Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Purchase Complete
As if reading Reginald’s thoughts, the housing administrator pulled up a document listing items with their point values.

“Here is the current exchange rate for items. We accept supplies in any category, not just food, if that helps. Please take a look,” she said, turning the monitor toward the family.

Ella quickly looked at the screen and noticed that a can of food was worth between 4 and 6 points, depending on the type of food. Other items, such as basic medical supplies, were between 8 and 12 points, depending on the specific item.

Reginald also glanced at the list and then asked the housing admin, “Is this a set list, or can the values change?”

The housing administrator nodded. “The values can change weekly, depending on the needs of the base. Items in demand will naturally be worth more than those we have a large supply of.”

He nodded, thinking this method made sense. Still, it opened his eyes to how expensive renting a room was. He would need to pay for 100 canned food items a month if he wanted to live there, and right now, that was an astronomical price.

Ella noticed the pensive and worried expression on her father’s face and knew he was concerned about the cost. She looked through the rest of the list and noticed that only common items like food, medicine, and fuel were listed.

Looking at the housing admin, she asked curiously, “Do you have a separate list for rarer items, like luxury goods?”

The housing admin looked a little surprised but quickly pulled up a different page. “Yes, there is. These are the current exchange rates for luxury goods.”

Ella looked through the new list and froze when she saw that a single pack of new cigarettes was worth 100 points! This meant that they could buy the housing unit for 60 packs of cigarettes, and she was sure that she took more than that from the gas station.

Most of the boxes she grabbed had ten packs of cigarettes per box, and she had a whole bag full!

She quickly pointed to the screen. “Dad! Look!” she said excitedly.

Reginald’s eyes widened when he saw the worth of cigarettes! He really had to thank his daughter this time! It was entirely her forward thinking that allowed them to afford a place to live with minimal losses.

Without stalling too long, Reginald turned to face the housing admin and said, “Okay. Before we agree to purchase, I would like to know if the rental cost of 400 points a month is set in stone.”

If the 400 points a month was guaranteed, he would consider renting. But if not, he would agree to purchase the unit without hesitation.

“Unfortunately, no. Due to the volatile situation the world is in, nothing is really set in stone. I expect that rent will go up in the future as more and more people come flooding in,” she said.

Reginald nodded, agreeing with her prediction. “Thank you. In that case, we will purchase it for the 6,000.”

The housing admin looked a little surprised at his statement. She felt that the family in front of her were big shots. Ever since she started working as the housing administrator, only a handful of people could afford to rent a unit, and even fewer had actually purchased one.

Smiling politely, she turned back toward her computer. “Very well then, I will get started on the paperwork. Please bring the goods you will use as payment.”

Ella quickly got up without her father asking and walked out toward the car. She quickly picked up the large plastic bag containing cartons of cigarettes and ran back to the housing office.

By the time Ella came back, the housing admin had just finished finalizing the paperwork. The previous forms that Reginald filled out for the residency cards stored all of his important information, making the housing purchase much more streamlined.

“Here you go, Dad,” she said, handing him the large bag. “There should be more than enough… Can we get electricity?” she asked with a hopeful gaze.

Reginald shook his head resolutely. “No, not yet at least. The cost of 50 points per month is still quite high, and we don’t have anything that will benefit from electricity right now. If we find appliances or space heaters in the future, I’ll consider it.”

Ella frowned but knew her father was right. They hadn’t brought any appliances with them, so there was little use for electricity currently. Thankfully, they still had the camping stove and equipment, allowing them to cook and boil water.

Reginald opened the bag and began to stack the cartons of cigarettes on the table in front of the housing administrator. After placing six cartons on the table, he looked over and said, “Here are sixty packs of cigarettes. According to the exchange rate, this should be worth exactly 6,000 points.”

The housing administrator’s eyes lit up! “Wow, so many! This will be great! A lot of the men on the guard team smoke, and upper management uses these as incentives and rewards. We’ve been running really low on supply, so that’s why the exchange rate is currently so high.”

She quickly inspected every carton, making sure that nothing was opened or missing, and quickly called over a guard to transport the goods.

Turning to Reginald, she smiled and said, “Perfect! I have verified the payment and approved it! Congratulations on owning unit 310 in the East Mountain building! Please feel free to stop by with any questions or if you want to purchase electricity in the future.”

She then made a copy of the signed paperwork and handed Reginald a copy, along with two sets of keys.

Ella and her mother were very happy, as if it was their first house purchase ever. Ella walked over to her father happily. “Thank you for bringing us here, Dad. I feel safer already. We can afford to relax a little bit and hunt for more supplies.”

She was more than eager to get her hands on some basic appliances. As a city girl who grew up with TV shows and social media, having spent so much time without these entertainment options left her feeling bored.

Before, when they were busy surviving in the countryside, she didn’t really have time to be bored. But now that they had started to settle down a little bit, she couldn’t help but want some entertainment.