Chapter 239 - 138: Market Signal

Chapter 239: Chapter 138: Market Signal

This little restaurant was like a microcosm of Jiang City’s food supply chain. The amount of grain, vegetables, meat, and eggs consumed daily by millions of people was astronomical. The summer harvest had solved the problem of staple foods, but the supply of non-staples, especially vegetables and meat, was clearly stretched thin.

Judging by the situation, Jiang City’s non-staple food industries, such as its greenhouses and livestock farms, had either not fully recovered or their production capacity was lagging far behind demand. This was especially true for meat. After the cataclysm, the risks of hunting in the wild had skyrocketed. Large-scale farming required time and a stable environment, and now even fish were hard to come by due to the threat of mutated creatures in the rivers. The scarcity of meat was likely to persist for a long time. ℯ

As he was contemplating this, the owner placed the cooked dishes in front of Xu Mo.

Snapping back to reality, Xu Mo looked at the dishes before him and frowned.

The so-called "Minced Pork with Eggplant" had plenty of eggplant, glistening with oil, but the "minced pork" was nothing more than a few scattered, dark red specks that were almost unnoticeable unless you looked closely. The portions of stir-fried bean sprouts and garlic water spinach were decent enough, but both looked a little wilted, clearly having been in storage for a while.

Xu Mo glanced at the Minced Pork with Eggplant on the next table; it was the same story. That being the case, he had nothing to complain about. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat in silence. The flavor was passable. The owner hadn’t lost his touch, using plenty of oil and salt, which was a rare delicacy in these post-apocalyptic times. However, those few specks of meat could hardly satisfy his body’s instinctive craving for protein.

When he settled the bill, the number of Contribution Points reminded Xu Mo just how expensive food was in this post-apocalyptic world. A simple, home-cooked meal with virtually no meat cost nearly as much as his wages from a half-day patrol.

Outside the restaurant, the afternoon sun was still scorching. Xu Mo considered heading over to the trading market. On the one hand, he could see if there were any useful odds and ends or unexpected finds. On the other, he wanted to get a more direct feel for the real situation of how goods were circulating.

However, just as he exited the alley, his eyes were drawn to a somewhat familiar figure not far ahead.

It was a young woman, tall and slender, wearing a pair of faded denim shorts and a simple white cotton t-shirt. On her feet was a pair of what looked to be fairly sturdy sneakers. Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and she was walking alone at a leisurely pace, apparently heading down the main road toward the trading market.

Xu Mo had an excellent memory and quickly pulled the relevant information from his mind—it was that Ice Ability User, Weiwei. When he had first arrived in Jiang City, he had run into her and her teammates at a wonton stall.

Right now, Weiwei was dressed casually and had no teammates with her. It looked like she was enjoying a rare moment of personal time.

A thought stirred in Xu Mo’s mind. ’Superpower Users are a relatively rare and highly valued group in Jiang City. Their movements and general state can often reveal a lot.’

Xu Mo had no intention of deliberately tailing her, but since they were headed to the same destination, he kept a casual distance and ambled along behind.

Perhaps it was the unique perceptiveness of a Superpower User, or perhaps Xu Mo’s gaze had lingered a moment too long. Up ahead, the strolling Weiwei suddenly stopped without warning. She turned, her gaze locking precisely onto Xu Mo’s position. Her brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with scrutiny and confusion. Her gaze lingered on him for two seconds, as if she were trying to place him.

Unfazed, Xu Mo didn’t break his stride. He met her gaze and gave a calm, slight nod in greeting. Then, maintaining his pace, Xu Mo walked past the motionless Weiwei and continued toward the trading market. His eyes swept naturally over the street-side shops and pedestrians, and he didn’t give her a second glance.

Xu Mo’s actions were natural and fluid, showing none of the panic or furtiveness of a follower who’d been caught. As he walked past Weiwei, he could feel her probing gaze on his back. But soon, the pressure of her stare vanished.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Mo saw Weiwei stand in place for a few more seconds. Her brow gradually relaxed, as if she had concluded it was just a simple coincidence that they were heading in the same direction. She then started walking again, but whether intentionally or not, she put a bit more distance between them.

Xu Mo chuckled to himself. ’Weiwei’s a cautious one, all right.’ But that was for the best, as it avoided any unnecessary misunderstandings.

The entrance to the trading market seemed more crowded than usual. Even before he went inside, a wave of clamor and a complex medley of smells washed over him.

This place was more chaotic and disorderly than the streets of the Inner City, but also more vibrant and lively.

All sorts of stalls were set up along the sides of the road and in open spaces, selling a motley collection of goods. There was everything from rusty tool parts, broken electronics, yellowed books and magazines, and oddly-styled trinkets, to all kinds of dried herbs, unknown mineral specimens, simple homemade weapons and armor, and even some ’antiques’ of dubious authenticity.

Like a drop of water into the sea, Xu Mo blended into the crowd and began to browse the stalls aimlessly.

Soon, Xu Mo was squatting in front of a stall selling old tools and parts. He picked up a half-rusted vise and began to haggle casually with the owner, his eyes scanning the other items on display. In the end, he bought a small, relatively intact screwdriver set for the low price of a few Contribution Points.