Chapter 340 - 168: Exchange

Chapter 340: Chapter 168: Exchange

The man walked toward the campfire, stopping three or four meters away from Xu Mo. He spoke, a little reserved.

"Hey, buddy. Sorry to bother you."

Xu Mo nodded.

"Sit."

The man paused for a second, then quickly thanked him and pulled the woman down to sit by the fire. The woman, holding her child, carefully sat on a rock near the flames. Her eyes would occasionally dart toward Xu Mo before quickly looking away.

Xu Mo watched them.

"You were watching me from over there for a long time."

The man’s face flushed slightly.

"Sorry, sorry. We just saw someone and were a little scared. We wanted to see if you were..."

"A bad person?" Xu Mo finished for him.

The man nodded sheepishly.

Xu Mo didn’t say anything. ’This kind of caution is necessary,’ he thought. ’In this apocalypse, the careless ones died long ago.’

"What can I do for you?"

The man and woman exchanged a look, and then the man spoke.

"Buddy, we were hoping to trade for some things."

"Trade for what?"

"Food and water," the man said, then added, "And bullets. My gun has a few rounds, but not many. Can we trade for some?"

Xu Mo’s gaze swept over them.

’They have nothing.’ That was his first impression of the trio. The man carried a rifle, but its stock was cracked. The woman had nothing but the child in her arms. They had no backpacks, no supplies. They had come empty-handed.

"What do you have to trade?"

Xu Mo’s question was direct.

’In the apocalypse, trade is based on equality. A deal is made only when you have something I need, and I have something you need. These three look like they have nothing.’

The man opened his mouth but couldn’t get any words out.

Hearing Xu Mo’s words, the woman’s face flushed crimson. She bit her lip and lowered her head. Her voice was quiet, but clear.

"I can."

Xu Mo was taken aback.

"You can what?"

The woman raised her head and looked at him. The firelight flickered across her face, revealing an indescribable mix of shame and determination in her eyes.

"I can... help you practice English at night."

Xu Mo: "..."

His expression froze. After a few seconds of silence, Xu Mo waved his hand.

"Forget it."

The woman’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, and tears welled in her eyes. She lowered her head, clutched her child tightly, and said no more.

The man stood to the side, gripping his left arm with his right hand. He didn’t know what to say, but he was clearly wrestling with himself.

Xu Mo watched them, a complicated feeling in his heart.

’In the apocalypse, it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to be willing to trade her body for food, for a chance for her child to live. But I don’t need that.’

Getting up, Xu Mo walked toward his SUV.

The man and woman watched Xu Mo’s back nervously, not knowing what he was about to do.

Xu Mo opened the trunk and took out a few things—several bottles of water, a few packs of compressed biscuits, a small bag of bullets, and a few pills. He walked back to the campfire and placed the items in front of the man.

"Take them."

The man was stunned.

"This... This is..."

"They’re for you," Xu Mo said. "There are only a few dozen bullets, so use them sparingly."

The man’s eyes immediately reddened. His mouth hung open, but he was speechless. The woman looked up as well, tears finally streaming down her face.

"Thank you... Thank you..." the man repeated over and over.

Xu Mo waved his hand, signaling him to stop.

The man and woman stood up, gathered the supplies, and, thanking him profusely, prepared to leave.

Just then, Xu Mo spoke.

"Wait a minute."

The woman’s body stiffened slightly. She turned to look at Xu Mo, her expression incredibly complex. Biting her lip, she reached up to unbutton her coat.

Xu Mo: "..."

"That’s not what I meant!"

The woman’s hand froze, and she stared at him, bewildered.

Xu Mo took a deep breath and said with a hint of resignation:

"I just want to ask you a few things. Sit down, have something to eat, and we can talk."

More wood was added to the campfire, its flames illuminating a small clearing.

Xu Mo took out a small pot, poured in some water, and broke a few compressed biscuits into it to cook. Before long, a fragrant steam rose from the pot—the smell of biscuits cooked into a paste. It wasn’t delicious, but it would fill a stomach.

The woman sat by the fire, holding her child. The child was awake now, her eyes fixed on the paste in the pot, swallowing repeatedly.

Xu Mo ladled out a bowl and handed it to the woman.

"Feed the child first."

The woman took the bowl, her eyes red again. She used a spoon to feed the child bit by bit. The little girl was well-behaved, but she ate very quickly.

The man sat to the side, looking a bit awkward. Xu Mo ladled out a bowl for him too, and he took it and began to eat in large mouthfuls.

After eating most of the bowl, the man finally spoke.

"Buddy, my name is Zhao Dazhu. This is Wang Xiufen, and this is her daughter, Niuniu."

Xu Mo nodded.

"Have you been active around this area?"

Zhao Dazhu nodded, then shook his head.

"It’s a long story..."

Zhao Dazhu was silent for a few seconds, then began to tell their story.

When the zombie crisis broke out, Zhao Dazhu was working at a nearby construction site.

He came from the countryside and, without much education, could only do manual labor. The work at the site was exhausting, but it included room and board, allowing him to save some money. He had planned to work for another two years, save up enough to go back to his hometown and get married, but then the zombies came.

That morning, he was still asleep when he suddenly heard screams from outside. He got up and looked out to see his fellow workers being chased by a horde of monsters. The monsters were covered in blood and bit anyone they saw. Anyone who was bitten would turn into a monster a short while later.

Terrified, he hid in his dorm room and didn’t dare to go out. It wasn’t until the third night that he snuck out under the cover of darkness, went to the construction site’s cafeteria, and fled into the mountains with a bag of dry rations and a few bottles of water.