Chapter 59: Chapter 53: The Secret in the Tent
The Life Force attribute had no offensive properties, so most people didn’t pay it much mind at first.
But Tang Mo knew that ever since the night the apocalyptic stars descended, not a single one of the five unique human attributes that could be measured was useless.
Life Force was equivalent to a game character’s health bar. The more squishy the character, the easier it was to die; the more health a tank had, the more hits they could take.
But life wasn’t a game. In the real world, no one would deliberately specialize only in Life Force just to become a damage-soaking tank for their teammates.
However, if someone was strong enough and also had high Life Force, their combat power would be truly difficult to estimate.
Abnormal treasures in the apocalypse weren’t just edible foods; wearable equipment like this was also one type.
It was just that Tang Mo had only ever heard of accessories like rings, necklaces, and wooden tablets being identified as abnormal treasures. This was the first time she had seen a piece of clothing with an attribute value.
’Will there be shoes that grant a speed boost next? This world is getting too surreal.’
As it turned out, Tang Mo was right.
Now that she knew her clothes were an abnormal treasure, Tang Mo decided she would never take them off. Even if she washed them, she’d have to dry them overnight to wear again the next day.
For someone who cherished her life as much as she did, this piece of clothing had arrived at the perfect time.
Tang Mo opened her ID Watch and refreshed her latest attribute information.
ID: Tang Mo
Life Value: 32
Strength Value: 25
Agility: 47
spiritual power: 72
Space: 0
Overall Strength: 176
176!
Seeing this final attribute value, Tang Mo was pleasantly surprised.
This was a number she had only reached just before her death in her previous life, and back then, she had already been fighting and scraping by in the apocalypse for five years.
"Tang Mo, a friend of mine has something good they want to sell. The price is ten percent higher than the Alliance Exchange, but I was wondering if you’d be interested?"
Just as she was about to close the screen, Tang Mo received a message from Ah Lian on her ID Watch.
Ah Lian did all sorts of odd jobs around the base. Besides occasionally partnering with the bald driver to rent out the bus for business, he did a lot of other miscellaneous work. He was a well-connected man who knew how to get things done.
’He must have seen where I live and figured I have some money, so he’s trying to act as a middleman.’
"What is it?"
If it was something that could raise her attribute values, she didn’t have any Crystal Cores, but Tang Mo wouldn’t mind trading food for it—a large amount of food.
Although food was less valuable than Crystal Cores, it was currently the most widely used currency, and there were still plenty of people desperate for it.
"Something good from a mutant beast. You’ll know when you get here. See you tomorrow at 10 AM in the tent area."
The next day, Tang Mo dressed neatly and arrived on time at the place Ah Lian had specified. This time, she didn’t bring her backpack, instead putting it in her Space. As usual, she left nothing of hers behind in the room.
"You’re early. Let’s go inside and talk."
A smiling Ah Lian emerged from a tent, pulling Tang Mo inside with him. After they stooped to enter, he turned and zipped the tent flap shut.
The space inside the tent was large, about a dozen square meters, like a small, mobile house.
Besides being used for living, many people also rented tents to run small businesses and earn a little money. For example, if a team hunted a lot of things and didn’t want to sell to the Alliance, they would rent a tent for a day to sell their goods at a high price to willing buyers.
"Where’s the item?"
There was another man in the tent, evidently the seller.
"Don’t be hasty. Have some water first. I’ve already sent my guy to get it. He’ll be here any minute."
The man’s words made Tang Mo’s pupils shrink. His story was full of holes. They were lying to her.
But the expression on her face and the movement of her hands didn’t change as she lifted the cup to her lips.
The moment she raised the cup, Tang Mo smelled a strange floral scent.
It was a low-quality knockout agent, produced by the Alliance’s research institute to briefly stun mutant beasts and make them easier to fight.
Unexpectedly, it also gave many people with malicious intent an opportunity, becoming a powerful tool for abducting women and children.
The scent of this stuff was impossible to hide. In her past life, everyone in the later stages of the apocalypse knew about it and had learned to be extra vigilant.
But at this point in time, the agent was still a novelty. Ah Lian and the other man never expected Tang Mo to be so knowledgeable.
Tang Mo feigned swallowing the water, but in reality, she used her fingers as a conduit to transfer it into a cup in her Space.
She couldn’t gauge their strength right now. Rather than a direct confrontation, it was better to see what they were planning.
The knockout agent took effect instantly. After pretending to drink the water, Tang Mo counted to three and then let her body go limp, slumping onto the table.
Of course, as she fell, she made sure to choose a relatively comfortable position.
"Has Xiao Ba arrived yet?"
Tang Mo heard Ah Lian ask the seated man.
"I messaged Xiao Ba to go up the moment she came in. But look at her, she’s dressed so plainly. Does she really have good stuff?" The man’s voice was tinged with distrust.
"How long have I been collecting fares on that bus? When it comes to judging people, just trust me. I’m never wrong. This one’s definitely a fat sheep."
Hearing Ah Lian’s voice, Tang Mo’s heart went cold. So she had been his target from the moment she got on the bus.
’I was too careless.’
"First, let’s take all her things. Then we’ll tie her up and keep her in the tent to ’take on jobs.’ We have to squeeze every last drop of profit from her. I’ve watched her; she came here alone and has no family or friends. It’s not easy to find a stray fat sheep like this."
Ah Lian’s voice was no longer warm and cheerful. He sounded like a Devil from Hell, uttering the cruelest words in the most ordinary tone.
"Let’s do this cleanly. Don’t let Brother Hu find out," Ah Lian added.
’Brother Hu?’
Tang Mo had never heard that name. She made a mental note of it.
"Don’t worry about how I do things. It’ll be clean and tidy. What’s your attribute value now? Over a hundred, right?"
Perhaps because the wait was too long, the two men started making small talk.
Right now, everyone’s attribute values were low, so it wasn’t yet time to talk about specializing in any one attribute. The default assumption was that whoever had the highest total attribute value was the strongest.
"Not yet, I’m a little short. But I should get there next month." There was a hint of pride in Ah Lian’s voice.
"There aren’t many people in the base with attribute values over a hundred right now. Aside from the people in the Alliance, there’s Brother Hu and a few of his men, and then you and Baldy."
The man’s envy was palpable.
Hearing "Baldy" mentioned, Tang Mo couldn’t help but think of the bald driver with the tattooed arms. She had witnessed his strength firsthand.
"Nah, that’s just what’s on the surface. This base is full of hidden masters. There are plenty of capable people around."
Listening to their conversation, Tang Mo gained a better understanding of her own strength.
Without any point of comparison, she hadn’t known where her strength ranked. Now she understood: a value of 170 was probably quite good.
However, Huacheng was just a small base, after all, and what Ah Lian and the other man knew was limited. Tang Mo still decided to maintain a low profile.
’First, I have to get through this predicament.’
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[Author’s Note:]
To all the dears who’ve read this far, don’t forget to add this to your collection! Ranran updates daily.
