Chapter 160


    What the hell? It was tough enough to survive, now they gotta deal with these punks on their own


    turf?


    On foreign soil, you''d keep your head down and try to scrape by, but here they were, brazen as


    ever.


    In a dim corner, several men were relentlessly kicking three people lying on the ground, spouting


    insults in a harsh, foreignnguage.


    There were those with swords, guns, and baseball bats.


    Murder was as easy as turning your head, but they continued to beat them, bing more and


    more excited, revealing their ugly and twisted human nature.


    The pleading screams only served to further stimte them, their blows bing heavier and


    heavier.


    One of them lifted his de, his face twisted in a savage grin as he brought it down.


    “Shick.”


    Their bloodlust had blinded them to the danger lurking in the shadows.


    His de hadn''t even fallen before the man was skewered like a s''more on a stick. Ste didn''t


    hesitate, pulling her de free and lunging for the second one.


    Jasper was even quicker, swiftly disarming a punk and snapping his neck, before kicking another


    one aside.


    The two of them dispatched the five punks with efficiency, not even giving them a chance to


    whimper for mercy.


    A shlight illuminated the beaten figures on the ground. They were a sorry sight, their faces


    smeared with blood, all but unrecognizable.


    Out of a sense of humanity, Ste asked, “Are you guys okay?”


    The harsh light of the shlight was blinding, and one of them instinctively raised a hand to shield


    his eyes, his lips trembling. “It’s you?”


    His voice was groggy, but Ste recognized it—Monkey. Wait, why the hell was he here too?


    Ste surveyed the area with her shlight, spotting a water tanker parked not far away. They were


    smuggling, and got robbed.


    Monkey managed to get to his feet, wiping the blood off his face as he eximed, “Wow, you really


    saved us?”


    As he spoke, he hastily helped the man next to him up. The man was tall, probably around six feet.


    “Boss, this is the woman I told you about. She''s really tough. If she hadn''t stepped in tonight, we''d


    be pushing up daisies.”


    The man was in his thirties, with short hair. His face was honest and straightforward, but his eyes


    held a worldly cunning that suggested he wasn''t a simple man. Of course, anyone who could


    survive in a post-apocalyptic world and establish such a vastwork of ck market traders was


    bound to have a story.


    The man wiped the blood off his face and gave Ste and Jasper a weak smile. “Thank you for your


    help.”


    “It was nothing.”


    Seeing that they were okay, Ste, who was worried about Cooper and Rosie back home, didn''t


    linger and turned to leave.


    “Wait.” The man called out to them. “I''m Austin. I don''t even know the names of our saviors. Where


    do you live?”


    In a post-apocalyptic world, it wasn''tmon to ask for personal details.


    Ste smiled. “You''re asking a lot of questions. Are you nning to repay us?”


    Austin was taken aback, but quickly replied, “Of course, we need to repay your kindness. What do


    you want?”


    Without waiting for her reply, he turned to Monkey. “We did get a lot of food today.”


    Monkey whispered to him. “Boss, she doesn''t need food.”


    “Alright.” Austin was generous. “How about I send a truckload of fresh water to your ce


    tomorrow?”


    A truckload of fresh water was around 20 tons, enough tost for months and valuable for trading.


    Monkey tugged at his sleeve. “Boss, she doesn''t look like she''s short on water.”


    Austin was agreeable. “Tell us what you want. As long as it''s within my power, I''ll make it happen.”


    Ste hadn''t expected anypensation for dealing with the punks, but Austin''s offer changed her


    mind. “I have a client who''s interested in antiques, paintings, and precious metals. Could you help


    me find some?”


    Austin knew she was formidable from Monkey, but meeting her in person was another thing entirely.


    She was not only beautiful but also skilled.


    He was expecting a big demand, but all she wanted were these? Sure, antiques and paintings were


    valuable, but only in prosperous times.


    At first, nobody knew the extent of the disaster, and he thought it would end eventually. So he not


    only kept paper currency but also many antiques, paintings, and gold, hoping to make a fortune


    once everything was over.


    Now, the 500,000 paper bills from the girl were still in the warehouse, along with a pile of antiques.


    But this woman was odd. Whatever she stocked up on seemed to skyrocket in value. Was there


    something more to it?


    “No problem,” Austin readily agreed. “What kind of antiques, paintings, or precious metals are you


    looking for?”


    Ste had no specific requests. “Anything will do, as long as it''s old and authentic.”


    Trusting people wasn''t easy. Ste didn''t give her address, simply gesturing to Monkey. “He knows


    where to find me.”


    Austin agreed. “Alright.”


    The two of them left quickly, disappearing into the darkness, and taking the guns they had taken


    from the punks with them.


    Jasper obediently handed over the guns to Ste, who tossed them into Arcadia.


    Even a savvy trader like Austin could get robbed, which meant the outside world was dangerous.


    Ste decided to hold off on selling water for now and see if Austin could find what she wanted.


    Her main goal was to expand Arcadia; everything else was secondary.


    The days were bing hotter, and the top floor was unbearable.


    Ste couldn''t stand the heat and hooked up her air conditioning to a power generator. The air


    conditioning unit, having survived extreme cold, was a bit brittle but still worked.


    The unit was hanging on the balcony, and the sound was muffled by bulletproof ss. The


    neighboring apartment was empty, so no one knew that apartment 1802 had air conditioning.


    The cool breeze was blissful, a true lifesaver.


    Apartment 1801 was sweltering too, but the air conditioning unit in Jasper''s room was mounted on


    the outer wall and would drip water downstairs if turned on.


    Ste suggested, “Why don''t you switch rooms?”


    So, Jasper moved to the master bedroom and casually invited her, “Do you want to move in?”


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    Ste rolled her eyes.


    After moving rooms, the air conditioner wouldn''t drip water downstairs, so he turned it on.


    Regarding her supplies, Jasper never asked for anything. Ste, fearing he would sumb to the


    heat, reminded him, “Let me know when you''re out of power, I''ll charge it for you.”


    His power generator had a capacity of 50 units, which wouldst a while when fully charged.


    After resting at home for two days, Ste saw Amber carrying seawater back again, so she also


    took a bucket and went downstairs.


    Monkey was badly injured, but with his swollen head, he continued to sell water. Upon seeing her, a


    grin spread across his battered face, "You''re a hard one to find."


    He led Ste down an alley, pulling out a painting and a bowl from his bag, "This is a little something


    from the boss. Please ept it."


    Ste unfurled the painting, only to find it was a lifelike depiction of several flowers.


    The bowl wasn''t just any regr bowl,. It wasn''t just its historical significance that made it special,


    but also the love story of a king and queen that it bore witness to. Experts valued it at over a billion.