“Who is this again?”
“Eh? Is there actually someone who doesn't know Black Market Old Cat? He’s been quite active in our trading group, right? His reputation is pretty good too.”
“Trading group? What kind of things have you all been doing behind my back? Add me in!!!”
“That’s not the point, right? Shouldn't it be Xinxue Chuji who pops up at a time like this? Why has the person changed!?”
“Did the person above get the timing wrong? Once the disaster is known and everyone’s needs are clear, that’s when Xinxue Chuji would pop up. If Xinxue Chuji started selling things now, wouldn't that expose her information? Do you think she’d let us take advantage of her?”
“This Xinxue Chuji is really bad, everyone shouldn't let her off!”
Xinxue, who was lurking in the chat: “……”
No! Just keep cursing Brother Invincible! Just talk about this new Black Market Old Cat! Why do you have to drag her into the insults too?
Regarding this, Liang Shanbo remarked: “It’s just a reflex, hahahaha!”
That was too much.
Xinxue lost the desire to lurk and silently closed the regional channel to rest.
At exactly twelve midnight, the first drop of rain fell.
It landed silently on the rusty tin roof of the vehicle like a drop of scalding grease, emitting a “hiss” as it etched a tiny black dot.
Immediately following were the second and third drops... The rain grew denser; what began as sporadic tapping soon turned into a continuous rustling sound.
Someone jolted awake from their sleep, peering dizzily out the window.
Before they were fully awake, they thought it was just ordinary night rain, but after staring for a while, they suddenly heard a strange “crackle” sound—the sound of something being corroded.
This person instantly snapped to their senses, opened the panel, and saw the vehicle’s durability dropping in a straight line!
They opened the regional channel and immediately posted their discovery.
“Damn, this disaster is acid rain, right? It’s over, my vehicle’s durability keeps dropping! What do I do? At this rate, my car is going to be scrapped in a moment!”
“Help! My secondhand tricycle roof was corroded into the shape of a heart... Is this acid rain supposed to be romantic? Romantic my ass! With durability dropping this fast, I’ll be corroded into a heart shape myself soon!”
“This is too hellish……”
“I just used all my belongings to upgrade to a sturdy armored car!! What happened to the bulletproof glass? Now it’s dripping green water like a colander!!”
“Hahahaha, my tractor is now completely convertible! The rain is pouring directly onto the engine... wait, is this white smoke supposed to look like that?”
“Where is the Xinxue Chuji who was supposed to come out and sell things? Liar! A big liar!”
“Calm down, everyone, I just discovered that acid rain can boil instant noodles... though my tongue feels a bit numb after eating it...”
“Has anyone tried drinking acid rain to commit suicide? Waiting online, it’s quite urgent... What? You say my throat will rot first? Never mind then.”
“Brothers and sisters whose vehicle durability has hit zero, welcome to the walking-in-the-rain suicide squad!! Haha!!”
“Latest survival guide: 1. Take a deep breath 2. Recall the happy moments of your life 3. Hold your precious supplies in your mouth. That way, after you die, everyone’s good stuff will still be left behind.”
“The number of survivors in the region is about to drop below 2,000. If that’s the case, we’ll be able to merge regions when we wake up tomorrow morning.”
Xinxue Chuji woke up in the middle of the night. As soon as she rubbed her bleary eyes, she saw the private chat window flashing incessantly:
“Where are you? The whole channel is cursing you for hoarding goods and not making money off the disaster...”
“Xinxue!!! Wake up!!! The acid rain has corroded my car door into lace edges!! Where are the items?? Where are the supplies?? Are you playing dead at a time like this??”
“My car only has 10% durability left…… Xinxue, if I die, remember to cover my ashes with a rainproof tarp, thanks.”
Xinxue Chuji: “……”
She did hoard some acid-rain-proof coating and some rainproof tarps made by the boss, but none of these items had been tested yet, and she wasn't sure if they were useful.
Why are these people in such a rush!
The durability is so high, it won't drop completely in a short time. She has to test whether the items are useful first; if she sells them directly and they don't work, she'll just get cursed at again.
Xinxue sighed, draped the lizard skin over her shoulders, and hesitated for a while before gathering the courage to open the door and walk out.
What she feared wasn't the acid rain; it was the monsters lurking outside. Although there was a protective barrier and she could see them every night, it was just like how humans fear cockroaches—she couldn't change it! She couldn't adapt to it either!
She shivered and began the experiment.
The effect of the ordinary rainproof tarp was not bad, but its effective duration was a bit short; it needed to be replaced about every half hour.
The acid-rain-proof coating was also quite lackluster. Perhaps because the rain was constant, the stuff just wouldn't dry, and its effect wasn't even as good as the ordinary rainproof tarps mass-produced by the boss.
Besides that, she also discovered that the acid rain would stop for three hours every hour it rained.
In other words, the acid rain would only fall for six hours throughout the entire day, meaning one person only needed to use 12 rainproof tarps a day.
If one didn't have such perfect requirements for vehicle durability, one could save up and use only 6 tarps a day.
But that was still a lot.
Taking advantage of the time when the rain stopped, Xinxue reapplied the acid-rain-proof coating. The effect was indeed a bit better than before, capable of lasting perfectly for an hour, but it failed after that hour.
Having figured it out, she opened the regional channel and started trading.
Although it was nearly five in the morning, the regional channel was still very lively.
【Xinxue Chuji】: I heard someone wants to buy rainproof tarps?
In an instant, the entire channel came to life.
“Holy crap! Xinxue has risen from the dead!!”
“This is the first time I’ve been so happy to see this profiteer!”
“Rainproof tarps?! How many do you have? I want them all!!”
“Forget the price for now! List them quickly!! My car roof has already turned into a sieve!!”
“Big shot! Daddy! Ancestor! I beg you, I can buy them at triple the price!”
“Heh, only coming out now? Did you only agree to sell once you saw we were all about to die? Profiteer!”
Xinxue Chuji looked calmly at the crazily scrolling messages and added another line:
【Xinxue Chuji】: Oh, right, a reminder. These rainproof tarps only last for half an hour, remember to replace them in time.
The channel went silent for two seconds.
Immediately after—
“Half an hour??? Are you kidding me??”
“How is this any different from just letting me die??”
Xinxue Chuji ignored the curses and continued typing:
【Xinxue Chuji】: Take it or leave it. Besides, I don't have much in stock, first come, first served.
After saying that, she listed the first batch of rainproof tarps directly. The price was higher than usual by... well, just a little bit.
In less than three seconds, the stock was cleared out.
Her private chat started flashing again.
“Are you even human??? Selling half-hour rainproof tarps for so much??”
“……Forget it, it’s better than nothing, thanks.”
Xinxue was already used to these messages. She sent the information about the acid rain to the small group, waited for a while without receiving a reply, and then yawned, only then realizing in hindsight that it was strange for anyone to reply at this hour.
Rate on N.U.
