Chapter 169: A Big Harvest
It wasn’t really Uncle Zaozi’s fault for guessing that way.
Because honestly, that was the reality!
The first time, they found that mutant green jujube; the second time, the mutant ginseng; the third time, Chen Xing’s mutant peach; and now, this time, a mutant bullfrog…
Which one of these didn’t have a ridiculously high mutation value?
If they could sell them for a bit more, the expedition team wouldn’t have just dumped them by the roadside! After all, they risked their lives to bring these back.
And Uncle Zaozi, being experienced, knew these things weren’t even edible for dogs. So what was Huai Yu planning to do with them?
He thought long and hard and finally came up with a reasonable explanation:
She lived near the Rose Corridor, so it made sense for her to make offerings there!
Huai Yu: “…Yeah, yeah! Uncle Zaozi, you really get it!”
Uncle Zaozi, stuffing over 30 pounds of ice into a big plastic bag, looked proud: “Of course! Look at how old I am—I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. Just leave this stuff here, no one’s gonna take it from you… Hey! Another good catch!”
The two of them hurried to squeeze forward with the crowd again. Even though they knew they wouldn’t see much, they felt like they had to join in since they were already there.
Someone inside shouted loudly: “Live pet! One mutant monkey, gentle nature, lazy and loves eating. It has a zoo tag on its foot, likely escaped into the wild during the mutation event.”
“Mutation trait: braiding!”
“Exactly!” The team member lifted up a bundle of grass from the cage to show everyone: “It can braid 18 different styles.”
The crowd sighed in disappointment.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the crowd, someone used their powers to lift a small cage high up. Inside, a scruffy-looking monkey clung to the bars, swinging back and forth while lazily scratching itself.
It was clearly very comfortable with crowds and even seemed to enjoy the lively atmosphere.
Uncle Zaozi also sighed: “Ah, Flower City is still too small. All the rich people are in the Imperial Capital. Otherwise, this mutant monkey would definitely fetch a high price!”
Just as he said, no one in the crowd placed a bid.
But Captain Zhao wasn’t the least bit worried. In fact, he was pleased because the live specimen scanner showed a clear mutation trait!
A braiding monkey was great—rich families would buy it as a pet and playmate for their daughters. Very marketable!
So the cage was soon brought back to the car and carefully looked after.
Huai Yu really broadened her horizons this time. She stared hard at the scanner, feeling like surprises could pop up at any moment—
And sure enough!
“Five mutant pheasants, mutation value 26!”
Gasp!
That high number shocked everyone, and the team member standing nearby froze for a moment before cursing loudly:
“Isn’t a high mutation value supposed to mean better fighting ability? But these guys just bled out and died from a simple trap… What’s so strong about them?!”
Because they caught them so easily, they’d been happily thinking these would fetch a good price! Once again, they used their powers to keep the ice frozen, and the ice-handler looked like he might cry from exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Huai Yu was nearly fainting from happiness and wished she could jump up and shout:
“Me, me, me! I want them!”
But this time, no one helped her carry the stuff. They just nodded grimly toward the pheasants: “Do it yourself.”
Huai Yu grabbed Uncle Zaozi and went over, only to see the mutant pheasants were the size of ostriches—three of them piled up like a small mountain!
She was instantly overjoyed. If there hadn’t been so many people around, she definitely would’ve screamed, run around, and jumped with excitement—
No wonder Uncle Zaozi loved hanging around the highway entrance. So many good things showed up!
She wanted to come back tomorrow!
But this time, even Uncle Zaozi’s big plastic bag wasn’t enough, so they had to use his burlap sack. He also found another guy with a tricycle and poked him:
“Got any spare sacks or plastic bags? Sell me a couple.”
The guy instantly lit up: “Highway prices—4 points for a plastic bag, 20 for a burlap sack.”
Uncle Zaozi immediately protested: “That’s way too high, even for highway prices! 2 points—I’ll let you make a bit.”
“Pfft! Look at this! High-quality supermarket plastic bags! 4 points, no haggling!”
The two of them went back and forth bargaining and finally settled on 3 points—but Uncle Zaozi didn’t pay yet.
Because he wasn’t sure if he’d get anything good today!
If he scored something, then he’d buy—otherwise, it’d be a waste.
Huai Yu: “…” She was going to say she’d pay, but seeing all this, she realized there were different tricks to doing business at highway stations.
The tricycle guy noticed her watching and grinned: “Miss, this stuff’s heavy. Want me to deliver it? Anywhere in the city, 50 points, free delivery to your door! We can talk details based on distance.”
He patted his chest proudly: “Don’t worry, I’m a reliable guy!”
“Really?!” Huai Yu was thrilled: “Then if I use your tricycle, I can give Uncle Zaozi his bag back!”
All the stuff was packed nice and square with ice blocks, easy to load on the trike.
Tricycle guy: …So young, yet already so shrewd. Impressive!
“And if it’s free delivery citywide, does the Rose Corridor count?”
She asked sincerely, but the tricycle guy immediately frowned: “We’re bargaining here, no lying about your location!”
“It’s true!” Huai Yu said honestly.
Sure, taking the bus with two transfers would only cost 4 points, but with all this stuff, the trike might be slow, but she wouldn’t have to lift a finger!
Now that she had 14,996 points in her account, she should act rich and treat herself well!
More importantly, she’d gotten mutant bullfrogs and pheasants today… Never mind 50 points—if it got her stuff home faster, she’d even pay 80!
But…
She thought for a moment and corrected herself: “You know the military defense camp in Zone 69 near the Rose Corridor? Just drop me off at the bus stop there. No need to get too close to the Rose Corridor.”
“Ohhh!” The guy instantly understood: “You should’ve said you’re with the defense forces! But that’s close to the Rose Corridor, 50’s no good—it’s gotta be 80!”
Huai Yu immediately took back her earlier thought—80 points was still expensive.
The tricycle guy looked conflicted: “It’s risky going there and coming back empty…”
Huai Yu understood that sentence—it meant it was time to haggle again!
So she got into it too: “You can’t say that—it’s a tricycle, super slow! Plus, people are only making around 100 points a month now. One trip and you’re making half a month’s wages…”
“This isn’t a regular tricycle; it’s got a modified transmission up front…”
Back and forth they went until they settled at 55 points.
Uncle Zaozi, who’d really been to the Rose Corridor before, thought about it and figured 55 points was fair. After all, pedaling for four hours plus rest breaks meant it’d take about five hours round-trip.
Sounded about right!
It was already 3 a.m.!
Looking at the ice on the ground, he suggested: “How about this—you load up the pheasants and bullfrogs now and head straight out!”
“Little Yu, you wait till daylight and catch the 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. bus—it might even get you there sooner.”
