novelbin Chapter 317: Trading for Supplies 1
Chapter 317: Trading for Supplies 1
Mr. Landry stared blankly at Evelyn Ford. A few seconds later, his face turned beet red. He pointed at Evelyn, gritting his teeth as if he wanted to tear her to shreds.
"How dare you speak to me like that."
Evelyn Ford was expressionless. "I’m just telling the truth."
"You’re asking for death."
"If anyone’s dying, it’ll be you first." Evelyn Ford had already given up on having a normal conversation with him.
"Excellent. You’re stirring up trouble, your identities are unknown, and your intentions are impure. Men, take these two to the cells. Tomorrow, have them sent to the mines to dig for coal."
The patrolmen behind them heard Mr. Landry’s order and immediately ran over.
"Should we confiscate their vehicle immediately?"
"Confiscate it. Make them dig for three years before letting them out. And they only get one black-flour bun a day."
After speaking, he gave a smug smile, looking at Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick with contempt.
"They’re serious criminals. They can’t be exiled to the same place. Separate them by three hundred kilometers."
"Mr. Landry, I have a better idea. They’re not bad-looking. Why not make them work at the service stations? Not only can they earn grain for the base, but they can also serve as a reward for everyone."
Evelyn Ford revised her earlier opinion. ’This woman may be beautiful, but she’s utterly vicious, wanting to send them to the service stations.’
Evelyn Ford glanced around. There weren’t many people gathered there—just these few rich brats and five or six patrolmen.
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look. Ronan pulled out a handful of pebbles, aimed at the nearby security cameras, and threw.
CRASH! Several cameras shattered on impact.
While they were stunned, Evelyn Ford pulled three small spheres from her pocket and slammed them onto the ground. The spheres instantly exploded, releasing a thick fog. A pungent, irritating smell filled the air, and everyone present began to howl in pain, writhing on the ground. Evelyn stored the vehicle in her space, and she and Ronan Kendrick swaggered away.
After finding a deserted spot, Evelyn Ford brought out a truck. The two got in and entered Tarr City once again. Inside the truck, both Evelyn and Ronan Kendrick had changed into different outfits.
The truck had been acquired in Westeria. The cargo bed in the back was covered with a tarp and could haul fifteen tons of goods.
The urban area hadn’t changed much from before the apocalypse. The city’s power was restored, but electricity was rationed for ordinary residential buildings. Only factories and some high-end villa districts had an uninterrupted twenty-four-hour supply of power and water.
On a nearby mountain, white wind turbines were still in operation.
Evelyn Ford decided to check out the residents’ supply co-op first. If the prices were reasonable, she could trade for some items.
The base was located ten kilometers behind Tarr City and was said to house several million people.
Residents inside the base could trade for goods using points cards. Outsiders who came to trade for goods were required to turn over ten percent upon departure, which operated like a tax.
Tarr City didn’t have many local residents. It was originally just a small border town. After the apocalypse, it was massively expanded and developed, and now it had become an industrial city, with factories everywhere and workers in uniforms on the streets.
Like in Westeria, the standard workday was fourteen hours. With two hours of overtime, people had to work sixteen hours a day. There were no holidays. Workers lived in collective dormitories, and if someone wanted a private room, the rent was not cheap.
The populations of the base and the city were already saturated, which was why there were so many refugees outside. They could only live in low-slung refugee shanties. With no work, the refugees could only resort to begging and robbing.
The truck was inconspicuous and quickly blended in with the fleet of cargo vehicles. Passing by a commercial district, Evelyn Ford even saw a cosmetics shop.
Every corner of Tarr City was filled with the smell of coal. There were many chemical plants in the area, and a mixture of odors intermingled. The faces of passersby had an unnatural, sallow and swollen look.
The residents’ supply co-op was like a huge wet market. People who came here to stock up either held a white magnetic card or carried various goods to trade.
They parked the truck in a lot where a patrolman came over to collect goods for a fee. Evelyn Ford handed over three pounds of sweet potatoes. After the patrolman registered it, he let the two of them inside.
Ronan Kendrick carried a black oilskin bag. Evelyn Ford scanned the entire marketplace, which had small commodities, furniture, home appliances, fruits and vegetables, as well as second-hand clothes, shoes, and household goods.
"Coarse flour’s gone up in price. I can’t afford it anymore. One pound costs a hundred points, and I only earn eighty points for a full day’s work."
Hearing a man complain behind her, Evelyn Ford glanced at the grain and oil shop. Inside, large vats held coarse flour, wheat bran, and rice bran. Most people could only shake their heads and walk away.
Nearby, someone was buying lard. The lard had a sharp smell and a yellowed color; it was probably old, having been stored for more than two years.
Fresh vegetables were also scarce. The cabbages only had their old, outer leaves left; the fresh inner hearts had already been sent elsewhere.
She did see some chicken and duck eggs, which must have been specially bred. They were very large, but according to someone nearby, they had very little yolk and tasted strange.
Evelyn Ford entered a household goods store. Inside, there were loose-packed sanitary pads that were of poor quality and smelled of lime powder.
"Boss, what’s the price?"
"By the pound. But it depends on whether you’re paying with a points card or trading with goods."
"What kind of goods do you usually accept here?"
The owner smiled. "Cigarettes, alcohol, medicine, writing supplies—all of it."
Evelyn Ford took out a battered dictionary. "How much can I get for this?"
The owner’s eyes lit up. "I’ll give you five pounds for it."
"Ten pounds. Dictionaries are out of print, aren’t they? This is a one-of-a-kind copy, and no pages are missing."
The owner could sell the dictionary in the high-end residential districts, where people still had the resources to have their children educated.
As he hesitated, Evelyn Ford picked up a second-hand razor from a nearby shelf.
"Throw in the razor, too."
"No way. I barely have any of these razors in my shop."
Evelyn Ford took out a ballpoint pen and offered it to him. "And two blades."
"Do you have any pencils?" the owner asked.
Evelyn Ford nodded. "I do. 2B. This is a family heirloom, you know."
"How many?"
Evelyn Ford pulled out a handful of used 2B pencils of varying lengths.
"Five of them. You want them?"
The owner nodded. "I’ll take them."
These days, all kinds of pens were out of print. Except for the leaders in power and the wealthy, the common people could only use charcoal to write.
"Then I’ll take another ten pounds of yellow paper."
The yellow paper was of terrible quality, comparable to the joss paper used for tomb sweeping, and it hit you with a musty smell. But it was the best-selling toilet paper in Tarr City, and its price wasn’t low.
"Do you have any other books? You’re asking for a lot. The values don’t add up," the owner said, slightly displeased.
Evelyn Ford called him over to the side, opened the oilskin bag, and took out three magazines.
"How about these?"
Evelyn Ford had found these while searching a shut-in’s house. Rovan had particularly strict restrictions on magazines.
The owner’s eyes lit up at the thought that he could sell these to some rich people and make a quick profit.
"I’ll take them."
"You’ve got a good eye. These are from my private collection. Now, I’m going to start picking out my items."
The owner took the magazines and quickly flipped one open. Every page was filled with titillating pictures.
"Go ahead, pick."
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look and began their shopping spree.