Chapter 99、So I’ve Been This Rich All Along!

"'If you need it, sir, then I, Xiaoci, will always be prepared.'

Xiaoci spoke gently, her voice like silk. Yi Bai, flipping through the form in his hands, couldn't help but ask, 'What else have you prepared?'

'I also have a preliminary operational plan ready.' Xiaoci smiled. 'If you leave this task to me, I'm confident that at least 2,000 people will agree to have their shelters destroyed for you.'

'2,000 people!' Yi Bai rubbed his forehead, his mind racing. That was 200,000 survival points! This was a bloodbath of profits!

'So... can you foresee the future impact of this?' Yi Bai took a deep breath, adding, 'Will this decision have any negative consequences?'

'There will be some negative effects, but they are negligible.' Xiaoci answered honestly, 'I can't predict the specifics, but I can see that for you, the benefits will far outweigh the drawbacks!'

The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks?

What was there to hesitate about?

'Do it! Get it done right now!' Yi Bai gave the order without hesitation. 'You're in charge of this.'

'Understood, sir.' Xiaoci stood, offering a respectful bow. 'I'll handle it as quickly as possible, ensuring you gain more survival points soon.'

With that, she turned and left, not wasting a moment as she threw herself into her new task.

Not long after, the broadcast speakers in the settlement rang out with Xiaoci's soothing announcement:

'Tonight at 8:00 PM, all personnel of the settlement are required to gather in the open area in front of the Command Building for the Fifth Settlement Assembly.'

'The topics discussed tonight will decide the survival strategy for the second round of the apocalypse, as well as preparations for the third round. Please take note.'

Xiaoci's efficiency was impressive. It had barely been any time, and she was already putting her plan into action. The announcement spread through the settlement, and some residents couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

'Is our settlement getting too ahead of itself? The second round of the apocalypse has barely started, and we're already preparing for the third!'

'Isn't this a bit too far in advance? I'm not used to this... it's like our leader doesn't even treat the apocalypse seriously.'

'You must be new here. I joined in the second batch, and I'm a long-time resident of this district. Our leader is fierce. During the first round, we had water, electricity, and a military force. Nothing could stand in his way.'

'What's this about? I have insider info. Dr. Chen has already started researching how to deal with the cannibal bacteria. Soon, we won't have to fear it anymore.'

'Honestly, I've never been afraid of it. Our settlement is a cannibal bacteria-free zone.'

'You don't have a sense of national pride, do you? We're comfortable here, but we can't forget about the other refugees. Our leader's goal is to drive back the apocalypse and save all of humanity!'

'Do you understand what a community of shared human destiny means? It's about righteousness!'

The residents were filled with curiosity, discussing what new policies or strategies might be announced during the assembly. Meanwhile, as these conversations unfolded, Yi Bai was browsing through the online trading market, and something caught his attention.

'Point Exchange? What the hell! The trading system now allows transactions using points, not just barter!'

Yi Bai was stunned. This was a new mechanic introduced in the second round of the apocalypse, with no prior warning—it was something he had discovered by chance.

Had he not checked the trading market periodically, he might have missed it entirely.

According to the chat in the city-region channel, the online market had begun allowing points-based trades since the start of the second round.

Anyone could list items for sale, setting a price in survival points, waiting for buyers. Even more intriguing, new features like 'Bargaining' and 'Auction' had been added.

'Seems like, with survival points now common among survivors, this new trading system was bound to emerge.' Yi Bai muttered to himself, turning his attention to the surplus items in his inventory.

'Should I... sell some to exchange for points?' Yi Bai hesitated for a moment. While he did need survival points, he was also short on war points. The rankings for the first 10,000 had not been finalized, and Yi Bai didn't want to sell items and risk failing to contribute enough to his donation quotas.

'Maybe I'll wait for now.'

Yi Bai took a deep breath and continued browsing the market without rushing into action.

With the new trading system in place, numerous valuable items were now up for sale. Shelter upgrade materials, special goods, and a wide variety of items flooded the market, expanding the categories far beyond just food and water.

As Yi Bai continued his observation, his eyes were drawn to a specific listing:

[Large Banknotes - 22 Units]: Selling key materials for shelter upgrades! Trade for the same unit of electronic components, or 80 survival points per unit. No retail, no bargaining!

[Refugee Wood - 15 Units]: Lowest price in the city! 30 survival points per unit! Only survival points, food, or water-related trades accepted. No bargaining, reporters keep out!

[Electronic Components - 10 Units]: 50 survival points per unit, retail price 52 survival points per unit. Hurry and buy!'

'Wait, this is shelter upgrade material, isn't it? Even this stuff is being sold now? People are actually willing to sell?'

Yi Bai blinked in realization, quickly understanding the logic behind it.

Whether from the Puzzle Gate or dispatch missions, most of the upgrade materials were random. And with three types of shelter upgrade materials, if luck wasn't on your side and you didn't get the ones you needed, the excess materials would just sit there, useless.

Rather than hoard them, it made more sense to sell them off and exchange them for something of real value—something that could make him stronger.

'I remember, I've got a bunch of materials I'll never use. I should just sell them!'

Yi Bai muttered to himself. He had tried listing upgrade materials before, but in the first round, the trading system hadn't allowed it. Now that he saw it was possible, he was eager to cash in.

After all, these were materials for shelter upgrades. Although consumable, their value would only decrease over time. The earlier he sold, the better.

Quickly, Yi Bai opened his shelter storage and checked the upgrade materials he had.

[Electronic Components]: 1,568 units remaining.

[Large Banknotes]: 864 units remaining.

[Refugee Wood]: 966 units remaining.

'Damn!' Yi Bai's eyes widened as he did a rough calculation. 'If I sell all this, I could easily make over 100,000 survival points!'

'Even if I don't count the electronic components, just selling the other two will net me over 100,000 points!'

'Holy crap! I've been sitting on a gold mine all this time and didn't even realize it!'