25: Chapter 25 The Huge Profits of the Trading Market

The hall of the Black Stone Exchange was as noisy as a pot of boiling porridge.

The smell of sweat, low-quality tobacco, and some indefinable musty odor mixed together to form a unique "post-apocalyptic atmosphere."

Lin Xiao brought his "Valkyries" to a relatively conspicuous spot.

He didn't set up a stall on the ground like those miserable survivors; instead, he took a clean white tablecloth out of the tactical backpack Shen Man was carrying and spread it over an abandoned desk.

This simple act instantly elevated the class of their operation.

The people around them looked stunned.

In this day and age, someone was actually bringing a tablecloth to set up a stall? How pretentious (or suicidal) could one be?

"Shen Man, show the goods."

Lin Xiao sat on the folding chair he had brought, legs crossed, and lit a cigarette.

Shen Man swallowed nervously, but under Lin Xiao's encouraging gaze, she opened the backpack.

She first took out a few unopened boxes of antibiotics.

"Amoxicillin Capsules," "Cephradine."

As soon as these boxes of medicine were laid out, the eyes of the sharp-eyed dealers nearby turned green instantly.

In this wasteland where medicine was scarce, these weren't just drugs; they were a second life!

As long as one was injured, even a small cut could lead to death by infection, and this box of antibiotics was enough to pull a person back from the gates of hell!

"Holy crap! All unopened specialty drugs!"

"Boss! How are you selling these? I have two Type 95 assault rifles and three hundred rounds of ammunition, all yours!"

"Get lost! Boss, I have two beautiful wives; just one box of medicine, and they're all yours!"

The crowd began to stir, and a few burly men even tried to push forward, but were forced back by Su Qingqian's cold gaze and her half-drawn Tang saber.

"Don't rush, this is just the appetizer."

Lin Xiao smiled and signaled for Shen Man to continue.

Shen Man took a deep breath and carefully took out a small box wrapped in cotton cloth from the very bottom of the backpack.

She opened the box.

Inside lay five plump, bright red things.

There were even a few crystal-clear water droplets hanging on them.

"Tomatoes."

"Fresh, plump tomatoes exuding the unique fragrance of plants."

"Buzz—"

The noisy hall became eerily quiet in that instant.

It was as if someone had pressed the mute button.

Everyone's gaze was locked tightly onto that vivid, dripping red.

That was the color of life.

It was the color of civilization.

It was even more of a delicacy than they dared to dream of.

In this world, even moldy bread was a luxury. Fresh vegetables?

Those were tributes that only legendary big shots could occasionally taste!

Even the City Lord of Black Stone City probably couldn't eat tomatoes of this quality more than a few times a year!

"Gulp."

The sound of swallowing saliva echoed one after another, as if it were contagious.

"Hea... Heavens! Are those... tomatoes? Are they really fresh tomatoes?!"

An old man with white hair reached out with trembling hands, wanting to touch them, but afraid of dirtying the sacred fruit.

"I haven't seen anything green in half a year... let alone something red like this..."

"Is it fake? Is it made of plastic?"

"Bullshit! Smell that scent! That's the fragrance only fresh produce has! I used to be a farmer; I can't be wrong about this smell!"

The crowd exploded.

The temptation of those tomatoes was actually greater than the life-saving medicine from just a moment ago!

Because medicine could only save a life, while this thing represented a class, an enjoyment, and the feeling of being a "human" again.

"Boss! I'll trade a modified Gatling gun! I want these five tomatoes!"

"A Gatling gun is worth shit! I have gold! I have five kilograms of gold! I'll trade it all!"

"Boss, I'm willing to sell myself to you! I can warm the bed, I can cook, just let me eat one bite..."

Watching this group of people who had gone crazy, the smile on Lin Xiao's face became even brighter.

This was the charm of a monopoly.

While others were struggling to survive, he had already begun to sell "life."

"Stop shouting!"

Lin Xiao said indifferently.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

"These things aren't for trash."

"Gold? That stuff is too heavy and you can't eat it. Guns? I have plenty."

"I want to trade for blueprints. Special, rare technological blueprints. Or special ores."

As soon as these words were spoken, most people lowered their heads in disappointment.

Blueprints were too rare; only those large teams that specialized in scavenging or exploring ruins might have them.

Just then, the crowd suddenly parted.

A middle-aged fat man wearing a somewhat ridiculous purple suit, with gold rings on his fingers and a big belly, walked over.

He was followed by four heavily armed bodyguards; one look and you could tell he was a big shot in Black Stone City.

"Move aside, move aside! What are you all crowding around for? Want to rebel?"

The fat man waved the cane in his hand, dispersing the crowd, and then his small, bean-like eyes stared fixedly at the tomatoes on the table, the greed in his eyes almost overflowing.

"This little brother, I am the manager of this exchange, everyone calls me Old Jin."

Old Jin squeezed out a greasy smile, revealing a large gold tooth.

"These tomatoes, the quality is good. Are they a mutated variety? Or..."

"Direct from the greenhouse, purely natural and pollution-free," Lin Xiao said nonchalantly. "They were picked less than two hours ago."

Old Jin's pupils shrank sharply.

A greenhouse!

This meant the other party possessed stable vegetable production capabilities! This was earth-shattering news!

If it were true, the power behind this young man was absolutely unfathomable!

"Good! Good stuff!"

Old Jin rubbed his hands, putting away his earlier contempt.

"Little brother, I want all five of these tomatoes. Let's make friends."

He took a black metal box from his bosom and pushed it towards Lin Xiao.

"You don't like gold or jade, but this... I think you should be interested."

Lin Xiao signaled for Luo Yao (although she wasn't there, she could identify it remotely via headset) to take a look.

He opened the box.

Inside was a somewhat damaged blue blueprint, with complex circuit diagrams drawn on it.

"System Scanning..."

"Item: Energy Shield Generator Fragment (Blueprint)."

"Grade: A-Grade (Rare)."

"Description: Collect three fragments to synthesize a complete S-Grade blueprint. The current fragment contains core energy accumulation array technology. Recommendation: Take it!"

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

Energy shield! This was good stuff!

If it could be installed on the Black Iron, he wouldn't be afraid of rocket launchers in the future!

Although it was just a fragment, it was worth a fortune.

"Interesting."

Lin Xiao closed the lid calmly.

"But this is just a fragment. Trading for five tomatoes... not enough. Two at most."

Asking for an exorbitant price and negotiating on the spot—this was the rule of the business world.

Old Jin got anxious upon hearing this: "Oh, little brother! This is high technology! If it were complete, even selling this entire Black Stone City wouldn't be enough to trade for it! I only have this one..."

He rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said: "How about this! I'll add this too!"

He took out another cloth bag and poured it onto the table.

Inside was a pile of black, coal-like stones, but their surfaces faintly shimmered with purple light.

"This is 'Purple Gold Ore,' a local specialty here. I heard it can be used to strengthen metal hardness, but no one knows how to refine it, so it's always sold as waste stone. I have fifty catties here, all for you!"

"System Prompt: Rare material 'Purple Gold Raw Ore' discovered! Can be used to upgrade the Black Iron armor!"

Lin Xiao was overjoyed, but his face showed an expression of disdain.

"A pile of broken stones... fine. Seeing as you're a straightforward person, I won't bother haggling with you."

"Deal. Five tomatoes for this blueprint and this pile of stones."

"Alright! Deal!"

Old Jin, fearing Lin Xiao would go back on his word, grabbed the tomatoes and held them in his arms as if they were his own child.

"You're straightforward, little brother! If you have any good goods in the future, remember to think of me first!"

...

After the first big deal was concluded, Lin Xiao's reputation instantly spread throughout the exchange.

Everyone knew that a tycoon had arrived, driving a luxury train, accompanied by stunning beauties, and selling fresh vegetables.

In the time that followed, Lin Xiao's stall became the busiest spot.

He didn't sell any more vegetables (scarcity creates value; once there's too much, it becomes worthless), but instead began using antibiotics, and even some surplus wolf pelts and low-level crystal cores, to buy up the "trash" here in bulk.

"Boss! I have a box of old-era chips here, do you want them? Just two boxes of anti-inflammatory medicine!"

"I'll take them." Lin Xiao casually tossed over two boxes of medicine. Luo Yao screamed in his earpiece that those were military-grade fire control chips, and that they had made a huge profit.

"Boss! This is a strange metal plate I dug up in the ruins; it won't melt no matter how much I burn it. Do you want it?"

"Let me see it." Lin Xiao tapped the plate, and the system displayed it as **[High-Temperature Resistant Titanium Alloy]**.

"I'll give you a catty of rice."

"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!" The man was moved to tears, as if he had taken advantage of a great deal.

In just two short hours.

The backpack behind Lin Xiao was now empty, replaced by a mountain of various rare materials and blueprint fragments.

Although to outsiders, he looked like a sucker collecting junk.

But only Lin Xiao knew that the profit margin here was a hundred, even a thousand times over!

This was the windfall brought about by an information asymmetry!

"Whew... that's about enough."

Lin Xiao took a look at the "trash" that could no longer be piled up and nodded with satisfaction.

"Shen Man, pack up, time to close the stall."

Shen Man had been in a dreamlike state the whole time.

She stared at the old chips and broken stones that were usually thrown away as trash, only to see them exchanged for so many precious supplies; she was completely bewildered.

"Squad leader... how did you know these things were useful?"

Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at Lin Xiao. This man was not only capable of fighting but also knew how to make money; he was truly all-powerful!

"This is the power of knowledge." Lin Xiao pointed to his head with a smug expression, "Read more books in the future, and watch less of those 'Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me' shows."

Liu Ruyan watched from the side, her eyes gleaming with brilliance.

She had originally thought Lin Xiao was just a local warlord with a bit of strength, but she hadn't expected his eye for value to be so sharp.

Following such a man, why worry about not rising up in this apocalypse?

She quietly adjusted her collar, letting those alluring curves be displayed even more perfectly, secretly vowing to herself that she would make this man even more satisfied tonight.

However.

Just as Lin Xiao was preparing to leave with his spoils.

He keenly sensed that there were a few gazes in the crowd that were constantly locked onto them.

It wasn't envy, nor was it awe.

It was greed.

Greed like a pack of wolves eyeing a fat sheep.

"It seems someone has mistaken us for walking ATMs."

Lin Xiao said in a low voice, a cold sneer curling the corners of his mouth.

He didn't panic; instead, he deliberately slowed his pace.

"Su Qingqian, keep a close eye on the one with the hat to the left rear."

"Liu Ruyan, chin up, chest out, don't show any fear. We are the dragons crossing the river, not the local snakes."

Su Qingqian nodded slightly, her hand already resting on the hilt of her blade.

Liu Ruyan took a deep breath, trying hard to make herself look like a big sister who had seen the world.

They had just stepped out of the exchange's entrance.

Several large men wearing uniform black outfits with a wolf head emblem embroidered on their chests blocked their path.

The Scarface leading them scanned Lin Xiao and the beauties with cold eyes, finally resting his gaze on the bulging backpack Shen Man was carrying.

"You folks, in such a rush to leave?"

Scarface said with a fake smile.

"The boss of our 'Wild Wolf Gang' would like to invite you all for a cup of tea. And by the way... talk about the business with those tomatoes."

"I heard you still have a lot? Our boss is very interested and wants to buy you out completely."

The so-called "buy out completely" was obviously not that kind of legitimate business.

The surrounding crowd, seeing this, scattered far away.

"It's over, they've been targeted by the Wild Wolf Gang."

"These people are in for bad luck. The Wild Wolf Gang is one of the three major forces in this Black Stone City; they are ruthless."

"It's a pity for those beauties... falling into the hands of the Wild Wolf Gang, that's a fate worse than death."

Lin Xiao stopped and looked at these ignorant things standing before him.

He took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes without any warmth.

"Tea?"

"I have a quirk: I don't like drinking tea from strangers."

"As for business... you aren't qualified to do business with me."

"Get lost. Good dogs don't block the way."

"You!"

Scarface was furious; he was used to running rampant in this area, when had he ever been cursed at like this?

"Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Brothers, get them! Beat the man until he's crippled, take the women! Seize everything!"

"Seeking death."

Lin Xiao hadn't moved yet.

Su Qingqian had already moved.

"Clang!"

A crisp dragon-like ringing sound.

The Tang sword known as "water cutter" was unsheathed in an instant.

It carved a beautiful, chilling, crescent-shaped arc in the sunlight.

No one saw her movements clearly.

They only felt a blur before their eyes.

The Scarface who had rushed to the very front suddenly froze in place.

His hand holding the blade stopped in mid-air, and a "gurgling" sound came from his throat.

The next second.

A thin line of blood appeared at his neck.

"Pfft—"

Fresh blood gushed out like a fountain.

Scarface clutched his neck, his eyes wide open, and fell straight down.

He died with his eyes wide open.

"Who else wants to have tea?"

Su Qingqian flicked the blood droplets off her blade, looking coldly at the remaining lackeys who were scared witless.

At that moment, she was like an Asura Valkyries who had walked out of hell.

Breathtakingly beautiful, and chillingly desperate.

The whole scene was deathly silent.

A single strike to seal the throat!

What kind of strength was this?

This was not just an Evolver, but an expert who had undergone professional training in killing!

The remaining lackeys' legs went soft.

They were okay with bullying ordinary people, but when they met someone this tough, they were just serving themselves up on a platter.

"Run!"

Don't know who shouted, but the few of them scrambled away, not even daring to collect their boss's corpse.

Lin Xiao walked up, kicked Scarface's corpse, and shook his head.

"I already told you I have a germaphobia, yet you forced me to take action."

He put his sunglasses back on and hooked Su Qingqian's arm.

"Let's go, let's go home. It seems this Black Stone City isn't very peaceful either."

Returning to the dedicated docking area where Black Iron was located.

It was relatively safe here, guarded by heavy troops, and those hoodlums dared not enter.

Zhao Xiaotang had been waiting impatiently; seeing them return, she excitedly greeted them.

"Squad leader! How was it? Was it fun? Did you get into any fights?"

She keenly smelled the scent of blood on Su Qingqian's blade.

"Fought a few flies that didn't know any better."

Lin Xiao tossed the backpack to Shen Man to organize.

"The harvest this time was good. Shen Man, send those ores to the weapon workshop and let the system analyze if they can be synthesized into a new alloy."

"Luo Yao, you take those chips to study and see if you can upgrade the radar."

Just at this moment.

A seemingly quite luxurious black sedan slowly drove into the docking area and parked next to Black Iron.

The car door opened, and an old man wearing a proper tuxedo with his hair combed meticulously stepped out.

He ignored the gazes of the surrounding guards, walked straight to Lin Xiao, bowed slightly, and handed over a black card with gold edges.

"Respected Mr. Lin Xiao, greetings."

The old man's tone was respectful, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.

"I am the butler of City Lord Lei Hu's mansion."

"Our City Lord, City Lord Lei Hu, has heard that you have some... rare treasures in your possession."

"He has specially arranged a dinner party and sincerely invites you to visit his humble abode tonight to discuss important matters."

"Please do us the honor of attending."

Lin Xiao took the invitation.

His fingers gently rubbed the gold-stamped tiger head emblem on it.

A trap?

Or... did he really want to do business?

He looked up at the butler, then glanced at the towering City Lord's mansion high in the distance.

A playful glint flashed in his eyes.

"Tell City Lord Lei Hu."

"I will go."

"However, I have a big appetite, and I hope his food... is tough enough."