Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 239: Battle Ahead

This trade went smoothly again.

The first time made strangers, the second time made familiarity. Wayne looked much less guarded now and noticeably more friendly.

He was amazed that they had managed to haul in so much freshwater seafood. "The flooding has been going on this long, and there was still a fish pond that didn't get washed out? That's rare."

Mariella spread her hands with a smile. "What can I say? Heaven keeps trying to feed me. I can't help it."

Wayne laughed loudly, but he still did not forget to board the boat and inspect the goods.

He was stunned by the boat packed full of fish.

There were the most grass carp, followed by crucian carp, silver carp, and common carp. Every one of them was plump and fresh, as if they had just been pulled from the water.

There were also river crabs and river shrimp, so fresh they looked almost alive.

The static zone did not accept living creatures, so once anything was placed inside, it lost all signs of life.

Chandler had deliberately put the seafood into the static zone to kill it first, simply to avoid trouble.

If all the seafood had still been alive, it would have been too hard to explain.

Wayne used eager hands to pry open the shell of a large crab. It was packed with rich roe and creamy fat inside. His eyes narrowed into slits, and his whole face lit up with joy.

"Good. The goods are very fresh."

Strictly speaking, they had profited again from this deal.

The bosses would definitely be pleased. These river crabs and shrimp were perfect gifts for building connections. The disaster had already lasted nearly five months, and finding seafood this fresh was not easy. What powerful figure would not want it?

But when it came to the pumpkins and potatoes, Wayne showed resistance. "Pumpkins and potatoes can't be priced the same as grain."

Mariella crossed her arms and raised a brow. "What price are you offering?"

Wayne held up fingers to indicate a number. "Seventy percent."

"Ninety percent," Mariella countered.

"Eighty percent."

"Deal."

...

This time, they traded 17,000 pounds of grain, 5,000 pounds of freshwater fish, 2,000 pounds of freshwater seafood, and more than 1,000 pounds combined of pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

After calculating everything, Mariella received 25,000 pounds of raw gemstones.

After finishing this deal, she knew they would need to wait a while before trading again.

Mariella also placed another order with Denton: one small tractor and one large ultrasonic automatic fishing device.

Denton did not know what she wanted the tractor for, but when he heard she wanted the fishing machine, his eyes lit up. "You can still keep catching fish?"

Mariella smiled faintly. "That fish pond wasn't destroyed by the flood. Maybe it can still be used later."

Denton tactfully did not ask where the pond was. He only reminded her, "Next time you catch fish, remember to save me two."

...

After sailing away from the warehouse, Chandler observed the surroundings. Once he confirmed there were no passing boats nearby, Mariella stored all twenty-five thousand pounds of raw gemstones into the storage space.

She did not rush to inspect how much the storage space had expanded. Instead, she said to Chandler, "Let's go home."

They had been out for three or four days. It was time to go back and take a look.

The two of them returned to Celestine Ridge, and sure enough, everything before them had changed dramatically.

During the four days they had been gone, Celestine Ridge had undergone large-scale construction and upgrades.

They still did not know the details inside, but just from the outside, the wall surrounding the residential neighborhood had been built tall and solid. High-voltage electric fencing covered the top of the wall, fully showing the owners' wealth and strength.

The residential neighborhood had four gates. Since No. 98 was on the northern edge, the two of them chose to enter through the north gate and passed by the farm on the way.

The farm had also built tall walls. However, because the area was too large, it could not be fully covered with blast-resistant glass. Still, key positions around the farm had been equipped with enough bunkers and sniper points, preparing for future defense battles.

Mariella's expression turned cold.

She knew very well that once the brutal temperatures arrived, starving disaster survivors would first target the farm, which was also located on the outer edge of Celestine Ridge.

When that time came, a fierce battle would probably be unavoidable.

The two of them returned to No. 98. Their teammates were still outside searching for supplies and reportedly would not be back until nightfall.

Lucky had not seen his owner for three or four days. He became wildly excited, jumping all around her, rubbing against her, licking her, and showering her with affection.

Mariella pulled a steaming hot chicken drumstick from her backpack and stuffed it into Lucky's mouth.

Serena also ran over and threw herself into Mariella's arms. "Mariella, I missed you so much."

Mariella picked her up and said with a smile, "You've gotten heavier. And taller too."

After spending a moment together, she opened her backpack again and took out a slice of matcha mille-crepe cake.

Serena could not believe her eyes. She stood there frozen, unable to react.

Oh my God. It was actually a fresh matcha mille-crepe cake, looking as if it had just been picked up from a dessert shop. This had to be a dream.

The disaster had lasted nearly five months already. Where could anyone still buy dessert this fresh?

"I traded with some powerful people while I was out. They keep chefs, and they even have dedicated pastry chefs. If you like it, I'll bring you more next time I go out," Mariella gave a reasonable explanation.