Bartering

Yang Wei and two other classmates stood behind Yang Chengyi.

Their expressions were all exceedingly grim.

They had been classmates with Li Chen and should have had the most to talk about.

Yet now, none of them wanted to speak.

They all felt somehow beneath Li Chen!

Before the apocalypse, he had clearly been someone they looked down on.

How had he become the commander of a shelter?

The thought burned Yang Wei's heart like fire.

"Everyone must be tired of waiting. Why not come into the base with me and take a look around?"

Li Chen knew exactly why they had come.

He casually extended an olive branch.

Yang Chengyi and the others' eyes immediately lit up!

They exchanged glances, then all nodded in agreement.

Li Chen walked in front.

Yang Chengyi's group followed behind.

Twenty Android Warriors brought up the rear.

Though their dark gun barrels were aimed at the ground.

Everyone present knew that if they dared make any reckless move.

Those barrels could instantly be trained on their foreheads!

The lift platform slowly descended.

Li Chen led the group to the seventh level, the residential area.

"Commander, you're back."

Residents passing by looked at Li Chen with respect.

Li Chen gave a slight nod.

He raised a hand and gestured to Yang Chengyi and the others. "This is the shelter's residential area."

"Let's head to the dining hall and talk."

As they followed Li Chen.

Yang Chengyi and the others could not close their mouths in astonishment!

Everything visible throughout the shelter was built from Heavy Metal.

Yang Chengyi even tried knocking on a wall.

Solid!

Even a cannon might not be able to damage it.

On the way to the dining hall, they happened to pass the atrium.

Looking at the densely packed elevators and the unfathomably deep atrium.

Yang Chengyi and the others were stunned.

The same question arose in all their minds.

Just how many levels did the Star-Level Shelter have?

Li Chen watched their reactions with satisfaction and calmly led them into the cafeteria.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

When they sat down in the cafeteria, Yang Chengyi and the others were stunned once more.

"It's not mealtime right now, so there isn't much food. Please do me the honor of making do."

Li Chen smiled and snapped his fingers.

Several people dressed in white chef uniforms immediately came in carrying dishes.

There was fish and meat.

But most of the dishes were vegetables!

There was even Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth, a dish that only imperial chefs could make before the apocalypse!

Although Yang Chengyi and the others knew that Li Chen was showing off his strength.

They still could not hold themselves back.

"This is unbelievable. Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth is an exceptionally elaborate dish."

"Normally, it takes an enormous amount of vegetable ingredients just to make one bowl!"

President Liu smacked his lips and said in shock.

What was the most precious thing after the apocalypse?

Food.

And among foods, vegetables were the most precious!

After all, meat could be stored in deep freezers.

Vegetables could not!

They would wilt in just a few days.

Yet the vitamins and dietary fiber the human body needed had to be supplemented through vegetables.

That was why vegetables had become scarce after the apocalypse.

Only a very small number of people could enjoy them...

Yet Li Chen was not only serving them vegetables, but Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth, which consumed a massive amount of ingredients.

"May I ask how many supplies the Star-Level Shelter actually has?"

Yang Chengyi finally could not hold it in any longer.

Thinking of his own private base.

They had not even solved their water problem yet.

Meanwhile, Li Chen's side could casually eat meat and vegetables.

Li Chen answered openly, "More than you can imagine."

That was right, the Star-Level Shelter truly had an abundance of supplies.

But if they wanted any, they could only trade Zombie Energy Cores for them!

If they got any crooked ideas, hehe, Secretary Chang had set an excellent example for them.

Everyone present swallowed hard.

The meal left everyone uneasy.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the waiters brought tea.

"You didn't come all this way just to have a look around, did you?"

Li Chen took the initiative to broach the subject.

"Haha, Mr. Li really is a straightforward man."

Yang Chengyi laughed. "My son mentioned at home that one of his high school classmates was in the Star-Level Shelter, and he was worried about him. That was why we made the trip."

As he spoke, Yang Chengyi beckoned to Yang Wei. "A Wei, come here. Didn't you keep talking to me about Li Chen before? Now that you've seen him, why aren't you saying anything?"

Yang Wei's expression was ugly.

But he still had no choice but to obediently step before Li Chen.

At that moment, he felt utterly tormented inside!

Li Chen gave Yang Wei a meaningful glance but said nothing.

Before the apocalypse, Li Chen and Yang Wei both knew perfectly well what their relationship had been like.

That old fox Yang Chengyi apparently wanted to use this connection to gain more leverage.

"I came here to trade for some supplies from the Star-Level Shelter."

President Liu was much more candid.

Though he had polished up his wording somewhat.

When he had first come, he had not intended to trade for supplies.

He had planned to assess the Star-Level Shelter's situation.

If the defenses here were poor, outright robbery would not have been out of the question.

Only after witnessing Li Chen's power did he switch to making a trade.

Li Chen nodded. "What do you want to trade for? The Star-Level Shelter may not have much else, but it has plenty of supplies."

"I'd like to trade for some medicine."

"You know how it is. Now that the apocalypse is here, medicine is scarce."

"If someone gets a fever or a minor illness, it can become a disaster!"

After President Liu finished speaking, the others also began stating what supplies they wanted to trade for.

"I want some weapons, preferably halberds or large machetes."

"That's right, I need those too. Guns and cannons require ammunition, and that stuff is hard to get. Cold weapons are more practical."

"It's the apocalypse now. Zombies are our common enemy. Surely Mr. Li won't make things difficult for us?"

The old foxes complained about their hardships.

While flattering Li Chen at the same time.

Before the apocalypse, they had stockpiled plenty of dry rations.

So they did not lack food.

But weapons and medicine were matters of life and death.

Firearms had been banned before the apocalypse.

What they had on hand now were still Crude Hunting Rifles.

They were useful enough for hunting wild boars, but not for fighting zombies.

For one thing, they were not accurate enough.

For another, they lacked sufficient power.

Zombies felt no pain. If they could not land a headshot, it was like scratching an itch.

Even without guns, they did not have many cold weapons either.

After all, before the apocalypse, anyone who dared buy large quantities of machetes and the like would have been thrown straight into jail.

Besides that, medicine was also scarce.

They really had stockpiled some before the apocalypse.

But medicine had also been controlled, so they did not have much.

Hearing their demands, Li Chen smiled with satisfaction.

Weapons?

Hehe, he had more than he could ever use!

Medicine was piled up like mountains as well.

"No problem." Li Chen folded his hands. "Rest assured, everyone. The Star-Level Shelter has abundant supplies, and we can fulfill however much you want."

President Liu's eyes immediately lit up.

"But, of course, you'll have to trade something for them."

"At a time like this, money is nothing but waste paper. If you want weapons and medicine, you'll need to trade Energy Cores for them."

Li Chen continued.