Chen Ye frowned slightly. The price quoted by the man before him was somewhat steep.

In the apocalypse, food was the hardest currency, far more valuable than gold or jewels. This was especially true for raw staples like rice; most people had been surviving on processed biscuits and instant noodles for far too long.

Among those who had escaped from Apricot Blossom Town, few had the foresight to grab rice. Most had foolishly rushed for the potato chips and snacks, leaving the life-sustaining flour and grains behind.

Seeing Chen Ye’s frown, the bald man spoke cautiously, watching his expression closely.

“If Mr. Chen really wants it… five catties. Five catties of rice will do!” he offered hurriedly. “Or, if Mr. Chen could help repair the bus twice for free, this toolset is yours!”

News that Chen Ye was a Mechanic Sequence Beyonder had spread quickly through the small convoy of fewer than a hundred survivors. His skills were now a valuable commodity.

Chen Ye hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Deal.”

The man was overjoyed, personally helping carry the heavy toolset to Chen Ye’s motorized tricycle.

Next, Chen Ye traded a few packs of instant noodles for essential seasonings—salt, oil, and the like. It was a cheap price for flavor in a bland world.

The market had been open for an hour and a half; only thirty minutes remained. Chen Ye still hadn’t secured any gasoline.

This was worrying. Only Chu Che, Nana, and the yet-to-appear Iron Lion possessed fuel. But all three demanded exorbitant prices, essentially blackmailing him for rice.

Did he really have to part with his precious grain? He hadn’t eaten rice in days himself. The thought of trading it away stung.

Maybe I can use that secret to trade for gasoline and Nana’s knife, he mused. I want the fuel, but I also want that blade.

Throughout his browsing, a gaze had been fixed on him.

It belonged to Zhou Lan, the celebrity and owner of the small sedan. Compared to the others, her supplies were meager, yet a crowd of men lingered around her stall, their intentions clear.

Seeing Chen Ye hesitate, Zhou Lan seemed to make a decision. She gritted her teeth, stood up, and pulled a square metal jerrycan from the back seat of her car.

“Sister, what are you doing?”

A young boy rushed over, grabbing her hand. He was handsome, bearing a strong resemblance to Zhou Lan; if he were a girl, he would likely be a beauty too.

“Xiaoxiao, let go,” she said gently.

“I won’t! Sister, are you planning to give our gasoline away?” the boy protested stubbornly.

“Silly child,” Zhou Lan sighed. “We risked our lives for this. Do you think I’m stupid?”

The boy looked at her skeptically. “Really?”

“Of course,” she smiled, patting his head.

When the boy finally let go, Zhou Lan carried the heavy can over to Chen Ye.

“Mr. Chen,” she called out, interrupting his thoughts. “I have a can of gasoline here. If you’re interested, I’m willing to trade.”

Chen Ye turned, surprised. “What’s the price?”

“Ten catties of rice,” she said. Then, seeing his expression, she quickly added, “If that’s too much, eight will do.”

Chen Ye frowned. Chu Che and Nana were demanding twenty. This celebrity was asking for less than half? It was suspiciously cheap.

As if reading his mind, Zhou Lan lowered her voice. “I have another can, enough to reach the next supply point. I’m offering this to you at a discount because… well, I hope that if I encounter difficulties in the future, Mr. Chen might look out for me.”

Chen Ye looked at her, understanding dawning.

In this dark world, a celebrity like Zhou Lan was a firefly in the night—beautiful, conspicuous, and vulnerable. The lecherous stares surrounding her stall were proof enough. If not for the fragile order of this specific convoy, she would likely have been devoured long ago.

But as the apocalypse dragged on, order was crumbling. Soon, her fame would cease to be a shield and become a curse.

Chu Che and Nana had their inner circles. Zhou Lan was an outsider. She was trying to buy insurance—specifically, the protection of a newly awakened Sequence Beyonder.

Chen Ye considered this. “Not enough,” he said flatly.

Zhou Lan’s face paled. “Mr. Chen… what else do you want?”

She had very little. Her team consisted only of herself and her brother. In Apricot Blossom Town, they hadn’t managed to scavenge much, barely doing better than the ordinary survivors. This gasoline was her most valuable asset. Giving it up meant risking their mobility if they couldn’t find more within a week.

“Give me the gasoline,” Chen Ye said calmly, “and I agree to your request. If you run into trouble, I’ll help you.”

“Ah?” Zhou Lan stared at him, stunned.

She hadn’t expected this handsome, sunny-looking young man to be so utterly shameless. He wanted the gasoline for free?

Food and fuel were lifelines. She had nearly died obtaining this can. And he wanted to take it without offering a single grain of rice in return?

Zhou Lan’s face flushed with anger. Her gentle eyes sharpened, glaring at him. She wanted to know how a man could have skin so thick.

“You… Mr. Chen, don’t you think that’s excessive?” she asked, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.

Chen Ye looked at her without a hint of guilt. “Perhaps you can pick out some clothes you like from my stash,” he offered indifferently.

“Besides, Miss Zhou, if you really had other choices, you wouldn’t be standing here talking to me.”

He leaned in slightly. “If this were before the apocalypse, I probably wouldn’t even be qualified to speak to you. But now? It is the apocalypse.”

“I am a Sequence Beyonder. You are merely an ordinary person.”

“You decide.”

“You…” Zhou Lan’s chest heaved with anger.

Before the end, she wouldn’t have given a man like Chen Ye—good-looking or not—a second glance. Their worlds wouldn’t have even intersected.

But now…

Her face burned. A sense of profound humiliation washed over the celebrity. Her beautiful eyes grew moist; it was a feeling of powerlessness she had never experienced before.

She stood silent for a full thirty seconds.

Finally, Zhou Lan, the former superstar, gritted her teeth.

“Fine! Deal!”