Community Traversal: I Have a Daily Rescue Kit

20: Sneak Attack

After leaving the "cell", Su Chen felt uneasy.

Having witnessed the demonized state of Wen Fei and the other two, he suddenly felt extremely insecure.

Even though I have a "daily rescue kit" and seem to be doing much better than others, I still can't suppress that anxiety.

I can't quite put my finger on what I'm afraid of; maybe it's just that everything is too unknown right now, or maybe I'm not strong enough yet.

Now, the entire neighborhood's armed forces are under the control of Captain Chen of the Order Squad, who manages it like a military unit, with a whole set of rules and regulations.

The residential area, on the other hand, was bustling with noise.

A gust of wind blew, causing his clothes to sway, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining filled his ears, interrupting Su Chen's thoughts. He looked up and saw that the small square had been filled with people and turned into a temporary market.

The stall was set up quite nicely, but the things displayed were rather shabby.

"Come on, come on, massive giveaway! Don't miss out, or you'll miss out!"

"A radio in exchange for a bag of biscuits, and they have to be fresh!"

"Three AA batteries, anyone want them? Two chocolates will do!"

"I have half a bag of salt here, does anyone have any anti-inflammatory medicine? My child has a fever..."

The shouts grew louder and louder. Most people were still wearing the clothes they wore on the day they time-traveled, some had hastily thrown on a coat over their pajamas, and were still wearing slippers. Many of them were sallow-faced and thin to the bone, but their eyes were frighteningly bright, staring intently at the little food or supplies in other people's hands.

Su Chen mingled in the crowd and glanced around casually.

The stall of Mr. Wang, the owner of the convenience store, had the most people gathered around it.

The bald man, in his fifties, held up a bag of potato chips, spitting everywhere: "See this? Original, unopened! I only want gold rings and necklaces, silver is fine too! Don't try to fool me with those pieces of paper, they're too hard to even wipe my butt with!"

Su Chen recognized Old Wang, so he went over and asked, "Old Wang, in this day and age, why are you still collecting gold?"

"Hey, Brother Su," Old Wang turned around, chuckling, "Gold is precious in troubled times, it's never a bad thing to have some on hand. How about you get some too?"

He pointed to the things on the stall: "Shuangwaiwai! Coke! Wafers! Wife cakes! White Rabbit milk candy! I have plenty! Ten grams of gold per serving, cheap, right?"

Su Chen thought for a moment, and realized that with his current reserves, how much gold could he exchange for? Several kilograms wouldn't be a problem!

In peacetime, a few kilograms of gold would indeed be very valuable.

But now...

In today's environment, things like gold, which are given meaning by humans, are simply incomparable to survival resources!

Gold? Even if you gave it to me, I'd find it too heavy!

"You'd better take it easy," Su Chen shook his head, "You can't eat gold."

Old Wang choked on his words, then suddenly leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Brother Su, we never said we couldn't go back after we came here, right? If we can go back, I'll have hit the jackpot! It's an investment, you know! Besides..."

He paused, his voice even softer: "Gold and silver, in those myths and legends, all have sealing abilities..."

At this point, Old Wang stopped talking, smiled at Su Chen, and turned back to hawk his business.

He did indeed have plenty of supplies, and soon a large group of people gathered around. Some people cursed him as a greedy and unscrupulous merchant, while others actually went home and brought out some gold and silver jewelry to exchange for the goods.

Su Chen walked forward while looking around, and after a few steps, he saw another scene.

On the other side of the order team, young member Xiao Li was standing next to a fire hydrant, talking quietly to a middle-aged woman.

"Sister, here's a strip of cephalosporin and a strip of anti-inflammatory medicine. Take it carefully, and don't let anyone see it."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Xiao Li, the child is saved now... Here are two jin of cured meat, please keep it."

The woman handed over a bag, took the medicine, thanked her repeatedly, and hurriedly turned and left.

Xiao Li sighed and muttered to himself, "Captain Chen did distribute some medicine, but there are too many sick people lately, it's not enough at all... Sigh, I can't give it all away, I have to keep some for myself."

In another corner, three men squatted by the flower bed, smoking. Their gazes swept over the members of the security team and the residents carrying large and small bags, lingering there for a particularly long time.

The bald man in the middle lowered his voice: "...That Chen guy is too stubborn. Damn it, these drugs can't be manufactured anymore. Every one we take is one less available. If you ask me, the price should be at least ten times higher!"

"Keep your voice down," the man with a scar on his left cheek spat. "That Chen guy was in the army, he's stubborn. Let them go hungry for a couple of days, then see if they still talk about 'fair distribution'."

"Heh heh," another skinny man chuckled sinisterly, "that Chen guy has a lot of good stuff. So far, all we've seen him do is steal from others and divide their things; we've never seen him take anything out of his own!"

Su Chen passed by the bushes without disturbing them, listened for a few words, and then left.

It seems that Captain Chen hasn't managed the community as a monolithic entity after all.

Su Chen felt that her sense of security had dropped even further.

When he got close to Building 9, the scene in front of him made him pause.

"Hey handsome, wanna come in and have some fun?"

"Come on, don't be shy!"

A girl stood at the entrance of the building, wearing heavy smoky makeup and long, curled false eyelashes. At first glance, she looked pretty, but upon closer inspection, something seemed off.

She was wearing a black tank top, revealing a lot of her shoulders, and smiled at Su Chen with a hint of mockery in her smile.

"Hey, what are you afraid of? Come on up and have some fun. Two packs of instant noodles will do, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

As the woman spoke, she reached out to pull him upstairs.

Su Chen quickly waved his hand: "No need, no way, NO!"

Refuse the triple combo.

The woman stopped, tilted her head, and thought for a moment: "Don't want to go up? Then... you want to stay here? In the wild? That'll cost an extra bag... Hey, hey? Handsome, don't go! If you're really having trouble, the original price is fine too!"

After the barter system was implemented, traditional trade continued, but the amount of goods on display was pitifully small.

Su Chen couldn't help but wonder how much food these families had left. If things continued like this, it probably wouldn't be long before they resorted to cannibalism.

No, before that, the residents will probably have to team up and go out on adventures to find supplies.

Thinking of this, Su Chen suddenly paused.

He recalled the deserted community he had visited before—had it also experienced all of this?

Su Chen shook his head, deciding not to waste any more time.

He prepared to return to the other side of the wall to see if the commotion caused by the arrow tower cards had subsided. If it had, he wanted to continue killing those human-faced owls.

As soon as he turned into a side street, he saw two figures standing in front of him, staring straight at him.

Su Chen was a little puzzled: Why are these two standing there looking at me?

My attention had just been drawn to it—

Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from the bushes beside him, swung a stick, and smashed it down on his head!

At the same time, the two people standing not far away also rushed over, shouting:

"Quick! Third brother, knock him out!"

"Don't let him get away!"

Damn it! Su Chen suddenly understood everything.

Those two were standing there to attract his attention so that his accomplice could carry out the dirty work!