The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm

Chapter 83: Without Stopping

The enticement of food was too much for the people who experienced hunger before. On the night the announcement was made, many people wanted to go out and search for news. However, Wang Liang had already ordered the guards to stop anyone from leaving the survival base. He also made another announcement.

“If you don’t want your life anymore and want to leave the base, go ahead. However, if I find out, the rewards for your news will be canceled too. Is food more important than your life?”

This announcement woke everyone up. If the rewards were canceled, what’s the point of risking their lives?

Zhang Mu supported this announcement. When he saw how many people actually went to pack their bags to leave the survival base, he knew that he had underestimated their desires. Even someone as powerful as him wouldn’t dare to go out at night. An evolver without night vision was no match for any mutated animals in the dark, much least these ordinary humans who haven’t undergone any mutation.

Although Zhang Mu wanted to use these people, he couldn’t watch them seek their own deaths. Also, if they all died, who would go and help him collect news in the day?

The next day, the sun just started to climb over the horizon when Zhang Mu woke up. He looked at the black cocoon, and after realising that it was still the same, went out and rode on his mutated wolfdog. After greeting the guards at the gate, he proceeded to the next location written on his notebook.

After a whole morning and afternoon of rushing, Zhang Mu’s face was covered with dust. However, he was brimming with excitement. The locations which he thought had a smaller probability of mutated animals turned out to contain large groups of mutated animals which were easy to kill. Out of the four that were listed, three of them hit the jackpot.

He gained one hundred and ten beast-cores from today’s mission. Most of it was earth-type and water-type beast cores, but there were a few surprises. He had found some mutated deer along a small stream which turned out to be ice-types. He had to use some effort, but in the end, managed to kill it. However, much to his disappointment, there were only ten of them.

Zhang Mu immersed his mind into the ring and started examining the beast-cores he had collected. Looking at the huge amount of beast-cores, he became enchanted.

It was such a waste that the human race’s foundation is still weak now. Three months later when all the survival bases are established, some of these beast-cores can be sold at a much higher margin.

Zhang Mu sighed in dissatisfaction. He will have to stock these beast-cores up. That way, if he meets any evolvers that need help breaking through to Level 2, he can not only earn a lot from these materials, but also form alliances with those stronger evolvers and earn some friendships for future use.

However, after a whole day of work, both Zhang Mu and the wolfdog started to feel tired. The wolfdog not only had to carry Zhang Mu around but also had to support Zhang Mu whenever he needed a helping hand in a battle. Zhang Mu told it that he was training its stamina and combat ability. The wolfdog gave a look of disdain at Zhang Mu. Left with no choice, Zhang Mu took out some earth-type beast-cores to feed the wolfdog and then ignored him.

When Zhang Mu returned to the survival base that day, the entire base was in an uproar. Zhang Mu had brought back a big black bear that was just killed and he split half of it among the four people that offered him the news. For the other half, he distributed it among everyone at the survival base. On average, each person got about 2 pieces of meat. Looking at their hungry faces, a riot might have happened if there weren’t guards present to stop them.

Seeing this scene, Wang Liang complained to Zhang Mu while they were alone in front of a campfire. He told Zhang Mu that if he continued to do this, his position as their leader would be shaken.

Zhang Mu looked at him over a piece of the barbecued bear paw and said, “If you are not going to eat this, I shall not be polite and help myself.”

Wang Liang helplessly took over a piece of bear paw and started munching on it. He said with his mouth full, “Brother Mu, what are your future plans?”

Zhang Mu was enjoying the barbecued bear paw which was specially prepared for him and Wang Liang. Distracted, he replied Wang Liang, “what else can I do? Anyway, I realised that I do not need to borrow food supplies from you anymore. The people seem happier if I just gave them meat.”

“Of course. In the survival base, 500g of meat is worth at least 10kg of rice, and that is cheap. Processed meat is worth more. The last time I had this kind of fresh meat was when that Era Merchant was fighting and I managed to sneak a few pieces for myself. I wanted to drag the rest of the meat away but the walking dead had already reached it.”

Zhang Mu mysteriously blinked at Wang Liang and said, “So how do you feel after eating this meat? You do know that every mutated animal has a different type of energy and if that energy clash with yours, you might faint or worse, you might die.”

Seeing Wang Liang’s face turned green, Zhang Mu casually continued eating his food and laughed, “I am just kidding. If eating the meat will cause problems, we will all be ill already. Even if I want to die, I won’t drag the whole survival base to die with me.”

Hearing this, Wang Liang’s started to calm down. He was really frightened just now because he knew that Zhang Mu has more knowledge than him. Sometimes, he wondered whether Zhang Mu really was a human or was he saying the truth when they first met, that he was a merchant from another world.

However, Zhang Mu’s face got serious as he continued eating. He told Wang Liang in a firm tone, “the flesh of a mutated animal is harmless. Not only can it fill our stomach, it can also strengthen our body. This effect is especially obvious in a normal human being. For evolvers, the effect isn’t as obvious. The more powerful the evolver is, the lesser the effects. However, you must remember this. We can eat the flesh of mutated animals, but we cannot anyhow consume the beast-cores. Once you have reached the level where you need to use them, I will teach you. You do not have to wonder about its uses now. If not, the warnings that I just gave will become reality.”

“Yes, I will remember it.” Wang Liang chose to believe Zhang Mu because he knew that Zhang Mu had nothing to gain from lying to him.

Zhang Mu looked at the people far away who were enjoying their meal. He felt emotional.

“Once we have lost everything, we start to wish for the simplest things.”

“However, these simple things require us to risk our lives for it.”

Zhang Mu muttered the last sentence softly. Wang Liang didn’t catch what Zhang Mu was saying.

“Paradise, Era, are they hell?”