Chapter 28: Bargaining

"I do have two ice-type crystals," Chu Wei said, weighing his words carefully.

"That's a far cry from the reward for that young girl, isn't it?" It took ten crystals just to trade for a single dose of medicine; what could two possibly accomplish?

"Ice-type crystals are rare-attribute items. Even if you offered twenty ordinary ones, you wouldn't necessarily be able to trade for them!"

"Ice-type ability users are even rarer. Even if you wanted to trade ice-type crystals for ordinary ones, you'd still need to find someone who actually wants them, wouldn't you?"

"Then I'll add twenty more ordinary crystals." Chu Wei gritted his teeth as he spoke; this was already his bottom line. Adding anything more would risk offending the others.

"I recall that you added ten more for that young girl just to get her brother's consent."

"Miss Lin, one shouldn't be too greedy!" Chu Wei warned.

"But ordinary crystals really are of no use to me."

"Then what do you want?" It was only then that it dawned on Chu Wei: this woman had ulterior motives for helping him.

"I'm interested in level-two zombies!" Lin Qingqing stated her goal. This man was a fire-type ability user; it was highly unlikely he was lucky enough to just happen upon a level-two zombie that was also fire-type. She bet that he must have some method or source of information to track the locations of level-two zombies.

Hearing her mention a level-two zombie, Chu Wei paused, thinking to himself: *So, another one who doesn't know her own limits.* Level-two zombies were not like the common level-one zombies found everywhere; they were far from easy to kill.

"A level-two zombie isn't something one person can handle alone," Chu Wei said with a sneer.

"That's my concern," Lin Qingqing replied, unimpressed.

Seeing her stubbornness, Chu Wei’s disdain deepened. *Does she really think she's special just because she's an ice-type? Even if I told you, you'd only be going to your death.*

Thinking for a moment, and wanting to teach this arrogant woman a lesson, he pretended to be conflicted. "I do happen to know the location of another level-two zombie, and that one is very likely an ice-type."

"Oh? What a coincidence." Lin Qingqing narrowed her eyes and smiled. It seemed she had bet correctly; this man truly did have information on other level-two zombies.

"Actually, I'm not entirely certain. The last time I encountered that zombie, it happened to be near an ice lake. The temperature there was much lower than anywhere else, which is why I suspect it's an ice-type." Chu Wei spoke with conviction, sounding logical and well-reasoned.

"It seems the attributes of a level-two zombie have a lot to do with their environment, then?" Lin Qingqing immediately grasped the key point.

"Mhm, you could say that," Chu Wei nodded.

Seeing her interest, he continued, "How about this: once Miss Lin helps me take down that level-two fire-type zombie, I'll tell you the location of the other one."

"Mr. Chu is certainly sincere," Lin Qingqing said with a smile, extending her palm toward him.

"What are you doing?"

"The deposit. You weren't planning on getting something for nothing, were you?"

"Can you keep your word, Miss Lin?"

"We've been talking for this long; do you really think I'd just walk away with your two crystals for free?"

Chu Wei felt stifled. He reached into his pocket, rummaged around, and tossed two crystals over to her. "Since you've taken the deposit, you must listen to me, Miss Lin!"

"Of course. After all, I'm looking forward to seeing that ice-type level-two zombie myself!"

"Then let's go!"

With the deal concluded, Chu Wei turned and climbed into his vehicle. Watching the direction the SUV was heading, Lin Qingqing clutched the two ice-type crystals, turned her own car around, and followed.

Inside Chu Wei’s vehicle, a thin, spectacled young man couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Boss Chu, is that woman really an ice-type?"

"Of course it's real." Chu Wei had seen with his own eyes the ice forming in Miss Lin's hand. Precisely because it was real, he had been patient enough to haggle with her. He hadn't expected the woman to be so difficult.

Chu Wei felt he had gotten the short end of the deal. He decided that when they were fighting the zombie later, he would make sure the woman was on the front line.

"So, Boss, have you really seen another level-two zombie?" the bespectacled youth asked again.

"Of course I have. When have I ever lied to you?" The information was indeed true, but Chu Wei had never intended to actually give the location to her. In his eyes, that was merely bait for fishing; once the fish had taken the hook, who would keep casting bait? As for what would happen after he reneged, he wasn't worried. She was just a greedy woman. He’d wait until her abilities were drained, and then see how much fight she had left in her. Recalling her stunning appearance, Chu Wei couldn't help but lick his lips. Her skin was truly fine—fair and tender.

Chu Wei’s mind wandered, his lecherous expression plain to the other three men in the car. However, they said nothing, exchanging a tacit glance and pretending to be oblivious to his thoughts. They, too, felt that Miss Lin was overly greedy. In the apocalypse, a single woman was already a vulnerable target; if she wasn't careful, she would eventually be devoured until not even her bones were left.

Although Lin Qingqing, following behind the SUV, was unaware of Chu Wei’s sordid thoughts, she understood that a man like him wouldn't simply hand over information about a level-two zombie out of the goodness of his heart.

"When the time comes, he won't have a choice!" Her strength was her greatest trump card, so Lin Qingqing was not afraid.

The two vehicles drove for most of the day, finally coming to a stop in front of a cluster of factory buildings on the outskirts of Rongcheng. Chu Wei stepped out first and gestured toward the complex. "This used to be a handmade glass processing workshop. Before the apocalypse, many studios would come here for custom orders. There are plenty of crafts inside, but not much in the way of supplies." Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Chu Wei couldn't help but ramble a bit.

"The level-one zombies inside have already been cleared out by us; there's no danger. That level-two zombie is in the glass-firing workshop at the very back."

"Let me introduce the team: this is Old Yang, a strength-type ability user; next to him is Xiao Li, a water-type; and that's Xiao Hu, an eyesight-enhancement ability user. Xiao Hu is not just our scout, but also our long-range support," he said, patting the bow and arrows on Xiao Hu’s back.

Lin Qingqing carefully observed the three men. Old Yang, as Chu Wei described, was a muscular, middle-aged man with deep nasolabial folds; the water-type Xiao Li was the thin, bespectacled young man. Xiao Hu’s appearance was the most striking: he was tall, over 1.9 meters, but very thin with long limbs, and he possessed a long, horse-like face. His most prominent features were his light brown eyes, with tiny pupils that looked remarkably like a hawk's.

After finishing the introductions, Chu Wei turned to introduce Lin Qingqing: "And this is Miss Lin, an ice-type ability user."

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Lin."

"Miss Lin."

"Hello."

Lin Qingqing ignored Xiao Li’s extended hand and replied with a cool, indifferent tone. Chu Wei didn't mind her perfunctory attitude and turned to discuss the level-two zombie instead. Only Xiao Li awkwardly retracted his hand.