Chapter 208 Moneybags
Yves had been running convoys around Accraville City for what felt like forever.
In this post-apocalyptic mess, every day dragged on like a year, so yeah, it had been a long time.
He'd done some shady stuff that'd be a no-go in peacetime, but mostly, he stuck to the rules.
In this world, human life was often viewed as disposable. Climbing the ranks quickly typically required getting one's hands dirty, and the individuals one crossed paths with today could easily become tomorrow's biggest threat.Yves got that, so he never pushed it too far.
This strategy was working out. They had a solid rep, and the new settlements around Accraville City liked trading with him. Lately, this scored him a bunch of Magic Crystals, and more Evolving folks joined his crew.
But he stayed on his toes with new teams, using tricks like gunmen on the bus, grenades on him, and explosives in the ride.
In a pinch, these were Yves' ace in the hole.
Today, though, Yves knew he was dealing with some serious players. This crew looked too clean, too healthy, too chill for the apocalypse.
As a businessman, Yves knew the value of white gear. Each piece was worth more than a one-star Evolution Elixir. And they had over ten pieces!
When did they snag the detonator for his bomb?
What if they had taken his life instead?
Yves shivered, his grin widening.
"My bad, my bad. Don't take it personally, bro." Yves tossed the explosives to a lackey and walked over to William, trying not to tick off the real boss of this odd crew.
"If all you got is food and drink, then we don't need to waste our breath," William said coolly, holding the detonator, making the guy with the explosives sweat bullets.
Yves was caught off guard, his suck-up smile gone, standing straighter, suddenly more serious.
William gave him a nod of approval. This was how a trading convoy should act. If they kept the previous attitude, they probably wouldn't have had anything good.
William cut to the chase as he stated, "I need three things. If you got 'em, the price is negotiable."
He held up three fingers and continued, "One, bullets. Two, food. Three, info."
The Black-clad Convoy members exchanged looks, not used to such a straight-up deal.
Yves frowned. "Bullets are rare. I got some, but not a lot. Food is our main gig, so no problem there. As for info, it depends on what you wanna know."
William shook his head. "You got it wrong. Forget the bullets for now. For info, anything useful can be traded. I'll pay based on its value. And when I say food, I mean real food, not just anything edible. There's a big difference."
Yves was floored. This guy wanted food!
In a world where folks killed for a piece of bread, he wanted a lot of food. What was he planning?
Glancing at the assault rifles held by Jack, Michelle, and the others, Yves walked back to the bus. Moments later, he came back with a bag, dropped it on the ground, and pulled out several mags.
"Ninety rounds, fifty Magic Crystals, just the right caliber for your guns," he said.
William nodded.
Yves' eyes lit up. Anyone who didn't care about fifty Magic Crystals was either planning not to pay or was seriously loaded.
Yves ruled out the first option. He believed these folks had big plans and principles. So, it had to be the latter.
"Need any handguns?" Yves asked eagerly.
"How many you got?" William asked calmly.
Yves, convinced of their wealth, quickly replied, "Not many, about ten, all from the roulette, top quality. But not many bullets, only about three hundred rounds."
"Name your price," William said, checking one out with a slight smile.
"Two hundred Magic Crystals!" Yves gritted his teeth, naming what he thought was a high price.
While theoretically, one bullet could kill a zombie and earn a Magic Crystal, in reality, it often took three bullets to kill a zombie, even for some Evolving folks. So, three hundred bullets and ten handguns were worth just over a hundred Magic Crystals. Two hundred was really steep.
However, William, seemingly clueless about the market, just nodded and agreed to buy them.
The Black-clad Convoy members were stoked, knowing they had hit the jackpot today.
Yves asked, "Need rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar?"
William shook his head decisively.
Yves stood up and clapped his hands. "That's pretty much it."
William reached into his backpack, pulled out a bag of Magic Crystals, and tossed it to Yves.
Yves opened it, counted with a grin, then hesitated. "This seems like too much."
"That's five hundred first-level Magic Crystals. Now, spill the beans on the armory," William demanded.
Yves and his crew got all jittery, guns going up in a flash.
Pill started barking like crazy, ready to jump in.
"How'd you figure it out?" Yves asked, genuinely floored.
William didn't bother answering. "With your skills, getting this stuff is impressive. But I don't think you can go any further. Why not trade it for some Magic Crystals? With these five hundred, you could add another Evolving person to your team. That's way more valuable than an armory you can't handle."
Yves looked down, clearly torn. He suddenly realized the gravity of the situation and how unnerving this guy truly was. What had given away his knowledge of the armory remained a mystery to him.With a newfound resolve, Yves raised his gaze, his eyes unwavering. "One thousand, and I'll throw in another piece of info: the location of a small grain depot," he said.
Some of his crew looked hesitant, showing Yves still had some serious pull.
"How much food are we talking?" William asked.
"Enough to feed a thousand people for two months," Yves replied.
"Alright, but I also want detailed info on the surrounding factions," William stated.
He then pulled out another bag and handed it to Yves.
Yves carefully counted the crystals and, finding none missing, leaned in to whisper to William. William nodded, put the detonator back in Yves' pocket, and waved to his team to signal their departure.
Seeing the group about to leave, Yves asked instinctively, "Hey, aren't you afraid I'll screw you over?"
William turned back and smiled. "Messing with me comes with a price. You willing to pay it?"
Yves stammered, then said, "I didn't screw you over."
"That's what I thought." William shrugged, about to keep walking when he suddenly added, "If you wanna do business again, bring more food to Cloud Peak Manor in two days."
With that, he quickly led his team away.
Watching the dozen or so people walk off, a member of the Black-clad Convoy approached Yves, eyeing the departing team with a cold look. "Mr. Walker, these people..."
"We can't afford to mess with them!" Yves snapped, glaring at the guy, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Yves had to squash this idea fast, or it would get them all killed.
"Listen up," Yves said, jumping onto the bus steps to address his team. "You all know I used to be a headhunter, finding talent for companies. I might not have other special skills, but I'm good at reading people. Now, I'm telling you seriously: whenever you run into that team again, be polite and don't get any bad ideas. Or don't blame me for being harsh."
"If you wanna get yourself killed, that's your business, but don't drag everyone else down. Got it?" Yves's voice was stern.
He then suggested, "Let's head to East Hill Village and find Spencer to buy food and spin the roulette!"
By evening, William's team had arrived near Cloud Peak Manor.
Candice stated, "From a strategic standpoint, this is a good spot. It's on top of a mountain, backed by a cliff, with only one road leading in. Easy to defend, hard to attack."
She handed the binoculars to William, pointing out the surroundings of the large resort. "This is only true for humans. For zombies and mutated creatures, it doesn't make much difference. It's just a matter of whether the road is easy or hard to traverse. If it weren't for the sturdy walls built by the resort to keep guests from entering the dense forests on either side, this place might have already been overrun."
Candice continued, "I estimated there are thousands of zombies here, along with many mutated creatures. It's inevitable; this place is scenic, with lush greenery, so there are more mutated creatures."
She analyzed, "According to the Black-clad Convoy, there are actually four factions inside Cloud Peak Manor, which differs from our investigation. These factions use various methods to create noise and draw away zombies before quickly driving through. Almost every time, someone dies. But because of this, external forces haven't moved in yet, as no one is confident in facing nearly ten thousand mutated creatures."
"That's the basic situation," Candice finished, giving William a questioning look, wondering why he chose this place as their base.
Drawing from his past experiences, William had valid grounds for his choice, even though its impact on his current circumstances might be limited. Despite this uncertainty, he resolved to conduct a reconnaissance of Cloud Peak Manor later tonight.
