29: Chapter 29: Transforming into a Black Market Merchant for a Shopping Spree, Millions of Players Break Through the Great Defense

"Xiaoxiao."

Su Chen turned around, his deep gaze fixed firmly on her, his tone carrying an unquestionable solemnity.

"From now on, I grant you the highest external trading authority for train no. 0099."

"I am entrusting you with an extremely important task, one that even concerns the life and death of everyone on the train."

Hearing the words "life and death," Su Xiaoxiao's expression instantly turned serious. She straightened her back and nodded vigorously.

Su Chen pointed to the list of materials on the screen and said in a deep voice:

"Use your talent as a profiteer and log into the regional trading channel immediately."

"Use all the surplus pure water, some mutant vegetables, and those captured low-level weapons and ragged clothes in our warehouse."

"Go and sweep the market for me!"

"Before other Train Masters react, or before the Heavenly Dao System releases the anti-acid formula."

"Buy up all the [Anti-Corrosive Rubber], [Mutant Mucus], and [Lead Blocks] you can see on the market!"

"At all costs, monopolize these basic anti-corrosion materials!"

After hearing Su Chen's plan, the large eyes hidden behind Su Xiaoxiao's lenses instantly lit up.

Panic dumping! Information asymmetry monopoly!

These were the most exciting and profitable methods in business warfare!

The blood of a merchant in her bones boiled at this moment.

"Train Master, you can leave this to me with peace of mind!"

Su Xiaoxiao licked her lips excitedly, patting her flat chest in assurance.

"As long as there is water and food, in the eyes of those who are starving to death, a pile of broken rubber is worth nothing."

"I guarantee that within five hours, I will get more than half of the anti-corrosion materials in the entire East China Region into our warehouse!"

Looking at Su Xiaoxiao, who was rubbing her hands and ready to make a big move, Su Chen smiled with satisfaction.

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

In terms of killing monsters and ruling, he was the absolute overlord.

But in terms of calculation, swindling... ahem, business operations, Su Xiaoxiao was definitely a rare talent.

Su Xiaoxiao immediately sat down at the auxiliary console in the cab and skillfully opened the Heavenly Dao System trading panel.

She didn't act like a nouveau riche, foolishly listing a large amount of water resources to request materials; that would only arouse suspicion and instantly drive up prices.

She adopted an extremely cunning "hunger marketing" and "batch hoarding" strategy.

"Trading information: [Half a bottle of sewage with some silt but drinkable], exchange for [Anti-Corrosive Rubber * 10] or [Lead Block * 5]. Note: Dying of thirst, just want to clear some space-taking trash from my backpack."

Once this seemingly extremely reasonable, even somewhat desperate, trading information was released, it immediately attracted the attention of those survivors in the channel who had long been thirsty with smoke-filled throats and happened to have this "trash" in their backpacks.

"Holy crap! Water! Although it's sewage, it's better than drinking urine!"

"Damn, this idiot is actually trading water for rubber? I just scavenged a bunch from an abandoned tire factory yesterday, hurry up and trade!"

"I'll trade, I'll trade! I have twenty lead blocks here, I'll give them all to you, just give me another half bottle!"

The ding-ding-dang-dang sound of successful trades rang continuously in Su Xiaoxiao's ears.

Those anti-corrosion materials that were enough to save lives in the face of the acid rain disaster flowed into the logistics warehouse of train no. 0099 like trash that didn't cost anything.

And all Su Xiaoxiao paid was the pure water that could be stably produced every day by the [Intermediate Water Circulation Purification Hub].

Of course, to make it look realistic, she also deliberately mixed a little bit of wilderness silt into the pure water.

Not only that.

Su Xiaoxiao also utilized the reputation of "Unparalleled Overlord" that Su Chen had previously established.

She secretly contacted several "resellers" who were somewhat famous in the regional channel.

"I am the logistics manager of train no. 0099. Our Train Master wants to undertake a major project and needs a large amount of these basic waste materials."

"You go help me collect them, the price is negotiable. As long as the quantity is large, I can make the decision to provide each of you with a can of [Military Beef Canned Food]!"

Beef canned food!

In the wasteland world, this was simply a supreme delicacy comparable to an elixir!

When those resellers heard this, their eyes turned green.

They immediately activated their own interpersonal networks and began to frantically acquire those anti-corrosion materials in various small chat groups and trading channels.

Stimulated by both the desire for survival and appetite, a hidden and crazy resource looting war quietly unfolded in the wasteland's trading network.

In just ten short hours.

Just when most Train Masters were still racking their brains on how to avoid the acid rain, looking for high ground or caves everywhere.

Su Xiaoxiao had already united with those greedy regional merchants.

Like a hidden giant crocodile, it silently devoured and monopolized nearly 80% of the [Anti-Corrosive Rubber] and [High-Purity Lead Blocks] in the East China Region's trading channel!

When there were less than a few hours left before the acid rain arrived.

The Heavenly Dao System finally had a conscience and announced several basic anti-acid coating synthesis formulas in the channel.

"[Primary Anti-Corrosive Coating Formula]: Anti-Corrosive Rubber 50 + Lead Block 30 + Any Monster Mucus * 10."

"Note: This coating can only provide the minimum level of anti-acid protection. It needs to be covered proportionally according to the train's volume and will continue to wear out in the acid rain. Please reserve enough materials to repair at any time."

Seeing this announcement, the Train Masters who were still running around like headless chickens in the wilderness or trying to find natural shelters instantly felt like they had grabbed a straw.

They immediately clicked on the trading panel, preparing to purchase these "trash" materials that usually seemed inconspicuous.

However.

When they saw the prices in the trading channel, everyone was dumbfounded, and some even felt their hearts stop for half a beat.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this price?! A piece of broken lead block actually costs ten units of clean water? Wasn't it five for half a bottle of sewage yesterday?!"

"Are you crazy! One hundred pieces of anti-corrosive rubber actually need a bronze-level weapon blueprint?! Why don't you just rob someone!"

"Profiteers! Definitely black-hearted profiteers! Someone swept all the anti-corrosion materials on the market in advance! Now they are selling them at high prices!"

"God damn it! I fought monsters for a whole day, and the little family fortune I got isn't even enough to buy materials for one synthesis of primary coating! Is this trying to force us to death?!"

The regional chat channel was instantly drowned by deafening curses and wails.

Those Train Masters who usually prided themselves on being shrewd and thought they could withstand any crisis were now red-eyed with anger, frantically cursing the bastard who was manipulating the market behind the scenes.

But in the face of the threat of death, what was the use of cursing?

Without an anti-acid coating, once the acid rain came, their proud armor would melt like ice cream, and in the end, both the people and the train would turn into a pool of foul-smelling blood!

"Buy! Even if we go bankrupt, we must buy!"

"As long as we can survive this disaster, what's the use of keeping those blueprints and weapons?!"

In this battle of life and death, reason ultimately lost to the desire for survival.

Countless survivors gritted their teeth and pressed the trade button.

They exchanged the high-grade wood, rare metals, and even some life-saving items and blueprints they had painstakingly accumulated for the anti-corrosion materials monopolized by Su Xiaoxiao at an extremely humiliating and cheap ratio.

And at this moment.

In the cab of train no. 0099.

As the mastermind behind this wasteland business war.

Su Xiaoxiao was sitting at the auxiliary console, watching the trading success notifications refreshing like a waterfall, as well as the high-grade materials piling up like mountains in the logistics warehouse at a visible speed.

Her round, cute face was almost glowing with excitement.

"Made a fortune! Really made a fortune!"

Su Xiaoxiao waved her little fists excitedly, and the ledger in her hand was almost crushed out of shape by her.

"Train Master! Look! We only used less than one-tenth of our material inventory to test the waters just now."

"We have already exchanged for three bronze-grade defensive blueprints, two tons of high-purity refined iron, and even fifty low-level elemental cores!"

"These guys are like crazy now, they don't even look at the price. As soon as materials are listed, they are instantly bought out!"

Su Chen stood by, arms crossed, watching Su Xiaoxiao's greedy little look, unable to help but chuckle.

"You girl, your heart is really dark."

Su Chen teased.

A ten-fold or even hundred-fold profit margin—this was more than just a profiteer; it was a vampire sucking blood from the survivors of the entire East China Region.

However, there was no blame in Su Chen's words; instead, it carried undisguised appreciation.

"So what if I'm a black market merchant?"

Su Chen raised his eyebrows self-deprecatingly, a trace of coldness and dominance flashing in his deep eyes.

"On this wasteland that eats people without spitting out bones, kindness and pity are the most fatal poisons."

"Anyway, it's others who are dying, not us."

"As long as it can make train no. 0099 stronger, even if it means climbing up over the bones of thousands of people, what does it matter?"

Su Chen stepped forward, stretched out his large, powerful palm, and rubbed Su Xiaoxiao's soft hair hard, making her originally neat hair messy.

"Well done, Xiaoxiao."

"You are not only a qualified logistics manager but also a born merchant."

"After this disaster passes, whatever reward you want, just ask."

Receiving such direct and domineering praise from Su Chen, Su Xiaoxiao's heart felt sweeter than eating honey.

Her big eyes curved into two crescents, her little tail proudly cocked up, and her little face slightly flushed.

"This is all thanks to your wise guidance, Train Master! As long as I can be by your side, having food and drink every day, I am satisfied."

However, happy as she was, business could not be delayed.

As the countdown approached, the sky outside the cab had undergone an extremely strange and terrifying change.

The sky, which had originally been shrouded in blood-colored mist, was now gradually rolling with large patches of dark green clouds.

This cloud layer was pressed extremely low, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Along with it, the surrounding air began to fill with an extremely pungent, nauseating smell of sulfur and strong acid.

"Countdown: two hours."

Ling Yi's cold, mechanical voice sounded in the cab.

"Master, according to external weather radar detection, the pH in the air is dropping sharply, and the first drop of Corrosive Acid Rain may fall at any time."

"Understood."

Su Chen withdrew the smile from his face, his eyes instantly becoming extremely cold and focused.

"Notify all personnel to enter the safe carriage, close all vents and shutters!"

"Start the internal air recirculation system!"

Following Su Chen's order, the entire train no. 0099, like a hedgehog facing a strong enemy, instantly retracted all its flaws and wrapped itself tightly.

And Su Chen himself, alone, followed the maintenance passage inside the carriage and climbed onto the wide top of the train.

The strong wind whistled, carrying a pungent acidic smell, blowing Su Chen's black tactical windbreaker so that it fluttered loudly.

He stood on the roof of the train like an unshakable demon god, took a deep breath, and looked down at the anti-corrosion materials piled up like a small mountain in the cargo carriage.

Those materials were all allocated from the warehouse by Su Xiaoxiao in advance for this Omni-Modification.

Thousands of units of [Anti-Corrosive Rubber], [High-Purity Lead Blocks], and [Mutant Mucus] extracted from various disgusting monsters.

"System!"

"Using these materials as a base, target: Full train armor coverage!"

"SSS-rank talent, [Omni-Modification] — Activate fully!"

Accompanied by Su Chen's thunderous roar.

His mental power at this moment poured out frantically without reservation, like a breached tsunami!

"Buzz — —!!!"

An extremely dazzling, even more piercing silver-white light than the dark green clouds in the sky, instantly erupted from under Su Chen's feet!

This light was like an inverted waterfall, and with an extremely violent posture, it instantly swallowed the mountain of anti-corrosion materials.

"Ling Yi! Coordinate with me, perform energy transmission and structural coverage!"

"Received, Master!"

Inside the train, the intelligent AI core operated at overload.

Countless blue data streams extended from every mechanical node of the train, perfectly intertwined with Su Chen's domineering Omni-Modification silver light.

Under the kneading of this power, which could be called a miracle, those rubbers that originally gave off unpleasant odors, heavy lead blocks, and disgusting mucus began to rapidly decompose, melt, and undergo extremely complex recombination at the molecular level!

"Chi chi chi — —"

Accompanied by a tooth-aching chemical reaction sound.

The surface of the [Gale Abatis Armor], which originally presented a blue-gray color and flickered with a cold metallic luster.

As if given life, it rapidly spread and condensed a layer of extremely smooth, strange alloy coating that presented a dull dark green!

This layer of coating, at a speed visible to the naked eye, started from the roof of the train, like mercury pouring to the ground, covered every corner and every gap of all five carriages without dead ends!

Even the huge obstacle remover at the very front of the train used for ramming monsters, and the thick chimney spitting steam, were perfectly wrapped in this layer of dark green coating.

[Ding! Omni-Modification fusion progress: 100%!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the Train Master! Omni-Modification successful!]

[Obtained new armor upgrade: Black Iron Epic — Acid-Resistant Alloy Coating!]

[Coating attributes: Extremely smooth, with super repulsive force. Acid immunity increased by 90%! Conventional physical defense increased by 20%!]

[Attached special effect: When attacked by acid, it can absorb a trace of acidic energy and automatically repair minor scratches on the coating!]