Finally, two hours later, the former owner finally left, transferring the shop's door code to [Eating Expert]'s wristwatch.
Sang Luoluo checked the time. It was almost midnight.
She calculated that she would need roughly 60 sacks of potatoes and took them out of her space with a wave.
Then she contacted Auction House No. 1 to come collect the goods. They could weigh them on-site.
Only a short while after Sang Luoluo sent the message,
Auction House No. 1 had already sent people over, bringing scales and a vehicle.
When they reached the location [Eating Expert] had sent them, they found 60 neatly stacked sacks of potatoes inside.
They began weighing and calculating right in front of Sang Luoluo. She had them take 13,000 jin of potatoes, leaving the excess here.
Afterward, a staff member arrived with a briefcase containing two laser pistols, along with compatible spare batteries and chargers.
[Eating Expert]'s account was also immediately unlocked. While she had been away from the auction house, the apples she had left there had fetched a high price of 40,000 points. After the 5% commission was deducted, the remaining 38,000 points all went into [Eating Expert]'s account.
Account holder: [Eating Expert] Balance: 448730.
With what she wanted in hand, Sang Luoluo waited a while, then put the remaining potatoes and weapons into her space.
Only then did she lock the door and leave the black market.
It was almost two in the morning by the time she got home.
After washing up, she lay down and went straight to sleep.
When the alarm rang the next day, Sang Luoluo scrambled out of bed, quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and rushed out in her wheelchair. Today was her appointment with Dr. Wang. She planned to go to the hospital after leaving the laboratory. She already had the gene serum, and she wanted to get her legs healed as soon as possible.
Sang Luoluo arrived at the laboratory right on time. Once again, Jian Cheng came out to meet her. The instant she saw him, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to get her hair cut again.
Oh well. Let it be.
Messy it is. Just staying alive in the wasteland was good enough.
When they reached the thirty-third floor and met Dr. Wang, Sang Luoluo took out the snake venom. It was still covered in frost, exactly as it had been before she put it away.
Even Dr. Wang found it miraculous. He could not understand why Sang Luoluo's ability was so unusual, much less the principles behind it. But ever since Evolved Humans had appeared, many phenomena had defied explanation. Though human technology was now advancing rapidly, there was still a long way to go before they unraveled the mysteries of genes.
Dr. Wang was delighted. This time, they really had confirmed something extraordinary.
Considering the storage capacity of Sang Luoluo's space, if she worked for the laboratory, at least her future survival would be assured.
So Dr. Wang extended an invitation. "Sang Luoluo, would you be willing to join the laboratory and work here?"
"Huh?" Sang Luoluo did not quite understand what he meant.
Dr. Wang continued, "I'd like you to be my assistant. The laboratory can pay you 10,000 points a month, not including income from additional missions."
Sang Luoluo instinctively wanted to refuse. She was not short of points. But within the base, the laboratory was undoubtedly the safest place, with relatively good benefits. So many people wanted to get in but could not. If she got in so easily and still did not appreciate it, that would be rather ungrateful of her.
Jian Cheng said from beside them, "You should know that even the members of the Guard only earn a little over 1,000 points a month each."
Ten thousand points counted as a high salary in the base.
Hearing this, Sang Luoluo asked, "Then what would my regular duties be? Also, I don't want to work every day."
Dr. Wang said, "Your ability is very special. Simply having you store medicine, food, or experimental samples would be a waste of your talents. What I have in mind is for you to accompany the Guard into the wilderness to collect experimental samples. Your space can preserve the samples in their original state to the greatest extent possible. That would be a tremendous help to our research."
Watching from the side, Jian Cheng was terribly envious. He also had a doctorate in medicine, yet it had taken him a great deal of effort to become Dr. Wang's assistant. But Sang Luoluo, just an Evolved Human, could so easily reach his current level of achievement. Still, he had to admit that her ability would be an enormous asset to their laboratory. That alone would give their base many advantages over other bases, and their experimental data would be more accurate too.
Dr. Wang continued, "You don't have to worry about going out on missions. I'll have the most skilled members of the base's Guard protect you. After all, the samples you bring back are the most important thing. They can help us understand changes in the ecosystem outside the base."
Hearing that, Sang Luoluo found herself unable to refuse. She had wanted to go into the wilderness to look for Crystal Cores anyway. Now that she would have the Guard protecting her, she could not bear to turn it down. With her own strength alone, she certainly would not get very far out there.
Sang Luoluo said, "But I don't want to work every day. I won't turn down missions into the wilderness, but how many days off would I get each month? I really can't handle working every single day."
Dr. Wang said, "Your job will be to collect as many samples as possible. You don't know how to conduct scientific research anyway, so once you return, you can arrange your time as you please."
After briefly thinking it over, Sang Luoluo agreed. She would have to tell her brother about this when she went back later.
After Sang Luoluo left in her wheelchair, Jian Cheng said worriedly, "Professor, won't her legs make it inconvenient for her to go out?"
Dr. Wang said, "That won't be a major problem. Go request a dose of gene serum and charge it to the laboratory. We'll have the base hospital treat her afterward."
Jian Cheng immediately went to do so.
Chapter 37: Her legs were healed. Brother, I want to live in a big house someday
Sang Luoluo went to the hospital to find Sang Yunpu and saw him practicing walking with crutches.
Sang Luoluo hurried over. Seeing other people in the ward, she pulled him out into the corridor nearby.
Sang Yunpu asked, "What is it?"
Sang Luoluo said, "Brother, ummm... there are some things I don't know how to tell you."
Sang Yunpu drew a breath. Over the past few days, he had gradually grown able to accept his sister's sudden surprises.
"Go ahead."
"I can take it."
"Brother, I went to the black market these past two nights!"
Sang Yunpu's eyes widened, but he quickly returned to normal and asked, "And then?"
"Brother, I got some gene serum. It can heal my legs!"
"What! Gene... serum!" Realizing that his voice had grown excited, he quickly lowered it.
"How did you..."
Sang Luoluo raised a hand in a shushing gesture, then said quietly, "It's confidential. I opened an account at the black market. I have enough points."
"All right, I won't ask. Let's go get your legs treated first." Sang Yunpu could not hide his happiness. Nothing mattered more than healing his sister's legs.
Sang Luoluo gestured for him not to rush. "There's one more thing I need to tell you."
As she spoke, Sang Luoluo opened her wristwatch interface and transferred him the 900 points she had just received. Then she opened Dr. Wang's job offer, which clearly laid out her duties.
Sang Yunpu read it carefully. Amid his excitement, he was no longer quite so thrilled, but when he saw the salary, he still could not help pinching himself to confirm that he had read it correctly.
But then he began to worry again. "Luoluo, the wilderness is dangerous. I don't feel comfortable letting you go alone. Even with the Guard protecting you, there are times when they can't even protect themselves. In a desperate situation, they might not keep protecting you."
"We already have quite a lot of points. They're enough for us to open a little shop. Making a living won't be a problem."
Of course Sang Luoluo knew the wilderness was dangerous. But having such a huge farm in her space, with things she could only look at and not use, was driving her crazy. The supplies currently in the warehouse would run out one day. Although the unlocked potato field and apple orchard could keep growing indefinitely, she could not eat those every day forever. She still had to pursue some quality of life.
At that thought, Sang Luoluo brimmed with determination. "Brother, don't worry. I can protect myself out there. With the Guard around, nothing will happen. Besides, with the ability I have now, the base won't let me stay inside doing nothing forever."
When that time came, it would not be as simple as 10,000 points.
"Brother, I want to live in a big house someday, with heating in winter and air-conditioning running all summer, and more kinds of radiation-free food than I can eat every day. For all of that, I have to work hard to earn points."
She received a knuckle rap on the head. Sang Yunpu was worried sick, yet his sister was dreaming of eating radiation-free food every day. He had no idea how those people at the base laboratory had sweet-talked her. "You can do this, but if there's any danger at all in the wilderness, you must protect yourself. Wait until I find you a few things for self-defense."
"Brother, there's one more thing I need to tell you."
Sang Yunpu went still.
"Tell me."
Sang Luoluo took out a case and opened it to show Sang Yunpu the two laser pistols inside, along with spare batteries and chargers.
Sang Yunpu picked one up. Beyond his shock, he could not bear to put it down. If he had possessed a laser weapon like this in the wilderness, he would not have lost his leg. "Wh-where did this come from?"
Sang Luoluo said, "Confidential missions. I got these at the black market."
Sang Yunpu did not know what confidential missions his sister had done, and he did not ask. Still, he could not help wondering aloud, "Do confidential missions really pay that much? Enough to afford things like these?"
Sang Luoluo looked at him with a hint of smugness. "Brother, you can't imagine the world of the rich."
Sang Yunpu said, "..."
Seeing his troubled expression as he racked his brains, unable to figure out what kind of mission could pay so much, Sang Luoluo continued explaining, "Brother, the boss behind the secret missions is very generous and very wealthy. My ability is special, and it's very important to his business."