Chapter 3: The Value of Toilet Paper

At the woman's signal, Song Ziyu climbed onto the back of the motorcycle.

"Hold on tight, or you'll face the consequences!" the woman said.

"Hold on tight where?" Song Ziyu asked.

"Of course, my waist!" the woman replied.

Song Ziyu was delighted to have such a good thing happen.

This woman's figure and looks were absolutely top-notch, and his touch filled him with a sense of bliss.

But just as Song Ziyu was letting his thoughts drift, the woman spoke again: "Watch out for that hard thing down there, or I'll castrate you."

Hearing this, Song Ziyu shuddered and quickly moved back.

A sudden roar!

The powerful thrust nearly threw Song Ziyu out, leaving a cloud of dust behind him as the motorcycle raced away.

This woman was so wild!

The motorcycle sped along at lightning speed, shrubs crisscrossing the desert. From time to time, figures could be seen wandering the desert, sluggish and aimless, but as the motorcycle approached, they would all rush to catch up.

Song Ziyu was horrified to discover that these were all the monsters he had encountered before! Without the motorcycle, he would never have been able to escape the desert!

"What the hell is going on? How could there be so many monsters?" Song Ziyu exclaimed, inevitably swallowing a mouthful of sand.

"This is just a minor incident," the woman replied calmly.

Next, during their conversation, Song Ziyu realized that he had traveled to a world on the verge of collapse, teeming with terrifying mutant creatures. Human civilization had long since collapsed, leaving only a few human settlements as a safe haven.

"The wasteland is still a good place. If you had seen the ruins of those ancient cities, the teeming hordes of corpses and dark monsters, you would have known the meaning of despair."

The woman's tone was filled with sorrow as she spoke. ...

After jolting for dozens of kilometers, the motorcycle finally reached a deserted road. Ten minutes further, a town came into view.

The town was built against the mountainside, its walls towering three layers deep. From afar, you could see watchtowers and barbed wire.

This wasn't a town at all!

Song Ziyu would say it was a prison.

The motorcycle arrived at the foot of the city.

A small gate opened beneath the thick wall. Near it, several men in ragged camouflage uniforms stood guard, their guns toting.

These rough-hewn men were unkempt. In Song Ziyu's world, the masons on the construction site were ten times cleaner than them.

But Song Ziyu didn't dare act rashly. The men's fierce determination was unnerving. They couldn't be this tough without countless lives on their shoulders!

Someone whistled at the sight of a woman. "Xu Yingnan, you've become more beautiful again."

"Wow, Xu Yingnan, where did you snag that gigolo?"

The men seemed quite familiar with the woman, jokingly greeting her.

"Watch your mouths, or I'll make you look like a fool!" The woman took off her helmet and cursed, her short hair gleaming in the sun.

At this moment, a man leaning against the city gate, basking in the sun, squinted his eyes and looked over: "Xu Yingnan, there aren't many people who can ride in your car, so who is this guy?"

"None of your business, Zhang Dahu. Just guard your door and don't ask questions about society."

The woman retorted bluntly.

So the woman's name was Xu Yingnan!

Song Ziyu silently memorized her name.

The man who was being scolded stroked his stubble and said nothing more, but simply gave Song Ziyu a meaningful look.

This look made Song Ziyu's heart uneasy. Fortunately, Xu Yingnan drove his motorcycle into the city, freeing Song Ziyu from the feeling of being ripped off.

After entering the city, Xu Yingnan said to Song Ziyu, "Get out of the car. We're even now."

"You seem quite successful," Song Ziyu said.

"Of course," Xu Yingnan said with a carefree smile. "I'm a well-known bounty hunter in several nearby settlements."

"Bounty hunter?" Song Ziyu asked. "What kind of profession is that?"

Xu Yingnan rolled his eyes. "Why are you acting like an idiot? A bounty hunter is, of course, a bounty hunter. We live on the edge of life and take on anyone who pays us!"

"Does it make money?" Song Ziyu asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course it does, but you have to be alive to spend it!" Xu Yingnan replied. Song Ziyu quickly asked, "Can I join?"

Xu Yingnan chuckled, "Don't be ridiculous. You're a weakling, you can't handle this job. You should think about how to survive."

With that, Xu Yingnan rode away on his bike.

Song Ziyu felt lost.

"By the way, take this money. There's a messenger in the Longshan settlement. You can try writing to your family and have them come pick you up. I have to advise you to avoid wandering around in the wilderness. No one will rescue you next time."

Xu Yingnan parked the car and handed over a few crumpled bills.

"Sister, you're such a kind person!"

Song Ziyu was deeply moved. In this unfamiliar world, someone would actually be so kind to her.

Xu Yingnan couldn't help but blush at Song Ziyu's words.

"Oh, don't say that. It's embarrassing. Let's go." Xu Yingnan waved her hand and disappeared on her large motorcycle into the chaotic and grimy streets. ...

Longshan Town wasn't big. Xu Yingnan drove around a few turns until he arrived at a shop.

This shop, called "Dayou Recycling," was the headquarters of the bounty hunter organization in the Longshan settlement.

After entering the shop, Xu Yingnan, unable to contain his composure, burst into laughter.

The old man behind the counter, working on a repair desk, adjusted his heavy glasses and said, "What could possibly make you so happy?"

"Lao Gao, I saved a life today and made a killing! Look!" Xu Yingnan took out the small roll of toilet paper and carefully placed it on the counter.

Lao Gao looked up, his eyes widening instantly!

"Toilet paper!" Lao Gao reached out to touch it, but Xu Yingnan slapped him away. "Watch out for your dirty hands! Wash your hands, wash your hands!"

"Look how excited I am."

Lao Gao quickly washed his hands, then stroked the paper with a look of ecstasy. "Typical pulping process, spotless white texture, soft and comfortable feel. Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'll ever see something like this again in my lifetime."

The old man sniffed and touched the paper, his thoughts drifting. "Such high-end toilet paper must be made from 100% virgin wood pulp! Yingnan, you might not know this, but finding suitable soil to grow viable trees is incredibly difficult these days... It's so difficult!"

Xu Yingnan chimed in, "I've heard you so many times, Lao Gao. Of course I know the soil is polluted."

"And it's also because of acid rain!"

Lao Gao was about to launch into some more science fiction, but Xu Yingnan interrupted him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense and give me back my stuff."

"You want it back now that it's in my hands? No way!" On behalf of the organization, I'm recycling this roll of toilet paper!"

The old man stood up, opened the safe behind him, and deftly pulled out two fifty-gram gold bars.

"Lao Gao, do you think I'm an idiot? You want two gold bars for this roll of toilet paper? Believe it or not, I'll smash your shop!"

With the gold bars before him, Xu Yingnan was furious, feeling like he'd been dealt a rip-off and his intelligence insulted.

"Then name your price," the old man said readily.

Xu Yingnan said, "Three gold bars, plus a shot of tetanus immunoglobulin."

"Immunoglobulin, no way! It's the organization's strategic reserve. I wouldn't dare use it. But I can give you four gold bars, no more!"

"Five!" Xu Yingnan gestured.

"Deal."

Lao Gao gritted his teeth.

After the transaction was completed, Lao Gao asked, "Yingnan, where did you get this priceless stuff?" Xu Yingnan said, "I saved a little kid in the wilderness, and he gave me this as a reward!"

"This guy's not ordinary!" Lao Gao warned, "You've got to keep an eye on Yingnan. After all, no one in the Longshan settlement can get toilet paper of this quality."

"You seem to have some truth to that," Xu Yingnan pondered.