She checked her belongings first. Everything precious was still neatly guarded by Xiao Dou, safe and sound. That meant the area was secure enough.
Jing Shu felt a little dazed, her mind sluggish after such a long sleep. Somehow, she ended up sitting beside an elderly man in a white coat, watching three other old men in white coats play several rounds of cards. In between rounds, she even brushed her teeth and washed her face. By the time she pulled out a frying pan, the white coats finally realized—holy crap, this was the person they'd been waiting for!
"You're awake?" one asked.
"Heh, yeah."
The few kind-looking old men immediately put down their cards and adjusted their glasses as they shuffled toward her. Jing Shu instinctively stepped back two paces.
…
"So, you're from the Special Intelligence Division, and you're here to reassess my rank? You're from Tupo Tianji Hospital in the capital, right? Since Monk and Monkey are still injured, you're here for a little academic exchange—and also to buy those pills I made myself? Yes, yes, I know you're not short on money, please wait a moment."
She turned to the next. "You're from the National Research Sponsorship Institute, here to borrow samples of the ZS880 potion?"
Then the next. "And you're from the Food Regulation Department, wanting to exchange for the Z10 bacterial synthetic meat formula? Alright, you can put your sack on the floor and wait a bit."
She blinked. "So, you guys were playing cards to decide who gets to see me first, but ended up arguing over which three of you have the right to play for the decision?"
The four elderly men nodded in unison.
"So, you still haven't decided who goes first?"
Another synchronized nod.
Jing Shu was speechless. She didn't really understand why these impressive-sounding institutions—names that made people think of serious professionals—were represented by these unreliable old-timers. It really took the shine off their prestige. Still, business was business. In the capital, even the old men sweeping the streets might be hiding wealth. For all she knew, these guys could pull a potato from their pocket that'd have people bidding over it.
"Alright then, let's start with the Special Intelligence Division, shall we? How about you give me a rating? I don't have any special powers or hobbies. My strength's pretty much what my teammates reported. Maybe an A+? No, no, I'm not the flashy type, better make it just an A.
What's that? My chicken's rated B-tier? So my overall strength is still A+? Got it. Where do I sign? Thank you so much, your department's really efficient—house-call and all!"
After sending off the first old man, she turned toward the next one, the one from the ultra-expensive Tupo Tianji Hospital.
"Here, sir, these are my handmade secret pills. They're made from rare medicinal ingredients. Just apply them directly to Monk and Monkey's wounds, no need for academic discussions, I'm kinda busy as you can see."
The old man dipped his ring finger into the black pill paste and tasted a tiny bit with his pinky. His eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. "Good medicine indeed!" Then he packed away a box of the pills with satisfaction and left. Before going, he even signed an IOU for Monkey, who now owed two thousand contribution points. Monk's treatment, of course, was free of charge.
"Now, you, sir, you're borrowing a sample of the ZS880, right? Oh, you mean you'll borrow one and return ten later? No problem, just get Yang Yang or Zhen Nantian to vouch for you. What's that? Ling Ling's from your institute? Alright then, let's draft a contract."
Finally, after sending off the third old man, Jing Shu turned to the last one. "Sir, you're from the Food Regulation Department, right? You're here to trade for the formula. I just don't know what you're planning to offer in exchange."
The last old man had a scruffy beard, muddy rain boots, and though he wore a white coat, the clothes underneath looked more like a farmer's workwear. He lifted a burlap sack and untied it, revealing two black-beaked creatures with fleshy growths on their necks. Even tied up, they radiated a fierce, aggressive energy.
Jing Shu frowned, staring for a long while before hesitantly asking, "Are those… geese?"
The old man grinned, showing a row of yellowed, missing teeth. "These are Lion Head Geese, kings among geese! They lay very few eggs, but they're worth a fortune. Their meat's top-grade, rich and delicious. Heh, you wouldn't believe it, but people in the capital are lining up all the way to the Mediterranean just to reserve them!"
Jing Shu swallowed hard, her mouth nearly watering. She searched through her Rubik's Cube Space—no geese.
She didn't have any geese! Before the apocalypse, when she was still struggling for funds and her Cube Space was tiny, she'd only raised common livestock—chickens, ducks, sheep, cattle, quails, rabbits. Ducks were practical since their eggs could be made into salted ones, and roast duck was delicious too.
But geese? They didn't lay much, their eggs were fishy, and they ate a lot. She'd decided against them back then. Still… braised goose, stewed goose with plum sauce, goose with mixed vegetables, goose in soy paste with free-range chicken—God, all of those sounded heavenly. She hadn't eaten goose in fifteen, sixteen years!
Now, things were different. In the apocalypse, what mattered most? Eating well, stockpiling supplies, and arming yourself. Every creature's value needed to be maximized.
Geese could be trained as guard geese or patrol geese. Sure, they didn't lay often, but once their numbers grew, eggs would come plenty enough.
"Alright, you've met my standards. Deal," she said, mentally calculating their worth.
Her Cube Space was much larger now, and she had more than enough funds. She'd been thinking of repopulating the near-extinct poultry section anyway. Two perfectly paired Lion Head Geese showing up now felt like a gift from heaven.
She quickly checked her Cube Space's data module. Sure enough, Lion Head Geese were the most valuable of all breeds—true kings among geese. Ordinary geese had red beaks, but Lion Head Geese had black ones, fierce and powerful.
"You're offering two geese in exchange for the formula?" she asked, pointing between them in disbelief.
The old man gave her a look like she was an idiot. "Livestock's precious these days. These Lion Head Geese are the last breeding pair we've got. Trade them for some unproven formula? What do you take me for, a fool?"
Jing Shu froze, her polite smile stiffening. "Did I act too nice again? Do they think I'm that easy to mess with? Are they just dangling these geese to tempt me, to make me lose control and do something I shouldn't?"
She had to admit it—
"Old man, you've successfully caught my attention."
Before she could say anything else, he grinned, that missing front tooth showing again. "That Tank in your team's from our Food Regulation Bureau, you know. We heard you've got a chicken that lays dozens of eggs a day. We observed for a while, and sure enough, it's true. So here we are, bringing you some geese."
===
The hospital name is "突破天际医院" (Tūpò Tiānjì Yīyuàn) it can be translated as "Breakthrough the Heavens Hospital"