The canvas was opened, and the whole truck was filled with sealed barrels mixed with mud and rust. There were dents here and bulges there, and it felt like it had been bombed many times. 

The staff were curious about what was inside. 

One of the staff used water to wash away the mud and carefully scraped off the rust, revealing the label on the barrels: titanium? 

Then he cleaned a few more barrels: tungsten, beryllium… 

Wow, these are rare metals. The base had sent countless people to find them, but they hadn’t found a source in a long time, and the factory was on the brink of shutting down. 

The staff member’s jaw nearly dropped. “Are these… all of them?” 

“Yes,” Jiang Ning said, wiping the grime from her face, her voice was nervous and urgent, “Comrade, can these things be used? We spent a lot of effort and gambled all our belongings to exchange them. If we can’t use them, we will really go bankrupt and can’t survive.” 

The sealed barrels were too old, and the staff was not sure whether the metal inside was still intact. 

“I’m not sure either,” he said, growing nervous at Jiang Ning’s exaggerated expression. “Please wait a moment while I call the research and testing team.” 

After saying that, he ran into the office to get the intercom to contact them. 

After explaining the situation, he did not forget to remind, “Yes, yes, both trucks are full of them; send someone over immediately.” 

Although there were only two trucks, these metals were industrial-grade, and just a small amount added to materials could make a huge difference. This was an enormous quantity! 

Twenty minutes later, a vehicle arrived with several military personnel. 

Seeing the sealed barrels in the two trucks in front of them, everyone was so shocked that they couldn’t even close their mouths. 

The captain reacted quickly and said excitedly, “Quick, move them all down and take samples for inspection first.” 

So, almost everyone at the trading center came out to help. 

Jiang Ning came over quickly, “Comrades, where are you taking our stuff? We haven’t even weighed them yet. You don’t plan to take them all, do you?” 

Seeing her guarded and anxious expression, the captain smiled and explained, “Rest assured, we won’t keep the goods for ourselves. However, rare metals require special storage conditions. The environment has been too harsh in recent years, so we need to test them one by one to ensure they are usable.” 

Jiang Ning frowned. “How long will the testing take?” 

“We’ll test a batch first, which should take about three hours for results. If everything is fine, we’ll test all of them, which will take about two days.” 

The goods will not be taken away, but only samples will be taken. 

Despite the battered state of the barrels, when the lids were carefully pried open and the metals inside were found to be purified powder, the testing experts were pleasantly surprised at how well-preserved they were. 

Based on their extensive experience, they could almost confirm that the metals were intact. 

But scientific testing is still required to reach a conclusion. 

Within three hours, the people in the trading center clean the dirt on the outside of all sealed barrels. 

The space had preservation functions, so the rare metals couldn’t have deteriorated, but Jiang Ning couldn’t tell the testing staff that. All Jiang Ning could do was wait. 

The three people and the dog were not idle either. They help the staff with the cleanup. 

Knowing the importance of the rare metals, the staff were particularly careful during the cleanup. Seeing Jiang Ning and Huo Yi carefully placing the barrels, which still rolled on the ground, they anxiously said, “Be gentle, be gentle, don’t damage the barrels.” 

Those who don’t know would think that the sturdy sealed barrels are made of tofu. 

The staff didn’t even have time to eat lunch and fully cooperated with the requirements of the inspection department to clean up the things as soon as possible. 

All the staff of the trading center were dispatched, and the news spread quickly. 

Many lone wolves or groups of scavengers came to inquire about the news. When they saw the two trucks of rare metals, they were so envious and jealous that they all had red eyes. 

Brother, you’re rich! 

The price of rare metals has soared to the sky. If all of them are exchanged for supplies, they will never worry about food and clothing for several lifetimes. 

So, quite a few people came over, shamelessly trying to get close to Huo Yishen. “Brother, where did you find your goods? Let me help you out, I can assist you.” 

Some even offered to sacrifice their looks, “Beautiful, do you need a big brother or a loyal puppy? Muscular men or delicate beauties, just pick, or even someone like me with a sharp style—always ready to serve your call.” 

Huo Yishen’s face turned black, “Get lost.” 

Jiang Ning, with a similar attitude, added, “Get lost.” 

Doudou was so angry that she jumped up and down, “She is my sister-in-law!” 

The dog bared its teeth and growled, “Woof!” Legs! 

The crowd was still trying to pester them, but Huo Yishen pulled out his gun without saying a word and loaded it. 

Seeing that the three people and the dog ignored their attempts, they had no choice but to leave disappointed. 

Damn, how could this overwhelming wealth fall on other people’s heads? 

The staff laughed, “Don’t be angry, you’ll get used to it.” 

They hadn’t experienced this kind of thing before; it was just that resources were so scarce outside now that they were focusing on what others had. 

Ultimately, it was all about survival. 

However, there are always people who think they are special, and they keep coming to chat with them and try to form an alliance with them. 

Dealing with several waves of such people had already become quite annoying. 

The three people and the dog went back to the truck to rest and took the opportunity to eat lunch. 

About three hours later, the results of the inspection department came out, and they directly contacted the scavenging department trading center—it’s qualified. 

The staff was excited and contacted Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen to weigh and classify the rare metals. “The qualified ones just now will be converted into points for you first, and the results of the rest will be available in two days. You can take the receipt to exchange for points then.” 

Jiang Ning had no objection, and the six zero points were easily credited. 

She calculated that if everything was qualified, aside from the submarine, she’d still have a lot of points left. 

Not knowing what to exchange, the three people and the dog went to the material trading mall. 

The last time they came was at night, and they just stared at the scrolling electronic screen. This time there were staff at work, and Jiang Ning found that many products had been updated. 

There were even escape pods? 

Single, double, four, six, ten people— all sizes are available. 

As long as there was enough food and oxygen, the escape pods could handle earthquakes and tsunamis. 

Jiang Ning looked at the escape pod. The size of the six-seater pod was much smaller than the one she had stored in her own space. It was probably because of the shortage of materials—it was shrunk. 

The size was cramped, and she had to bend down to get up and move around or go to the toilet freely, but it was still okay for emergency use. 

But if the disaster lasted for a long time, there would be no extra space for supplies, and people would probably go crazy if they were cramped in it for a long time. 

Just in case, Jiang Ning wanted to stock up on another one, but she was not sure about the materials, so she waved to the waiter at the counter, “Hello, what materials are used to make this escape pod?” 

The attractive female staff member was chatting enthusiastically with the soldier in military uniform, and she seemed to be deaf and ignored her. 

The soldier heard the voice and reminded her, but the beautiful female staff didn’t take it seriously at all, and pouted her lips and said dissatisfiedly, “Why should I care about poor people who only look but don’t buy anything?” 

So many people come in every day, but less than 10% of them buy things. 

The soldier frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with her arrogant attitude, but he did not show it on his face, and said tactfully, “I have something else to do in the army; I’ll go back first.” 

“Brother Zheng, it’s not easy for you to come here; please chat with me for a while.” 

The soldier left in a hurry, “Sorry, I have work to do.” 

The blind date ran away, and the female staff member was so angry that she turned around and yelled at Jiang Ning, “Why are you yelling? With your poor look, you think you can afford an escape pod?”