Chapter 118: Chapter 118: The Black Market

The so-called black market is located in an inconspicuous corner of the safe base, with a total length of less than two hundred meters.

The vendors at the entrance of the black market often have dull expressions, with many gold and silver jewelry items placed in front of them.

After the apocalypse hit, gold and silver jewelry were less appealing than a bag of flour.

The existence of crystal cores led to the rapid depreciation of gold and silver jewelry.

Some people coming to the black market don’t even glance at the stalls at the entrance, thinking it’s crazy to exchange crystal cores or food for a pile of jewelry.

Vendors, hungry and sitting on the ground to conserve energy, occasionally lift their heads to glance at passersby, hoping some foolish person might fancy these yellow and white trinkets.

Occasionally, when someone pauses in front of the jewelry stalls, the vendors’ eyes gleam as they introduce the beauty of their pieces.

Unfortunately, people are just looking.

Who would use crystal cores to trade for things that can’t be eaten or used!

Others hurriedly walk deeper inside, where the items get better.

The items “get better” is relative; this black market is established by ordinary people, and most people in here are ordinary.

The value of the goods is also small, and not worth the time of Superpower Users to exchange their goods.

Except Bai Yifan, who is poor.

Bai Yifan looked at each stall with shining eyes.

Emitting a vibe of ignorant poverty.

The vendors lazily glanced at the enthusiastic Bai Yifan admiring the jewelry, then lowered their heads again.

Better to keep conserving energy!

Just a kid, the amount of crystal cores he can control is limited; if he has more than one, it would be our loss!

Bai Yifan lifted his arm toward the stalls, his sleeves loosely hanging, with a slight gap showing.

The Water Python coiled around Bai Yifan’s wrist, its bean-sized eyes gleaming as it looked at the gold and silver jewelry, just like Bai Yifan.

Emitting a scent of poverty.

Bai Yifan, pleased with himself, viewed all the stalls at the entrance before continuing inward.

The further he went, the more peculiar the items he found.

There were game consoles for sale, tobacco and alcohol, mutant animal meat, and even children…

Wait, children?

Bai Yifan took a step back and saw a little girl sitting on a stall, behind whom lazily sat a shabbily dressed middle-aged woman.

Clearly priced, just one crystal core.

In the apocalypse, children are a burden to adults.

Many children cry when they see zombies, potentially disturbing nearby zombies and creating a minor zombie horde.

Sometimes, even biological parents, in order to survive, will abandon their children.

“What is she to you?” Bai Yifan frowned.

Could he have encountered a child trafficker!

In Bai Yifan’s mind, anyone selling children must be a trafficker.

“I’m her mom, she’s three this year. If you want her, give me a crystal core, and you can take her away,” the middle-aged woman spoke, weakly.

She hadn’t eaten for two days.

Selling her child for food might not be a bad idea.

At least, without the burden, she could live a few more days by relying on the crystal core.

Raising a child in the apocalypse is much more difficult than it was before.

Bai Yifan stood frozen.

It’s only been two months since the apocalypse, and already people are selling their sons and daughters for food?

He looked around and realized there were more than just one stall where a child was being sold in the center.

Each stall had clear pricing, one crystal core.

One crystal core, all it takes is to kill a zombie and extract it from their head.

Which doesn’t sound hard—Bai Yifan, a nobody, can do it.

But these people, terrified by zombies, don’t dare to step out of the safe base, treating it as a haven.

To eat, they would rather sell their children than take a step outside the base.

They are all ordinary people, without superpowers, knowing they can’t compete with zombies, or simply lack the courage. They’re afraid of being torn apart by zombies.

In conclusion, to survive, they can abandon their human dignity, and lack the courage to kill zombies.

“Do you want it or not? If not, get out of the way!”

The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes at the dazed Bai Yifan.

She didn’t expect much from the boy standing in front of her stall.

Just a child, unlikely to have any crystal cores.

The little girl was only three years old, dirty all over, except for her very clean face.

To sell her daughter, her mother specifically washed her face and tied two cute little braids.

“Brother…brother.”

The little girl’s big, grape-like eyes blinked at Bai Yifan, grinning with a naive face.

Completely unaware that she was being openly priced by her biological mother.

The little girl innocently smiled at Bai Yifan and even tried to reach out and tug on his clothes.

“Sit still! Don’t move!”

The middle-aged woman pulled the little girl’s hand back, her face not looking good.

Two days without food, she’s really starving.

“Mommy, hug!”

The little girl didn’t realize her predicament, as she was yanked by the middle-aged woman, staggering a bit, almost falling.

Even so, she smiled foolishly at her own mother.

The little girl was fair-skinned, her long eyelashes blinking like feathers.

Once, she was the apple of her parents’ eyes.

Now, her mother, for the sake of survival, placed her on the stall for sale.

Clearly, her mom once cherished her like a treasure, but now, for food, she hardened her heart.

“Your daughter loves you so much, how could you bear it!” Seeing this scene, Bai Yifan felt slightly uneasy.

Hearts are made of flesh.

Sometimes, people also have the urge to be a savior.

“What’s it to you! Buy it if you want, or get lost if you don’t!”

The middle-aged woman hard-heartedly pushed the little girl away and sat down again.

Bai Yifan was just about to say something.

When a middle-aged man came stumbling over, and the sight of the little girl sitting at the stall’s center finally relieved his tense nerves.

Thank goodness, still in time.

“Xiao Ling!”

An elegantly featured middle-aged man dashed to the little girl, hugging his daughter tightly.

“Daddy.”

The little girl looked at the middle-aged man with smiling eyes.

Even now, she hadn’t realized her predicament.

“What are you doing, give her to me! She’s my child!”

The middle-aged woman watched as the man held her daughter and quickly tried to snatch the little girl.

“Feng Xian, she’s your daughter too! How could you be so heartless!” The middle-aged man’s eyes welled up with tears, filled with dread.

Luckily, today, he came just in time; he truly feared what might happen if he were just a bit later.

“It’s because you’re useless! If you could find supplies, if you could kill zombies, would I need to sell our child here?” The middle-aged woman laughed coldly, her voice sarcastic and mocking.

The middle-aged man clung tightly to his daughter, feeling as though his heart were being cut.

“Let her go, just considering the five years of marriage we had.”

The middle-aged woman looked at the man indifferently, without a trace of emotion in her eyes.

Selling this daughter wasn’t only for that one crystal core, but also to lighten the burden.

In the apocalypse, resources are scarce, her husband could only find limited supplies, and whatever good food was given to their daughter.

She genuinely couldn’t wait to rid herself of this burden.

Even if she knew putting the child on the black market for sale would mean…

“Feng Xian! You won’t take care of her, I will! She’s my daughter!” The gentlemanly middle-aged man’s eyes were filled with sorrow.

“Ha, how are you going to raise her?” The middle-aged woman sneered.

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