Trade

Beneath the Sky, Sky Convergence Building

Under the deep blue sky, clouds rolled in waves across the vast expanse. A few mutated birds flew by from time to time. The warm sun shone gently, and everything seemed so peaceful.

"Not enough? I saved your life! All day, we looked for water, food, and a place to stay, and we fought zombies. We never backed down!"

Wang Zhen roared at the weakened Ye Zhongming, as if he had suffered a great insult.

Because Wang Changle had intervened, he had first saved Ye Zhongming, then helped him recover from his injuries, and finally disrupted the battle.

Without anyone realizing it, Ye Zhongming had gone from needing four days of rest to recovering in just one.

As a result of the chain reaction, Cheng Long had still died, but Wang Zhen's contribution was no longer as significant. Everything was changing in subtle ways.

"You may not have backed down, but you never lifted a finger whenever something was even a little tiring or difficult."

Seeing the other man's self-congratulatory expression, Liang Chuyin's pretty face turned cold, and she couldn't help curling her lip.

"Shut up! You have no say here. If it weren't for Captain Mo Ye, I would've fucking killed you already. Don't think you're so special just because you're an Evolver."

Wang Zhen pointed at Liang Chuyin and cursed furiously, not forgetting to wave the submachine gun in his hand.

"Add one more bottle of One-star Evolution Potion. After taking it, you can become an Evolver. I think you already know what an Evolver is."

Ye Zhongming leaned back against the sofa. His hand began stroking Dihuang Wan over and over. His expression was calm, but the chill in his eyes hadn't lessened at all.

At his words, Wang Zhen and his men stirred restlessly, staring at the Green Potion with expectation and longing in their eyes.

He had already seen how effective the Evolution Potion was on Ye Zhongming and the others. Their physical abilities were far beyond ordinary people's, even surpassing those of top athletes in peacetime.

"Still... still not enough!"

Wang Zhen suppressed the agitation inside him, his eyes flashing with menace.

"Director Wang, this really is enough! We got these Immunity Potions and Evolution Potions by risking our lives."

Mo Ye was also quite angry at the sight before her.

"Exactly, you old bastard! Don't push your luck! You know perfectly well what a one-star potion is worth these days. Don't be so greedy!"

Facing Wang Zhen, Liang Chuyin found his insatiable expression nauseating. She really wanted to go up and take a couple of swings at him.

"I don't think your lives are worth so little! I'm telling you, it's still not enough—"

Bang!

A gunshot rang out. Wang Zhen immediately fell into a pool of blood. He turned his head in shock to look at Xia Lei behind him, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Greed comes at a price. People who get too carried away with their appetites tend to die fast."

Seeing that Wang Zhen had fallen silent, Ye Zhongming spoke with a hint of emotion. His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over Instructor Cheng Ze, who stood nearby. His meaning was clear.

However, the conflict Wang Zhen had brought about hadn't reached the point of a fight to the death, so using him as an example came across as somewhat abrupt.

To ease the concerns of the three women and the others, Ye Zhongming didn't take the card from Cheng Ze. Instead, he gave him quite a bit of food, which helped calm those who remained.

Xia Lei quietly walked behind Ye Zhongming with Xiao Hu. Seeing how things stood, Cheng Ze knew the situation was beyond saving. He walked dejectedly toward the exit.

As Cheng Ze crossed the hall, a man in a protective suit passed him, a hiking backpack slung over his shoulders.

"Looks like I missed quite a show! Boss Ye, I want to talk to you about compensation too!"

While everyone was still stunned, a man in a full-body riot suit had already reached the entrance. His handsome face wore a faint smile that somehow made him seem likable.

"Who are you? What makes you think you have the right to negotiate compensation with us?"

Seeing Ye Zhongming's brow furrow, Liang Chuyin immediately stepped forward, her whip already in hand.

"Young lady, Boss Ye knows who I am. As for whether I have the right, we can work that out, can't we?"

The man set down his hiking backpack, found a chair, and sat at the entrance. He nodded to Mo Ye and Pu Xiuying.

Ye Zhongming faced the young man. When he heard him say, "work that out," he immediately had a hunch.

He was about to stop him and take control of the conversation, but the man had already begun speaking.

"First, at the tennis court, Boss Ye, Officer Mo, and I worked together to kill the Blood-tongue Lizard. That's true, right?"

Wang Changle raised one finger, but his eyes were fixed on Mo Ye, and his confident smile lingered.

"Yes, you did help us kill the Blood-tongue Lizard. But we also gave you two Blood-tongue Lizards as payment!"

Mo Ye pressed her lips together. She knew the man had come prepared, but her remaining sense of justice as a police officer wouldn't let her lie. Still, she held something back.

"Fine. Let's set the tennis court aside for now. At the Heavenly Trust Building, I saved Boss Ye's life and helped kill the Terror Sheep, right, Teacher Pu?"

Wang Changle raised a second finger. His smile remained, but his gaze darkened as he stared at Teacher Pu.

"Yes!"

The young university teaching assistant, Pu Xiuying, met the man's unwavering gaze. Her nerves weren't as steady as Officer Mo's, so she gave a timid reply, lowered her head, and said no more.

Liang Chuyin glared at Pu Xiuying and was about to speak, but Mo Ye pulled her back. This man wasn't like Wang Zhen.

He hadn't just come prepared; by the facts, they really did owe him.

More importantly, he was not only an Evolver but also a formidable fighter. He could kill a Level 2 mutated beast on his own!

"Yes, I'm grateful that you saved my life. So what brings you here?"

Ye Zhongming's expression darkened. The timing of the man's arrival was far too delicate.

He had just dealt with Wang Zhen decisively and driven Cheng Ze away. Now was the moment to win everyone's support.

If he denied what happened, morale would fall apart. That would be extremely detrimental to his goal of building a force in this life.

A leader who weeded out dissent wasn't frightening. What was frightening was losing everyone's trust and respect!

But he also knew he couldn't let the man keep talking. He didn't like being led around by the nose, so it would be better to simply admit it and see what the man wanted.

"Boss Ye, I like your straightforwardness! I saved your life and helped kill the Terror Sheep. I didn't take the Magic Crystal or the Sheep Core, and I even gave you supplies to help you recover. That's true too, right?"

Wang Changle stood and looked around. Meeting Ye Zhongming's gaze, he stepped forward and pointed out two important facts.

First, he hadn't taken any of the spoils. Second, he had helped Ye Zhongming recover from his injuries.

Hearing this, Liang Chuyin slowly lowered her whip. She could curse out Wang Zhen, but she didn't seem to have the same grounds with this man.

Seeing the young man standing before him, completely composed, Ye Zhongming immediately realized what he was doing. He was using his favors to demand repayment!

He really had been set up!

This man had approached him again and again with a purpose: to corner him in front of everyone now.

With everyone watching, he couldn't deny it. Otherwise, morale would collapse.

He had been outmaneuvered fair and square. This man was a schemer!

"Yes, I'm grateful that you saved me. And I'm grateful that you treated my injuries. So tell me what you want."

"No rush, no rush. Third, at Lakeside Plaza, after I saved you twice, you tossed Monster Baby to me, and I even helped take the blame for you once. You acknowledge that, right, Boss Ye?"

Xia Lei quietly put her gun away. She could tell that although this man was pressing him at every turn, he meant no harm. She gave a delicate laugh and stepped aside. This was going to be interesting!

Wang Changle looked at Ye Zhongming, whose brow was furrowing tighter and tighter. He, too, let his smile fade, calmly meeting the other man's gaze.

Ye Zhongming glanced at him coldly. When he heard the words "Monster Baby," the suspicion in his mind only grew firmer.

"Who are you, exactly? Where did you come from?"

"So, to sum it up, I saved your life twice, helped you kill an enemy once, and took the blame for you once! I want the Class Advancement Scroll you have. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

Wang Changle didn't answer Ye Zhongming's question. Instead, he leaned back in his chair again and smiled as he made his demand.

The Class Advancement Scroll? That was what the man wanted!

So the vines he'd used earlier weren't an ability, but a skill!

He really had obtained a class. This man was not only an Evolver but also a class holder!

Abilities and skills might look similar, but Ye Zhongming, who had a class himself, knew the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

A class holder gained skills from the system, and had at least one—not necessarily just one. Ye Zhongming, for instance, had five skills from a single class.

An ability was a single power, while skills could advance and grow as the class developed. They could even fuse and mutate. That was a tremendous asset.

It was only the second day of the apocalypse, yet this man had already obtained a class, equipment, and an Evolution Potion. He was nearly on par with Ye Zhongming!

"Fine. From now on, we're even."

Suppressing his surprise, Ye Zhongming met everyone's eyes. A pale blue parchment scroll appeared in his hand, and he tossed it toward Wang Changle.

[Prompt: Ye Zhongming's favorability toward you has decreased by 51 points. Current status: Neutral 0/100]

"We've settled the matter of favors. Now let's talk business! To show my sincerity, I'm Wang Changle, from W City. I have no parents, and I'm currently a 1-star Evolver."