Published: February 8, 2025
"At two o'clock this afternoon, there will be an outbreak. Let's see how many more chapters we can write, maybe four or five. Old Phantom's hands are shaky, as all the old readers know..."
Ye Zhongming had just approached when he overheard someone talking nearby. They seemed to be negotiating some sort of deal, which surprised him a bit. After all, most of the capable people in the camp had been called to a meeting, and these people from the 'slums' didn’t look like they could afford anything.
Turning around a gray tent, Ye Zhongming saw a clearly flattened patch of land with over ten people squatting or standing around. Among them, a man and a woman were haggling with a somewhat lecherous old man, while the others stood by watching.
When they noticed Ye Zhongming's presence, the conversation paused for a moment. Then, the man and woman appeared anxious. After whispering a few words, they exchanged glances and bit their lips, finally pulling out a bottle of three-star evolution elixir to complete the trade with the old man.
Ye Zhongming had sharp eyes and noticed that the man and woman received a small vial containing what seemed to be a few seeds.
Although he didn't understand why the pair was so nervous, he didn't bother to dwell on it. His gaze scanned the other people, noticing that they didn’t have anything on display for sale. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I want to trade for something."
The group remained silent, carefully sizing up Ye Zhongming before exchanging glances. Eventually, a middle-aged man approached.
"Brother, you look unfamiliar."
Although Ye Zhongming’s clothes were dirty, they were not worn out; they were actually quite clean underneath. His face didn’t show the pallor of someone who had lived in darkness for a long time but rather had a healthy complexion.
Despite the dim lighting, the evolvers could clearly see Ye Zhongming, making them much more sensitive to his identity than the survivors outside, who were struggling on the brink of life and death.
"I just arrived, brought in by Yang Yixi and A Hai."
Hearing Ye Zhongming accurately mention the names of the two, the tension among the group eased considerably.
Typically, while there were outsiders here, like the couple who had just made a deal, they were all familiar with one another. The two were from 'Anhu Underground City', and everyone had heard of them.
Since Ye Zhongming was brought in by Yang Yixi, he should be safe. As for why he looked unfamiliar, he might just be a survivor from the other end of the city.
"What do you want to buy?"
As long as safety was assured, the middle-aged man didn’t care much about other aspects. Business didn’t come by every day in the camp; two transactions on the same day brought them more joy than wariness.
"Not sure yet, I need to see your goods first."
Going to a new camp to browse the trading market was a habit Ye Zhongming had from his past life, and it was also a common practice among other survivors.
The few people exchanged glances again, understanding that this newcomer seemed to have some assets.
They quickly laid out their wares for Ye Zhongming to choose from.
Every place had its own specialties; for instance, Cloud Port previously produced many ocean-related equipment and skills, with a wealth of water-based abilities.
Ye Zhongming didn’t know about the Yama Tree, the Death Vine, or what tree corpses were. This made him think there might be unique products here that he hadn’t seen before.
Looking at the items laid out by the group, there were quite a few, including scrolls, potions, and weapons, but the most common were equipment. The equipment produced by that roulette mechanism was only of white grade at best, which Ye Zhongming didn’t find impressive.
However, some materials caught his interest; they likely came from those tree corpses.
People in business were skilled at reading expressions. Seeing Ye Zhongming’s calm demeanor, they realized he was someone who had seen good items before and might indeed make a couple of deals today.