Natural Disaster: I Started By Hoarding Tens Of Billions Of Supplies - Chapter 482

Chapter 482: Information, Casual Chat
Hearing the old man’s words, Yao Ran observed him briefly. His clothes weren’t too shabby, but he was noticeably thin and frail. Wearing the shirt, he looks like a kid wearing his father’s clothes.

Seeing her assessing him, the old man smiled and explained, “I work at the harbor and came to see if I could find a side job.”

After he said that, Yao Ran asked, “Is the work at the harbor good?”

The old man sighed and replied, “Just enough to keep me from starving to death.”

As their conversation continued, Yao Ran grew more curious about this talkative old man. She pondered for a moment before asking again, “Uncle, what exactly do you do at the harbor? Are you part of a ship’s crew?”

The old man thought for a moment before answering, “I work as a crew member on a fishing boat. We usually sail for ten to fifteen days before returning. Then we have two days off before heading out again. Today is my second day off, but I haven’t been able to find any suitable side jobs.”

Hearing this, Yao Ran raised an eyebrow slightly. “Isn’t seafood contaminated by the mutant virus? Can people still eat it?”

The old man chuckled and shook his head. “That seafood isn’t for eating.”

“Then what is it for?” Yao Ran asked with a hint of interest in her voice.

Seeing her curiosity, the old man happily explained, “The military collects the seafood and sends it to the scientists. I heard that the research department is conducting experiments to see if there is a way to remove the toxins from the fish and seafood.”

Hearing these words, Yao Ran fell into a deep thought.

Ever since the oceans were polluted by ancient viruses and nuclear waste, humans have nearly lost their primary source of meat. In less than two years, malnutrition became a widespread issue among survivors.

At first, people thought mutant animals could solve this problem. However, within a year, the land was devastated, and most of the mutant animals perished in the disaster as well.

Surviving on vegetables and whole grains alone wasn’t enough to restore physical strength. Finding a new source of meat was crucial.

While Yao Ran was thinking, the old man smiled and continued, “The research department has been working on this for months, and it seems they have made some progress. Once they achieve a breakthrough, we will have an endless supply of meat. The day we can eat meat again is not far off.”

Watching his hopeful expression, Yao Ran seized the opportunity to ask more questions.

“Uncle, I noticed that the soldiers and military staff look quite healthy. They must be eating meat, right?”

The old man nodded at her question, prompting Yao Ran to ask, “Do you know how I can get some meat?”

Hearing this, the old man calmly replied, “You can buy maggots at the market, but they are expensive. Furthermore, you can only find them occasionally, as breeding them takes time.”

Yao Ran fell silent when she heard what he said.

Eating maggots wasn’t unheard of, but what kind of maggots were they?

In the current world, there is only one source of things that can be used to breed maggots, and that is human excrement. The possible sources made her quickly lose interest.

Noticing her reaction, the old man said, “Young lady, you seem well-fed. You must have a good life. There is no need for you to eat maggots.”

Yao Ran wholeheartedly agreed with him.

After a brief silence, the old man sighed and said, “Since there is no suitable work for me today, I will be heading home. Young Lady, you should be careful when traveling alone.”

As the old man turned to leave, Yao Ran called out, “Uncle, please wait a moment.”

He turned back and asked, “Do you have more questions?”

Yao Ran smiled, took out a black plastic bag from her space, and handed it to him. “Uncle, consider this payment for the information you just gave me.”

With that, she waved at him and rejoined Jia Xiang and the others.

Watching Yao Ran walk away, the old man curiously opened the bag—only to be stunned. Inside, he found a few kilograms of potatoes, ten pills of antibiotic medicine, ten pills of antipyretic medicine, and three bottles of mineral water.

Coming back to his senses, the old man clutched the black plastic bag tightly. He glanced around warily before hurrying home after making sure that nobody saw what happened just now.

Seeing the old man leave in a hurry, Huang Zhihui asked curiously, “Elder Sister Yao Ran, what did you give to that uncle?”

“Just some potatoes, medicine, and water,” Yao Ran answered calmly.

Deng Qiqi looked at her and asked, “Elder Sister Yao Ran, can we trust what he said?”

Yao Ran smiled and replied, “He has no reason to lie to me. Besides, it was just a coincidence that I spoke to him, and he happened to have time to answer my questions.”

Hearing this, Huang Zhihui and Deng Qiqi exchanged glances before deciding to stop worrying. After walking around for an hour, they finally arrived at the mission hall.

Looking at the survivors crowding both inside and outside, Yao Ran said, “I want to see if we can find something to do here while gathering information.”

Jia Xiang observed the crowd for a moment before saying, “Let’s go.”

As the four of them approached the mission hall, they attracted a lot of attention from the survivors, soldiers, and staff.

Sensing their gazes, Deng Qiqi clung to Huang Zhihui’s arm and whispered, “Why are they looking at us like we are some kind of rare animal?”

Jia Xiang glanced at the onlookers for a few seconds and explained, “We look too healthy compared to them.”

Realizing this, Deng Qiqi and Huang Zhihui compared themselves to the other survivors, soldiers, and staff. Indeed, the four of them appeared cleaner and healthier.