Chapter 117
It seemed like this deal was really lucrative. The boss gave him some credit again yesterday, and
with the goods delivered, he had managed to break into the affluent circles.
It was surprising that even the extravagant and spendthrift rich kids may worry about not having
condoms. It was simply too satisfying.
"A whole cow?" Ste was instantly intrigued but kept her cool, "Sure, but it has to be done in
batches."
"No problem."
For several consecutive days, they finallypleted the trade of the entire cow.
Just as they were about to leave, Monkey dropped another bombshell, "We''ve also got mutton,
interested?"
Ste couldn''t resist, "How much?"
"A total of 330 pounds."
After these tworge transactions, she was left with just over a thousandrge condoms. She didn''t
n to sell any more; they''d appreciate faster in a couple of years.
Having taken the mutton, Ste reminded him, "I don''t want anyone else to know about our deals."
Monkey understood immediately, "Rest assured, Miss. We''re professionals. We only care about
genuine goods and fair prices. We never pry into others'' private deals."
In fact, he was also dealing privately. Otherwise, how would he support his wife and children? They
would have been starved long ago.
The quantity of mutton was a bit less, but there was enough pork, beef, and fish. Along with the
meat she''d hoarded and collected before, it was basically enough for her and her dog to live
comfortably until the ends of their lives.
Once again, she thanked Mother Nature for her gifts.
Ste stayed at home with the dog and Rosie, while Jasper went out. She refrained from using the
electric heater with Rosie around, instead using charcoal for heating and preparing mashed
potatoes with minced meat, which Cooper and Rosie happily devoured.
Ang and her group spent five days at Ivywood Estates, using all their strength to haul back
several hundred pounds of charcoal. Covered in ck from head to toe, they looked like they''d just
crawled out of a coal mine. They were all looking rather worn out.
Ste and Jasper helped move the charcoal, while thepetitive Cooper grabbed the mouth of
the sack with his teeth and kept pulling it upstairs.
Survival certainly wasn''t easy. There were many who went to Ivywood Estates to chop wood. The
three of them took turns guarding their territory, day and night without rest, and they were still
targeted by others. If they hadn''t been strong enough, wearing ''bulletproof vests'' made of steel
tes, they might have been ambushed. Finally, they had to pull out their guns to sessfully
scare off those with ill intentions.
The three copsed on the couch, too tired to even speak.
Ste started the stove to keep them warm and made a super-sized portion of pasta with meat
sauce. Only after eating did they feel somewhat revived.
They boiled water on the charcoal stove, and they all bathed from head to toe before diving into bed
for a long sleep. It wasn''t until the afternoon of the next day that they fully recovered.
Ste and Jasper hadn''t contributed to thebor, but they''d guarded the house, for which Ang
each gave them 110 pounds of charcoal.
Both of them didn''t want to take advantage of this, and they stood firm in refusing. The Moore family
also didn''t want it, but Ang insisted. "Granny, if it weren''t for you telling us how to make charcoal,
we wouldn''t have been able to bring it back."
Unable to refuse Ang''s earnestness, Katie epted it.
Ste brought out the goodies she''d traded for the Christmas celebration, "These were exchanged
with gold nes, rings, and watches, along with a pack of cigarettes."
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In these times, although there were people who epted gold and jewelry, they were far less
valuable than before. To be able to exchange them for so many goods was quite a pleasant
surprise.
Cody was amazed, "It''s incredible that there are still potatoes and tomatoes in this kind of weather,
and the beef is fresh, too."
"Just look at your astonished face." Ste shot him a look, sessfully nipping his unnecessary
thoughts in the bud, "We ordinary folk might be helpless, but do you really think those rich and
powerful individuals are helpless too? They reaped the benefits of our overworking before the
apocalypse, and now they continue to exploit resources."
"That''s true." Cody agreed, "Such a huge disaster, those people probably got the news early. Even
if they didn''t, they''re the ones who are protected and would have nned everything from the
beginning of the disaster."
These words were not false; there were indeed some who had nned for the apocalypse.
They used their wealth to exchange for power, setting up rescue bases at the beginning of the
disaster. Survivors who wanted to enter had to give up their resources.
At first, it was manageable, but soon it became chaotic, with all sorts of power struggles and
scheming.
Even the bases were fighting each other, ying the game of survival of the fittest. In the end, it
was the survivors who suffered.
In the beginning, Ste wanted to get in, but she couldn''t afford the entry fee. Later it became more
difficult, the entry fee was no longer demanded, but they recruited people to y a dangerous game
at the risk of life.
Ste didn''t want to lose her life, so she had to continue wandering outside. Therefore, she was
truly not interested in private bases. Compared to private bases, the official bases were much
better, with the best being the military bases.
If the living conditions continued to deteriorate, the military bases would be thest resort, but not
everyone had the privilege to enter.
Let''s just wait and see. The opening of the military bases was still a long way off.
...
Christmas Eve arrived, and the 18th floor was decorated with wreaths. Not only was every
household door adorned, but also the staircase leading up to the 18th floor.
The Moore family was on holiday and were also putting up the wreath Ste had given them,
exchanging greetings in passing.
After a quick lunch and just as they were preparing for the Christmas Eve dinner, Katie and Mikey
came to pay an early visit.
Mikey was carrying something, saying it was a token of thanks for their care for Katie and Amber in
recent times. "These are benefits provided by thepany; you can nt them in pots."
Benefits that could be nted?
Everyone was curious. When they opened it, they found it to be potatoes the size of eggs. They
hadn''t been frozen, and the skin looked particrly thick.
Mikey exined, "These are cold-resistant potatoes recently developed by the Agricultural Science
Institute. If you mix the antidote with the soil and nt them in pots, they won''t freeze."
These were fresh from theb. The high-rise greenhouses had nted them, but they weren''t sure
if they''d seed when distributed to survivors, so they hadn''t announced it publicly. It was only
distributed as an internal benefit for the employees.
The quantity was limited, with only 2 pounds per person. The Moore family had three people in the
system, so they gave 2 pounds to the people living on the 18th floor.
Surviving in the extreme cold without sunlight, the potatoes would need additional light to grow well,
which meant the people living on the 18th floor would have to work harder at pedaling the bicycle
for electricity.
"Can they really grow?" Cody and the others were excited. Did this mean they had another path to
survival?
Mikey nodded, "They can grow, but how well they grow and how much can be harvested depends
entirely on the nting conditions. Without light, they''re sure to grow poorly."
The potatoes would be ready to harvest in three months. They were not only cold-resistant but also
high-yielding. If nted well, one nt could produce about 9-11 pounds of potatoes.
As he spoke, Mikey also told the people living on the 18th floor how to nt them, "First, mix the
antifreeze with the soil, then cut the potato sprouts and soak them in a medicine solution for three
hours."
In the midst of their joy, Ste suddenly asked, "The potatoes take three months to harvest. What if
the extreme cold ends halfway through and another disasteres?"
In herst life, Ste was one of thest to receive the cold-resistant potatoes. Before they could
mature, a heatwave arrived, and the tender potato shoots couldn''t withstand the high temperature
and withered.
Mikey pondered for a moment before responding. "You might be right. With the weather station
destroyed, no one knows what the climate will be like in the future. But given the extreme weather
we''ve been experiencing recently, meteorologists are predicting a global catastrophe. This kind of
disaster is unprecedented and is rted to mankind''s reckless environmental destruction over the
past century. No one can predict what we''re going to face, but it''s likely that the cmity won''t end
anytime soon."
Ang gasped, "Not ending soon? How long are we talking about?"