Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Bargaining

She just needed to play her cards right and convince the base leaders that this was a golden opportunity.

“You two go ahead,” Mu Qin finally said, her tone casual. “I’ll stay back for a little while. There are some… things I need to take care of first.”

Nan Wurong thought Mu Qin was angry and hurriedly said, “I won’t go. Junhua you go back. I won’t join.”

“But-” Dong Junhua opened her mouth to convince him, however, Nan Wurong directly turned toward Mu Qin and hugged her.

Dong Junhua’s heart broke into a million pieces. A sad expression appeared on her face and Fei Bao’s words started to ring in her mind,

“Sometimes it’s better to move on from the things that are meant to be.”

Was this what he meant?

At first, Dong Junhua ignored all of the obvious signs but now…

‘Looks like I truly have to let go.’

Mu Qin smirked when she saw sadness on Dong Junhua’s face. Serves her right. Who asked her(Dong Junhua) to be uglier than her(Mu Qin).

‘Look! The man you like likes a beautiful person like me! Not you! So what if you are more capable than me? Your capability isn’t enough to let you win against me!’

However, to shape her plan, Mu Qin decided to stop the act and said,

“Wurong what I meant was. You should go and confirm whether the place is good or not. If it is, please rent a room there. I too think…that we should take a step forward in our relationship!”

Mu Qin lowered her head and acted as if she was very shy.

Nan Wurong on the other hand was filled with delight,

“Really? Qin’er you are not lying, right?”

“Yes.” Anyways once the Raven Base takes over Boss Su’s base, she will become the base leader’s mistress and live a luxurious life.

Letting Nan Wurong think they were moving forward would only make him more loyal and willing to do whatever she needed to accomplish her goals.

Dong Junhua, seeing the interaction between Nan Wurong and Mu Qin, felt her heart sink further.

She could see the manipulation, but there was nothing she could do. It was clear that Wurong was deeply smitten with Mu Qin and wouldn’t listen to reason.

Dong Junhua forced a smile, trying to hide her sadness.

“Alright, I’ll go check it out. If it’s as good as it looks, I’ll secure a place for us.” Nan Wurong said happily.

Dong Junhua sighed, turning to leave.

It was time to move on, as Fei Bao had advised, even if it hurt.

Mu Qin watched Dong Junhua leave, her smirk growing.

Nan Wurong followed behind Dong Junhua, while Mu Qin, walked towards the base leader’s room.

….

Click Clack.

Su Jiyai slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a strange room-like place.

Huh?

She carefully looked around and realized it was a storage room.

Su Jiyai’s heart skipped a beat,

“System are we…in a pre-apocalyptic world?”

[Yes, host. As far as I can sense, other than some powerful entities, there aren’t any zombies or monsters in this world.]

A smile emerged on Su Jiyai’s face and she instantly stood up.

“System, how long can I stay here?”

[Host, at most 2 days.]

“2 days?”

That was very little!

“Where is the nearest gold shop?”

[Host, you can’t sell gold without the receipt.]

Su Jiyai instantly thought of an alternative,

“System, can you identify any pawn shops or private dealers nearby? They might not require receipts.”

[Scanning… The nearest pawn shop is 1.2 kilometers away. It’s a small, privately owned establishment. They might be more flexible about transactions without documentation.]

Su Jiyai nodded.

“Perfect. Let’s head there now. We need to collect as much money as possible.”

The more money she collects, the more resources she can buy.

She peeked outside and quickly adjusted her clothes according to the local population.

Soon she reached the pawn shop.

Upon entering the shop, a small bell rang, and an older man behind the counter looked up from a newspaper.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Su Jiyai’s appearance, but he greeted her with a neutral, “Can I help you?”

Su Jiyai used her hair to cover her face as much as possible and said,

“Yes, I have some gold I’d like to pawn.”

Saying so she took out 350 grams of gold from her bag packed up and placed it on the counter.

The old man was stunned to see so much gold at once. His eyes widened in surprise, and he leaned in closer to inspect the gold more carefully.

He picked up a piece and weighed it in his hand, then reached under the counter to retrieve a small scale.

“This is quite a lot of gold,” he said, his tone cautious. “Where did you get it?”

Su Jiyai had anticipated this question. She quickly thought up a story that would seem plausible.

“It was my grandmother’s,” she replied, trying to sound sincere.

“She passed away recently, and I inherited it. I need some quick cash for… personal reasons.”

The old man eyed her suspiciously for a moment longer, then nodded slowly. “Alright. Let’s see what we can do.”

He began weighing the gold and examining its purity. Su Jiyai waited patiently, her mind racing with calculations.

She needed to get a good amount of money out of this deal, but she couldn’t appear too desperate.

Finally, the old man looked up and said, “I can offer you… 40,000 yuan for the lot. It’s a fair price considering the market and the condition of the gold.”

Su Jiyai instantly put the gold in the bag and said,

“Thank you but I won’t sell it.”

“Hey! Little girl listen! Come back! How about 50,000 yuan?”

Su Jiyai shook her head,

“Master, do you think I am a fool? Before coming here, I had checked the price of the gold.”

She was lying. But her bargaining skills were telling Su Jiyai that the old man was quoting the lowest price.

The old man’s expression shifted as he realized she wasn’t as naive as he initially thought. He leaned back in his chair, considering his options.

Su Jiyai stood her ground, meeting his gaze without flinching.

“Alright, alright,” he said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. “How about 85,000 yuan? That’s a good price, much closer to the market value.”

Su Jiyai hesitated, pretending to think it over. She knew she had to be careful not to push too hard, but she also couldn’t afford to settle for less than what she needed.

“Make it 90,000 yuan, and we have a deal,” she countered, her tone firm.

“No! That is too high! I won’t be able to make any profit!”

“Either 90,000 yuan or nothing!” Su Jiyai insisted.

“No!”

“Fine. Thank you so much for your time.” Su Jiyai said and turned to leave.

The old man sighed, clearly reluctant but knowing he couldn’t let such a large amount of gold slip away.

“Come back! Why are you so impulsive little girl? 90,000 yuan it is,” he agreed. “But that’s my final offer.”

Su Jiyai nodded, satisfied. “Deal.”

The old man quickly counted out the money, placing the bills on the counter.

Su Jiyai carefully collected them, tucking the money into her bag with a sense of relief.

Now she just needs to sell 650 grams of gold more.

“Thank you, sir,” she said politely, giving him a small bow before turning to leave.

As she exited the shop, she quickly asked the system,

“Where is the next pawn shop?”

Within the next 2 hours, Su Jiyai sold the remaining 650 grams of gold. She sold 300 grams of gold at some other pawn shop and earned 77,000 yuan.

As for the other 350 grams, she got to know about the black market and sold the remaining gold for 100,000 yuan.

The total amount she was able to collect was 267,000 yuan.

It wasn’t a lot, but Su Jiyai only had to buy a single set of every item, the rest could be multiplied by her system.

Su Jiyai grabbed a shopping cart and quickly made her way through the supermarket aisles, carefully selecting the items she needed.

She knew she had to be strategic, so she focused on essentials that would be useful in the apocalyptic world.

First, she loaded up on various types of noodles, instant ramen, and other snacks that were easy to prepare and had a long shelf life.

Then, she grabbed a kilogram of rice, knowing it would serve as a staple food.

Next, she moved to the canned goods section.

She selected a variety of canned vegetables, fruits, beans, and meats, ensuring she had a balanced selection that would last her a long time.

These would be invaluable when fresh food became scarce.

She also picked up several bottles of water, as well as a water purification kit, just in case she needed to make contaminated water safe to drink.