After calling home to reassure his parents, Xu Mo dialed Du Zhizhang's number, only to be informed that he and Chang Zitong had been teleported to a tree in a certain location in the People's Park of Shang Shan City, and they needed Xu Mo's help.
Upon hearing this, Xu Mo couldn't help but chuckle wryly, hanging up the phone. He then headed to the pedestrian street, casually bought two sets of cheap sportswear for both men and women, and hailed a taxi to rush to the park.
Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, Chang Zitong didn't look well. After changing into new clothes, she suggested resting for a while. Xu Mo, who also needed to discuss the matter of trading the Apocalyptic shards, agreed to accompany them and they all took a taxi to her place.
Chang Zitong wasn't originally from Shang Shan. After graduating from university, she came to this city with her childhood friend, Du Zhizhang, to work and build their careers. They had been working for less than two years, and their so-called "place" was just a small apartment in a remote residential area. The furnishings were simple, but the room radiated a special warmth typical of a woman's private space.
Du Zhizhang carefully helped Chang Zitong lie down on the bed, then went to the kitchen to pour her a glass of hot water. After ensuring she had drunk it and fallen asleep, he quietly called Xu Mo to the living room and gently closed the bedroom door.
Seeing Du Zhizhang's careful manner, Xu Mo couldn't help but laugh, "Brother Du, you're really good to Chang sister."
"Good? It's probably just a habit by now," Du Zhizhang chuckled nonchalantly, pulling a chair to sit opposite Xu Mo. "Tingting has always had a boyish personality. When we were together, I always took care of her. But when danger came, she'd protect me. Over time, our relationship became more of a delicate balance—neither just friends nor lovers…"
"Actually, that's a form of happiness," Xu Mo said, always optimistic about their relationship.
"I think so too," Du Zhizhang smiled shyly, scratching his head. He pulled out a bulging sky-blue phone pouch from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table. "These are all the Apocalyptic shards that Tingting and I got before we left the Apocalyptic Mirage. After deducting the two used for treating Tingting and me, there are five left. Do you want to check them?"
"With just a few shards, it's easy to count," Xu Mo smiled. He clearly remembered that there were about ten shards when they "divvied up" on the rooftop. When the survivors knocked on the door, he grabbed three, used one for Chang Zitong's treatment, and the remaining number matched the shards Du Zhizhang had.
Moreover, Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong were comrades who had fought through life and death together. Their character had been tested in many dangers. In such trivial matters as shard distribution, they wouldn't resort to petty tricks.
"I had three shards, used one for Chang sister's treatment, and got one more after killing the female tyrant," Xu Mo said, laying out the three shards on the table. "Let's split them like we always do."
The second-level shard from the female tyrant stood out among the first-level shards, larger and more obvious. Du Zhizhang picked it up and examined it for a moment, then asked, "Is this the shard from the female tyrant? It looks different from the others we've gotten."
"That's probably because it's a second-level shard," Xu Mo explained.
Seeing Du Zhizhang's confusion, Xu Mo recounted the information he overheard about the level of the Apocalyptic Mirage and the connection between shard levels and the mirage, explaining it in detail.
"A second-level shard? No wonder that female tyrant was so abnormal…" Du Zhizhang patted his chest, still feeling the lingering fear. He suddenly pushed the second-level blue shard toward Xu Mo and said sincerely, "Xu Mo, if it weren't for you, Tingting and I would probably be dead by now. Let alone killing the female tyrant, which was an incredible feat. This shard has to be yours."
Xu Mo actually wanted to keep the second-level shard, so he didn't hesitate to accept it. He then spread out the remaining seven first-level shards on the coffee table and waved his hand. "Chang sister helped me a lot with killing the female tyrant and got seriously injured. Don't count the three shards I used for treatment. Let's split the rest of the shards."
"You can't do that, you also risked your life..." Du Zhizhang quickly objected.
"I'll take three, and you and Chang sister can take four... Don't argue anymore. You two won't be involved in this circle for much longer, and the more you sell, the better your life will be."
Xu Mo casually picked two orange linked shards and one green object-type shard, leaving the remaining four red enhancement-type shards for Du Zhizhang.
Now that Xu Mo was fully enhanced, he no longer needed the red shards. At least Du Zhizhang could sell them for more money.
"Then... thank you," Du Zhizhang nodded gratefully, noticing Xu Mo's deliberate care. After collecting the shards from the table, he added, "Xu Mo, I remember you mentioned going to the World Fruit Trade Alliance to exchange shards. I suggest that if you want to maximize your profit, you should avoid activating these original shards."
"Because of the healing effect attached to the raw shards?" Xu Mo asked curiously.
"Not just because of that," Du Zhizhang got up, poured hot water for both of them, and patiently explained, "You should know that once an Apocalyptic shard is activated, unless the holder dies, the item or ability activated will remain permanent. Activating a shard is like gambling. There are cases where it leads to great abilities or items, and someone becomes rich overnight, but there is also a significant chance of getting useless abilities or items… If it's a regenerating shard that's been activated and has no healing ability, the value of the item is about equal to the shard's value. But if it's a raw, never-before-activated shard, it might not be worth it."
"So, it's like the people who gamble with jade stones?" Xu Mo asked. "People selling raw stones can earn a steady income, while those who gamble tend to lose everything?"
"Exactly, that's a good comparison," Du Zhizhang nodded approvingly.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." Xu Mo, remembering his original purpose for entering the Apocalyptic Mirage, changed the subject and asked, "Brother Du, I need to make a turnover of 350,000 Chinese Yuan. At the current market price, how many shards do I need to prepare for trade?"
"350,000?" Du Zhizhang seemed surprised that Xu Mo, a student, needed such a large sum. However, he didn't pry further, thinking for a moment before answering, "If someone urgently needs it, you could sell a red enhancement-type raw shard for that price on the black market. But I suggest you prepare a few more shards for your first trade… especially red enhancement-type shards. Right now, they are stronger than even fruit coins in the alliance."
Xu Mo shook his head and smiled, taking a sip from his cup. "350,000 is enough. I don't need more money for now."
"No, you misunderstood. I wasn't talking about selling for money," Du Zhizhang quickly waved his hand, explaining, "When you get to the World Fruit Trade Alliance, you'll understand. The alliance is like a huge market where almost all the Apocalyptic shard wielders from South River Province gather to trade shards and their derivative items. You'll see many new and even sci-fi items, and it's easy to get carried away. It's a very frustrating feeling when you see something you like but don't have enough money to buy it... I always feel conflicted when I go to the alliance."
"Heh, thanks for the reminder, Brother Du. I'll think it through."
Counting the days, the traditional Lunar New Year's Eve was just three days away. It wouldn't be ideal to travel several hundred kilometers to Nanzheng City at this time. Moreover, Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong were also heading back to their hometown for the holiday. So, Xu Mo decided to schedule his shard transaction for the sixth day of the New Year, which was the first day that all the shops would be open.
After bidding farewell to Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong, Xu Mo planned to head home. However, when passing by the Second People's Hospital of Shang Shan City, he suddenly remembered that Lin Yijing had mentioned this hospital