Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 57 Broken Arm
After Zhuang Fan extracted all the decaying mist, he kept the useful parts and sold the rest.

The next day, Zhuang Fan and his companion transported the goods to Mao Shanwang's stronghold.

Mao Shanwang's cheek twitched, and his hand, which was waving a palm-leaf fan, froze in mid-air.

"Which bandit hideout did you raid this time? These are some pretty good stuff!"

After counting the money, he readily paid 10,000 gold coins.

Zhuang Fan did not answer, but explained his purpose.

"Old Cat, help me purchase a weapons processing station, the kind that can manufacture pistols and rifles."

Mao Shanwang stroked the cat's whiskers: "I have one in my warehouse, at a discounted price of 30,000, and I can order it anytime."

"I don't have enough money. You can pay me back on credit the day after tomorrow."

"You little rascal, I never used to give you credit, but I've made an exception for you every time."

While complaining, Mao Shanwang arranged for people to transfer goods.

A dozen minutes later, Xiong Da dragged over a packaged piece of equipment and helped load it onto the warehouse truck.

"thank you."

"You're welcome!" Xiong Da strode back to gnaw on the crocodile leg.

Mao Shanwang inspected the equipment while explaining it to everyone:
"Look at this metal tabletop, it's thick and sturdy enough that even a sledgehammer couldn't break it."

"This drill, this grinding wheel machine, and this welding machine are all refurbished military-grade parts. They are powerful and can last for ten or eight years without any problem."

"And this whole set of tools, files, punches, calipers, will ensure that whatever you make is stable and secure."

Zhuang Fan was also very satisfied. After the inspection, the two transported the goods back to the base.

When Gage saw the equipment, his eyes lit up with fervor, and he assembled it in no time.

Zhuang Fan suddenly thought of something and tentatively asked him, "By the way, can you repair a baron?"

"baron?"

Gage paused for a moment: "You mean that giant spider, the heavy mech with six legs?"

"right"

"That depends on the extent of the damage."

Gage thought about it carefully: "If the core chip and main control unit are not damaged, I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee it."

"That's fine then." Zhuang Fan nodded.

Watson immediately realized it was the "Baron" that Jetta had placed there.

It seems it will soon come in handy.

That noon, Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng went out again and brought back twenty more pieces of equipment.

This time, they disposed of the decaying fog directly in the suburbs, then transported it to King Maoshan and sold it for ten thousand gold coins.

Mao Shanwang looked at them with envy in his eyes.

This speed at which they make money is practically the same as printing money.

On the third day, they looted almost all the high-value equipment in the surrounding area.

To gather all twenty pieces of equipment, they had to expand their search area, which took twice as long as before.

That night, they transported the repaired goods to Mao Shanwang's stronghold, sold them for 10,000 gold coins, and paid off the debt to the weapons processing station.

Exhausted, the two returned to the base.

Gage lived up to expectations and used the workbench to create two superior iron pipe pistols.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng each took one.

With the two androids working around the clock, the clearing work of the underground passage has also progressed by ten meters.

Before Tony left, he had no idea where that secret passage would lead; it was completely blocked off.

Zhuang Fan decided to continue digging.

On the fourth day, the two went to the outskirts of Linhai City, where there were many garbage mountains.

There are also a great number of scavengers, all searching through the rolling hills of garbage.

Watson found a well-preserved circuit board next to an abandoned shipping container.

He was overjoyed at the sight of the prey and immediately rushed forward.

"Beep...beep beep..."

A very faint sound came from below.

Before he could react, a burst of fire erupted beneath his feet.

"boom!"

The shockwave sent him flying, crashing heavily three meters away.

His right arm was completely gone, and excruciating pain shot through the severed area.

Zhuang Fan's expression changed, and he immediately rushed forward.

"Hold it in."

He used a tourniquet to tightly bind the severed arm to prevent excessive blood loss.

Watson gritted his teeth, suppressing his groans, his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.

A few elderly scavengers in the distance glanced at him indifferently, muttering "another unlucky fellow," before continuing to work.

Zhuang Fan then realized that the garbage mountain was littered with homemade bombs and various traps left by scavenging teams in order to reduce competitors.

"Can you hold on?"

Watson's face turned deathly pale. After Zhuang Fan finished bandaging him, he immediately took Watson to find Mao Shanwang, where there were more medicines.

"Wow, that's... kind of bad."

Seeing this, Mao Shanwang told Xiong Er to jump down from the tree and quickly perform debridement surgery on Hua Sheng.

Half an hour later, Mao Shanwang looked at the empty sleeve and shook his head.

"Let's get a prosthetic leg."

He took out a price list:

[100,000 Gold Coins: Iron Arm, Electric Arm, Blade Arm]

[Two hundred thousand gold coins: chainsaw arm, gun arm]

Zhuang Fan didn't hesitate: "Let's take these two most expensive ones. Are there serious adverse reactions?"

"Don't worry, it's a perfect fit."

Mao Shanwang emphasized, "I get a 20% discount on my purchases. Since we're all acquaintances, I won't make money off you."

Zhuang Fan sensed that he was not lying.

"Wait... Do you have a cheaper older model?"

Watson was pale and struggled to lift his head: "We're just getting started, everything costs money, as long as the prosthetic limb works."

Zhuang Fan shook his head: "This is where the money should be spent the most. Just lie down and don't say anything more."

"Used iron arms are available, and they offer better value for money."

Mao Shanwang glanced at the inventory list: "How about this, I'll go look for it, but the purchase price will be 30,000."

"Brother Wuya, let's take this one and use it for now."

"Row"

On the way back, Watson looked a little guilty.

"This time, I was too reckless."

Zhuang Fan interrupted him: "No, it was my mistake. You can use that iron arm for now. Later, when the money arrives, I'll get you an original cloned arm."

Watson's eyes regained their light.

No matter how expensive a prosthetic limb is, it can't compare to the original.

When the two returned to the base, Hua Xin saw her brother's miserable state, her cat-like eyes widened, and she froze.

"Brother...does it hurt?" she asked, her voice trembling with tears.

"It's nothing, I'm tough."

Hua Sheng tried to stay strong, but Hua Xin saw it and was saddened all night.

The next day, she took the initiative to find Zhuang Fan.

"Brother Wuya, let me go with you."

"No need, I can go by myself. You all stay here."

She interrupted Zhuang Fan: "Trust me, I'm very perceptive and can sense danger in advance."

Zhuang Fan looked at her resolute eyes, then glanced at Watson, and finally nodded.

"Then put on your mask, remember to wrap your tail tightly, spray it with floral water, and don't leave my sight."

"Yes, I will be very careful!"

Hua Xin's scavenging efficiency far surpassed that of Hua Sheng.

Her cat-like eyes could always pinpoint high-value items overlooked in a messy pile of garbage.

In just half a day, she found twenty items on her own, a remarkable search ability that astonished Zhuang Fan.

It's approaching evening.

The old catwoman appeared beside the garbage mountain, sniffing the air intently.

It's been six days already.

She could never smell the scent of her own kind, and for this she was beaten several times, leaving her with a limp.

This is the thirtieth garbage mountain. If she still hasn't found any clues, she'll get another beating when she gets back.

She was so terrified of being beaten that her eyes were cloudy and hard to focus. She kept muttering something under her breath, and her mind was completely unclear.

Suddenly, she caught a faint scent of floral water and her body stiffened.

Having been imprisoned for so many years, she had seen all sorts of guests, but she had never heard of any scavenger using floral water.

She followed the scent to find its source, getting closer and closer until she was only a few dozen meters away from Hua Xin.

Just then, an explosion was heard in the distance.

It turned out that two scavenging teams were fighting over territory.

The old catwoman's attention was drawn to it, and when she turned back, the scent had disappeared.

That day, Zhuang Fan sold 20,000 gold coins.

Mao Shanwang said that Tiebi's goods had not arrived yet, and told them to wait a little longer.

Zhuang Fan felt a growing sense of urgency.

No matter how efficient Hua Xin is, he is still working alone, so he needs to find a way to expand his manpower.

A strange idea popped into his mind.

Jetta team, free labor.

(End of this chapter)