23: Is Chapter 23 really cosmetics?

"Buy! Even if I have to sell everything I own, I have to buy it!"

Chen Ze looked around, checking his current supplies.

Four arisaka type 38 rifles, one type 92 infantry gun, an e-rank water purifier, an f-class tang dao, an f-class planting box, five animal traps, and the rest were just miscellaneous food items.

After looking for a long time, Chen Ze couldn't bear to part with anything, so he reluctantly picked up the e-rank purified water.

"This doesn't seem to be quite a liter..."

Chen Ze hesitated for a moment, then poured out all the remaining e-rank purified water he had been drinking, added some more from the water purifier, and barely managed to make up a liter.

Shanghai Li Yunlong: "Manager Gao, take a look at this! [Image attached]."

The message was sent, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea—there was no response for a long time. After waiting a full five minutes, a message finally came back from the other side.

AAA Building Materials Boss Gao: "My god, brother, are you trying to trade with this e-rank purified water? Sure, that works!"

As expected, Manager Gao agreed to the trade immediately.

Actually, it wasn't hard to understand; seeds were just seeds after all, and to make them mature, you still needed a planting box. Compared to the e-rank purified water that could directly increase all attributes, the temptation was naturally smaller.

Chen Ze quickly completed the trade and added the other party as a friend.

AAA Building Materials Boss Gao: "Brother, do you have any more of this e-rank purified water? If you do, sell it to your old brother here, and I'll pay you a high price of 120 survival coins per liter!"

120 per liter? This price was indeed high at the current stage, but Chen Ze wasn't planning to sell it yet.

The e-rank purified water could not only increase attributes but also serve as medicine to a certain extent; he had to save some to deal with potential emergencies.

Moreover, through this trade, Chen Ze realized that perhaps the rarest items wouldn't be traded directly for survival coins, and the possibility of bartering was likely higher!

Shanghai Li Yunlong: "Manager Gao, I don't have any more for now. I'll send you a message when I have some again."

AAA Building Materials Boss Gao: "Alright brother, make sure to let me know first when you want to sell high-level items in the future. I'm a famously conscientious merchant!"

Good grief, a "conscientious merchant" who is chased and cursed as an unscrupulous merchant by thousands of people?

Closing the system page, he had just buried the lettuce seeds in the planting box.

Wang Yalan returned, her two backpacks stuffed to the brim, and her clothing pockets bulging.

Chen Ze took a rough glance.

Well, this housewife was truly here to live a real life.

Pots, pans, bowls, ladles, and seasonings—nothing was missing. She had even brought quite a few pieces of furniture and appliances, and even three plush toys.

Seeing Chen Ze's somewhat stunned expression, Wang Yalan felt a bit awkward.

"Did I bring too much?"

Chen Ze scratched his head and spoke.

"Since you've already brought them, let it be!"

He paused and continued.

"You stay on the second floor for now, and I'll live on the third. You are not allowed to go up to the fourth floor without my permission!"

Chen Ze's supplies were basically all on the fourth floor. Although Wang Yalan had blocked a blade for him, necessary precautions still couldn't be skipped.

"Alright, Mr. Chen, I'll remember that."

Wang Yalan nodded quickly. Perhaps her movement was a bit too vigorous, because something in her pocket fell to the ground with a "clatter."

Chen Ze instinctively looked over and immediately spotted a small, square box. The box was pink, and he could vaguely see the words "ultra-thin" on it.

"Oh my!"

Wang Yalan exclaimed. Her shoulder didn't even seem to hurt anymore; with lightning speed, she crouched down, picked up the box, and clutched it tightly in her hand.

"That... this is cosmetics, please don't misunderstand!"

Oh? It's cosmetics? What kind of cosmetic is "ultra-thin"?

It really lives up to the old saying: when young, one doesn't know the value of a married woman, mistaking a young girl for a treasure. Married women really are more sensible!

Chen Ze forced back a laugh and spoke.

"Alright, alright, alright!"

...

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, Yang Wei was looking miserable.

Ever since his heart of the fortress was snatched away by Chen Ze in the morning, he could only wander aimlessly in this other world. When he saw those breached fortresses, his eyes immediately lit up.

"Stone, wood, steel! These are all materials for upgrading a Fortress!"

"Once I sell these things, I'm definitely going to buy an excavator and uproot that idiot Chen Ze's Blockhouse!"

Yang Wei cursed, but his hands didn't stop, instantly collecting all three types of materials into the system's temporary storage.

(The system has 5 slots of temporary storage for the initial listing and unlisting of items.)

Perhaps it was because he had come out so early, or perhaps this guy's luck was truly good, but he hadn't encountered any other survivors coming to compete for them even after collecting from the fifth Fortress wreckage.

"Haha, idiot Chen Ze, I bet you couldn't even dream that after snatching my heart of the fortress, I'd end up picking up so many treasures instead!"

In just over an hour, the quantity of Yang Wei's three types of materials had all exceeded fifty. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he reached the requirements to upgrade his Fortress.

"It's mine, it's mine, it's all mine!"

Perhaps because Yang Wei was too pleased with himself, his voice became louder and louder, and he completely failed to notice the factory building nearby, which was constructed entirely of steel.

The factory covered a large area, over two hundred square meters, and it was crowded with over twenty people inside.

"Manager Guo, what's that noise outside? Why does it sound like someone is laughing?"

The person speaking was the security captain of the Jinxiu Longwan residential compound, Security Captain Lei Dayong.

Ever since they failed to forcibly occupy Chen Ze's Blockhouse yesterday, they had found this factory. As for the other people, they had all been called over from their homes by Guo Changzheng.

Of course, they had relied on their numerical advantage to kill last night's zombies without any major mishaps, which even led many to praise Manager Guo for his capable leadership.

At this moment, Manager Guo was resting on a glossy, well-worn reclining chair. He also heard the noise outside, immediately got up, and leaned against the factory window to observe.

"Huh? Isn't that old guy Yang Wei? What's up with him?"

Guo Changzheng frowned slightly, a look of confusion appearing on his face.

At this moment, Yang Wei was walking happily toward a white ball of light, completely oblivious to the dozen pairs of eyes in the factory staring at him without blinking.

"Is that the reward you only get from killing zombies?"

It was Sister Hong who spoke; her voice was loud, and everyone heard it clearly.

Last night, their group had killed over 30 zombies and had three balls of light drop, but they only contained one simple survival ration pack and two f-class hand crossbows.

Upon hearing this, Guo Changzheng's eyes instantly widened. Although he was old, he had played online games like "Legend" before, and he realized it immediately.

That might be the materials that drop after a Fortress is breached!

"Let's go! Everyone follow me out and take a look!"