23: X City Trading Market

After Lord Pan left the pawn shop, he didn't go home. Instead, he went to the grain and oil wholesale base.

It's not good to always buy things at the supermarket; it might just cause a lot of trouble.

"I still need to set up my own company, and then produce canned goods, vegetables, and so on," Lord Pan mused.

...

This was Lord Pan's first time at the wholesale base. He looked at the mountains of supplies and was filled with emotion.

Because he thought that there were still 600 million people in the apocalypse, and if he wanted to dominate there, how many supplies would he need!

But that was for later; for now, he needed to buy 10 tons of various supplies.

Fortunately, the bosses at the wholesale base were all very busy, and 10 tons of supplies were barely a drop in the ocean. Lord Pan went in and out several times, purchasing rice, flour, millet, large barrels of cooking oil, peanuts, potatoes, corn, and more.

Hoarding supplies is addictive. Lord Pan bought more and more, eventually purchasing over 20 tons, spending about 350,000 yuan.

He then hired a large truck and a team of porters, gave them the address, and had the goods delivered to a warehouse in the suburbs.

Lord Pan hesitated repeatedly, but ultimately did not buy any fresh vegetables, only items that could be stored long-term.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford them; he just hadn't figured out how to explain where these vegetables and fresh pork came from once he went to the apocalypse.

He thought about having everyone farm over there in the future. Although there had been acid rain, bringing some nutrient-rich soil should allow things to grow.

It's still necessary to be self-reliant; otherwise, relying on his own relief, there would be no end to it.

After all that busy work, it was almost dark again. Lord Pan rubbed his rumbling stomach; he needed to find something to eat quickly.

Lord Pan had developed a habit of eating the same thing continuously for a month to avoid wasting time on meals.

So, he returned to the spicy hotpot restaurant downstairs from his shared apartment.

After finishing his meal, he was drenched in sweat and felt incredibly comfortable.

Returning to the rented room, he found that Xiaoli hadn't returned yet, so Lord Pan took a shower by himself, then played a few ranked games, and peacefully fell asleep.

The next morning, he went straight to the warehouse. He selected some supplies, threw them into his space, and directly transmigrated from the warehouse to the apocalypse.

In the small room on the second floor, space fluctuated, and Lord Pan appeared.

Walking downstairs, he found only Second Sister in the living room.

"Oh, Lord Pan, you've arrived!" Second Sister quickly came over to greet him.

"Huh, why are you the only one here? Where are the others?"

"Qin Laoda took Third Brother and Fourth Brother to find gold for you. Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother went to buy slaves, and Seventh Sister is on patrol outside; I'll go relieve her soon," Second Sister replied.

"Buy slaves? How many are you planning to buy?" Lord Pan asked.

"Qin Laoda said earlier to buy 20 first. They are mainly for reinforcing the surrounding houses and walls," Second Sister said.

"How many supplies does one slave cost?" Lord Pan asked.

"If it's a good laborer, 10 boxes of canned food are enough," Second Sister said.

"Alright, that's good. Go bring Cheng Xiao back; I have something to tell her," Lord Pan said.

"Understood, Lord Pan," Second Sister said.

A moment later, Cheng Xiao returned.

"Lord Pan, good morning. Do you have any arrangements?"

"I mentioned before that the neighboring X City has various trading markets; I want to go take a look."

"Are we going today?"

"Yes! Is there a problem?"

"Lord Pan, is there anything you want to buy?"

"I don't know either. You can see what's missing here. Didn't you say we were short on weapons before?"

"Okay, I'll prepare. Lord Pan, please wait a moment," Cheng Xiao said.

"You go ahead. I'll go wander around the back," Lord Pan said.

After they finished speaking, they each left. Lord Pan went straight to the truck in the backyard and moved a batch of rice, flour, grain, oil, and canned goods from his space. He and Cheng Xiao would then drive the truck to X City.

While preparing, Cheng Xiao took out her walkie-talkie and explained the situation to Qin Zhong. Qin Zhong reminded them to be careful, go and return quickly, and not to stay overnight.

The market in X City is located at the border with Z City. It's about 100 kilometers from the Dawn Squad base, so a round trip in one day is feasible. This route is relatively safe; the zombies have been cleared many times.

Once prepared, the two drove off.

"Lord Pan, when did you transport another batch of supplies?" Cheng Xiao asked Lord Pan from the driver's seat.

"Mind your discipline; don't ask."

"Oh!"

"Tell me about this market."

"Okay, Lord Pan. The X City market was previously an exhibition hall. It often hosted weapon and firearm exhibitions and was very famous in our state. After the apocalypse broke out, it gradually became a trading center for thousands of kilometers around. Besides weapons, there are also food, medicine, low-level Evolution Potions, fuel, tools, and various other supplies," Cheng Xiao said.

"So, there are a lot of weapons, then?"

"Yes, there are even heavy weapons, airplanes, and tanks."

"Who manages this market?"

"The local boss of X City, Colonel!"

"Colonel?"

"Yes, I don't know his name. Everyone calls him Colonel. He was the leader of X City's armed forces before. After the disaster, he directly used the army at his disposal to take over X City."

"Is he related to the Twelve Palaces?"

"Yes, he has already submitted to the Twelve Palaces."

"What is his strength?"

"He has about 3,000 subordinates, I think. Their weapons are quite complete. There's also a special forces team that drank the Evolution Potion."

"A team of 3,000 people is indeed quite large. How many people are left in X City in total?"

"Unclear. Before the apocalypse, X City had a population of about 100 million; it was considered a large city."

After hearing this, Lord Pan felt that the cities in this world were all enlarged versions of those in his own world, with populations of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions at the drop of a hat.

Doesn't that mean there's plenty of gold! Lord Pan then had another thought.

"This trading market is specifically managed by Captain Duan, under the Colonel. He brings about a company of soldiers to guard it," Cheng Xiao continued.

"Understood. Do we need to see him?"

"No. This time, we'll just quietly choose weapons. Don't buy too much, and don't attract attention."

"What's the price of the gun you gave me?" Lord Pan asked.

"In terms of cockroach biscuits, it's about 120 pieces. That's 40 days' worth of rations for one person."

"What about using canned luncheon meat?"

"I don't know; we haven't traded with it. Many people haven't eaten proper meat for many years, so it's hard to say."

"So, is there a risk if we take it out rashly?"

"There certainly is, so we need to be cautious. Take out a small amount and try to avoid auctions."

Lord Pan thought to himself, then the things in the back of the truck can't be shown to them either. Otherwise, his brains would be splattered.

"Alright."

...The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at the trading market.

From a distance, Lord Pan saw the exhibition hall. From the outside, it looked like a small mountain, covering at least a million square meters. There was also a large parking lot outside the exhibition hall.

Lord Pan secretly sighed with emotion, this world really is big in everything.

This exhibition hall and parking lot were surrounded by barbed wire, leaving only one entrance, guarded by a team of armed soldiers.

After Cheng Xiao paid 1 piece of cockroach meat pie, they were allowed to enter.