Ch 125: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

To make their act more convincing, that night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Song Kaiji used his teleportation ability several times to sneak over to the neighboring villages and hide some more seeds, setting things up for Shen Yan and the others to “discover” them the next day.

Previously, when Song Kaiji trained his ability, he could only practice teleporting around the villa, mainly focusing on the size, weight, and number of items he could carry. But this time, he had the chance to practice distance.

After several attempts, Song Kaiji gained a better understanding of his limits. If he teleported without carrying anything, his maximum range was about 1,000 meters, but he could only do it once before exhausting his energy. After that, he needed to rest for half an hour and absorb crystal cores before he could teleport again.

However, for distances around 200-300 meters, he could teleport two to three times in a short period. If he carried larger objects, the number of teleportations and the distance he could cover would decrease accordingly.

Through continuous training and a slight increase in his ability, Song Kaiji found that the maximum weight he could carry had increased from a single watermelon to two. While teleportation had many limitations and consumed a large amount of energy per use, it was undeniably practical in emergencies—potentially life-saving.

After a few trips delivering seeds, Song Kaiji collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion. However, his little adventure to the neighboring village led to an unexpected discovery. “In the village to the west, I think I saw two… factories? Handcraft workshops?” He wasn’t sure how to describe their scale. “It was a big courtyard with several machines inside, and it looked like they were polishing and engraving bracelets or something.”

That village was marked as Xiyaotou on the map. Given the presence of the character “窑” (kiln) in its name, it was likely that in ancient times or even during the Republican era, the village had been known for pottery or some kind of kiln work. The local craftsmen might have preserved this tradition and continued to engage in related handicrafts.

“What kind of material? Do you recognize it?” Hearing the mention of bracelets, Shen Qing set down the elementary school textbook he was reading and perked up with interest. After listening to so many books, he had learned that due to different technological advancements in both worlds, items that were common in the apocalypse could be considered highly valuable in his homeland. For example, glass—while glass bottles were used for practically everything in the apocalypse, in Shen Qing’s world, even a simple glass teacup was a luxury not every county magistrate could afford!

If they could cut a pair of bracelets from something as simple as a beer bottle, they could sell them for a fortune in Anping County!

“How would I know? But there were huge sacks of the stuff in the workshop, all filled with gemstone-like materials. We can bring some back to the base and ask someone.” Song Kaiji yawned. “Maybe Weiwei will recognize it. Girls usually like this kind of thing.”

Shen Qing secretly hoped it was agate—agate was highly valuable in Anping County. But even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter. As he said, even a bracelet cut from a beer bottle would fetch a high price over there. No matter what the material was, it was bound to be valuable in Anping County.

The next day, they headed to Xiyaotou and, as expected, found two connected courtyards filled with machines. In one of them, several machines were covered in grayish sludge, seemingly polishing bracelets.

While Shen Yan and the others were busy searching the houses and celebrating the discovery of a few more packets of seeds, Shen Qing and Song Kaiji pulled Qu Weiwei aside and examined the machines with great interest.

Qu Weiwei immediately recognized them. “This should be a polishing machine.” She pulled a bracelet out of the gray sludge and rinsed it clean, revealing a milky white bangle. “I don’t recognize the material, but it doesn’t look like anything expensive. Does Lan Province even produce jade? Never heard of it.”

She turned to Shen Qing with curiosity. “Boss, you like this kind of stuff?”

Although she didn’t recognize the material, based on her experience, a bracelet like this probably wouldn’t have sold for more than 200 yuan before the apocalypse. And now? It was completely worthless. This village had clearly been looted before—every scrap of food had been taken—but these bracelets were still piled up here like a small mountain. That meant they had no value whatsoever.

Shen Qing couldn’t explain his real thoughts, so he just nodded stiffly. “Yeah… I like them. Since I have space to store things, it’s no trouble to take them back. I just want to keep them for fun.”

Qu Weiwei resisted the urge to give him a “you’re an idiot” look and shifted her gaze away. Well, rich people were eccentric. They could do whatever they wanted. She didn’t understand it, but she respected it.

The workshop next door, however, caught her genuine interest. While the first one specialized in cutting bangles, this one was dedicated to carving. They even found some raw stones in the backyard, which Shen Qing quickly stored in his space. In this second workshop, the bracelet centers were repurposed into pendants, and bangles with flaws were intricately carved into various patterns.

“Wow, I love this one!” Qu Weiwei had little interest in ordinary bangles, but she was delighted by the adorable carvings. She eagerly grabbed several bracelets and rings shaped like cat paws, bunnies, and foxes, hugging them to her chest. She then looked at Shen Qing with puppy-dog eyes. “Boss, can I have these? I love them!”

At that moment, she suddenly understood Shen Qing. The carved animal bracelets were still just as worthless in the apocalypse, but to her, they were cute and appealing. She wanted them simply because they looked nice.

Maybe Shen Qing’s taste was just… different. People could only truly understand someone else’s passion when they experienced a similar situation themselves.

Shen Qing picked up one of the bracelets—a cat paw design with an intricately carved heart-shaped pad in the center. It was undeniably exquisite. However, he had never seen such patterns in Anping County before. From what he had learned at Ruyi Workshop, his world’s jewelry designs were more focused on traditional meanings, favoring motifs like auspicious clouds, ruyi scepters, and even bats for good fortune. Cute designs like these were practically nonexistent.

Would these even sell well in Anping County? Shen Qing wasn’t sure. Though he liked them, seeing how much Qu Weiwei adored them, he reluctantly handed them all over to her.

Qu Weiwei beamed, trying on the bracelets one by one. “This one fits my wrist!” She admired it happily for a while before taking it off. “This one’s too big for me. I’ll take it back for Lele to try. If it doesn’t fit her either, I’ll give it to Nannan…”

After playing with her new treasures for a bit, she suddenly remembered something and turned to Shen Qing. “Boss, if you like this kind of stuff, why don’t we stop by the small commodity wholesale market on our way back? It’s on the way, and there might be better-quality goods there.”

Shen Qing was puzzled. “Small commodity wholesale market?” He had no idea what that was. Song Kaiji, however, smacked his forehead. “Oh, that’s a good idea. I never thought of that before.”

Shen Qing didn’t ask further. “Let’s see how much time we have. If there’s enough time and it’s not too dangerous, we can take a look.”

“What danger could there be?” Qu Weiwei gathered up her cute bracelets and handed them to Song Kaiji to store in his space. Their current strategy, combining metal cages and reinforced vine barriers, had proven highly effective. Now that her wood-type ability had mutated, she could coat her vines with a layer of metal, making them even stronger. She was even confident that after leveling up two more times, she and Tang Wenjie wouldn’t need to work together anymore—they could take turns leading missions on their own, alternating shifts.

Or, once the team expanded further, the two of them could each lead a squad.

Shen Qing nodded absentmindedly and didn’t continue discussing the topic with Qu Weiwei. At noon, they had a simple meal in Xiyaotou and took a short nap before preparing to head back in the afternoon.

During their rest, while Shen Qing and Song Kaiji were alone, Song Kaiji took the opportunity to explain more about the small commodity wholesale market.

They had actually passed by it on their way here. Of course, it wasn’t a massive, nationally renowned wholesale market like the one in Wushi, but rather Red City’s own local small commodity wholesale market. Nearly every city, or at least every province, had one or two of these markets.

This market had been around for quite some time. Before the rise of e-commerce, all the counties and cities in the province where Red City was located would come here to purchase goods. Around the market, there was also a large green tent housing a clothing wholesale section, as well as many discount stores selling items for one, two, or ten yuan.

However, after the boom of online shopping, the market had gradually declined. Some savvy shopkeepers transitioned early into e-commerce, using their physical stores as warehouses, which allowed part of the market to persist.

“They sold everything there. My mom’s second aunt used to run a stationery shop, and I remember my great-aunt bringing me along to buy stock when I was a kid,” Song Kaiji reminisced about his childhood. “Toys, bags, stationery, jewelry… all sorts of things. I remember my mom bought a whole box of earrings—pearls, fake diamonds, all kinds—for just five yuan. The clothing stalls nearby were super cheap too, like a pair of jeans for fifteen yuan.”

Shen Qing’s world lacked industrialization, and everything relied on manual labor. Bringing some of these small commodities over would definitely be popular and sell for a good price.

Moreover, Qu Weiwei’s suggestion had given Song Kaiji another idea. “Actually, it’s not just the small commodity market. We could also check out some construction material wholesale markets, textile wholesale markets… there’s a lot of stuff that isn’t useful in the apocalypse but could be extremely valuable in your world.”

In ancient times, fabric could be used as currency, and their silk was notoriously fragile—after a few washes, it would start to wear out. That’s why they had to starch and stiffen the fabric using rice water.

But modern fabrics, even silk-like ones, didn’t need starching at all. You could toss them into a washing machine, and while they might not be as delicately washed as by hand, they wouldn’t deteriorate after a few washes. This was because modern textile manufacturing incorporated advanced materials and techniques, making the fabrics far superior to those of the past.

For most teams, raiding a wholesale market was an impossible feat, but their team was different. First, their iron cage battle strategy provided maximum safety. Even if they encountered a massive horde of zombies and exhausted their energy, they could hide inside the cage until their abilities recharged and slowly take down the zombies. It would just take longer and require more patience.

Most importantly, Shen Qing wouldn’t be attacked by zombies!

If they could avoid other people and let Shen Qing enter the mall alone, he could collect everything without facing any direct threats—an effortless profit.

However, if the mall had other survivors inside or if they ran into another team scavenging for supplies, it could become difficult to explain their actions. To be safe, the best approach was to enter the mall as a group, confirm that it was clear of other people, and then let Shen Qing collect everything on the upper floors while the others rested on the lower floors.

After discussing the plan for half the afternoon, when they were ready to leave, Shen Qing and Song Kaiji announced that they would make a detour to the small commodity wholesale market.

Since Shen Qing was the boss, no one objected to his decision. Their team had traveled all this way with plenty of food, drinks, and crystal cores for training, and they hadn’t faced any serious danger. If the boss wanted to take a detour, so be it.

They packed up the supplies they had gathered in Xiyaotou, and before leaving, Shen Qing also collected all the tools from the bracelet polishing and carving workshops—just in case they came in handy later.

Through these tools, Shen Qing realized something: many handicrafts in his world were monopolized, likely because precision tools were rare.

Previously, when he was learning to write, Song Kaiji had used a thin blade to sharpen his pencil. The pencil tip turned out sharp and smooth, with the wood evenly shaved—very precise. This gave Shen Qing an idea. He went outside, broke off a branch, and asked Song Kaiji to carve a hairpin for him.

Though puzzled, Song Kaiji complied and even got a bit creative, carving a small, somewhat crooked flower at the end. Though it wasn’t particularly well-crafted, the flower’s shape was recognizable. With some sanding, this simple hairpin could easily be sold for a few copper coins in Shen Qing’s world.

And yet, Song Kaiji had never learned how to make hairpins. He was simply used to sharpening pencils—a basic skill anyone who had been to school would know.

Qu Weiwei, Tang Wenjie, Shen Yan, and even Shen Yan all knew how to sharpen pencils. It was something every student did. Anyone could carve a hairpin like this, and branches were everywhere.

But not everyone had a blade thin as a cicada’s wing. Not everyone had sandpaper to smooth out the wood.

Shen Qing ran his fingers over the tools, touching the knife. Handicrafts, industry… These were words he didn’t fully understand yet, but he engraved them deeply into his mind.

The journey to their destination had taken six days, but their return trip only took four before they arrived at the outskirts of Red City, near the small commodity wholesale market.

This place had significantly more zombies compared to the villages at the Lan Province border. Though the market had declined in popularity, it was still one of the busiest areas in the suburbs. Later on, when Red City built a high-speed rail station nearby, it became even more crowded.

They spent over an hour killing zombies before some of them began running low on energy. Qu Weiwei wrapped their cage tightly with her metal-coated vines, leaving only a small opening for air, and the group sat down inside to rest and absorb crystal cores.

“This place is way harder than I thought,” Qu Weiwei sighed, regretting her suggestion for this “day trip.” It seemed like a single day wouldn’t be enough. Luckily, their team had two space ability users, so food, water, and supplies were abundant. “Next time we come to a zombie-infested place like this, we should bring a sofa and some beds in the space storage so we can rest properly.”

After a moment of silence, Song Kaiji pulled out a few cushions. “Make do with these for now.”

The zombies in the mall were like respawning monsters in a video game—no matter how many they killed, more kept appearing. As soon as they arrived, the zombies inside caught their scent and came flooding down from the upper floors. Some, in their frenzy, even jumped down from higher levels, only to shatter their limbs on impact, leaving them crawling and growling toward the team.

The sight made everyone’s scalp tingle. Qu Weiwei stared blankly at the horde and muttered, “How exactly do zombies detect humans? They have eyes but can’t see, ears but can’t hear, yet they still retain their sense of smell?

“They’re dead, yet they move. What exactly is driving them? And why does whatever controls them allow them to keep their sense of smell but not hearing or sight?”

No one had an answer. This question had been discussed countless times since the apocalypse began, but no solution had ever been found. By now, survivors had stopped asking “why” and simply accepted the reality of zombies.

Song Kaiji half-joked, “Maybe the research institute knows. You could ask them someday.”

“Ugh,” Qu Weiwei scrunched her nose in disgust, clearly repulsed at the thought of the research institute. “Forget it. It’s not like it really matters.”

After nearly an hour of rest and absorbing a hefty amount of crystal cores, their abilities were fully recharged. Qu Weiwei removed the vine barrier and reconstructed it ten meters away, isolating most of the zombies while allowing a controlled number inside.

Once they cleared the first batch and harvested their crystal cores, they would repeat the process—drawing in a fresh wave of zombies to hunt.

They slowly inched their way toward the mall entrance, crawling forward like worms. From morning till afternoon, they fought, and only then did they finally make it through the doors. By that time, the number of zombies had significantly decreased, and their aggression was no longer as intense as when they first arrived.

“I can’t take it anymore…” Qu Weiwei’s hands were trembling. She had been pushing her abilities to the limit, draining them dry and quickly replenishing with crystal cores over and over again. It had been a long time since she had worked this hard—every muscle and vein in her body ached terribly, as if she had just climbed the tallest mountain in the province. “Let’s stop here for today. We should rest and continue tomorrow.”

As soon as they entered the mall, the earth-type ability user, Lu Yao, immediately sealed off the entrance with his powers. He also blocked off the stairway leading to the second floor, ensuring their safety before they began clearing the remaining zombies on the first floor.

Beyond the thick earthen walls, the zombies on the upper floors and outside continued to shriek and pound against the barriers relentlessly.

Once they had finished eliminating the zombies on the first floor, the team finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The ones who had expended the least effort were Shen Qing and Song Kaiji, while Tang Wenjie and Qu Weiwei had borne the brunt of the work. They were already sprawled on the floor, utterly exhausted.

Shen Qing and Song Kaiji quickly tidied up a store, stacking boxes of goods to create makeshift beds, laying down blankets, and setting up fruits, food, and drinks to allow the six exhausted ability users to rest.

Then, the two of them grabbed their daggers and went out to harvest crystal cores. They dragged the cleaned-up corpses to a corner of the hall, slowly organizing the first floor until it gradually revealed its former pre-apocalyptic glory.

Shen Qing was filled with curiosity about the mall, his gaze wandering as he collected crystal cores. It was an older building—just imagining that Song Kaiji had visited it with his great-aunt as a child made him wonder how many years had passed since then.

Despite its age, the interior seemed to have been renovated. Each shop was neatly partitioned, with goods stacked densely inside and even spilling out into the storefronts.

Shen Qing had been digging for crystal cores for a while when his curiosity got the better of him. He leaned into a store to take a closer look—only to freeze in shock, his eyes widening. The items stacked inside looked eerily similar to the crystal cores he had been extracting from zombie brains! Glittering and dazzling, they were casually heaped into cardboard boxes.

Song Kaiji noticed his reaction and walked over, amused by his expression. “Those are… acrylic crystals, I think? They’re used for making beaded curtains, and some people weave them into little trinkets.” He wandered around the shop and picked up a small beaded panda figurine made from the acrylic beads. “Here, something like this. You think they look like crystal cores, but they’re actually super light. The lighting in here isn’t great, but if you compare them closely, you’ll see the difference. These things are dirt cheap and not worth much.”

Shen Qing took the tiny beaded panda. It was indeed very light, and upon closer inspection, a bit rough in craftsmanship. But… it was so cute! After hesitating for a moment, he quietly placed the panda into his spatial storage.

Song Kaiji chuckled. “You really want to take this? There are several floors of stuff here—you won’t have enough space even if we combine both of our storage abilities!”

They continued exploring other shops, and Shen Qing’s eyes were nearly dazzled by the sheer variety. One entire wall was covered in colorful beaded bracelets—crystal, pearls, agate, glass, sandalwood… Most of them were cheap imitations or low-quality goods, but there were also a few high-end items scattered among them. There were bundles of gemstone-inlaid hairpins and claw clips, casually tied together with rubber bands. Boxes upon boxes of sparkling rhinestones, which Song Kaiji explained were used for nail art, cost mere cents per piece…

Shen Qing touched this and picked up that—he wanted everything and couldn’t bear to leave anything behind!

“This is so frustrating,” Shen Qing groaned, crouching down in distress. “Why hasn’t your space ability leveled up yet? Hurry up and upgrade already!”

Before they left on this trip, they had anticipated collecting a large number of supplies. In the end, Shen Qing had spent money to rent a warehouse, where they stored the food and miscellaneous items from their spatial abilities that they didn’t need immediately.

Even so, they hadn’t freed up much space. Song Kaiji’s storage was filled with vehicles, food, and weapons, while Shen Qing’s had to hold seeds.

And besides, no matter how empty their storages were, there was no way they could take everything from a mall this massive!

Song Kaiji scratched his head and tried to comfort him. “We can always come back, right? It’s not that far. Why don’t you take a little of everything to test the market first? What if some things don’t sell well? Then, next time, we’ll only take the most profitable items.”

That was the only option. Shen Qing reluctantly looked at each store, struggling to make choices. It wasn’t just about whether things would sell well—everything here was just so pretty! Even if they weren’t profitable, he still wanted them! QAQ

While they were immersed in their sweet dilemma, they had no idea that outside, someone had been watching them for a long time.

A young man lowered his binoculars. “They’ve entered the mall. Looks like there are eight of them. So far, we’ve confirmed a fire ability user, an earth ability user, and a metal ability user. We haven’t identified the others yet.”

That metal cage was clearly controlled by a metal ability user, but what about those vine-like metallic tendrils outside the cage? Were they also metal-based abilities?

A middle-aged man took the binoculars from him. Even though Song Kaiji and the others had already gone inside and were no longer visible, he continued staring through the lenses for a long time before finally speaking.

“Can we replicate that cage?”

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