Chapter 632: Even the Donkey on the Farm Doesn’t Get Worked This Hard
Five hundred catties? Naturally, that meant five hundred catties of food.
Given the current situation, even a Superhuman would have at most two to three hundred catties of food on hand. Five hundred catties was a reserve only a convoy could hold.
Of course, there might be individual Superhumans with exceptionally strong personal strength who could have that much.
But there was absolutely no way they’d be willing to trade it for something like this Anomaly.
Unless it was a Wonder with a very close number ranking, only then could such a price be possible.
There was no other way. Under these circumstances, food was the most solid hard currency around.
But to get a convoy to fork over five hundred catties of food in exchange for a juvenile Anomaly of unknown origin…
Even if he himself was willing, Chu Che and the others certainly wouldn’t be.
This was an impossible price.
That Taoist priest seemed shrewd, yet he’d named a price that was virtually unattainable.
Unless someone, like Chen Ye, actually had a way to make use of this juvenile Purple Rakshasa.
Earlier, he’d thought the guy was cunning and sly, yet he also seemed completely unable to do the math.
Seemed like that assessment was spot on.
Many people nearby, upon hearing this price from the Taoist priest, shook their heads and jeered.
“This Taoist is crazy. Five hundred catties of food? Who can pull out that many supplies now?”
“Greedy as hell. Can a juvenile Anomaly really be worth that much?”
“Five hundred catties? Oh my god, our whole convoy together doesn’t have that much!”
“Old Taoist, just keep it for yourself! Who knows if this thing is even good for anything!”
The crowd dispersed in a hubbub.
The old Taoist’s face flushed slightly red from all the mockery. He wanted to argue with them, but when he saw Chen Ye about to leave…
The old Taoist hurriedly scrambled out from behind his stall, rushed over, and grabbed Chen Ye by the arm.
“Brother, brother, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. The seller sets a high price, the buyer makes a counteroffer—how can you just walk away without even haggling?”
“Brother, the price is negotiable, negotiable!”
Just as the old Taoist burst out of his stall, a faint curve lifted the corner of Chen Ye’s mouth.
“Negotiate my ass. You named that price with no intention of selling. Keep it for yourself!”
“Brother, let’s talk this through. Tell me, how much can you offer? Name it!”
Earlier it had been “sir,” and now it had turned into “brother.”
Chen Ye pondered for a moment. “Ten catties. Can’t go any higher than that.”
The old Taoist’s hand froze. The expression on his face shifted like a dramatic change of mask—his urgent look slowly cooled, then turned cold and indifferent.
He released his grip. “Young man, if you have things to do, go ahead and do them. This old Taoist won’t see you off!”
Chen Ye grabbed the old Taoist’s sleeve and grinned slyly. “You old fox, you just said the seller sets a high price and the buyer makes a counteroffer. What’s the rush?”
“If this thing of yours was really that good, would it be sitting here on a street stall?”
“If it was genuinely valuable, would you be willing to part with it?”
“Old timer, the way I see it, so far, no one else but me would even want this thing…”
With every word Chen Ye spoke, the old Taoist’s face darkened a shade.
Because everything Chen Ye said was true.
The two of them just stood there in the corner, trading barbs back and forth.
Sometimes the old Taoist was furious and flustered.
Sometimes Chen Ye was fierce and menacing.
Anyway, to outsiders, these two looked like they were conducting some shady, dirty deal.
If this had been before the apocalypse, they’d probably have caught the attention of law enforcement easily.
Half an hour later.
Chen Ye paid the price of three Silent Gold Coins and obtained that juvenile Purple Rakshasa.
The old Taoist wore an expression of intense reluctance.
Clearly, from the pained look on his face, his earlier claim that this Purple Rakshasa was hard to deal with was probably true.
“You little fox, I’m telling you, even though this Purple Rakshasa is a juvenile, it’s by no means easy to handle!”
“I don’t know what you plan to do with it, but you must be careful!”
“This Evil-Dispelling Talisman still has about five hours of effectiveness left. After five hours, you’ll need to replace it with a new one! Otherwise, this cage won’t be able to hold the little thing!”
“One last thing, little fox—I’m the only one in the entire base who sells Evil-Dispelling Talismans. When you come back, I’ll give you a discount!”
When he said this, the old Taoist’s expression finally softened a bit.
Chen Ye waved his hand dismissively. “Got it!”
With that, he picked up the cage and walked away.
Little did he know, the juvenile Purple Rakshasa inside that cage, the moment it was traded to Chen Ye, actually let out a huge sigh of relief.
It was as if a danger had vanished. The vigilant look on its face even relaxed just a little.
Though it still wore a ferocious expression, a trace of relief in its eyes—if one looked closely—could still be seen.
That vicious appearance was almost like it had been faked all along.
On the way back, many people cast curious glances at Chen Ye.
Of course, there were also those who were astonished that Chen Ye had actually bought this juvenile Anomaly.
The base wasn’t big. News of someone trading for an Anomaly spread quickly.
Chen Ye carried the cage back to the convoy camp.
This naturally drew a lot of attention.
Quite a few people gathered around.
Chu Che, in particular, was very interested. He circled the cage, observing it for a long time.
Chen Ye also repeated the information he’d gotten from the Taoist priest earlier.
Chu Che decided to record this in his captain’s notebook.
Of course, around the convoy camp, everyone tacitly agreed not to ask Chen Ye what he planned to do with this thing.
Everyone had their own secrets.
The Fair Convoy still respected each other’s privacy.
Chen Ye didn’t waste words. He placed the cage on the vehicle.
If he wanted to sacrifice this thing, he’d have to wait until nightfall at least.
Dinner that night was nothing special. Still braised potato rice with some meatworm jerky.
There was no chicken or anything like that.
No eggs, either.
These supplies couldn’t guarantee daily availability.
In the evening, they once again discussed the specific details of tomorrow’s operation in depth.
Wu Zehui from the Post-Apocalyptic Opera Troupe and Number One from the Skeleton Convoy would be joining the convoy’s action.
So, tomorrow, they needed to wrap up the matter at the Haosheng Hotel as smoothly as possible.
“In that case, we’ll set out at four in the morning tomorrow!”
“Four???!!!”
When they heard “four in the morning,” Number One and Wu Zehui both whipped their heads around to stare at Chen Ye.
Wu Zehui said helplessly, “Chen Ye, I know we’re following your orders tomorrow, but even the donkey on the farm doesn’t get worked this hard, does it?”
“Four in the morning—the sky won’t even be light yet!”
Number One from the Skeleton Convoy didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes conveyed exactly the same meaning as Wu Zehui’s.
Suddenly, Number One felt that taking on this mission might not have been the best decision.
This one-eyed bastard clearly intended to work her like a mule.
Chen Ye grinned slyly. “No worries. Go early, come back early!”
Wu Zehui shot Chen Ye a suspicious glance. “It better be!”
Chen Ye patted Wu Zehui on the shoulder. “Relax. You’re Sequence 4, after all. A little trouble like this is a piece of cake for you!”
Number One’s gaze remained distrustful.
Wu Zehui’s eyes were still full of suspicion. “I’m starting to regret this now. Squad Leader Chu, can we back out?”
Chu Che laughed and tried to smooth things over, hoping to brush it aside.
Chen Ye pretended not to notice.
Anyone who’s ever driven a car knows that if you’re driving a borrowed car, you can stomp on the gas pedal however you want without feeling a hint of regret.
You could even redline a car worth millions right in front of the owner!
So, my friends with cars, if you can avoid lending your car to others, don’t. Even if… just don’t!
Since these guys weren’t part of his own convoy, why not use them to the fullest?