Shearing the Sheep

Actually, this number was already quite impressive.

It was true that on the last day of the novice protection period, the road was covered in crates, but those were filled with ordinary supplies like compressed biscuits—all meant to slow down everyone's mileage progress!

Cheng Shuili couldn't help but shake her head.

Although there were more supply crates today, what came out of them, besides supplies, were trash and monsters.

An apparent increase but an actual decrease. The system played this hand brilliantly.

She shifted her gaze back to the chat box with Glory. While it was true that you shouldn't keep shearing the same sheep over and over...

Who could help it if Glory had such a massive backing?

Cheng Shuili smiled and stated her demand directly.

【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: I want 70 Vehicle Upgrade Material Shards.

Previously, they were willing to spend 45 shards just for a piece of information. Now, she was offering a literal Beastman's Proof that allowed entry into the beastman town!

Cheng Shuili believed this price wasn't high at all.

But when that number reached Zhao Hong's eyes...

70 again!

He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn't misread it before reporting the news to the others.

One hot-tempered individual slammed the table and replied in a rage, "Those are Vehicle Upgrade Material Shards! Not some trash on the side of the road. He's asking for 70 just like that? Does he think we're suckers?"

"And now that the protective barriers have appeared, everyone knows how important these things are! Most of the shards we squeezed out before were donated by our colleagues with fuel vehicles. Where are we going to find another 70? Am I supposed to go out and rob people after the Highway Merge?"

The words were blunt, but they held some truth.

Zhao Hong actually looked down on this man; he was impulsive and competitive, and he had given Zhao Hong plenty of trouble when they worked together before.

But this time, Zhao Hong agreed with him from the bottom of his heart.

No one knew when Level 2 monsters would appear. At a time like this, Vehicle Upgrade Material Shards were bound to be the most sought-after resource, and not just for now...

Zhao Hong already predicted that from now on, Vehicle Upgrade Material Shards would occupy a very critical position.

If he could see it clearly, the higher-ups certainly would as well.

Zhao Hong sighed; he just had to wait for the result.

At the same time, the old-timers leading the organization were in the middle of an intense discussion.

"I don't think this Crow is a good person. This might be another scam."

"I, however, think we can trade once more. While the information from the last trade was useless, it was entirely authentic."

He paused and sent another message. "When Qingshan Trek passed by the Trading Post yesterday, he saw it clearly. There really is such a thing as an Employee ID, and its function is exactly as he described. This shows that his information is factual. At most, he's a bit greedy, using an information gap to make us pay twice."

"What do you mean 'at most a bit greedy'? This is a scam! This is fraud! In times of peace, he'd be sent to prison for a proper education no matter what."

As soon as that message was sent, the previous speaker continued.

"Old Li, as you said, that would be in times of peace. Now the world is in chaos, and there's no guarantee that we old fogies won't die in some accident tomorrow. He's a junior, all alone. He doesn't have a large organization like we do where food, water, electricity, and energy are all distributed. It's normal for him to be guarded."

The man called "Old Li" shook his head vigorously. He knew the other's words were reasonable, but he still had a grudge in his heart.

For so many years, he had been successful everywhere he went. Everyone he met was disciplined and respectful. To be played like a fool by some junior who came out of nowhere—he couldn't swallow that pride.

He pressed the voice message button and said with a frown:

"Don't give me that. I'll say one thing: we can't trade this time! First, we can't produce that many shards! Second, I just don't trust him!"

The reply from the other side was still quick, and it seemed they had already made up their mind.

"Old Li, we can't listen to you this time. I believe we only need to confirm whether what he's selling is truly a proof of entry for the beastman town!"

"If it is, we must take it. I believe the most core and hidden part of this survival game is the beastman town. As long as we can get in, we can definitely lead other countries by a significant margin!"

"You're still looking at things too superficially. You only think about how much we're paying and only see the part we're getting. You forgot that the information we obtain isn't just for us, nor just for this sub-region. Our information can be synchronized with the entire Dragon Country!"

"That junior definitely knows this; his price is already not high. Let Little Zhao talk to him. Once they've settled it, we'll just pool our resources together."

Old Li's firm gaze slowly softened. Finally, he sighed and said nothing more.

Zhao Hong received the message. His gaze lingered on the text for a moment before he opened the private chat with Crow.

【Glory Shines on Blue Star】: We can do this trade, but on one condition: we need to see the goods in advance.

Cheng Shuili smiled. Of course.

This time it was the real deal, and she wasn't worried about them finding any faults.

Cheng Shuili directly shared the detailed information of the item.

Zhao Hong's heart pounded wildly when he saw the message. He understood instantly that Crow had no intention of deceiving them this time. This was a straightforward transaction—payment on delivery.

And this item...

At this point in time, it was absolutely worth the price!

Zhao Hong immediately passed the message back to the higher-ups.

The two who had been arguing moments ago fell silent upon seeing the item's information. Old Li, who had planned to hold his ground, finally relented.

"Since it's real, then we can proceed as you planned. But those shards... where exactly are we going to scrape them together?"

The other person was also troubled by this problem. The private chat went quiet for a moment.

Old Li sent another voice message.

"How about we ask to borrow some from that kid Qingshan? He already has a Level 3 vehicle, so he probably won't need shards for a while."

"That method is feasible. We'll have to do a good job of talking to Qingshan Trek then."

Old Li frowned again at those words. After a moment, he said, "I'll talk to him personally."

...

Cheng Shuili didn't know what was happening on their end. After she sent the information, Glory hadn't replied.

Cheng Shuili wasn't in a hurry. Wan Yi had finally finished stewing dinner and served her a full bowl of soup, with the ribs piled up into a small mountain.

Seeing this, Cheng Shuili hurriedly contacted Liang Shanbo vs. Pig. She gave her ceramic bowl to Wan Yi to fill with rib soup and then transferred it to him.

Liang Shanbo vs. Pig's hands couldn't stop trembling as he held the ceramic bowl.

The rib soup in the bowl was as smooth and lustrous as jade, with a tempting milky-white color. A thin layer of golden oil droplets floated on the surface, shimmering with an amber-like glow under the vehicle's interior lights.