Chapter 488: Trading Market
Chapter 488: Trading Market
Translator: Liu_Kaixuan Editor: Valvrave
'Captain Jiang, Hejiang Town is in front,' Peach's voice was conveyed to Jiang Liushi through Ran Xiyu.
Peach's psychic ability was far inferior to that of Ran Xiyu, and she was not good at conveying words to others through her mind. As a result, she needed Ran Xiyu's help to convey her words.
Hearing her words, Jiang Liushi looked into the distance. At the end of the road, some buildings were faintly visible, as well as many vehicles.
It was already sunset, so the temperature began to fall, and the sky was gradually turning gray. The thick clouds seemed to be pressing down and squatting on the buildings, making the town look dark, like a crouching beast.
In front of Jiang Liushi's team, some other teams were also heading toward the direction of Hejiang Town. According to Peach, those teams were either survivors from other areas of Jiangning or teams which specialized in hunting outside and searching for supplies.
Hejiang Town was not only just a trading market but also was also home to some powerful survivors as well as their teams. The entire Hejiang Town was also regulated and maintained by those powerful teams.
'The military's safe area is just north of Hejiang Town,' Peach said.
Jiang Liushi looked at the town in the distance and nodded.
'It's getting dark, so I'm afraid we can't enter.' They talked with each other through Ran Xiyu.
When they got near the entrance of the town, a large group of people gathered and surrounded them immediately. In this group of people, most of them were women. They were wearing dresses that exposed most of their skin, and they would ask in gentle voices, "Do you need information for today and tomorrow?"
But as soon as Wei Feifei came down from her car, those women quickly went away as soon as they saw her cold expression.
"Captain Jiang." Wei Feifei walked to Jiang Liushi's minibus.
Jiang Liushi opened his door and asked, "Who are they?"
"They are residents of Hejiang Town. The goods and purchase information change every day, so they gather all the information together and sell it to the trading team. Moreover, some men want to be accompanied by women, so if the price is appropriate, some women are willing to conduct that kind of business with them. If the price they offer is higher from what they expected, it's not impossible to buy them directly," Wei Feifei replied.
Hearing Wei Feifei's words, Jiang Liushi's countenance became unnatural. How could Wei Feifei tell him such kinds of things?
"Okay, help us find one. We are in a hurry," Jiang Liushi said.
Before his voice faded away, many women walked toward them quickly as they had heard what he said. Plus, Jiang Liushi was handsome, and naturally, those women preferred customers of good quality.
"Little handsome boy, choose me! The information I got is always accurate."
"Captain, it seems that we were destined to meet." A woman with heavy makeup pushed others away and squeezed in the front.
"You say this to everyone! Captain, choose me! I'm cheap and good," another woman said.
When Jiang Liushi saw those women, he suddenly felt that this scene was quite familiar. It was pretty much the same as every time he got out of a train station; a group of people would come and ask whether anyone needed a place to eat or sleep.
"You…" Jiang Liushi got a headache by the commotion. He swept over the crowd, and he fixed his eyes on a young woman who was pushed back by other women. She too wanted to sell the information she had like the others, but she didn't know what to say. When Jiang Liushi called, she was surprised and uncertain whether he was referring to her or not.
"Yes, you. What's your price?" Jiang Liushi asked.
The young woman felt a surge of excitement coursing through her body after confirming that he had indeed chosen her. "Half a kilo of rice," she replied nervously in a low voice. It seemed that she had just started working in this field, so she was nervous.
"Okay, follow us," Jiang Liushi said at once.
Half a kilo of rice may be nothing for Jiang Liushi, but for some ordinary survivors, it was food that could sustain them for two days. Unfortunately, they couldn't find a job every day, so they always were hungry.
When the other women heard Jiang Liushi's decision, they all dispersed in disappointment and continued to wait for other survivors.
The young woman who seemed to be in her early twenties, and probably a former college student, walked toward Jiang Liushi quickly. She was wearing clean clothes, and her face, as well as her hair, were washed very clean. Although she had not used any makeup or other cosmetics, she had tried her very best to clean herself.
"Boss, my name is Lin Jie," the young woman introduced herself with a hint of fear in her voice.
"There's no need to be so nervous. I just need you to answer the questions I have," Jiang Liushi comforted her.
Lin Jie nodded and said immediately, "Thank you, boss."
"You also don't need to call me boss. Just call me Captain Jiang," Jiang Liushi said again.
"Oh, I got it. Captain Jiang." Lin Jie was still overcautious; she had just met Jiang Liushi.
"Oh, Captain Jiang. If you'd like to enter, you have to pay a fee," Lin Jie said.
"Why? There was no such a rule before," Wei Feifei frowned and said.
Lin Jie quickly explained, "It's a new regulation which was enforced half a month ago."
"Half a month ago? Makes sense. The last time I visited Hejiang Town was more than half a month ago, but it's still unreasonable!" Wei Feifei said angrily.
"This…This was set by the powerful factions. I just convey…" Lin Jie said nervously.
"You don't have to be afraid. We are not blaming you. How much is the fee?" asked Jiang Liushi.
"2.5 kilograms of rice per team," Lin Jie replied.
"Okay. Your people and mine will act as a team, and we'll give them 2.5 kg," Jiang Liushi said. He didn't want to cause trouble, and 2.5 kg of rice was spare change for his team.
"Let us pay," Wei Feifei insisted, so Jiang Liushi just followed her.
Wei Feifei handed a bag weighing 2.5 kilograms of rice to Lin Jie, letting her hand it over to the gatekeepers. Lin Jie's commission was also paid in advance. When Lin Jie got her payment, she felt quite happy. She carefully placed the rice into a canvas bag that she carried with her, and then she thanked Jiang Liushi and Wei Feifei, "Thank you."
"No need to thank us, isn't this what you deserve?" Jiang Liushi said.
"Actually…we there's no guarantee that we'll get paid as we're too weak. Some people refuse to pay after getting what they want, and we have no idea or means to fight. Some guests even bear malicious intentions…" Lin Jie said while lowering her head. Apparently, she was quite afraid or encountering such a situation. But even if he was afraid, she could only do this kind of work, or else, she would starve to death.
"You can go and pay our fee now," Jiang Liushi said.
After paying the fee, they drove all their vehicles to the parking lot inside the town. Those who were not willing to pay the fee could only gather outside the town. Jiang Liushi glanced at them. Most of the people outside the town could not afford to pay or refused to pay the fee. The things that could be sold were also limited. Those survivors selling goods outside were all ordinary people, wrapped in thick cotton jackets or worn-out jackets, sitting on the ground or next to a car. The parking lot was located at a place less than 200 meters after entering the town. There were a lot of stalls in front of the parking lot. Although it was near dusk, all the booths were still open.
"On the roadside stalls, you can only find small things. If Captain Jiang wants to conduct a business of grander scale, we won't need to waste time on these roadside stalls," Lin Jie said.
After getting her payment in advance and finding that it was easy to get along with Jiang Liushi, Lin Jie gradually let her guard down against him and relaxed.
Wei Feifei only brought Peach with her, while Jiang Liushi let Jiang Zhuying, Ying and Ran Xiyu accompany him. The rest of Jiang Liushi's team stayed back to the minibus. Although the environment seemed peaceful, Jiang Liushi was still cautious. Not to mention that they had to do their utmost best in protecting the two professors.
Hearing that young woman's suggestion, Jiang Liushi nodded. But at this moment, he felt his pocket was moving. "What?" Jiang Liushi immediately held down his pocket. Even Ran Xiyu didn't notice what happened.
"Swoosh!" a strange sound was heard by Jiang Liushi, who immediately knew what happened. Luoluo had just snuck in his pocket. Jiang Liushi opened his pocket and saw a furry little head buried in desperation with its long ears shaking. Seeing that spectacle, Jiang Liushi did not know whether he should laugh or cry.
"The biggest market is over there, and big transactions take place on a daily basis. The people who make the transactions are all powerful." Lin Jie walked along with Jiang Liushi and led the way to a building, which was like a restaurant.
"You can trade for guns, ammunition, grenades, as well as hot weapons such as explosives. Information about sites where zombies have been cleared and… female slaves."
When it came to the last word, Lin Jie's facial expression became somewhat complicated. She was very reluctant to share such information. However, in Hejiang Town, the female slave trade was very prosperous. Of course, it couldn't be encountered every day.
"They even sell such pieces of information? If that's the case, we could buy information about level-2 mutant zombies. Oh, do you have any information on rare metals?" Jiang Liushi asked.
"Rare metals? I don't know much about this topic. However, if Captain Jiang is interested, you can post an offer to purchase such information at the trade fair. Generally speaking, as long as it's not a troublesome matter to gain the purchase information, someone will take it up," Lin Jie said.
"That's good." Jiang Liushi nodded. As they were about to enter, he suddenly saw a fierce-looking and evil man rushing toward them.