Apocalypse: Mad Necromancer’s Troops

Chapter 91: Are We Really Trading?

 

Hearing Wu Heng's plan to trade food for guns, Li Yanhong was still a bit stunned.

 

Not to mention that the value of food is no less than that of guns at this time, but the road to the prison isn’t something you can just take on a whim.

 

Prisons are built in locations far from populated areas.

 

Walking there might take several days, and if you drive, you have to consider roadblocks and the zombies you might attract along the way.

 

Li Yanhong thought about it and gently suggested, "With food in hand, we can trade anytime. The journey is long, so maybe we can delay the gun trade a bit."

 

The radio also mentioned that while bullets have some killing power, these zombies no longer feel pain or have life, so even if you shoot them, they will keep attacking.

 

It’s not that guns are useless, but they can't deliver the same killing power against zombies as they do against humans.

 

Moreover, the skeleton army can completely protect the area, and it’s rare to see any zombies around.

 

There’s no need to trade food specifically for guns.

 

Wu Heng simply said, "Just follow my instructions and contact them to confirm the exchange ratio. Don’t let us get the short end of the stick."

 

Li Yanhong wanted to persuade him further but held back.

 

Although she believed her concerns were more relevant to the current situation.

 

But the food was provided by Wu Heng, so it’s not her place to decide how and for what to trade.

 

Saying too much might annoy him.

 

She could only nod, "Okay, I’ll try to contact them when I get back."

 

"Good."

 

After discussing the important matters, they chatted a bit about the latest radio broadcasts.

 

The main station still disseminates survival knowledge daily, along with some motivational talks like ‘don’t give up’ and ‘unite together.’

 

They also shared examples of survivors whose bodies have changed.

 

Some have enhanced hearing and vision, while others have improved physical fitness.

 

From Wu Heng's perspective, these are actually the attribute boosts brought by corpse cores.

 

Enhanced senses like hearing and vision fall under perception, while physical fitness is tied to strength and constitution.

 

Wu Heng has an attribute panel, allowing him to notice his changes more clearly.

 

For others, the changes are more vague.

 

Sharing these stories on the radio serves as motivation.

 

It tells other survivors that humanity is also growing stronger and has not reached a dead end.

 

After chatting for a while, Li Yanhong took the food she had traded for and headed toward the auto repair shop.

 

With ten skeletal minions following her.

 

.........

 

As she approached the repair shop.

 

The people inside came out.

 

When they saw the ten skeletons following Li Yanhong, they all stopped in their tracks.

 

"Sister Hong, are these big brothers here to escort you back?" Qiangzi asked, looking at the skeletons.

 

Li Yanhong glanced at the skeletons beside her and said, "They were sent over from the other side. Starting today, they’ll not only learn to use the generator and some tools but also learn how to drive and repair cars."

 

"What the hell!" The others widened their eyes.

 

What’s this about?

 

Last time, two were sent over to learn about generators and welding, and now they want to learn how to drive and repair cars.

 

Are they treating this place like a technical school?

 

"Can they even learn that? With their bony fingers, won’t they slip off the steering wheel?"

 

"If they drive on the road, wouldn’t they scare the hell out of people?"

 

"Who even thinks of these things?"

 

The group huddled together, whispering as they kept away from the skeletons.

 

Li Yanhong had similar thoughts, feeling it was odd to have a bunch of skeletons learning these things.

 

But since it was requested, they had no reason to refuse.

 

"Alright, let’s just teach them what we’re told to teach. Help out when you can. Whether they learn or not is up to them," Li Yanhong said.

 

The others nodded, understanding.

 

After dealing with skeletons for a while, they weren’t as afraid anymore, just found it strange.

 

They pushed the cart inside, discussing whether to improve their dinner.

 

Qiangzi walked beside them and said, "Sister Hong!"

 

"Hmm?" Li Yanhong looked at him.

 

"Do you think once these skeletons learn everything, we won’t be needed anymore? I mean, the skeletons could replace our jobs."

 

Everyone froze at that.

 

Damn, could that be true?

 

.........

 

After sending off Li Yanhong, Wu Heng returned to the community.

 

The number of spear-wielding skeletons had grown considerably.

 

At least it looked like a proper army with all those spears.

 

The remaining skeletons still wielded kitchen knives.

 

Kitchen knives may be a bit short, but they’re effective weapons for killing enemies.

 

At least, among the weapons they could scavenge, they were better than fruit knives or hammers.

 

"Close off the gates here, block all the gaps," Wu Heng instructed as he walked around the community with Big Head One, giving orders to fortify the area.

 

There were now quite a few skeletons.

 

At least they couldn’t all be kept on the rooftops.

 

Plus, with so many level 5 skeletons needing training grounds, Wu Heng planned to keep all the skeletons either on standby or training within the community.

 

So, Wu Heng directed the skeletons to find some iron nets and rods to raise the height of the fences.

 

The four gates would be kept closed, only opened when needed.

 

Under Wu Heng’s command, the skeletons busied themselves.

 

.........

 

Night fell.

 

Xiao Dong Auto Repair Shop.

 

The wooden boards covering the windows had all been taken down.

 

Making the rooms less stuffy.

 

Li Yanhong and Wang Ke sat by the radio, chatting while listening to the broadcast.

 

After waiting for a while.

 

The radio announced that South City Prison was open to accepting survivors.

 

Li Yanhong picked up the microphone and said, "This is the auto repair shop. Is anyone at South City Prison?"

 

After a brief silence, a voice came through.

 

"This is South City Prison. Are you planning to come over?" A man’s deep voice replied.

 

Li Yanhong recalled the task Wu Heng had given her and asked directly, "Are you guys trading guns for food? What’s the exchange ratio?"

 

The prison didn’t respond immediately.

 

And countless people listening to this frequency seemed to hear something shocking.

 

The auto repair shop was planning to trade food for guns, which meant they had plenty of food.

 

"A thousand pounds of rice for a handgun, five thousand pounds for a submachine gun," the man replied.

 

A large bag of rice from the supermarket is about a hundred pounds.

 

So a handgun costs ten bags.

 

A submachine gun would require a hundred bags. In the current situation, a hundred bags of rice would last a long time.

 

Li Yanhong continued, "Guns aren’t much use against zombies. It’s the food that’s essential right now. I think this exchange ratio is very unfair."

 

"Let’s not waste time. What’s the price you’re willing to trade at?" the man asked.

 

Li Yanhong thought for a moment and said, "Three hundred pounds of rice for a submachine gun. That’s the deal. If you think it’s not worth it, we can’t offer more."

 

She set the price very low.

 

But it was what she thought was fair.

 

What good is a gun?

 

Even if you’re out scavenging, who dares to fire a gun? One shot will attract a horde of zombies, leading to a quicker death.

 

Food is much more valuable.

 

After a while, the man replied, "Deal. How many do you want to trade for? And what about the ammo?"

 

Li Yanhong replied, "We need to discuss it. We’ll contact you in advance."

 

"Alright, you can also come here directly. We have defensive walls and can offer a safe living environment."

 

"Thank you, but we’re not considering that right now."

 

After ending the call, Li Yanhong breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Three bags of rice for a submachine gun—King of Hell should be satisfied with that.

 

After all, the iron spears they made could be traded for a bag of rice, along with various canned goods and beers. It was definitely worth it to trade three bags of rice for a submachine gun.

 

She felt she had completed a tough task.

 

As for the suggestion to move to the prison, Li Yanhong wasn’t even considering it.

 

They might think she has plenty of food, but in reality, it’s not hers. If she went there, she wouldn’t be able to provide any food and would just starve.

 

She definitely wasn’t going.

 

They didn’t contact them again, and the radio started broadcasting other people’s voices.

 

"This is the train station. There are mutated zombies wandering outside. Can anyone come to save us?"

 

.........

 

Meanwhile, at South City Prison.

 

The stifling room was filled with an unpleasant smell.

 

A few burly men, shirtless and covered in tattoos, sat around a table playing cards.

 

"Brother Long, are you really going to trade the submachine guns?" One of them threw down his cards and looked over.

 

The man with a buzz cut and a strong build turned from the radio and said, "Just tricking her to come over. Once she’s here, we’ll take her and the food. They’ll all be ours!"

 

"Haha! We all knew you were tricking her, but this guy was clueless."

 

"Yeah, your brain is slower than a zombie’s."

 

"Damn, of course, I knew. I was just asking."

 

"Haha~!"

 

Brother Long glanced at them and continued, "Tomorrow, Old Third will take some men out, same as before. Find a few unlucky souls to lure the zombies away, then scavenge for food."

 

"Got it, Brother Long."