57: The safety cabin was finally replaced!
Bai Wanning watched Tong Huan leave without a word.
Once she was out of sight, she silently searched the entire fourth floor again, finding several heaters and barbecue grills, all of which she put into her space pocket. She had been so focused on resource collection that she almost forgot she also needed heaters.
The shelves on the fifth floor were stacked with various alcoholic beverages: red wine, white wine, fruit wine, tequila, whiskey, vodka... She inventoried them one by one, collecting everything she could carry.
There were also a few bags of luosifen, vermicelli, self-heating hot pots, etc., piled in a corner, likely temporarily hoarded by someone.
She scanned her surroundings to ensure nothing was left behind, then continued upstairs.
On the sixth floor were several thick coats and insulated boots. Bai Wanning efficiently packed them all until she confirmed there were no more high-value supplies in the entire building. Only then did she begin her return journey.
However, as soon as she stepped down the stairs, a cold prompt suddenly appeared before her eyes.
["Barter Transaction."]
[" 'King of Thieves' requests a barter transaction with you. Do you accept?"]
Bai Wanning froze, her gaze slightly narrowed.
The name on the screen made her hesitate for half a second, but in the end, she clicked "Accept."
She knew that as long as this person had the supplies she needed, she wouldn't mind doing business.
The scenery changed, and amidst the swirling blue light, she found herself in a cool, blue trading room.
In front of her, a short, stout man was leaning back in a wicker chair, a pipe resembling an electronic cigarette in his mouth, appraising her.
"You're the one who sold the jade hairpin last time, right?"
The man got straight to the point, not even bothering with a greeting, exhaling smoke and grinning, "I want to buy some jade. What do you need? As long as I have it in stock, I'll get it for you."
"Your 'stock'?" Bai Wanning narrowed her eyes, her tone tinged with caution.
"Don't look at me like that." The man spread his hands. "Although I don't look serious, I'm actually a man of my word."
He pulled out a badge from his pocket and flashed it. "I'm a black market boss, not some low-level petty thief. If you want, I can trade you with the entire black market inventory."
"Since you're willing to open this transaction, it means you also have something you need from me, right?"
Bai Wanning's heart stirred. Although she hadn't said anything, he could guess so accurately; he truly had some skill.
"I want a safety pods," she said, her tone calm but brooking no refusal. "The kind that's earthquake-resistant, waterproof, and has a complete sealed system. If you have it, I can give you jade, but the value will depend on the quality of your item."
She sneered inwardly. Who would reveal their bottom line right away? Let this person bring out his goods first, then she would set the price.
The King of Thieves raised an eyebrow, a hint of playfulness surfacing in his eyes.
He could tell Bai Wanning was doing it on purpose; the implication of "you go first" in her tone was too obvious.
He chuckled softly, raising a hand to pat the armrest of the chair. "Don't worry, the material exchange system won't let me trick you."
"You want a safety pods? I'll show it to you now."
With that, he took an unassuming small package from his space ring.
The package contained several oval-shaped metal objects that looked like cheap toys.
He casually picked one up and pressed the button on the bottom.
Boom!
The "toy" rapidly expanded, its structure reorganizing, and in a moment, it transformed into an oval-shaped pod large enough to accommodate an adult.
"A top-grade safety pods." The man patted its titanium alloy shell, a hint of pride in his voice. "Only used three times. I got it from a rich man who was going to buy the latest model to deal with a meteor shower, but don't worry, unless your world also suffers such an event, this one is more than enough."
He clasped his hands on the table, looking at Bai Wanning. "The rest of the items in the bag also have complete survival functions. You can..."
Before he could finish, Bai Wanning had already grabbed the bag without a word and began inspecting each item.
"What are you doing?" The King of Thieves frowned, a little bewildered.
"Checking," Bai Wanning replied calmly.
The King of Thieves: "..."
He stared at her as if re-examining a new species. Clearly, he had never seen a trader so untrusting.
"Sorry." Bai Wanning finished inspecting the last pod, then looked at him with an unchanged expression. "I just... don't trust people easily."
She wasn't lying. Ever since that incident, she would never easily trust anyone again.
The King of Thieves sighed and spread his hands. "Alright, I don't blame you, but you'd better pray that your jade can satisfy me."
"Of course." Bai Wanning's expression was calm. She knew the jade she brought from the luxury goods section would be of good quality.
She didn't take out the finest piece, but instead picked a high-quality second-grade jade from her space pocket.
The jade was snow-white, warm and smooth, like ice and water.
She placed the jade on the table. The system didn't issue any warnings, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. She had made the right gamble.
The King of Thieves picked up the jade, first examining it, then taking out a peculiar instrument from his sleeve to test it.
His eyes gradually lit up, and after a moment of contemplation, he nodded.
"By my era, this kind of jade would be considered a rare antique," he sighed softly, tried it twice more, then said with satisfaction, "I should have listened to that guy earlier. He said you had good stuff in your inventory, and he was right."
His eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Do you have more of this kind of jade?"
"Not at the moment," Bai Wanning bit her lip slightly, "but if you need it, I can get some more."
The man looked a little disappointed but still smiled and said, "I'll add you as a friend. If I initiate a trade, you'll accept, right? Unless you want goods of an interdimensional level, I pretty much have everything."
Bai Wanning nodded, agreeing.
The transaction ended.
With a flash of blue light, Bai Wanning returned to the real world and immediately headed towards the meeting point, but upon arrival, she instantly became alert.
The boat was gone.
Her eyes turned cold, and her voice deepened, "Where's the boat?"
"Wanning!" Bai Jixuan immediately relaxed when he saw her return.
He quickly ran forward, pointing to the middle of the road, "That girl... I think her name was Lu Yin? She said she was going to rescue someone and paddled away in the boat."
"Where's Second Brother?" Bai Wanning didn't see Bai Zhan and frowned.
Bai Jixuan looked at the boat and replied helplessly, "That girl took him away. We don't know what happened. They've been gone for so long and haven't come back yet."
Lei Yan interjected, "We wanted to swim over, but Lu Yin told us not to move, saying everything was under her control."
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Wanning's gaze grew even colder.
She handed the backpack on her back to her brother and told him, "Big Brother, hold this for me."
Then, without a word, she jumped directly into the water and swam towards the inflatable boat.
On the boat, Lu Yin trembled with fear as she watched the chubby man kick Bai Zhan down.
She was both angry and scared.
Scared that the man in front of her was not the helpless person she had imagined; angry that Bai Zhan was so useless, getting knocked down with one kick!
How much of a good-for-nothing was this person? She cursed Bai Zhan a thousand times in her heart, yet never considered that Bai Zhan had told her to stay put and not run around, but it was she who disobeyed and rushed to help this man.
She was the one who harmed Bai Zhan, not Bai Zhan who harmed her!
"Little sister, don't be scared. Hand over the bag and play with Big Brother. As long as you serve me well, I'll treat you well," the man said to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin shivered and turned to look at Bai Zhan.
"Don't even think about calling for help, otherwise I'll kill both you and him right now," the chubby man threatened with a sneer.
Lu Yin trembled all over.
She didn't care about Bai Zhan's life or death at all, but she didn't want to die. Besides, Bai Zhan was so weak, what was the point of living in such a cruel era?