C10 Negotiation!

"Damn! Who do you think you're fooling?" Gouza was utterly unconvinced.

"There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me," Shen Chen said, shrugging in resignation.

"Come on, man, spill some details. Can your gadget crank out those blue crystals endlessly? Do all zombies go crazy for them? And do they blow up after munching on them?" Gouza peppered him with questions, his curiosity insatiable.

His concern was for the crystals' potential impact.

If the crystals were indeed the zombies' Achilles' heel, as he suspected, then future encounters with the undead wouldn't require such a struggle. No need for frantic slashing with a knife. Just toss them a crystal, they'd eat it, and boom! It sounded perfect.

"I honestly don't know. How many times do I have to repeat myself before you get it?" Shen Chen said, rolling his eyes in frustration.

"Fine, keep your secrets. We'll see how long you can hold out!" Gouza gave up his interrogation, seeing Shen Chen's tight-lipped stance.

They continued on their way. In another kilometer, they'd reach a scavenger's camp.

In this post-apocalyptic world, nearly everyone clung together for survival.

Shen Chen was the exception, always going it alone—fighting zombies, trading for supplies at the base, living in the ruins. He could have died there, and no one would have known.

"Is what you're saying for real? Hold on, I'll go fetch Brother Zhao. He's our leader here."

"Hello, I'm Zhao Tianliang, the camp's captain. Are you telling me that a Level-1 Zombie Crystal Core can be traded for 1.5 kilograms of rice?" A strapping man approached, shaking hands with Shen Chen enthusiastically, though his eyes betrayed his skepticism.

"Get your guys and check out the Construction Bank on Golden Rooster North Road."

"Little Chen, round up some brothers and scout ahead."

"Thanks for the tip, brother. If this checks out, I, Zhao Tianliang, owe you big time. If there's ever anything you need, just give me a shout. I'll bring a whole crew from the camp to back you up in no time," Zhao Tianliang declared, thumping his chest in assurance.

Shen Chen gave a nod of affirmation. "Better hurry, there's going to be a line at the store. If we dawdle, we'll be stuck queuing up till nightfall, and that's a real hassle."

"You've got a point, brother. My crew is all set; we're heading out now."

"..."

"I'm Shen Chen. Fancy some rice? Then get your brothers and head over to the Construction Bank on Golden Rooster North Road to trade for some!"

"You're a con artist! A Level-1 Zombie Crystal Core won't even fetch you a whiff, let alone 1.5 kilograms of rice!"

"Exactly, you're a fraud!"

"Holy shit, I can't believe it, we can actually get rice. This is unbelievable!"

"Mom, if your spirit is watching, your son's finally going to taste rice in his lifetime!"

"Wow, that smells amazing. Bro, what are you cooking up?"

"Seriously, are you guys living in luxury? A whole pot of rice? That must've cost a fortune in Zombie Crystals!"

"You can trade for rice at the Construction Bank on Golden Rooster North Road. Go now! That's where I got my rice." Beside a scavenger camp, Shen Chen had set up a campfire to cook rice and satiate his gnawing hunger.

Throughout the day, Shen Chen had switched up his story more times than he could count.

He found that by assuming the role of a scavenger and sharing news, others were less suspicious of him. This approach was proving to be the most effective strategy at the moment.

"Hey man, I've gathered 50 Level-1 Zombie Crystals today. Think I could trade you for a bowl of rice?" A scavenger, lured by the tantalizing aroma, approached Shen Chen and the others with hopeful eyes.

"At the Golden Rooster North Road bank, you can get 1.5 kilograms of rice for just one Level-1 Crystal. Better hurry before it's all gone," Gouza mumbled through mouthfuls of rice.

"Thanks for the tip, brother. I'm off! Much appreciated!"

Across town, Yang Hanshuang and his group lifted the information embargo. The base's operatives disseminated the news far and wide with lightning speed.

In a single day, the news had set River North City abuzz.

Rice, pure white rice—who wouldn't crave it?

Countless scavengers dropped everything, forgoing zombie hunts, and made a beeline for Golden Rooster North Road.

In just half a day, the line outside the store had stretched from one hundred meters to three hundred meters.

Yet, to prevent anyone from double-dipping, there remained a single channel for distribution. The verification process, previously handled by five people, now involved dozens.

As complaints filled the air outside, Yang Hanshuang, Liu Yunshan, and their team were in a frenzy.

They juggled accounting, rice distribution, and crystal collection.

On average, they had to assist ten people every minute, barely finishing one name before having to jot down the next.

Amu couldn't help but grumble; he'd rather face three days of zombies than endure half a day in this chaos!

Meanwhile, both the Ocean Mountain Base in the city center and the Han Iron Base in the suburbs were in turmoil.

They were grappling with the same issue: Why was no one coming to their windows to exchange food?

"Boss, the scouts we sent out for information have returned. It's just that..."

"What's the problem?" Inside the Ocean Mountain Base, a bald man grew impatient with the other's hesitation.

"You better come and see for yourself."

The bald man's expression darkened, fearing his men had encountered trouble, and he hurried outside.

"Boss, we're back."

"This is the intel we collected from the field." As the group simultaneously opened their bags, the whole Ocean Mountain Base was shaken.

"Look, that's rice!"

"It really is rice."

"Let me see! To think I'd see rice again in my lifetime! After all these years, I'd nearly forgotten what it looked like!"

"Where did you get all this rice from? Such a rare commodity..." The bald man approached, hands trembling as he gingerly cradled some grains.

Overwhelmed with excitement, he was beside himself with joy!

Bathed in the sunset, each grain of rice shimmered brilliantly. The enticing aroma of rice was unmistakable!

"Quick, get the cleanest container from our base to preserve this rice!"

"Did you take down some superpowered individuals? Or did you rob the offspring of some wealthy family from a super base?" The bald man's worry resurfaced in an instant.

"How could we possibly be that strong?"

"Actually, the rice's origin isn't that complex—it's purchased."

"Where did you guys get that kind of money?" The bald man asked, his expression one of disbelief.

"It's quite affordable. A Level-1 Zombie fetches one and a half kilograms of rice, with a limit of one purchase per person per day."

"Cut the crap! Spit out the truth right now!" The bald man erupted in anger, bellowing at them.

"Boss, it's the honest truth," the group murmured, heads bowed.

"Yes, it's the Construction Bank on the north side of Golden Rooster Avenue. That's where the exchange happens."

"You think I'm an idiot? In what world would someone be foolish enough to practically give away rice like that? And you claim thousands have already collected it? You're getting too good at lying," the bald man retorted icily.

"Hey, who are you calling foolish?"

At that moment, two men and a woman entered through the main gate of the base.

"Mr. Shen."

"Boss Shen, what brings you here?"

"I came to find out who's been calling me a fool behind my back!" Shen Chen said, his eyes locking onto the bald man. With a mocking laugh, he turned to the crowd and bellowed, "Who here wants rice?"

"Me!"

"I'll take it!"

With those words, Shen Chen set the entire base abuzz.

"Go on, fetch three chairs quick. I've come to negotiate, and I've brought the rice!"