Chapter 257: A Strange Deal

"They're not just collecting blood mushrooms for Qian Duo Duo ; they're also collecting other items, all in exchange for oil. Plus, it's happening at Qian Duo Duo 's own house. Let's go and see for ourselves. Who would dare mess with me? Gou Shu, are we ready?"

"Yes, Miss," a strong voice answered from outside the villa. Uncle Gou, wearing an eye patch, entered. "Miss, the food for the trip is packed in the car, and the items for inspection are ready. Emergency supplies and a life raft are also prepared."

Jing Shu shrugged. "Alright, let's go. I'm just worried it could be a scam. Qian Duo Duo ’s business usually sends a car to pick you up. I've never had to go there myself. But since it’s at his house, nothing should go wrong."

Feeling reassured, Jing Shu followed Su Mali to her ride, accompanied by two armed bodyguards with shields for extra security. They had to make an entrance.

The custom private van pulled out of the Banana Community, and Jing Shu quickly understood the meaning of a luxury ride: it was far more comfortable than her own energy-efficient car worth only a few thousand yuan. Even when going over speed bumps, she couldn’t feel a thing. The spacious interior felt like a different world, with the sound of the rain completely blocked out. As they listened to music, it was easy to forget they were in the midst of an apocalypse.

Su Mali, reclining in her seat, was applying honey silk face masks and sipping from a straw while having her nails done. The massage chair she sat on hummed quietly. Her only complaint was the number of things that were no longer available due to the apocalypse.

It was truly a case of "the joy of the rich is beyond your imagination."

Normally, it would take just over half an hour to reach Qian Duo Duo ’s place in West Mountain, but the entrance had reportedly collapsed due to the heavy rains, forcing them to take a longer route.

With nothing to do during the ride, Jing Shu practiced solving her Rubik’s Cube. The seven-layered cube twirled quickly in her hands, and before long, the six colors were aligned. She scrambled it again and repeated the process, much to Su Mali’s fascination.

"We’ve arrived at the designated location, Miss," Gou Shu announced. After navigating through the mountain, they pulled up to an abandoned estate nestled at the base of the mountain.

Jing Shu had never been to this part of Qian Duo Duo ’s property before. On the way, they passed through staff accommodations, the guest villa area halfway up the mountain, and Qian Duo Duo ’s various farming and breeding zones. She even spotted Qian Shengqian’s castle, where he had once teased her.

But this place... it was quite far from all of those areas, at least 10 kilometers away.

As they approached, the estate’s gate opened, and the car drove through to a two-story villa. The surrounding area was so run-down that it was hard to tell what this place had originally been used for.

Jing Shu and Su Mali stepped out of the car, still clad in their full rain gear. Uncle Gou and the two bodyguards followed, carrying large bags of goods. A group of people greeted them at the door, where Jing Shu and Su Mali took off their raincoats.

"Please, follow me," said a young man with a center-parted hairstyle, smiling as he ushered them inside.

The villa reeked of decay, and Jing Shu wrinkled her nose.

The young man smiled. "We have a special area downstairs. Please, come this way."

The two-story villa seemed abandoned, but as the man led them to a hidden underground entrance, a whole new world opened up. A bustling underground casino awaited them, filled with the sounds of slot machines, roulette wheels, and people playing dice, cards, and various other games.

"Follow me," the young man said, continuing to lead Jing Shu’s group through the noisy casino. Su Mali couldn’t help but glance curiously at the people gambling on all sorts of games.

Jing Shu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The scene didn’t match the times—who would still be gambling in the middle of an apocalypse?

They were finally shown into a private room that was quiet, completely cutting off the chaos outside. A fat man lay sprawled on a couch, dressed sloppily and wearing slippers. "I’m the guy collecting goods on behalf of Mr. Qian. I’ll take all of your blood mushrooms. I heard you have some other items as well?"

Su Mali nodded, even though this was far from what she had expected a business deal to look like. She said, "We only deal in oil. Here are the goods we brought. Uncle Gou?"

The one-eyed Uncle Gou began unpacking the items, while the bodyguards remained close behind Su Mali, maintaining their professional stance.

The fat man, picking at his toes, stared at the blood mushrooms with greedy eyes. He looked at the various medicines, prized matsutake mushrooms, bluefin tuna, and other luxury goods Su Mali had brought. Nodding in approval, he said, "Very good. Name your price."

Following the usual business strategy of asking for a high price first, Su Mali said, "How about twenty tons of gasoline for the lot?"

The fat man thought for a moment before replying, "That’s not impossible, but it would have to include three more deliveries of the same quantity and quality of blood mushrooms."

Su Mali did some quick math. Even if she gave Jing Shu eight tons of gasoline, she’d still have twelve left. "Deal!"

They quickly reached an agreement. Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. Ever since the artificial sun project began last year, gasoline and natural gas had become even scarcer. The price should have been much higher. Why was this guy not even trying to haggle?

"This is the bill. Send someone to verify the oil, and then I’ll have it delivered," the fat man said with a smile.

Uncle Gou stepped forward. "Miss, I’ll go handle this. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it. You wait here and rest for a bit."

"Alright. Go quickly, and let me know if there’s any trouble," Su Mali said, feeling pleased with how smoothly things were going. See? Her father had always said she couldn’t handle big deals, but here she was, sealing the deal with ease.

After Uncle Gou left, Jing Shu sat quietly on the sofa, watching the fat man.

Time passed.

The fat man ordered drinks and snacks to be brought in, but neither Jing Shu nor Su Mali touched them. Jing Shu was cautious about eating food offered by others when out and about, while Su Mali simply found it beneath her.

"Have something while you wait. Or feel free to go play around outside," the fat man said with a grin. "I hope we have a long and prosperous partnership. Bring me more good stuff next time."

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "Doesn’t Mr. Qian already have everything he needs?"

"Why wouldn’t he want more? These are top-quality goods," the fat man laughed. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check on something."

As he started to leave, Jing Shu looked around the room and narrowed her eyes. "Wait. Stay here and chat with us for a while."

She moved closer to the fat man. Something still didn’t feel right. He had been far too agreeable, and the oil had yet to materialize. Plus, there was still no word from Uncle Gou.

"I just remembered something I need to take care of. I’ll send someone else to keep you company," the fat man said hastily.

"Hold on. Why are you in such a rush? Is there something wrong with this house?"