After squandering the balance in his account, when it was time to fill in the delivery address, Su Wu suddenly discovered a problem he had overlooked before—he could not afford the high freight costs.
"The total value of the materials is 7 million."
"The transportation cost is 14 million?"
Su Wu sent the freight bill to Ye Xi with doubts.
He wanted her to explain why the transportation cost was higher than the price of the goods.
"There's no way around it."
"Your thousands of tons of goods will require at least a heavy truck transport team for several days."
"You know the situation outside now. Staying even one second longer could be life-threatening."
"The fee is so high because a considerable part of it is compensation for those taking the risk."
Ye Xi's tone was also a little helpless.
She really wasn't trying to cheat Su Wu on this—her hands were tied by the harsh reality.
After a moment of silence, Ye Xi suddenly had an idea and found a compromise.
"Don't you have a transport truck?"
"It's an unmanned model."
"The transportation cost shouldn't be too high."
"Otherwise, we'll store these goods for you for free."
"You can slowly transport them back with that truck."
"Transport them myself?"
Su Wu fell into thought.
This was indeed a solution. Compared to the exorbitant freight costs, making the deliveries himself wasn't impossible—it would just take longer.
However, considering that his shelter wasn't too far from the official shelter, and the upgraded large truck had a load capacity of 20 tons, even if he used only one vehicle to transport everything back and forth, the efficiency would still be somewhat acceptable.
"Alright, let's do it."
With just a few words, a major transaction involving countless supplies was settled.
. . .
. . .
More than ten hours later.
On the road leading to the suburbs, a large transport truck drove by silently.
The heavy body of the truck crushed the thick dust accumulated on the road surface, leaving two distinct tire tracks under the glow of the taillights.
By the roadside, hidden in the darkness of a house, a pair of eyes watched everything unfold.
"Boss, this is the fourth trip."
"Every time, it leaves the city full and returns empty."
"There must be good stuff inside."
A thin figure held a communicator and reported in a low voice.
"Can you confirm how many people are inside?"
After a burst of static from the communicator, a slightly cautious voice responded.
"I can't see into the cab."
"But I'd estimate there are only one or two people—no more than three."
"The cab of that truck isn't big. It can't fit too many people."
The lookout had learned to repair cars for a while before the apocalypse and was quite familiar with vehicle structures. With just one glance, he could make a fairly accurate judgment.
"Alright, I'll bring the crew over now."
"Set up a trap. Next time it leaves the city, we'll make a fortune."
In a basement not far from the house, a fierce-looking man with a scar on his face put down the communicator.
He turned to the men around him and spoke in a deep voice.
"Xiao Qi found us a good target."
"Get ready and follow me."
"Whether we can live well in the future depends on this job."
The scarred man was Lu Gaofeng, a serious criminal who had been imprisoned before the apocalypse.
He had taken advantage of the recent chaos during a prison transfer to escape. With a wanted warrant on his back, he naturally couldn't go to any official shelter.
With nowhere else to go, he had gathered a group of men with similar backgrounds and started robbing poorly guarded private shelters.
He had taken over one such shelter, killing its original owner and his family in the process.
With most official forces now confined to their own shelters, the cost and difficulty of crime had dropped drastically compared to the past. If it weren't for the harsh natural environment and the scarcity of supplies, it would have been a paradise for people like Lu Gaofeng.
"Boss, should we bring explosives?"
"The ones I prepared can even blow up armored vehicles."
"They'll work great for an ambush."
Next to Lu Gaofeng, a young man with a gentle demeanor pushed up his glasses and eagerly offered his expertise.
As someone who wasn't good at fighting, explosives were the one thing he could rely on to prove his worth.
"Good, bring everything."
"But don't destroy the truck—we only want the goods inside."
Lu Gaofeng thought for a moment before decisively giving the order.
Despite his rough exterior, he was actually quite meticulous. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become the leader of a gang of desperate criminals.
At this point, any force capable of transporting massive amounts of supplies back and forth wasn't to be taken lightly.
Even if the truck seemed to be traveling alone, there was no guarantee that it wasn't hiding armed security personnel inside.
If they were going to rob it, they had to do it cleanly—take them out in one strike, leaving no chance for retaliation.
A gang of seven or eight bandits armed themselves with knives, guns, clubs, makeshift firearms, and explosives.
Each of them also carried a bucket of ice.
One by one, they left the shelter where they had been hiding and moved to a suitable ambush location.
Several hours passed.
When the large transport truck, loaded with supplies, left the city and approached a residential area,
a sudden explosion tore through the night like thunder.
The shockwave sent the high-speed truck veering off course, crashing straight into a roadside house.
"Move out, brothers!"
Lu Gaofeng flicked away his cigarette, grabbed a makeshift firearm, and strode out of hiding, leading the charge toward the wrecked truck.
However, as he got closer and the smoke and dust from the explosion settled,
he felt an unsettling sense of foreboding, his eyes twitching involuntarily.
The truck looked too intact.
Not only was its body undamaged, but even the tires—usually the most vulnerable part in an explosion—remained unscathed. The glass, too, was still largely intact.
It was absurdly sturdy.
"Is this a military-grade armored vehicle?"
The thought flashed through Lu Gaofeng's mind, making him much more cautious.
"Everyone, spread out."
"Watch out for gunfire."
"Xiao Qi, use the loudspeaker to talk to them."
"Tell them to get out and negotiate."
"If they refuse, we'll blow them up again."
Lu Gaofeng didn't bother lowering his voice—it was both a command to his men and a threat to whoever was inside the truck.
He wanted them to understand that staying inside wouldn't keep them safe.
"Got it, boss."
Xiao Qi grabbed the loudspeaker hanging from his waist and switched it on.
He was experienced in this sort of thing.
Threats, negotiations, intimidation—
Just like how they had tricked the previous shelter into opening its doors.