Chapter 101 - 88: First Entry

Chapter 101: Chapter 88: First Entry

Xu Mo didn’t comment. He set down the water jug and walked over to a stall selling food.

On display were some cookies and candies in damaged packaging, along with a few cans of meat. Xu Mo picked up a can of luncheon meat and checked the production date. It was actually from before the cataclysm.

"How much for the can?"

"Five Contribution Points a can, or three bullets." The stall owner was a skinny man, and he looked at Xu Mo with a hint of fear.

Xu Mo quickly did the math in his head. According to the information Wang Qi had shared, the black market price for a bullet was about two Contribution Points, which meant the can was actually worth between 4.5 and 6 Contribution Points. Meanwhile, the shelter set the parking fee at five Contribution Points a day. It was clear there was a significant price difference and room for arbitrage between the shelter’s official exchange and the black market.

Xu Mo went on to ask the prices of several other goods, getting a preliminary grasp of the market’s price levels. Here, weapons, food, medicine, and ammunition were the absolute hard currencies, holding the highest value. Next came fuel, weapon parts, and tools. Some luxury items, like cigarettes, alcohol, and candy, were also ridiculously expensive.

As he walked, Xu Mo found himself in a relatively deserted corner. A few stalls here weren’t selling physical goods, but rather yellowed papers, notebooks, and even some USB drives.

Xu Mo’s interest was piqued, and he walked over.

A middle-aged man with glasses and a somewhat scholarly look sat on a small stool. A cloth was spread out before him, on which lay several handwritten notebooks and a few USB drives. Written on the cloth were the words: "Intelligence on Jiang City and Surrounding Areas, Monster Encyclopedia, Maps."

"Intelligence on Jiang City and surrounding areas?" Xu Mo crouched down. "How much is this?"

The man with the glasses pushed them up his nose, sizing Xu Mo up as if gauging his purchasing power. Then he spoke: "Twenty Contribution Points, or ten rifle rounds."

"That’s not cheap."

Xu Mo flipped it open for a look. It contained information on the recently appeared aquatic species, as well as some of the unwritten rules and faction introductions for the inside of Base Six. But he’d only read a few pages before the man with the glasses closed it.

"The package deal is twenty Contribution Points. An absolute bargain. It’ll help you avoid a lot of mistakes and prevent plenty of trouble."

Xu Mo felt a stir of interest. This information packet was exactly what he desperately needed right now. His knowledge of the Jiang City Shelter was still at the level of a promotional video; he was completely ignorant of the actual internal situation, the distribution of power, and the potential dangers.

After a round of haggling, Xu Mo finally settled on a price of seven rifle rounds. He paid with the bullets on the spot and put away the notebook containing the intelligence on Jiang City and its surrounding areas.

Next, Xu Mo used another twenty bullets to trade for a five-liter military-style jerrycan from a fuel vendor, filling it with diesel in case his off-road vehicle needed it.

After all his purchases, although he hadn’t earned anything yet, Xu Mo had already spent twenty-seven bullets.

Through these trades and inquiries, Xu Mo gained a deeper understanding of how resources flowed within the base. Here, Contribution Points were the official currency, but bartering—especially trading with hard currencies like ammunition, fuel, food, and medicine—was just as common, and even more popular in private deals.

Xu Mo stood on the street as the clamor began to fade, feeling the pulse of this massive human settlement. He then looked toward the deeper parts of the base, toward the core area where the lights were denser and the order was said to be better.

There was opportunity here, and there was order, but it was also filled with unknown dangers and the naked law of the jungle.

’Well, at least I’ve taken the first step.’ Xu Mo took a deep breath of the complex-smelling air, his gaze becoming firm and sharp once again.