Trade Route

It is extremely challenging to conduct trade on the wasteland.

The endless amount of bandits along with the unsuspecting mutants made the establishment of a proper trade route between survivor camps almost impossible. Only camps in close proximities could establish stable trade routes.

Some famous trade routes include the one established between Liuding Town and the Beer Can Company. Both parties even sent out some of its forces to create supplying stations along the way to reinforce firepower. These supplying stations would often assign a strike force to provide protection to the merchants along the trade route.

The development of these trade routes are the symptoms of the difference between production capability and technology level among survival camps.

The tale that Liuding Town is a aircraft carrier is something unheard of. The aircraft carrier was previously known as Bohai which broke down in the harbor after the nuclear explosion. Due to various reasons, it was abandoned after the war and was only utilized by the survivors after the apocalypse. They modified the carrier with "illegal" upgrades which made the vessel not even close to resembling a ship. It would be more fitting to call it a platform. The absolute safety of the ship allowed it to become the haven primarily for the entertainment industry and secondarily for the high-tech industry.

Don’t be mistaken. The Beer Bottle Company also did not produce beer bottles, it is a survival base focused on heavy industrial production.

The base is located at the Wanghai City’s rural port near the heavy industrial park. Not only is this place capable of producing the missiles used in the electromagnetic cannon onboard, but it also has the capacity to manufacture high-tech guided missiles. The capacity is however limited, with most of the raw materials collected from waste.

Of course, all this information is outside of the context.

"To open the new market at Wanghai City, I plan to establish a supply station here. In fact, I am planning this already. We are currently extremely lacking in the force and equipment necessary. The corporate headquarter provided me with the order to gather all help onsite. We are going to invest all first-year profit into the construction of the supply station. Population, equipment, firearms are three points we need to discuss. Also another point, I don’t want criminals without a guarantee in their personality.

["Supply station?" Why don’t you establish it in the Sixth Street? We can provide the best security for your business.] Zhao Chenwu slightly raised his eyebrows as he asked the question in his mind.

"Despite the Sixth Street’s respectable reputation in Wanghai City, in our perspective, you are still unknown and unfamiliar. This is the strategy established by the corporation. I can only follow within the boundaries set." Jiang Chen continued to make up an elaborate story as he directed everything to the nonexistent company outside of Wanghai City.

Regardless, the explanation was convenient and convincing at the same time.

Zhao Chenwu thought momentarily before he opened his mouth.

"The workforce is not a problem. In general, the labor force in the ghetto remains excessive even to this day. Although on paper it is prohibited to sell non-criminals..." a mischievous smile flashed across Zhao Chenwu’s face, "...if there are not a lot of people, I can create some accidents and make them part of the tradeable population."

Rules are set by people. Therefore there are always ways to exploit within the rules as long it is within reason.

Jiang Chen nodded.

"Not a lot, I think 30 should suffice."

30 people compared with a population over ten thousand is like a drop of water in the vast ocean. No one would use 30 people as an excuse to attack him, Zhao Chenwu immediately agreed to the proposition.

"As to the necessary equipment. I included everything on this list." Jiang Chen smiled as he took out an electronic card and gently put it on the table.

These graphene produced cards could store up to 12 gigabytes of full-sensory information. It could be charged directly under the sun which made it incredibly easy to use. The Sixth Street market sold it for a low price.

Zhao Chenwu accepted the card. He didn’t seem bothered as he clicked the start button on the left side. A list appeared in front of his eyes.

"Anti-corrosive Concrete Mixer, Nanotube Generator, Graphene Cutting Bed. These should be okay. There are some stored within the Sixth Street storage. I'll just use Zhao Corporation's name to purchase it. However, the Firearm Production Line and the Nanochip Production Bed." A puzzled look appeared on Zhao Chenwu's face. "These type of goods are difficult to obtain. Firearm-related production is strictly prohibited to be sold at any survival base. The Nanochip Production Bed is not only massive and difficult to transport, even if you purchased it, without some technical background, nothing would be manufactured from the machine."

Zhao Chenwu didn't lie. The Nanochip has a comprehensive application, especially in the production of full-sensory equipment which will be critical to entering the full-sensory computer market. However, to produce the Nanochip, a series of accompanying production lines were necessary. The nano-sized silicon board must be cut by a high precesion machine.

Jiang Chen touched his chin as he thought for a moment.

[It looks like there's no need to rush, it is probably better to do it one step at a time.]

Jiang Chen who made up his mind didn't insist on pursuing his conditions.

"It is fine to exclude the Firearm Production Line and the Nanochip Production Bed. Though, due to the need for security at the supply station, I don't know if Mr. Zhao is interested in the firearm business."

There was no way he was not interested. Zhao Chenwu promised that he could find any Sixth Street approved equipment for Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen expressed his gratitude.

Since both parties managed to come to an agreement in the trade, they entered the discussion phase in regards to the details of the deal.

After a careful deliberation, the details of the agreement were finalized. The female assistant named Su Lei professionally produced the electronic agreement and handed Jiang Chen and her boss a copy each. After Jiang Chen had examined the items were consistent in the deliberation, he pressed his thumb onto the contract. Zhao Chenwu was confident in his assistant’s ability as he only scanned the document for a few seconds before stamping it with his fingerprint.

When two genetic ID appeared on the electronic contract, it symbolled the enactment of the contract. It was rather symbolic because business ethics were not enforced within the apocalypse. The key to honoring the agreement was profit for both parties.

The fruit cans were priced at 30 crystals, the meats varied between 10-20 crystals based on its composition, and the crackers sold at 1 crystal per piece. The price of the goods was not higher only because Jiang Chen was planning to sell in bulk quantities. An item was valued in proportion to its rarity. When Jiang Chen sold the 20 cans, the high price of 50 crystals was well justified. However, since a stable trade agreement was signed, there would be a continuous supply of the canned food. Hence, such high price would not be seen anymore.

The price was certainly not cheap, the hefty price tag was still five times the cost of mutant beef. He would also have to adjust the sale price if he sold through retail. If the price were higher, even the rich would not be able to afford it.

The different types of equipment Jiang Chen needed had a different cost. The Anti-Corrosive Concrete Mixer only costed 300 crystals, whereas the Graphene Cutting Bed had a price of 11,000 crystals, which was the price after a small discount from the market price.

The Sixth Street’s mass produced Destroyer Rifle was sold at 20 crystals each. The efficient assault was part of NATO’s standard weaponry. It used the same 7.62mm bullet as the PK200 Jiang Chen used. The gun was weaker overall but made up it in the stability category which meant it has an advantage in man-to-man combat. Jiang Chen bought 40 of them, along with some heat sensor grenades and EMP grenades. The price offered by Zhao Chenwu made Jiang Chen quite pleased as everything was discounted by 10%. The gesture was to compensate for Jiang Chen’s reduced price on the food cans.

Although titled as compensation, Zhao Chenwu didn’t know that the goods Jiang Chen traded had a cost of less than 1 crystal.

All of the goods were exchanged in the storage space Jiang Chen rented previously. As to how Jiang Chen moved the canned food in, Zhao Chenwu was also surprised as he did not receive any reports related to large quantities of canned food appearing in the inner circle. Despite not having to pay taxes before trading for goods, documentation was still necessary.

Cautioned by Jiang Chen’s power, Zhao Chenwu didn’t say anything. Since both of them had no conflict of interest, a strong partner would only be beneficial to him.

The ability to transport goods on the mutant-creature-filled wasteland was a feat on its own. They must have special transportation technology.

Zhao Chenwu would never guess in his life that Jiang Chen brought the food back from a parallel world.

Despite the good being exchanged at the Sixth Street, Jiang Chen didn’t want to make a trip down every single time. He would have no time to do anything else except to trade goods. Jiang Chen didn’t have any concerns as he drew a line on the full-sensory map. It was the safe underground sewer map he explored.

The usage of the underground sewer system as a mean to trade goods was common in the apocalypse. This world’s Wanghai City had a robust drainage system that made the tunnel wide enough to pass a car. It would only take some modifications along the way with some of the alley passes blocked to build a golden highway for trading. The only drawback was that the tunnels were not entirely compatible with the ground routes, therefore not every survival base had the privilege of using this kind of trade route.

Zhao Chenwu was ecstatic when he heard that an underground sewer tunnel connected with Jiang Chen’s base. He gladly took on the deed to modify this route. Jiang Chen didn’t want to owe a favor, and since the intention of trade was to benefit both parties, Jiang Chen also provided 1,000 crystals to fund the project.

Modification work was not complicated. A few pieces of high-density polyethylene and aluminum compound boards would seal all alleys in the tunnel. This type of material was not only light but also durable. Even vicious mutant creatures like the Death Claw could not destroy it. Both parties controlled the entrance of the tunnel. Zhao Chenwu sent out his force to secure the tunnel at the Sixth Street side whereas Jiang Chen was responsible for establishing a station on his side. This ensured the safety and security of the route. The exits were entirely blocked to prevent any bandits from entering the tunnel.

In the future, the traded goods would be exchanged near Jiang Chen’s end of the tunnel. The original plan stated that, at the beginning of the month, a trade would take place. Jiang Chen was responsible for providing 1,000 meat cans and 10,000 pieces of compressed crackers along with an ordered list. Zhao Chenwu would bring goods based on the list and offer a 10% discount from the marketplace. Jiang Chen also promised that as long as Zhao Chenwu acted within the conditions of the deal, he would only conduct food business with him at the Sixth Street.

Additionally, because Zhao Chenwu has underground transportation vehicles with a strong protective force. It was natural for him to take care of the shipping.

As to if Jiang Chen should worry about Zhao Chenwu’s possible ill intention with his private force?

The idea was that no one foolish enough would be able to rise to a position of power to where Zhao Chenwu was now. No one would kill the cash cow. Especially since Jiang Chen was only a supply station, the actual production facility may not even be in this province. He didn’t have the capacity to explore through the entire wasteland. The closer to the city center, the more dangerous the zombies were. The further away, the mutant creatures ruled the land.

He wouldn’t risk the possibility of being impeached by the Sixth Street to gamble on known profits with unknown possibilities. Only addicts gamble.

He was afraid that bandits would target Jiang Chen’s base and even suggested defense treaties, but Jiang Chen graciously refused.

It was unfeasible because even if his safety were guaranteed, there would always be a set of eyes watching him. It would be impossible to "import" goods. If he magically created goods, it would without a doubt cause suspicion.

After the completion of the trade, Jiang Chen not only acquired all the necessary products and equipment, he had 210 crystal left over. Zhao Chenwu without hesitation ensured Jiang Chen he would deliver everything to his door. Jiang Chen didn’t refuse the proposition.

The storage dimension’s size was limited. Since the production equipment was large, it would be unsafe to travel through the underground tunnel multiple times.

The negotiation was successful. After he had managed to sign a big deal like this, Zhao Chenwu was ecstatic. He extended an invitation to Jiang Chen to visit the Sixth Street’s industrial area and his properties inside. Jiang Chen gladly accepted the invitation as he came along with his personal ride.

The ambitious leader that possessed one-tenth of the Sixth Street. How much power does he possess here? Jiang Chen was curious to find out. Since his partner wanted to show off his power, Jiang Chen had no reason to refuse.