his teeth.
Stretching out his arm across the car dealership boss in a jumping stretch, he handed the payment QR code to Wu Xiaolan.
“Little sister, 300,000, small moped modification, delivery within half a month, scan here, ha.”
Wu Xiaolan didn’t even bargain this time, showing just how much she loved this conceptual Bobo car.
In the past, she had been suppressed and targeted by Chen Tao’s entire family, with zero pocket money. Now that she finally had money to buy things she loved, naturally she couldn’t curb the impulse.
After paying, she asked Shu Daoshan to deliver the vehicle to the previous address as well.
Last night, she had contacted several small warehouses available for rent outside and a large garage in an unfinished building through an online forum.
She immediately rented them out with money, specifically used for transferring and staging supplies.
She instructed Shu Daoshan to deliver the two vehicles one after another. There would be people doing handovers during the day, guarded by security guards from the adjacent engineering project.
Before leaving, Wu Xiaolan looked at the kind car dealership boss, hesitant to speak, but finally decided to offer a warning.
“Big brother, I saw news online saying there’s an unknown virus abroad. If you believe me, you should hoard more supplies and check the news more often just in case.”
Though the boss sold cars, he was also an educated person; he didn’t believe alarmist nonsense like doomsday zombies. Seeing Wu Xiaolan’s look of grief and heartache:
Such a fine girl, why would she choose to believe such outrageous rumors about the end of the world? Don’t her parents care?
Seeing his pitying look, Wu Xiaolan knew he wouldn’t believe her, so she didn’t say much more. Sighing helplessly, she drove away in her newly purchased small cargo truck.
If she said any more, the boss might call the police to haul her off to a psychiatric hospital.
These days, everyone has their own fate; she had better look after herself first.