Xu Duoduo took out a large bag of snacks, all varieties from before the apocalypse. She placed the snacks on the counter, and the puppet thanked her as it took them.

Lin Qianxing couldn’t help but turn around to look, and after recognizing many familiar snacks, he was quite happy. “Thank you, Duoduo, these things are super expensive now.”

Before the apocalypse, you could buy a whole bag of snacks for just over a hundred yuan, but now, this bag of snacks could go for five or six thousand points on the forums.

Combat teams often go out on missions, and those who are diligent don’t do too badly.

At the moment, the base still has a surplus of points but a shortage of resources, and the imbalance is becoming more evident. Thus, it’s not uncommon for people to spend five or six thousand points just to buy snacks.

After all, scarcity makes things more valuable.

In the early days of the apocalypse, things were fine, but as time went on, those snacks from before the apocalypse became rarer and rarer.

Although there are sweet drinks mixed with strange and mutated liquids, they don’t taste the same as before. People tend to reminisce about the past during tough times, which is why these snacks from before the apocalypse are ridiculously expensive.

Xu Duoduo looked at the crowded snack compartments in the cube space and felt a little guilty; she had really stockpiled quite a bit.

Qin Luo, who had just returned, didn’t fully understand the situation and casually asked, “How many points does a pack of chips cost now?”

Lin Qianxing, sitting on the puppet’s arm, opened a pack of chips and began munching happily. “Probably around three to five hundred points? This is considered cheap. Last time, someone asked for a bottle of cola for a thousand points. That was really outrageous.”

Chen Xiaofei gasped, “A thousand points for a bottle of cola?! Are you crazy?”

How many meals could you buy with that?

Lin Qianxing, swinging his mechanical legs while sitting on the puppet, said, “Now, with the label of ‘before the apocalypse,’ many things have increased dozens of times in value. It’s no surprise. On the other hand, some products from after the apocalypse are still relatively affordable. It can’t be helped; many items have become obsolete.”

Other drinks are still available, but due to limited materials, many flavors have changed. Some have been discontinued, while others taste even better.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, right?

Things from before the apocalypse are indeed valuable.

Chen Xiaofei clicked his tongue, remembering how he used to have all sorts of snacks and sweet drinks every day. Plus, Little Squad Leader always brought food made by them. It really made him feel extra happy. It’s great to have a Little Squad Leader around!

Qin Luo smiled as he tried to shift the focus back to Duoduo. “In that case, we’re lucky to have kept some snacks for ourselves and didn’t turn them all in to the headquarters.”

Lin Qianxing shrugged. “Being part of a combat team has its pros and cons. You get the chance to collect and prioritize the acquisition of resources. Ordinary people can’t even buy them if they wanted to. It’s a little perk for the warriors.”

Wang Weihuo also sighed, “We’re often out of the base, and the base changes every day. It’s hard to keep up with the pace and understand everyone’s situation.”

“What’s there to understand? The lives of ordinary people and those of the mutated people in the base are all different. However, recently, the base has been tightening its belt. It feels like there’s a shortage of food supplies.”

Lin Qianxing kept eating his chips, enjoying them as he spoke. Even he, a lover of handmade crafts, could hardly afford to buy such snacks. After all, he had to spend a lot of points on materials.

He was also a hobbyist.

Often, he would eat nothing but dirt just to stockpile materials, which was no big deal.

Lin Qianxing paused and then added, “I feel like the food shortage is related to the Blackout Days. Before, we could at least go out to hunt and gather food. Some mutated animals and plants with low levels of pollution could even be eaten by ordinary people. Now, once the Blackout Days come, more and more dark creatures appear outside. Just the lizardmen alone are a huge threat.”

Abilities below the third tier aren’t allowed to take missions now.

Because it’s almost certain death to leave the base.

Qin Luo immediately asked, “What else do you know? Share it with us.”

Bai Shu had already taken out a tablet and started recording, organizing the key information.

Xu Duoduo listened intently.

When these combat teams go out on a mission, they really miss a lot of new developments.

Fortunately, Lin Qianxing spends most of his time at the base and comes back earlier than they do, so it’s normal that he knows more. This time, he was also more talkative than usual.

“No problem, since Duoduo gave me snacks, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Lin Qianxing took out a bottle of yogurt, drinking it as he spoke, looking quite relaxed. He had really gotten familiar with the 3A group, and even though they hadn’t met that often, it felt like they could get along like old friends when the atmosphere was right.

Qin Luo sat down on the bench outside the fitting room, still teasing him, “So you only speak when snacks are involved, huh? No snacks, no talking?”

Lin Qianxing ignored him and instead asked them what they wanted to know.

Wang Weihuo, having strolled around the new display, noticed space cards for sale and immediately asked, “How dare you sell space cards? These things can be sold too?”

After all, space cards from the headquarters are derived from the space abilities of the devouring beasts.

Lin Qianxing replied, “I got these back. Unfortunately, I can’t make them myself. Apart from the three major bases and six smaller ones, there are now many civilian self-defense groups. Their numbers aren’t large, but they’ve managed to survive on their own.”

In short, some people refuse to join the bases and want to survive on their own.

They avoid official forces, and while the headquarters has tried to persuade them to return, the effect has been minimal. However, if there’s a chance, they will intervene.

For now, they can only let it be.

And when there are more people outside, the black market naturally appears. Wherever there are people, there is trade.

Lin Qianxing pulled several space cards out of his storage space. “These are from the black market. They’re compatible with any wristband and can even be plugged into old mobile phones. I’m not sure who made them.”

But I can guarantee that these spaces are completely independent, unlike the ones from the devouring beasts, which are monitored.

The group each took a card and began inspecting it. They realized that these were different from the ones from the headquarters. The headquarters cards were black and red, while these space cards were colorful.

“Can the base let you sell these?” Qin Luo asked, unable to believe it.

Wang Weihuo and the others were also shocked.

Xu Duoduo looked at her space card and was surprised that she could feel how big the space was. The one she had in her hand was a 30-cubic-meter space card.

Lin Qianxing said, “Why not? The headquarters has even sent people to secretly buy them.”

The idea is to use them as much as possible since they can’t be brought back, rather than letting them go to waste.

However, if someone wants to buy space cards from the base, they must register and cooperate with inspections, mainly for the safety of others.