My Apocalypse Train

Translator: AnubisTL

"Hmph."

After watching yet another customer scoff and walk away, the merchant finally lost his patience. He slammed his palm onto the back of his underling's head and roared angrily, "I told you to gather supplies! What the hell were you thinking bringing this junk back?"

"Look at this! Do you think we can even sell it now?"

"Huh?!"

The burly man behind him, whose body was covered in muscles, mumbled in a wronged tone, "Boss Fang, we didn't find any good supplies at the time. I thought we couldn't return empty-handed, so we had to bring something back. We happened to find a gym that hadn't been completely looted, so my brother and I carried everything back ourselves."

The merchant crossed his arms, a mocking laugh escaping his lips. "So you're saying you two are just strong?"

"That's right." The burly man nodded proudly. "We've been strong since we were kids."

Chen Mang passed the stall and continued deeper into the Gathering. Along the way, he saw a truly bizarre assortment of items for sale. There were even paper novels being sold for just one unit of Iron Ore each.

He inquired at every stall, mainly to get a general sense of the market prices.

He wasn't particularly eager to buy anything. After all, he didn't have much money, and his primary currency was Iron Ore. He currently had only 600 Units of Iron Ore on the train.

Still, he made a few purchases.

For example, he bought the old hen Old Pig was carrying. Hens could lay eggs even without a rooster, but those eggs would be unfertilized and unable to hatch chicks.

Before the apocalypse, almost all eggs sold in supermarkets were unfertilized. The hens that laid them might never have seen a rooster in their lives.

This hen cost him 400 Units of Iron Ore.

The price seemed reasonable. Besides the daily egg, if he ever found a rooster, he could hatch more chicks. He could even dedicate a carriage to raising them, creating an internal ecological cycle.

Finally—

Chen Mang reached the end of the Gathering and spotted a wild-looking man sitting on the ground. A wooden board in front of him read "Bloodthirsty Mad Bull." This was the person he had arranged to trade with at the Gathering.

He was covered in thick body hair—the kind of person most people would cross the street to avoid at a night market.

He walked slowly over and knelt down, whispering softly.

"Brother, I'm Stellaris."

"How much Spider Silk did you bring?"

"It's you!"

The wild-looking man's eyes lit up instantly. Grinning broadly, he pulled a large pile of Spider Silk from a box behind him and laid it out in front of them.

"Here it all is. A total of 4,500 Units of Tier 1 Fine Spider Silk. It's a bit short of what you asked for, but you can ask around later. It should be enough."

"Brother, name your price."

"Here's the thing," the man said, his smile fading as he adopted a serious expression. "Spider Silk doesn't have many uses. As far as I know, the only accessories that require it are the Spider Leg and Spider Venom. But it's still a rare material. You can't mine it; it only drops from killing man-eating spiders."

"I'll give you a fair price, Brother."

"5,000 Units of Iron Ore."

"That's a one-to-one exchange. It's definitely not an inflated price, considering it's a rare material."

Chen Mang waved his hand. Old Pig pulled out a handheld Zombie Perception Blocker from his pocket and placed it in front of the man. Chen Mang spoke again: "Take a look at this. I can trade it, but you know its value. You'll need to add something."

All along the way, Chen Mang hadn't been just wandering around. He'd been gathering information. Through inquiries, he'd learned that special items generally commanded high prices. These items possessed unique effects, capable of turning the tide in critical moments.

Examples included the handheld Zombie Perception Blocker, the Hell Staff, and the Train Token.

If he were to sell his Hell Staff, he could easily trade it for Ji Chuchu, a top-tier actress. However, few could afford its true value, and he wasn't willing to part with it anyway.

The ability to control a train from a thousand meters away offered more than mere convenience. It meant the train could become his fifth limb, under his complete control, allowing for countless unexpected attack strategies.

"This..."

The rugged man took the walkie-talkie-like special item. After examining its panel, he paused, slightly stunned. This thing... was truly remarkable!

This item can block the perception of Tier 1 Zombies in the vicinity. Whether searching for supplies, during other activities, or even when surrounded by a zombie horde, it proves invaluable. With a bit of luck, it might even save your life.

More importantly for him—

This item would be far more valuable in his hands!

There was a rare Green Grade train component called the "Vehicle-Mounted Zombie Perception Blocker." One of the crafting requirements for it was this "Handheld Zombie Perception Blocker," and he just happened to know that a train conductor possessed the blueprint for it.

Once he acquired the blueprint, crafted the component, and Tiered it up, he could effectively ignore zombie hordes in the wasteland.

His safety would be greatly enhanced.

He wouldn't have to worry about zombie hordes interrupting his mining operations either—a benefit of immense value.

True, Spider Silk was a rare material, far more difficult to obtain than Iron Ore. But it was utterly useless to him, having been gathering dust in his inventory for quite some time. Trading 4,500 Units of Spider Silk for a "Handheld Zombie Perception Blocker" would require him to add a bit more.

"..."

Chen Mang narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the man's reaction. Seeing his reaction, Chen Mang felt he had a good grasp of the situation. He cleared his throat and said, "Forget it. We won't use this item for the trade. Biaozi, go to the train and get a few people to bring down 5,000 Units of Iron Ore."

"No, no!"

The man, who had been lost in a pleasant dream, immediately grabbed Biaozi's hand as he reached for the Zombie Perception Blocker. He forced a smile, looking somewhat embarrassed. "No need to rush. Let's talk more. I quite like this item too."

"But you know, it only blocks Tier 1 Zombies. Its usefulness is quite limited."

He quickly changed his tune, hastily adding, "How about this? I'll add something else."

The rugged man took a deep breath and pulled a tall female slave from behind him. "I'll add this woman to the deal. 4,500 Units of Spider Silk plus this woman for your special item. How does that sound?"

"..."

Chen Mang stared at the woman behind the man, his expression unchanged. She was tall, standing at a full 1.87 meters—even taller than him. Her height had somewhat distorted her frame, sacrificing some of her natural beauty, though her face was still quite attractive.

But...

"Brother, do you have some misunderstanding about me?"

"I'll stick to trading Iron Ore for your Spider Silk."

(End of the Chapter)

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