Lunch Break and New Opportunities

Back in the South River area.

Henry, at a leisure square near the riverbank, finally remembered to summon his "First-Class Protective Hot Spring Villa."

Entering the villa, Henry moved a chair in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window and enjoyed the river view for a while.

Then he opened the chat channel, watching the lively conversations while eating.

The South River's area chat channel had recently become much busier.

As soon as he opened the interface, a burst of messages flooded in.

Many had joined the survivor camp, now free from worries, and were more talkative.

"Our camp has moved to the student apartments at Sun University. It's so comfortable here, finally a bed to sleep in!"

"Speaking of which, we owe a lot to that person who cleared the zombies~"

This was followed by a photo of a dormitory room, a desk below and a bed above, with many unfamiliar celebrity stickers on the walls.

"Wow, you've moved into a girls' dorm!"

"Weren't there six girls in that dorm building, didn't you see them?"

"Is Sun University really free of zombies? It's just across the road from me, I might go there tomorrow!"

"You've exposed your camp location, does your leader know?!"

"Valerie, where are you? If you see this, PM me!"

"The person above is so persistent. I mean, with people from all over the world coming through, there must be a lot of different areas, right?"

"If I had a boyfriend like that, I'd marry him right away!"

"Calm down, dude, you're a guy, why are you looking for a boyfriend..."

"Looking to buy powerful weapons, especially ranged weapons! List them, or PM me directly! No need for bows, thanks!"

...

Buying ranged weapons?

Seeing this message, an idea struck Henry!

Right!

He still had 100 assault rifles stored away!

This weapon was truly formidable in the early days of the apocalypse. Aside from facing the Awakened, assault rifles could virtually sweep through all survivors! Moreover, assault rifles are more suited for combating hordes of zombies than bows and arrows. The only drawback is the loud noise, which tends to attract more zombies!

However, those daring to wield assault rifles aren't interested in just sneaking up on a couple of zombies. This weapon definitely has a broad market now! Henry also realized something... As the survivors' strength improved, the fixed damage of assault rifles remained the same.

With continuous updates and more powerful weapon blueprints being discovered, the value of these guns would depreciate faster the longer he held onto them. Now was the best time to sell them! Henry opened the auction interface.

After seven days of adapting, combined with Henry's previous contributions of numerous weapons and bows to the market, the overall combat ability of the survivors had greatly improved. With stronger abilities, they could explore further. Simultaneously, the variety of items in the auction house also increased.

Previously priceless items like food and water were now being traded.

[500ML Pure Water]for 5 Energy Cores...

[A bag of instant noodles]for 2 Energy Cores...

[500ML Orange Juice]for 8 Energy Cores...

[Storage ring fragment]for 20 Energy Cores...

[Large guillotine sword]for 15 Energy Cores...

Prices in the auction house were much higher than before. The survivors were stronger and had more Energy Cores in their possession. Assault rifles could now fetch a good price. After careful consideration, Henry listed an assault rifle for 60 Energy Cores, or trade for blueprints/skill diagrams, PM for deals!

Seeing the assault rifle listing, the chat channel exploded instantly.

"Seriously? Henry was selling bows and now he's onto assault rifles!"

"Total arms dealer vibes, but isn't 60 Energy Cores a bit steep?"

"With an assault rifle, not only can you take out zombies, but it's also a deterrent against attacking survivors. Definitely worth it!"

"I have a [Sharp Dagger Blueprint]; can I trade that?"

"Stop joking, why would someone with an assault rifle need your [Sharp Dagger Blueprint]?!"

A bunch of survivors who couldn't afford it were just chatting away as if the assault rifle was theirs.

Of course, some interested parties started to privately message Henry.

"I have a box of instant noodles (24 bags), how about a trade for an assault rifle?"

"I have a simulation doll, plus 5 bottles of pure water for one assault rifle, how about that?"

"Lend me the gun, and I'll give you 100 Energy Cores tomorrow!"

"There are bad guys trying to hurt me, just lend me the gun to scare them off, and I'll return it with 5 loaves of bread!"

...

Well, the first two offers, although not great, at least showed some sincerity. The latter ones were just scams.

Henry chose to ignore them directly. Bargaining with these guys was too time-consuming!

Henry recalculated the auction value and relisted the assault rifle.

Assault rifle + 500 bullets = 60 Energy Cores/12 bottles of 500ML pure water/8 bottles of sugared drinks/4 cans of meat... PM for blueprints or Frost Flowers, otherwise no reply!

500 bullets = 20 Energy Cores, 2000 bullets = 70 Energy Cores...

It's easy to calculate whether the assault rifle is worth the price. If shooting from a secure location, 500 bullets can easily take down 150 zombies.

With better skills, it's possible to take down even more zombies. You can collect 70-80 Energy Cores from 150 zombies, earning an extra 10-20 Energy Cores. Plus, with an assault rifle, you just need to buy bullets later on. It's definitely a quick way to acquire Energy Cores and upgrade your power! There's no need for Henry to elaborate on this.

The moment the assault rifle was listed, three were sold immediately, netting 60 Energy Cores, 12 bottles of 500ML pure water, and 4 cans of lunch meat. Henry quickly contacted Clarissa, who was in another area. Chat and auction functions were separate in her area from Henry's. It was time to take advantage of the survivors there.

"Are you there? I've got some [Assault Rifles] here, help me sell them, and there's a commission for you!"

Henry quickly sent the message. The reply came almost instantly.

"I'm here, I'm here! Just having lunch and a break!"

"No need for a commission, I've already taken enough advantage of you!"

"Hold on, Henry, my brother was just complaining a few days ago that he's running out of ammo. I'll ask if he wants any!"