Chapter 387: Chapter 387: Planning to Sell Water

"I came out alone today."

Nina Jacobs glanced into the distance. "Your companion seems to be injured. Aren’t you going to treat him?"

Genevieve lowered her head. "We don’t have any medicine or a Healer. To get him treated, we’d have to go back to the base and beg for help."

Besides, Lornwood Base was a long way from here.

’Those high-and-mighty Healers would probably just ignore him anyway.’

"I can save him,"

Nina Jacobs said.

Genevieve looked up, her face lighting up with surprise.

"But I need your help with something else."

Hearing Nina’s condition, Genevieve agreed without the slightest hesitation.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Alana Ulrich’s wound was wrapped in a neat layer of white gauze.

The heavy bleeding from beneath the bandage had stopped.

"That’s... all it took?"

someone from the group asked.

"Yes. He just needs to get some proper rest now."

With that, Nina Jacobs took out a bottle of water and handed it to Alana Ulrich.

A hush fell over the group. Alana Ulrich stared at the bottle of water, stunned.

His lips were cracked and peeling, his skin resembled a dried-up riverbed, and his eyes were dull with thirst.

A closer look revealed that nearly everyone in the group was in the same state.

"This is too valuable. I can’t drink it."

Alana Ulrich licked his lips, but his eyes remained glued to the bottle.

It had been a long time since he had seen a full bottle of clean water.

They had all grown accustomed to limiting their movements and staying indoors to reduce moisture loss.

Taking only a single sip of water every three days was the norm.

"Consider it a sale, then."

’The bottle was filled with water produced by Lexy, and I want to see if trading it will earn me any System Experience.’

"How much... are you selling it for?"

Malcolm Holden asked immediately.

’Maybe if all of us pool our belongings, we’ll have enough to buy that bottle of water.’

"Two Crystal Cores,"

Nina Jacobs said after a moment’s thought.

’Two?’

Everyone there was shocked.

"I’ll buy it."

Genevieve immediately produced two Crystal Cores.

’It’s a matter of life and death. There’s no reason to hesitate.’

Nina Jacobs accepted the Crystal Cores and immediately received a system notification:

[Host has completed a resource trade. Title "The Doomsday Supplier" triggered. 5 System Experience Points awarded.]

’So that’s how it works,’ Nina thought. ’A single bottle of water gets me five Experience Points?’

’What about a larger quantity?’

"I have more water in my car for sale,"

Nina Jacobs announced as she stood up.

This time, even Genevieve thought she had misheard.

"Is it still two Crystal Cores per bottle?"

Malcolm Holden asked.

"You’re not from Lornwood Base, are you?"

As her companions swarmed forward with eager eyes, Genevieve held them back, telling them to be patient.

Nina Jacobs nodded. "I’m not. I’m from Tomorrow Base."

’Tomorrow Base?’

The group exchanged confused glances.

They had never heard of it.

"Your base doesn’t have a water shortage, does it?"

Genevieve quickly put the pieces together.

Even though she had no idea where Tomorrow Base was.

You could tell the difference between someone who was water-deprived and someone who wasn’t just by looking at them.

The woman before her had glowing, supple skin and spoke with a calm confidence.

It was obvious she wasn’t lacking for supplies or water.

Nina Jacobs nodded.

’I’m really curious to see if the System Experience will stack if I trade more water.’

"We’ll buy! Of course we’ll buy, as long as you’re selling,"

Genevieve replied.

Nina Jacobs crossed the road and pulled two large jugs of water from her car.

Each jug was the size of a pre-apocalypse water cooler bottle.

She sold both jugs for 60 Crystal Cores each.

Sure enough, the System’s experience reward rose to 80.

The group’s expressions turned frenzied as they stared at the two jugs of water.

They stroked the jugs as if they were precious, sacred relics.

"You said you needed our help. What exactly do you need?"

Genevieve reluctantly tore her eyes away from the two jugs of water.

"I have a friend who wants to get into the business of selling water."

"I was hoping you could help find some distribution channels. My friend only accepts Crystal Cores and Gold."

’Once I make an offer like this, they’ll surely be willing to cooperate.’

To her surprise, Genevieve shook her head. "Your friend’s business won’t last. I’d advise you to tell them not to come."

"Why?"

"It’s too dangerous. The base will do anything to eliminate outsiders."

"No matter how powerful your friend is, they won’t be able to withstand the onslaught from the base’s assassins,"

Genevieve said.

In the past, Water Element Superpower Users have tried to flee and make a fortune outside the base, but every single one of them was hunted down and killed by assassins.

"What’s more, anyone caught participating in such trades was arrested and publicly executed as a warning to others."

"The official reason was ’disrupting the orderly development of the base.’"

"I have an idea, but it might not be foolproof."

At that moment, the young man in their group spoke up.

His name was Dean Coleman, and he looked to be about twenty.

Nina Jacobs looked at him, her interest piqued. "Let’s hear it."

Dean Coleman seemed a little nervous, but he spoke anyway.

"You could change the location for every trade. Everyone could send a representative to arrange things, and then conduct the trade in secret."

Dean Coleman explained that the previous Water Element Superpower Users were always caught because they traded in a fixed location, which made them easy to track.

"That could work."

It was a method she had already considered. "But it’s not a long-term solution."

’Because I’m not looking for a one-time deal.’

After a moment of thought, Genevieve said:

"I’ll provide cover for your friend. If the worst happens, they can just take me."

There was a note of grim determination in Genevieve’s voice.

The others walked over as well. "We’re willing, too."

"Yeah, our lives are worthless anyway. We’ll either die of thirst or starvation."

"If we can die a glorious death and take a few of those lackeys down with us, that would be worth it,"

Mr. Spencer, the man who had lured away the two zombies earlier, added nonchalantly.

"But what if I could offer you a way out?"

Nina Jacobs said.

’A way out?’

Genevieve looked at her.

’What way out could we possibly have?’

"Like I said, I’m from Tomorrow Base. That can be your way out."

As she spoke, Nina Jacobs pulled out a flyer.

When the group saw the address on it, their eyes went wide.

"Gralem Prison? They’ve set up a new base there?"

Malcolm Holden was a Keldorn local, so of course he knew where Gralem Prison was.

He’d heard it had been taken over by a gang of vicious death-row inmates, so no one dared go there to scavenge for supplies.

"That’s right. The base is recruiting survivors. If you’re ever discovered, Tomorrow Base will welcome you anytime."

’Based on what I saw in my past life, I’ve always firmly believed that if ordinary people fight hard to survive, their lives won’t be any worse than those of Superpower Users.’

"To think a place like that exists..."

Alana Ulrich murmured, staring at the flyer.

"Then it’s settled. We’ll conduct a trade right here, same time tomorrow,"

Genevieve declared.

Nina Jacobs had no objection. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right. A man and a woman passed by here earlier. I think the man’s last name was York."

After she recounted what had happened with the man and woman, the group’s faces twisted in anger.

"So they did do it on purpose,"

Dean Coleman said furiously. "That damn aid society! So they were lying to us all along."

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