Chapter 240 - 138: Market Signal

Chapter 240: Chapter 138: Market Signal

After making his purchase, Xu Mo paused in front of a stall selling various spoils from expeditions. He listened as the stall owner, spittle flying, boasted about a strange-looking rock, claiming he had picked it up from the edge of some unknown region and that it might contain special energy.

Xu Mo picked up the stone, weighing it in his hand. He circulated a trace of his vital energy to sense it but detected nothing unusual. Smiling, he shook his head, set the stone down, and walked away under the stall owner’s disappointed gaze.

However, as he browsed more and more stalls, Xu Mo gradually noticed something different from the usual.

The stalls selling food in the trading market had all but vanished.

As Xu Mo recalled, the trading market always had a few stalls selling homemade jerky, dried fruit, or packaged food—expired but still edible—that had been scavenged from some small shop in the ruins. Those stalls were usually bustling with people, and the sounds of bargaining were always the most intense around them.

But today, after covering more than half the market, he had only seen one or two scattered stalls selling shriveled, unidentified wild fruits or sun-dried vegetables that had turned black. They had few interested customers, and the quality of the goods was abysmal. What was far more common was the opposite phenomenon: stalls set up to buy.

Several of the more prominent spots were occupied by simple cardboard or wooden signs, on which was written in thick, bold letters:

"BUYING ALL CANNED GOODS IN BULK, LONG-TERM. MEAT & FRUIT PREFERRED. TOP DOLLAR PAID!"

"BUYING COMPRESSED BISCUITS & MILITARY RATIONS! PRICE NEGOTIABLE!"

"BUYING ALL NON-PERISHABLE FOODS, REGARDLESS OF EXPIRATION DATE! WE’LL TAKE ALL YOU’VE GOT!"

The people sitting behind these stalls weren’t the sallow and gaunt individuals one might expect. Instead, they were either confident, sharp-eyed merchant types or simply a few taciturn, burly men. You could tell at a glance they had powerful backing.

They didn’t call out to passersby, simply sitting in silence. But the words on their signs and their self-assured posture broadcast a powerful signal of demand all on their own.

What drew Xu Mo’s attention most was one sign with "CANNED FRUIT—TOP PRICE!" specially marked in red. On a nearby sign, the price for "CANNED MEAT" was a close second. "COMPRESSED BISCUITS" were a tier lower, but the price offered was still far higher than the market rate for non-food supplies.

That was a little unusual.

’Compressed biscuits and military rations are hard currency in this post-apocalyptic world. They have long shelf lives, are energy-dense, and are easy to carry and store, so it’s understandable that they would be bought at a high price. Canned meat is equally precious, as sources of protein are scarce. But for canned fruit to be labeled "top price"... that was intriguing.’

’In this world, fruit is a luxury item even rarer than meat. It’s difficult to preserve long-term, and growing fresh fruit requires a stable environment and a lot of time. Canned fruit has become practically the only reliable source of vitamin C and other essential fruit and vegetable nutrients.’

’A long-term lack of fresh fruits and vegetables leads to various vitamin deficiencies, which in turn affect one’s immune system and overall health. For a large shelter like Jiang City, which is attempting to establish long-term order and maintain the health of its populace, a stable supply of vitamins is likely just as strategically important as protein and calories.’

’Jiang City might have its own stockpiles or supply channels, but they clearly aren’t enough to meet the demand. These private buyers are either sharp merchants who’ve sniffed out an opportunity for massive profit, or they’re procurement agents for specific groups with urgent needs.’

’Regardless of the reason, it all pointed to one single fact: Jiang City’s supply of supplementary food was about to become tight.’

This discovery left Xu Mo with a heavier feeling than the news that restaurants were out of meat. Grains could keep you alive, but a balanced diet was what kept you healthy and combat-ready. If even the common people were starting to frantically hoard and buy up vitamin supplements, the pressure on Jiang City’s leadership must be even greater.

Xu Mo continued to browse, his expression unchanged, but he filed this information away in his mind.

After wandering around for a little longer and finding no other valuable information or items worth buying, Xu Mo headed back with the tools he had acquired.