Chapter 8: Inflation (Part 7)

On the night of the 11th day, the entire town descended into a looting frenzy! Supermarkets, restaurants, pharmacies, convenience stores, bakeries... almost all businesses that were still open were ransacked.

Throughout the night, Su Han hid in an unfinished apartment (without doors or windows, making it easy to enter and exit), hearing the constant wailing and chaos outside. Smashing, looting, and burning—every sound imaginable.

All Su Han could do was shift her position and go back to sleep.

On the morning of the 12th day, Su Han looked out the window and realized how brutal the previous night had been—the few shops still open had been reduced to ruins, their owners nowhere to be found; several people lay on the streets, most severely injured, a few on the brink of death, and those with 0 health points had likely been reset; critical supply points like department stores, which absolutely could not afford to be compromised, now had forty to fifty guards stationed outside overnight for protection.

"Clearly, more than one group was involved," Su Han murmured to herself. "The number of people struggling to survive is steadily increasing."

Under the purchase limits, it was still possible to buy something if one was willing to spend time queuing. She was eager to join the rush at the department store, but unfortunately, she couldn't afford to stock up and had to give up.

Taking out a piece of Pork Floss Cream Bread to munch on, Su Han took the opportunity to take stock of her inventory.

Her Portable Inventory held 100 bars of soap, 14 bars of soap (taking up two separate slots), 100 bottles of mineral water, 9 pieces of Pork Floss Cream Bread, 60 packs of instant noodles, 10 rolls of medical bandages, 5 boxes of anti-inflammatory drugs, 69 bags of steel balls, 2 slingshots, and a fishing rod.

Her backpack contained 1 opened bag of steel balls, 5 candles, 5 lighters, 1 magnesium rod, and 1 flint.

These were all her possessions.

Su Han wondered, "Should I stock up on ready-to-eat products?"

Like instant noodles, although they could be eaten dry, the satiety they provided was only about half of what they would offer if cooked, making it inefficient to eat them dry. Now, the only ready-to-eat products she had left were 9 pieces of Pork Floss Cream Bread.

"When I first started the game, I thought Pork Floss Cream Bread was too expensive, and I couldn't afford to stock up. Milk and rye bread were in short supply and took up space, so I prioritized consuming them," Su Han carefully calculated. "Now, where can I get Pork Floss Cream Bread?"

Her talent skill gave her a 5% chance of obtaining a luxury package of "three bottles of milk + one piece of Pork Floss Cream Bread + one piece of chocolate cake." The odds were so low that it was practically negligible.

Su Han propped her chin on her hand, "Should I consume the Pork Floss Cream Bread and start stocking up on rye bread instead?"

Because rye bread had a relatively stable supply, making it more suitable for stockpiling. As for Pork Floss Cream Bread... she was certain it would be impossible to find in the later stages of the game.

While organizing her inventory, she reflected and summarized. Soon, it was 9 a.m.

The system's mechanical voice delivered the bad news on schedule, "Day 12, price levels have risen by 100%."

"Power shortage. Starting today, power will be rationed. Residential areas will experience 2 hours of power outages daily, with complete blackouts after 8 p.m."

"Due to neglected maintenance of water pipes, the bacterial count in tap water has severely exceeded standards. Starting today, tap water is undrinkable. (Forced consumption may easily lead to negative status effects)."

Su Han's heart sank. The power rationing was manageable—she only moved during the day, and her backpack had candles for lighting. But the undrinkable tap water was a harsh blow! How could people survive without water? From now on, panic among the population was bound to increase.

The only good news was that she found 4 bottles of milk, 1 piece of rye bread, 1 piece of Pork Floss Cream Bread, and 1 piece of chocolate cake in her backpack. Clearly, her talent's probability had triggered twice, granting her two sets of the luxury package.

Chocolate cake: Increases satiety by 40 when consumed.

Su Han had never been so grateful that her profession was "Nutritionist."

Although she could have stayed in a quiet place, after some thought, Su Han decided to go out for a walk to see if she could scavenge anything, as one could never have too many supplies.

As soon as she left the apartment building, she saw someone setting up a stall near the department store, surrounded by a crowd.

Su Han curiously approached.

The stall displayed several matchboxes, long candles for lighting, and numerous bottles of mineral water. Next to it was a large backpack, obviously used for carrying goods.

To the left of the stall was a sign that read, "Once robbed, no more stalls." It was unclear whether it was a warning or a threat.

On the right side, there was also a sign that read, "Bartering, primarily accepting jewelry and medicine. If you have other practical items, please consult the stall owner for possible purchase."

"Come on, line up. Ask one at a time, no need to rush." The stall owner was a young man around twenty-five years old. He was very tall, probably about 1.85 meters. His well-proportioned body and explosive strength suggested that he had undergone specific training.

Su Han thought the stall owner was pretty sharp—setting up a stall next to the department store, with forty or fifty guards watching, a normal person would never dare to rob him.

The most striking thing was the text on the sign, "If robbed, no more stalls."

As time passed, people gradually realized that what was scarier than money losing its value was the inability to buy what they wanted even with money.

Having a reliable spot here, although not easy, at least there was some hope of trading. But if the stall owner stopped setting up, there would be no place to buy candles and drinking water.

So the crowd lined up pretty smoothly.

Su Han had plenty of drinking water and candles, so she silently observed.

The first customer opened his hand, revealing a gold ring, necklace, and earrings that were almost blinding.

"What are you looking to trade?" the young stall owner asked calmly.

"I need both candles and bottled water," the customer said nervously.

"One gold item gets you two candles or one bottle of water," the young man quoted calmly.

The customer exclaimed, "That's a rip-off!"

"If it's too pricey for you, no one's making you trade," the young man said indifferently. "But remember to seize the opportunity, I don't have a lot of these in stock."

In other words, even if you're willing later, you might not get the chance.

The customer hesitated, "Give me two candles and one bottle of water." As he spoke, he took back the gold ring—ultimately too attached to part with it all.

The first transaction was successfully completed.

Su Han observed quietly and noticed that after examining the gold ring, she could see the words "Gold ring, 24K, 4.8g." She muttered to herself, this is pretty handy, no worries about getting scammed.

The second customer held a small gold Buddha and said confidently, "This piece weighs a solid 50 grams! Surely it can't be counted as just one piece of gold jewelry?"

"That counts as ten, what do you want for it?" the young man asked.

The second customer wanted to bargain, but the young man's face was cold, "This is bulky and tough to split, take it or leave it."

The customer had to bite his tongue and pick quietly.

The third customer brought a jade bracelet, its color green and translucent, looking quite good.

Su Han found herself thinking, should she also exchange for some gold or something? Although it might not be useful in this instance, it might be useful in other instances!

But after careful consideration, she gave up on this idea—gold would be a pain to carry around. Moreover, before entering the game, she had only exchanged a small amount of currency, and she didn't have enough supplies to trade freely.

With a shake of her head, Su Han walked away, feeling a bit regretful.

The young stall owner tilted his head, watching Su Han walk away, revealing a thoughtful expression.

**

With nothing else to do, Su Han decided to visit the market.

The so-called market actually had no fixed location. When more people set up stalls and more people came to browse, it naturally gathered popularity, and then even more people would be willing to come and take a look.

The market on the overpass was formed in this way.

Su Han strolled ahead, taking in her surroundings as she walked. Perhaps because of last night's looting and chaos, the market's selection of exchange items was surprisingly diverse—canned food, shampoo, medical bandages, you name it.

Someone brushed past her and muttered under their breath, "Player?"

It was easy to miss if you weren't paying attention.

Su Han's interest piqued, and she turned to look. Standing behind her was a young girl, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old.

The girl whispered, "I have intel. Do you have any daily necessities?"

"Let's find a more private spot. Follow me," Su Han led the way.

The young girl hesitated, then followed.

Once they reached a secluded corner and made sure they were alone, Su Han asked, "How do I know your information is valuable? I don’t want to spend money on something I already know."

The young girl said, "I'll give you a teaser, and you can decide if you want the rest."

Su Han smirked, "Like what?"

"Daily necessities boost cleanliness, but..." The young girl hesitated, signaling that the rest would require payment.

But Su Han cut in, "I already know that."

"All food can..."

Su Han interrupted sharply, "I know that too. Next."

The young girl stared at Su Han for a while, then said, "Do you have any daily necessities?"

"Soap, over ten bars," Su Han reported her stock.

The young girl thought for a long time before finally making up her mind, "Portable Storage organization tips, based on my own experience. But it’s a bit pricey—10 bars of soap."

Su Han smirked, "Like what?" If this girl dared to tell her to hoard the same items or something like that, she would definitely lose her temper.

The young girl had to reveal a bit more to show her sincerity, "When stocking up on food, prioritize high-satiety ready-to-eat meals. This way, not only can you last longer in dungeons, but it's also more convenient to eat. If it's other types of food, once you run out of water, electricity, or gas, cooking will be very difficult."

"Good point, but I've already considered that," Su Han tossed a bar of soap as a tip and turned to leave.

"Five bars of soap! I'll spill everything I know!" the young girl shouted urgently, "There's no way you already know everything I'm about to say, right??"

She couldn't wait any longer—her cleanliness level was nearing the critical 25% mark. Plus, the prolonged lack of soap and shower gel had her stamina steadily dropping, almost about to dip below 50!

On top of that, few players had Portable Storage, and even fewer could afford her price. Therefore, she really had no other choice.

Su Han stopped in her tracks. Five bars of soap wasn't a bad deal, and it wouldn't hurt to hear her out. So she turned back, paid up, and said coolly, "Go on."

The young girl took a breath and began, "The Portable Storage has ten slots. The first slot should hold 100 bottles of water, milk, or any drinkable liquid—just make sure it's clean."

"The second slot should hold 100 bars of soap, for cleanliness. The third slot should hold high-satiety ready-to-eat meals, for satiety."

"With these three, I think you don't need to hoard anything else. The remaining seven slots can be used to store survival tools."

Su Han's face stayed blank, "One tool per slot?"

As she spoke, she thought to herself, this girl is practically scamming me! She strongly demanded a refund!

The young girl smiled slyly, "No, the other seven slots should each hold a backpack filled with tools."

Hearing this, Su Han was momentarily stunned.

Author's note: System note: This is a backpack filled with miscellaneous items and cannot be stacked.