Volume One, Chapter Two: The Loser's Drink and the Fresh Meat Bun

“What kind of water do you need? Mineral water? Milk, those cheap drinks, yogurt, or tea?” Qin Fan continued to ask.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s clean water.”

“Alright! But from the sound of your voice, it’s been a long time since you last drank water, hasn’t it? Your throat sounds parched.”

Listening to this sweet voice, Qin Fan thought the only flaw was how hoarse she sounded.

“Uh... there are too many refugees. I need to find water for them; it’s best if they survive,” she replied.

Hearing this, Qin Fan was touched by her kindness. He immediately picked up his half-finished cheap drink and pointed it at his livestream.

The next moment, the item appeared in Dongfang Wan’er’s hand.

“What’s this?”

“This is what I call a cheap drink. If you want others to survive, shouldn’t you make sure you survive first? If something happens to you, more than one life will be lost. Go ahead and have some—it tastes great.”

Qin Fan smiled.

Dongfang Wan’er was moved. She took a sip.

At once, her throat felt much less dry and scratchy.

“Thank you... My name is Dongfang Wan’er. The night is nearly over now. We have to leave the base soon to look for supplies.”

“Night? So it’s night in your world, while it’s day here?”

“Alright, I’ll get some water ready for you right away!”

...

“Captain, captain! After drinking the water, everyone is much better now!” Shen Hui ran over excitedly.

“That’s good. You should drink some too! It’s been over ten days without water. Even though we have abilities, our bodies still need hydration.”

“Alright!” Shen Hui took it and drank in one gulp.

“This... how can water taste so good?!”

“Captain, where did you get this?” Shen Hui asked excitedly.

“Shen Hui, Central has abandoned us, but now I have a way to get supplies—food and drink, all of it. How about we rely on ourselves from now on?”

Dongfang Wan’er was the leader of the ability users. Though her own ability was the weakest, her strength surpassed those with powers.

“Captain, is that really true? Will we have these resources again? To have clean water, to have food?” Shen Hui’s eyes grew moist.

“Of course. As long as we have money, we can get plenty of food. What you just drank was exchanged for money.”

“What?! Right now money is the least valuable thing—who’d be foolish enough to trade resources for money?!”

“That’s not your concern. As long as we have money, not just water—even food is no problem.”

“Captain, can we get more infant formula? My wife is already malnourished, and now the baby can’t get any milk. I don’t care about myself, but that’s my child—still so young.”

“Don’t worry. As long as we have money, anything you need can be exchanged.” Dongfang Wan’er patted him on the shoulder.

“Captain, let’s get to it! Let’s go out and find money right away.” Shen Hui was so excited he almost ran out.

“Hey! Shen Hui, don’t forget there are still zombies out there. It’s pitch dark and dangerous. Wait until daybreak; then we’ll look around nearby.”

“Right! As long as we can trade for supplies, I’ll gather every bit of gold I can find.”

At this moment, a light shone in Shen Hui’s previously lifeless eyes.

...

“My, you lazy brat, able to sleep till three in the afternoon! That’s something!” The old lady looked at Qin Fan.

“Oh, young people should sleep more,” Qin Fan replied, not bothering to argue. Ever since he was a child, the old lady had always wanted him to work in a factory, marry, and have children.

“Dad! Mom! I’m heading out for a bit.”

“You’re so wild! Just came home and you’re already going out. No job, no wife… Qin Yong, how did you end up with such a useless son?”

“Mom, Xiao Fan is your grandson and my son—how is he useless?” Li Ping immediately objected.

At the small shop, Qin Fan was wearing shorts.

“Well, if it isn’t Qin Fan. What, come back to farm?” The man mocked.

“Yeah, that’s right! Give me twenty cases of mineral water. Looks like you’ll be running this little shop your whole life—thought I’d help your business a little.” Qin Fan grinned, and the man’s face turned a deep shade of red.

“What? Not happy? Don’t want business? Then forget it.”

“Hey, wait, we’re old classmates—of course I’ll sell it to you. I’ll get it right now.”

...

After buying the water, he brought it back home.

“My goodness! No sense for money, buying so much water—what a spendthrift!” The old lady nearly exploded at the sight of his haul.

...

“Captain, how are we supposed to find gold and such? We don’t even know where people kept it,” Shen Hui asked as dawn approached.

Dongfang Wan’er led him to nearby houses. The area had already been overrun by zombies—no one was left.

But after searching for ages, Shen Hui found nothing.

“Gold is usually kept by women. You men don’t much care for it. Try searching wardrobes or safes. I’ll check the other houses,” Dongfang Wan’er suggested.

“Captain, oh my god! Found it—I really found it!” Shen Hui shouted, clutching a box.

Dongfang Wan’er had her own finds: gold rings, gold earrings, and a gold ingot—likely a dowry for the homeowner’s children.

“Keep your voice down. If we alert the zombies, we’ll have a hard time escaping,” Dongfang Wan’er whispered.

Only then did Shen Hui remember the danger.

“The families around here aren’t wealthy. This gold is the most we’ll get. Let’s head back.”

“Alright!”

Back at the base, Dongfang Wan’er opened the summoning interface. It was still just a voice chat, but all of a sudden, bags of water fell out from her ability.

She counted—twenty cases, each with twenty-four bottles.

“This… the other side really can get supplies.”

At first, she hadn’t quite believed it, but seeing all that water, she realized just how powerful the other party must be.

“Excuse me, are you still there?” Dongfang Wan’er’s sweet voice came through to Qin Fan.

“I’m here! Did you receive the water?”

“Yes, we did. Thank you so much. Here’s the remaining payment. It may not be worth as much as the water, but don’t worry—we’ll make it up to you.”

The next moment, a golden pile appeared on his table.

What the—!

Gold! And quite a lot!

“This… this is more than enough. I’m mainly doing this to help others.”

Qin Fan weighed the gold in his hand—it was at least a hundred grams.

Gold was real money—one piece worth at least six hundred yuan, and the price changed with the market. That meant he’d traded two hundred yuan’s worth of water for tens of thousands in cash.

He took a sharp breath.

Qin Fan slapped himself, hardly daring to believe it. The pain was real—it was no dream.

“Um, could you get us some food and infant formula? We’ll pay you,” Dongfang Wan’er ventured, worried that she might be asking too much.

“Is it urgent?” Qin Fan asked.

“Yes!”

“I do have formula, but as for food, I only have three buns left. Why don’t you take these first?” Qin Fan pointed his low-fat formula and buns at the livestream.

Dongfang Wan’er wanted to decline—after all, they didn’t have much money left—but the items had already appeared in her hands.

“Fresh meat buns!” She could tell what they were just by the smell.

But she couldn’t bear to eat them.

“It’s all I have right now. If it’s not enough, I’ll get more,” Qin Fan said.

“Thank you, you’ve been a great help. Let us know how much you need—we’ll pay you.”