Chapter 109 - 92: Guide

Chapter 109: Chapter 92: Guide

Xing lowered his voice and said, "Xu, this is an officially-backed shop, so the quality is guaranteed. The prices are just a little higher. But the trade-off is safety—you’ll never get shoddy goods or something that’s been tampered with."

Xu Mo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the price tags. Standard-issue rifle rounds were indeed priced at 1 Contribution Point per round, with a note beside them: ’Daily purchase limit: 20 rounds.’ He walked over to the sniper rifle section and saw a well-maintained AWM priced at a staggering 6,500 Contribution Points. Its special .338 Magnum ammunition cost a full 5 Contribution Points per round.

"These prices..." Xu Mo murmured, arching an eyebrow.

"Being a sniper has always been an expensive profession," Xing explained.

Xu Mo did a lap around the shop before stopping at a reinforced glass cabinet full of explosives, which interested him the most. Inside were several models of grenades, plastic explosives, and armor-piercing warheads for rocket launchers. Their prices were exorbitant. A single, standard-issue grenade cost two hundred Contribution Points, while a rocket-propelled warhead was over a thousand.

"Xu, this stuff is powerful, but the prices are insane," Xing explained quietly beside him. "Plus, there are a lot of restrictions on them. Unless you need them for a mission, any private purchase and use has to be registered. It’s a real hassle. Usually, only the large scavenger teams will grit their teeth and buy a few when they’re heading out to take on a tough job."

Xu Mo nodded. He didn’t have much need for these items at the moment, and he already had things like grenades. His gaze swept over the custom Cold Weapons and high-end sniper equipment as he mentally assessed them. ’The gear here is good, but the prices are definitely steep.’

The armor shop next door was equally large. It sold all kinds of protective gear, from basic tactical vests and helmets to heavy-duty body armor with ceramic or steel plate inserts, and even armor woven from the leather, carapaces, or special alloys of mutated creatures.

"Xu, take a look," Xing said, pointing to a hanging camouflage tactical vest covered in pockets, and then to a much thicker piece of black armor with heavy steel plates inserted in the chest and back. "This first one is the official standard-issue ballistic vest. It can stop pistol rounds and shrapnel, and it’s reasonably priced. That heavy-duty one is for the City Defense Army’s elite units or for Hunters who fight powerful mutants. It can take a rifle round, but it weighs a ton."

"What about these?" Xu Mo asked, pointing to a display of stylistically distinct armors on the other side. Some had the dull sheen of dark leather and were covered in peculiar markings. Others looked as if they were pieced together from some kind of carapace, shimmering with a metallic luster. There was even a piece of soft armor that appeared to be woven from the scales of a giant fish.

"Oh, those are custom-made from the materials of mutated creatures," Xing said, lowering his voice. "They’re said to have unique defensive properties. Some can stop bullets and are even lighter than standard armor. But the price..." He chuckled. "Sky-high. They’re also difficult to make and extremely rare, so they’re usually only available through custom orders."

Xu Mo nodded slightly. His Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training had already granted his body the extreme defense of the Cowhide Realm, making him difficult to injure with ordinary blades. But against rifle rounds, it was a different story. ’Maybe I should consider getting a piece of lightweight, high-quality armor in the future, just as an extra layer of security.’

After browsing the two shops, they arrived at another one not far away. It was a three-story, Chinese-style building, its entrance bustling with people. Inside was a spacious hall filled with numerous glass counters and display racks, which held an assortment of strange and bizarre items.

There were translucent, gem-like bones and furs that constantly shifted in color. Each item was accompanied by a simple description and its consignment information.

Xu Mo also saw antiques, works of art, and jewelry from the old world, but in this post-apocalyptic era, they mostly attracted only a handful of nostalgic people or those with a specific use in mind.

There were also bizarre contraptions with no discernible purpose: rusted metal parts, stone tablets engraved with unknown runes, and even glowing liquids sealed in containers.

"The Museum of Curiosities is one of the most interesting places in the Inner City," Xing said quietly, guiding Xu Mo as they browsed. "The origins and functions of most things here are unknown. It all comes down to a good eye and a bit of luck. Some people have struck gold here and gotten rich overnight, while others have spent a fortune only to go home with worthless junk."

He pointed at the mutated materials and said to Xu Mo, "These things are said to contain some kind of ’energy’ that’s useful to certain people. Rumor has it that people who can faintly sense ’something’ inside these materials have a much higher chance of awakening a Superpower than the average person. So, a lot of people who feel something different about their bodies, or who just want to try their luck, come here often to see if they can sense anything."

Xing shrugged and added with a self-deprecating laugh, "Anyway, I can’t feel a thing. I guess it’s just not in the cards for me."

Hearing this, Xu Mo also focused on a few materials in the counter labeled ’Contains Active Spiritual Energy.’ He tried sensing them, both by sight and by channeling the power of his Cowhide Realm, but he was met with total silence. There was no feedback, no hint of any special energy fluctuations.

Xu Mo shook his head. ’I can’t sense anything either.’

After they finished browsing the shops, Xing led Xu Mo to the Hunter Guild Headquarters in Jiang City. Unlike the relatively simple mission post at the Sixth Forward Base, the Hunter Guild Headquarters in the Inner City was a magnificent five-story building. An insignia of a crossed rifle and hunting knife hung above the main entrance.

The first-floor hall was abuzz with activity. Directly opposite the entrance was a massive electronic display screen, scrolling through various mission listings. The missions were sorted by difficulty, from the lowest F-rank to the highest S-rank, and by their rewards. Beside the screen were dozens of self-service kiosks and staffed service counters.