6: Mercenary Squad

Establishing a secure stronghold with just Pan Han alone definitely wouldn't work.

He needed to find people.

The system had previously mentioned that this Different World originally had 600 billion people, but now only less than 600 million remained. Finding reliable people from here felt a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack.

However, he felt it wouldn't be difficult to attract people willing to work for him by offering food.

After all, in the apocalypse, food was the most precious commodity.

Just as he was pondering this, a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of his head.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot you dead!" A familiar voice came from behind him.

It was her, the Nine-Point Woman!

"What, ran out of chewing gum?" Pan Han remembered her voice and asked teasingly.

"It's you?" The Nine-Point Woman didn't recognize Pan Han in his current attire.

"That's right, it's me. We meet again!" Pan Han said.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Who I am isn't important, but I'm here for something very important."

"What do you want to do?"

"Find gold!"

The Nine-Point Woman once again looked at Pan Han as if he were an idiot.

It had been eight years since the apocalypse; who still used gold? It was too soft for bricks and too hard for a pillow.

These days, people only cared about whether they could eat their fill, if they had medicine, and how many weapons they possessed.

"If you can still provide some chewing gum, I might be able to help you find gold," the Nine-Point Woman said.

"So, who are you?" Pan Han asked.

"I am an apocalypse Mercenary!" the Nine-Point Woman said naturally.

"The kind who takes money to get things done?" Pan Han had never heard of such a profession.

"I take resources to get things done. Money is useless here!" the Nine-Point Woman said.

"Why are you always appearing here?" Pan Han asked.

"There's a mercenary mission posting point nearby; missions are posted daily," the Nine-Point Woman replied.

"Did you just pick up a mission, or did you just turn one in?" Pan Han asked.

"That's none of your business. If you have food, I can help you find gold," the Nine-Point Woman said.

"Food, I do have a bit, but how can I trust you? What if you kill me and take my treasures?" Pan Han said.

"Are you stupid? If I shoot you dead right now, won't all your things be mine anyway?" the Nine-Point Woman said.

Indeed, keeping most of his belongings in his spatial storage was the correct choice. Otherwise, outward display of wealth would surely invite disaster.

"I only have one can of preserved meat. How much gold do you think it's worth?" Pan Han decided to trust the Nine-Point Woman because she had two opportunities to act but didn't fire her gun.

"Let me see it," the Nine-Point Woman put away her pistol.

Pan Han slowly took out a can of luncheon meat from his backpack and handed it to her.

The Nine-Point Woman clearly hadn't seen canned meat in a long time; she easily pried it open with a dagger.

A scent of mixed spices intoxicated the Nine-Point Woman. She hadn't eaten proper meat in a very long time. The most she'd eaten in recent years were meat patties made from cockroaches and maggots.

"Aren't you afraid it's poisoned?" Pan Han suddenly asked.

"I suspect you're from another planet. Among those who have survived until now in the apocalypse, who isn't immune to a hundred poisons?" the Nine-Point Woman said disdainfully.

That made so much sense, he couldn't even refute it.

The Nine-Point Woman ignored Pan Han, spearing the luncheon meat with her dagger and eating it ravenously.

It was really luncheon meat!

Was there anything more delicious in the world?

No, absolutely not!

The Nine-Point Woman was overwhelmed with emotion. She ignored Pan Han's gaze and finished the can in a few bites.

"Awesome!" the Nine-Point Woman couldn't help but shout.

At some point, Pan Han held another can of cola. He had secretly taken it from his spatial storage while the Nine-Point Woman was eating the canned meat.

"Here, wet your whistle," Pan Han offered the cola to the Nine-Point Woman.

"Is this… cola???" the Nine-Point Woman asked in disbelief.

"Yes! And it's the sugary kind! It will make you very happy!" Pan Han said.

The Nine-Point Woman took the cola and examined it as if it were a jade worth tens of millions.

Pop! The cola was opened.

The Nine-Point Woman cautiously took a sip. Yes, it was real cola! It even felt a little chilled.

Drinking cola truly brings happiness! Keep drinking, keep being happy!

Soon, the Nine-Point Woman finished the entire bottle!

She shouted again, "This is amazing!"

This personality, she must be a bold and unrestrained woman! Pan Han thought.

However, Pan Han didn't know that in the apocalypse, items with sugar could be exchanged for many treasures, such as weapons, slaves, and as for taking a few lives, that was even simpler.

The Nine-Point Woman couldn't help but burp!

"Hahahaha!" She laughed heartily. It had been many years since she had eaten so satisfyingly.

"Very well, tell me, how much gold do you want? I'll take this mission!" the Nine-Point Woman said to Pan Han.

"Naturally, the more the better!" Pan Han didn't stand on ceremony. He now thoroughly understood the importance of food.

"Our base should still have a few hundred grams. Old Six and the others collected it earlier, planning to save it for gold teeth. Come with me, and I'll give it all to you," the Nine-Point Woman said.

They were a team, and they even had a base. Just when he was thinking of sleeping, someone brought him a pillow.

"Your base? Are they all mercenaries?" Pan Han asked.

"Yes, seven people in total. I'm Old Seven," the Nine-Point Woman said.

"Great, I don't have a place to sleep anyway. Can I sleep at your place tonight?" Pan Han asked.

"If you can produce some more canned food, we'll all let you sleep," the Nine-Point Woman said without any hesitation. In the apocalypse, trading one's body for food was perfectly normal.

"I want to sleep at your place, not sleep with you!" Pan Han said.

"Before we go, tell me your name. Otherwise, I won't be able to introduce you," the Nine-Point Woman said.

"My name is Pan Han!"

"My name is Cheng Xiao!"

"Please lead the way!"

"Walking is too far, let's drive."

"Driving is good, driving is good!"

Cheng Xiao led Pan Han through several twists and turns until they arrived at an underground parking garage. A tall off-road vehicle was parked right in front of them.

"You can still find gasoline?" Pan Han asked.

"We occupied an oil depot before; we have a lot of reserves."

"Do I need to be blindfolded?" Pan Han understood the rules of the underworld.

"No need!" Cheng Xiao had just finished speaking when she delivered a single hand chop, knocking Pan Han unconscious.

"Why is his body so weak? I only used one-tenth of my strength," Cheng Xiao muttered, then started the off-road vehicle.

About 30 minutes later, the off-road vehicle arrived at the base. Although it was called a base, it was actually just a two-story house with its own courtyard. Before the apocalypse, it was a villa, and now it had only been simply reinforced with some chevaux de frise and barbed wire. It could at most defend against a few scattered zombies, but it would be difficult to defend against small-scale human attackers.

Cheng Xiao also had her own selfish motives. She instinctively felt that Pan Han was not simple. He actually had canned food and cola, and his appearance was very special. This might be an opportunity for the team to turn their fortunes around, and she had to seize it.