Chapter 50: The Scene of the Transaction

"You two, remember my words."

Mu Chen swept his gaze over Chen Si and Chen Jiahe, carrying a heavy backpack filled with supplies.

"If anything feels wrong, immediately hide in the bedroom and lock the door from the inside!"

Chen Jiahe nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, we'll definitely be careful!"

"Big Mouth, come with me." Mu Chen patted the mutant canine beside him. "Today, I might need you to pull your weight."

A low whimpering sound came from Big Mouth's throat. Its massive body pressed closely against Mu Chen, almost knocking him off balance.

"Mu Chen," Chen Si still couldn't resist calling out to him, "Are you really sure you don't need us to go with you?"

"There's no need. Your safety is the top priority."

Before his voice had even faded, Mu Chen had already pushed the door open and stepped out, with Big Mouth following closely like a shadow.

In the corridor, the pungent smell of blood still hung heavily in the air, and the dried bloodstains on the ground silently spoke of the brutality that had occurred not long ago.

Mu Chen's mental detection power instantly spread out, taking in every movement within a radius of two hundred meters.

"Something's wrong."

Mu Chen furrowed his brows slightly. The stairwell was dead silent, not even a shadow of a mutant creature to be seen.

"Those monsters... where on earth did they go?"

Logically speaking, such a strong scent of blood should have been enough to attract even more mutant creatures.

Big Mouth followed step for step, sniffing the air intently with its nose, clearly sensing the eerie atmosphere as well.

"Never mind, let's get to the trading fair first."

Man and beast made their way rapidly down to the first floor. The property management lobby was bustling with voices, surprisingly lively.

"Take a look, come see! Brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class! Only fifty catties of rice!"

A middle-aged man with a beer belly was shouting hoarsely beside a car, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Who the hell gives a damn about your piece-of-junk car! You can't even get gas for it now!" someone in the crowd sneered.

"That's just because you're ignorant, kid! Even if this thing is stripped down and sold for scrap metal, it's worth it!"

Mu Chen's gaze swept quickly across the entire scene, where all sorts of miscellaneous "goods" were laid out across the floor.

Jewelry, designer handbags, high-end electronics... these luxury items that symbolized status and wealth before the apocalypse could now not even be traded for a single piece of hard, stale bread.

"Want to trade for medicine? Cold medicine, stomach medicine, I have them all!"

A frail woman spoke in a tiny, timid voice, holding up a few boxes of medication.

"How do you want to trade?"

"A box of medicine for a pack of instant noodles."

The onlookers shook their heads upon hearing this and dispersed one by one. With even cold medicine finding no takers, the extent of the物资 scarcity went without saying.

Mu Chen continued to weave through the crowd. His target was the traders who truly controlled the hard currency of the apocalypse.

Just then, a sharp argument erupted in a corner.

"You old hag! I clearly laid eyes on this thing first!"

A young man was arguing fiercely with Chen Rong, his words coming in gasps, clearly showing that his body was weak.

"Just because you saw it first, it's yours?" Chen Rong put her hands on her hips, her voice louder than his. "My grandson already has it in his hands!"

Xiaohu, acting arrogant and domineering, hugged a semi-worn medical kit tightly and chimed in with his childish voice, "That's right! What my grandma says goes!"

All the color drained from the young man's face, and his voice carried despair. "There's asthma medicine in there that I desperately need! Without it, I'll die!"

"Whether you live or die is none of my damn business?" Chen Rong rolled her eyes and curled her lips meanly. "If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being slow-handed!"

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, yet not a single person was willing to step forward and say a fair word.

The young man panicked completely, looking imploringly at the numb faces around him. "I'm begging you, that really is life-saving medicine! I'll trade other things for it!"

He pulled a watch from his chest and held it up with a trembling hand. "This is a Rolex! It was very valuable before the apocalypse!"

Chen Rong let out a sneer, glancing at it dismissively. "A Rolex? Can you eat it? Or can you drink it as water?"

Xiaohu hugged the medical kit even tighter and urged impatiently, "Grandma, let's hurry up and leave! This uncle is so annoying!"

"Alright, alright, my good grandson, Grandma will take you away right now."

Chen Rong grabbed Xiaohu and turned to squeeze out of the crowd, driving the young man to absolute desperation.

"Don't go!" He grabbed Chen Rong's arm, though his strength was lacking. "You can't do this!"

"Let go! Let go of me right now!" Chen Rong immediately shrieked, her voice grating and shrill. "Everyone come look at this! This person is trying to rob people in broad daylight!"

Accusatory murmurs and pointing immediately arose from the surrounding crowd, yet still no one stepped forward.

The young man's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and cold sweat beaded on his temples.

"I... I can't... the medicine... give me the medicine..."

Before he could finish, he violently clutched his chest, his body swaying unsteadily.

"Fake it! Keep faking it!" Chen Rong cursed harshly. "Trying to use this pathetic trick to win sympathy? In your dreams!"

The young man's complexion rapidly turned blue-purple, a harsh, wind-breaking rattling sound coming from his throat. Every breath was agonizingly difficult, draining the last remnants of his strength.

His asthma was acting up!

He collapsed stiffly to the ground, his hands scratching frantically at the floor, his mouth wide open, yet unable to draw in a single shred of air.

"Save... save me..."

The surrounding crowd recoiled a few paces all at once, as if avoiding a plague, terrified of drawing trouble upon themselves.

"Is he for real? Could he actually be sick?" someone muttered in a low voice.

"Who cares? Don't be a busybody."

Watching the young man struggle in agony on the ground, Chen Rong felt not a shred of pity; instead, a malicious smile curved the corners of her mouth.

"Xiaohu, did you see that? That's what happens when you try to snatch things from Grandma!"

Clutching the medical kit, Xiaohu was so frightened by the scene on the ground that he cowered behind Chen Rong and asked in a small voice, "Grandma, is he... is he going to die?"

Chen Rong gave a cold hum. "Good riddance if he dies! Saves him from coming to bother us again!"

The young man's condition grew worse and worse. His bodily spasms became increasingly faint, and the rattling sound in his throat gradually subsided, leaving only feeble, powerless convulsions.

Mu Chen stood on the outer fringe of the crowd, watching the scene with an expressionless face.

Big Mouth whimpered softly beside him, restless and uneasy.

"Interesting," Mu Chen muttered to himself.

In the apocalypse, plays like this were staged every single day. Surviving was the only truth that mattered.

"Help... anyone..." The young man's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzzing, barely audible.

With his last remaining ounce of strength, he reached out toward the medical kit, his fingertips trembling.

"The medicine... is right there... please..."

Seeing him like this, Chen Rong purposely raised the medical kit a little higher.

"You want it? Not until your next life!"

"Grandma is the best!" Xiaohu clapped his small hands nearby, shouting excitedly.

A slight stir and whispered chatter rippled through the observing crowd.

"Isn't this old woman being a bit too ruthless?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Her husband is the director of the neighborhood committee!"

"So what if he's the director?"

"Don't want to stay in this residential complex anymore? Offend her, and you won't have a good time hereafter!"

The whispering immediately quieted down and then vanished entirely, as everyone looked out only for themselves.

Hearing these words, the very last spark of light faded from the young man's body.

He understood that today, no one would extend a helping hand.

"Heh... hehe..." He emitted a bizarre, disjointed laugh, intermittent and broken. "The apocalypse... human nature..."