Chapter 54: Knowing a Thing or Two About Mechanics (Monthly Votes Appreciated)

Crack, crack.

Inside the vast, abandoned industrial warehouse, the space felt rather empty. A dozen or so people gathered around a bonfire of dry wood, the atmosphere growing somewhat chilly.

The shrinking flames continuously devoured the withered timber, making crackling sounds until they finally flared up again, radiating warmth into the surroundings.

"Hoo~"

Someone silently exhaled a plume of cold vapor.

Kiki reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Lin Xian's jacket, her eyes filled with a trace of fear and unease.

"What do you mean by ghosts?" Lin Xian asked. "How are they different from zombies and anomalies?"

"I don't know. The reason they are described this way is mainly because these incidents are often accompanied by supernatural phenomena—just like the 1542 radio station we were talking about earlier."

Lin Xian knitted his brows deeply.

Supernatural phenomena sounded spine-chilling just to hear about.

Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, Jiang Yun spoke up to break the silence.

"Anyone who has survived from the past few months to now has already witnessed plenty of weird occurrences. This information might be useful, or it might just be groundless rumors. Survival remains our primary concern right now, so let's skip the small talk. If anyone has anything they want or want to put up for trade, let's go through them in order. No need to waste time; once we're done, those who want to trade can trade, and those who need to hit the road can do so."

"Well said." A bespectacled man wearing a shirt over a bulletproof vest raised his head, his expression somewhat gloomy.

"That Infinite Convoy, you guys need red beans, right?" He said, carefully taking one out from his waist pouch and placing it in the palm of his hand, his expression somewhat numb. "Anything works for exchange—energy, food, weapons, we lack all of it..."

Lin Xian nodded. "This thing, how much can it trade for?"

"100 liters of gasoline, or provisions for 10 people for 7 days. As for weapons, it depends on the condition and degree of demand," Jiang Yun said, spreading his hands. "As for other items, it basically comes down to demand; trading more for less is also quite normal. However, this item is currently used as a benchmark by the Federal Phoenix Society and various nomad organizations, so its value has been anchored, and it will likely continue to rise in value."

"Is it really that valuable?" Kiki said. "Isn't this thing just used as an antenna? Does it have other uses?"

"You didn't know?" At this, someone in the crowd exclaimed, "This thing has a clear augmenting effect on abilities. The Phoenix Society believes it might be a material that promotes the evolution of abilities, and it's also a key component for studying the power of the polar night. Of course it's valuable."

"Besides, this thing is only found on those monsters. You guys surely know how troublesome those monsters are," a middle-aged man with a blood-stained face and messy hair said in a hoarse voice.

Someone else nodded with lingering fear, "A single misstep and a small convoy gets wiped out. I actually think 100 liters of gasoline is cheap."

Lin Xian's pupils constricted slightly, instantly understanding the value represented by this red bead.

Both the giant red worm and the mist spider were extremely troublesome creatures. Without heavy firepower, they were difficult to deal with, and fighting them usually resulted in heavy losses.

If, as they claimed, this thing could be used to help abilities evolve, then a mere 100 liters of gasoline really was not worth mentioning.

Lin Xian said, "Alright, let's go with that. Energy, food, weapons—tell me what you want, and you can come over to my vehicle to make the exchange later."

"Good!"

The bespectacled man nodded and put the bead back, maintaining his wooden expression.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to have just gone through some fierce battle, which explained his poor complexion and his lack of bargaining with Lin Xian.

"Let's stick to the old rules," Jiang Yun stepped forward to take charge. "Special requests first, then other basic supplies for exchange."

Everyone nodded. Energy, food, and weapons were needed by almost everyone, and everyone lacked them to varying degrees. Except for those facing life-or-death shortages, these were left for the end, while the most urgent demands were brought up first.

"Then let's go in order." Jiang Yun looked at a middle-aged man in a cotton-padded jacket. "Big Brother Xu, you go first. Start with you."

"Alright."

The middle-aged man sitting on the rubble at the outermost edge was named Xu Jin. Without wasting words, he directly stated,

"My convoy needs a water purifier right now, preferably a reverse osmosis one, though active carbon is fine too, but the filter membrane needs to be a newer one. Who has it?"

As soon as he spoke, he swept his gaze across the circle. Only a woman named Shu Qin raised her hand and said,

"We have a reverse osmosis one."

Hearing this, Xu Jin's eyes instantly lit up.

"However..." The woman shrugged, "It ran into a problem and can't be used right now. Something might be broken inside. Is there anyone here who knows how to repair it?"

At these words, everyone looked at each other in dismay, falling silent for a moment.

Damaged equipment was utterly worthless, and carrying it on the road was just a waste of space. Shu Qin's convoy had a backup unit, and the reason she hadn't thrown away the broken one was simply because water purification equipment was too precious. She had always hoped that if she could find someone who knew how to repair it—even if it meant parting with some supplies in exchange to get it fixed—it would be much more valuable, whether kept as a spare or traded for more supplies.

"I know a little bit."

At that moment, Lin Xian, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly spoke up.

"Really? You know how to repair things?" someone asked in surprise.

"When it comes to machinery, I suppose I'm somewhat versed in it."

Lin Xian had no idea that his words would act like a fuse. The oppressive atmosphere of discussing ghosts just moments before was instantly swept away, and many surprised gazes turned toward him.

"Can you fix our vehicle then?"

"One of our heating devices malfunctioned..."

"What about an infrared detector?"

"Can you fix drones?"

...

Lin Xian had not expected that a casual remark would suddenly draw a string of responses, and he was momentarily surprised.

"A teammate of mine in the vehicle and I both know a bit about machinery. If it's just minor issues, we should be able to resolve them, but some things might require specific tools."

He did not overpromise, nor did he expose the fact that he used his ability to make repairs.

As long as the mechanical issues involved only component defects, Lin Xian's ability allowed him to scan the entirety and use suitable materials from his decomposition space to fix them, easily resolving the problems.

However, missing core components—lacking both materials and blueprints—could never be repaired out of thin air.

"Really?"

Jiang Yun, not far away, looked at him with great interest. "It seems I invited the right person. In this post-apocalyptic survival, technical talent is extremely rare."

Hearing Jiang Yun's bold claim, Kiki, sitting next to Lin Xian, twitched the corner of her mouth, finding it harder to suppress than an assault rifle.

Lin Xian glanced at the young woman and deliberately cleared his throat.

"I only know a little; I can't guarantee I can fix it, but you can let me take a look first," Lin Xian said modestly, not wanting to pigeonhole himself as a dedicated handyman. "If it can be fixed, we can discuss the price then."

"That's not a problem," Jiang Yun nodded. "Since that's the case, everyone can communicate with you privately about their equipment issues later, which will save us more time. Let's move on to other demands."

"Alright, then I'll state mine."

Lin Xian swept his gaze across the room and said in a firm voice, "I know some friends here might be ability users, so I want to know some information related to ability evolution. Furthermore..." He looked at Jiang Yun, "I'm quite interested in your soul-wave detector."

Jiang Yun knitted his brows.

"Sorry about that, I only have one set."

Lin Xian shook his head. "That's not what I mean. Because I didn't receive the information published by the Phoenix Society earlier, I just want to know the manufacturing principle of this thing, or you could let me study it."

Hearing this, Jiang Yun's expression turned one of astonishment.

"You don't mean to say that you want to build one yourself, do you?"