15: The role of contaminated cores

While Xu Jingzhe was recuperating, Zhang Manyue was not idle.

She continuously brought him acorns and news about Musileke City; a major battle was inevitable.

“Crunch!” He cracked open an acorn, threw it into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it.

Eating acorns every day, he was about to throw up. But, he still had to eat!

His eyes welled up with tears as he watched Zhang Manyue roast a rat as big as a lamb over the fire, his mouth watering profusely.

The aroma, the texture of the meat, it was incredible!

But... do androids need to eat too? He asked himself this question.

Now, his feet could move, and Xu Jingzhe could feel that he walked a few points faster than usual.

Consuming the same amount of internal energy, he used to walk eighty meters per minute, but now he could walk one hundred sixty meters per minute, a full doubling.

Running was even more different; he could cover a hundred meters in six seconds.

He secretly gloated for a long time.

“This rat meat is very fragrant, are you really not going to eat it?” Zhang Manyue’s slender fingers tore off a piece of golden-brown roasted rat meat, slowly chewed it, and didn't forget to stick out her tongue to lick the oil from her fingers.

Uh...

He was hungry...

Xu Jingzhe hated the system, that bastard!

This was rat... meat personally roasted by a beautiful woman.

“You eat it, I don’t like meat, I prefer vegetarian food,” Xu Jingzhe said through gritted teeth.

Zhang Manyue smiled, not replying, and ate in small bites.

“Forget it... I’ll go outside and take a look.”

As soon as he stepped outside and looked into the distance, he saw a figure walking towards him.

This time, Xu Jingzhe could be sure it was a person.

“Zhang Manyue, someone’s coming!” Xu Jingzhe shouted.

Instantly, Zhang Manyue stood beside Xu Jingzhe, her body tensed, even forgetting the fragrant rat meat she held in her hand.

The person’s speed was not slow; in a few breaths, he had covered hundreds of meters.

He had clearly seen Xu Jingzhe and Zhang Manyue, but without any hesitation, he still approached.

A minute later, he arrived in front of the two.

Six eyes met.

Xu Jingzhe was a little surprised; it was a very normal person, with no visible abnormalities.

He smiled at Xu Jingzhe, his eyes sincere, and he didn’t show any disdain for Xu Jingzhe’s appearance, saying with a smile: “Friends, I was passing by here, and I smelled the meat from two li away, I really couldn’t resist.”

“Can we trade? I’ll use a few pollution cores to exchange for what you’re eating.”

Whoa!

Good gracious!

To open his mouth and offer pollution cores for food, that was quite generous.

But honestly, Xu Jingzhe had always heard Zhang Manyue talk about pollution cores, but he had never seen what a pollution core looked like.

“I, I don’t call the shots,” Xu Jingzhe said, waving his hands repeatedly at the man’s inquiring gaze, “This is my boss!”

System: “Ding, disgusting, you said you were with me.”

Xu Jingzhe: “......”

Zhang Manyue sized up the man, her eyes full of vigilance. A stranger appearing in the Pollution Zone, alone, with no obvious abnormalities, and daring to approach two people to exchange for food.

She didn't know if he was bold because of his skill or simply foolish.

However, at this point in time, many Contaminants were rushing to Musileke City, and Zhang Manyue was worried that she might not be able to defeat the man in front of her.

“Okay, no problem,” she nodded.

Immediately, the man took out three pollution cores from his pocket and handed them to Zhang Manyue.

Zhang Manyue didn’t take them, motioning for him to give them to Xu Jingzhe.

Xu Jingzhe accepted them with a fawning smile, his eyes sparkling like Star; these were treasures.

They could be exchanged for high-tech items in the High Molecular Compound Zone.

The three pollution cores were roughly the same size, completely black, odorless, and weighed about as much as a quail egg. He thought about it and felt they resembled the pit of a fruit.

Longan!

Only the color was different.

“These pollution cores were formed recently, they are one-year pollution cores. I killed a few on the way, they’re useless in my hands, so I might as well exchange them for something to eat,” the man spoke very politely, making one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

With the items in hand, Zhang Manyue moved aside, allowing the man to enter the small hut.

The man was self-assured and casual, sitting down by the fire, tearing off a piece of rat meat, and eating heartily.

In about ten minutes, half of the rat meat was in his stomach.

“This roasted rat meat is really good, crispy outside and tender inside, it’s just missing garlic. Eating meat without garlic, half the flavor is lost. There’s no beer either, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had beer, I want to drink some,” the man waved at Xu Jingzhe, signaling him to come over.

“Are you two also going to Musileke City? How about we go together? I heard there are at least nine Contaminants.”

“To snatch the ancient bacteria brought down from the moon, you need help.”

Xu Jingzhe was about to speak, but Zhang Manyue preempted him: “Thank you, we’re not going there, we’re going further in.”

“Okay,” the man didn’t say anything more.

After finishing the rat meat, he stood up, brushed the dust off his backside, and after thanking the two, he left directly.

Xu Jingzhe, who had been on edge, inexplicably felt a sense of loss, always feeling that this person should have done something, he had been on constant alert, ready to run if things went south.

Like suddenly attacking and killing, or suddenly mutating, and so on.

However, the person was truly just hungry.

“Is this person... a Contaminant?” Xu Jingzhe asked.

“Nine times out of ten,” Zhang Manyue said, “But this person is very generous, three pollution cores, we made a huge profit.”

“You keep saying that pollution cores can be exchanged for materials and high-tech products from people in the High Molecular Compound Zone, so what do those people want pollution cores for?”

“Have you heard of Moon Soil Evolution Fluid?” Zhang Manyue asked, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning against the doorway, her gaze fixed on the distance.

“No,” Xu Jingzhe replied honestly.

“Moon Soil Evolution Fluid, when used on materials, can improve their toughness and strength, etc. For example, steel with a hardness of 200, if soaked in Moon Soil Evolution Fluid, can have its hardness increased by 60% of its original value, meaning it can reach 320.”

“If humans drink it, it repairs hidden injuries and expels impurities from the body. Apart from potential, other aspects of the body will be comprehensively improved.”

“pollution cores are indispensable materials for synthesizing Moon Soil Evolution Fluid. The older the pollution core, the purer the Moon Soil Evolution Fluid produced, and the greater the improvement.”

Goodness, suddenly, Xu Jingzhe felt the three pollution cores in his hand were scalding hot.

Such a precious item, and the man just gave it away casually?

Generous!

“You put these three pollution cores away properly, wealth moves hearts,” Zhang Manyue reminded him.

Xu Jingzhe nodded, then turned his back, and rustling sounds began.

He was sure no one would guess where he had hidden the pollution cores.