Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The jeep kicked up a cloud of yellow dust on the bumpy dirt road. Jiang Chen didn't drive directly to the abandoned warehouse, but instead detoured to "Pigeon Market" in the west of the city. In this era of scarcity, it was the largest black market in Beijing. Although risky, it was also a distribution center for all sorts of strange and unusual things.

He drove around the outskirts of Pigeon City without buying anything, just to leave some "evidence" for the Jeep's whereabouts. After doing these cover-up actions, he suddenly turned the steering wheel and drove into an abandoned red-brick warehouse that he had scouted out beforehand.

This place was originally a military supply depot during the Japanese occupation. Now it is overgrown with weeds and deserted, with only the mournful sound of the cold wind blowing through the broken windows.

Jiang Chen turned off the engine, rolled up the window, leaned back in the driver's seat, closed his eyes, and called the system again.

"System, regarding the 'Monster Hunter Dimension' we just searched for..."

"Ding! The system has detected that the host's current system level is Lv1. The creatures in the 'Monster Hunter Dimension' are too large and extremely aggressive. There is a high risk in capturing them alive or dismembering them for transport. For the host's safety and the success rate of the transaction, the system intelligently recommends a better matching solution."

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. This system was quite user-friendly, knowing how to mitigate risks through optimization. He lightly tapped the steering wheel with his fingers and said in a deep voice, "Rematch. Keywords: [Premium Meat], [High Energy], [Excellent Taste]."

"Ding! Searching... Match complete! Locked on [One Piece World]."

"Current trading partner: Sanji, the Straw Hat Pirates' chef. Trading scenario: Luffy has just finished a major battle and is holding a victory celebration. A huge piece of 'King of the Coast' tenderloin was left behind because Luffy ate too much. Partner's needs: Urgently needs 'top-quality seasoning' to deal with the picky navigator lady."

One Piece world? Sea Kings?

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up instantly. The "sea kings" of that world not only had delicious flesh, but more importantly, they contained extremely high levels of life energy, which was practically a miracle drug for this era of widespread malnutrition.

"Not only meat, but also seasonings?" Jiang Chen's lips curled into a playful smile. He took out a bottle of "Thirteen Spices," a rare item in this era, and a packet of MSG from his personal space—he had previously traded a few white flour buns for them from a down-on-his-luck black marketeer.

"System, transaction confirmed! Use this bottle of Thirteen Spices and MSG to exchange for that piece of sea king tenderloin."

"Ding! Communicating... The other chef expressed extreme shock and ecstasy regarding the 'mysterious magical spices from another world.' Transaction completed! 100 transaction points deducted."

As the system notification sound faded, the air in the passenger seat of the jeep suddenly distorted, and after a strange fluctuation, a piece of flesh, cleaned and wrapped in some kind of huge, unidentified leaf, appeared out of thin air.

The moment the piece of meat appeared, the narrow carriage was instantly filled with an indescribable, exquisite fragrance. This aroma was extremely strong, unlike the fishy or gamey smell of ordinary meat. Instead, it was like a unique fragrance that blended the freshness of the ocean with the finest oils. Just one whiff was enough to make one's mouth water and one's stomach rumble wildly.

Jiang Chen lifted a corner of the leaf. The flesh was a magnificent ruby ​​red, with a texture as fine as marble, and a faint sheen on its surface. This was the flesh of a sea king, a top-grade ingredient brimming with vitality.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing your first cross-dimensional transaction of 'High-Tier Fresh Produce'. System special reward: [Beginner Body Enhancement Agent] x1. The item has been sent to your personal space."

Jiang Chen's heart stirred, and a small light blue test tube instantly appeared in his hand, the liquid inside flowing slowly like liquid crystal.

This is exactly what he lacks most right now. In this courtyard full of beasts and the turbulent steel mill, a sharp mind is important, but a strong fist is the only true measure of success. Especially when it comes to dealing with that self-proclaimed "Courtyard War God," that fool Zhu, words alone won't be enough to vent his anger.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chen tilted his head back and drank the liquid in the test tube in one gulp.

There was no excruciating pain like I'd imagined, nor any clichéd scene of filth being expelled from my pores. The liquid entered my throat, transforming into a warm current that quickly spread down my esophagus to every part of my body.

It was like soaking in a thousand-year-old hot spring on a winter's day; every cell in his body rejoiced, greedily absorbing the energy. He could clearly feel his muscle fibers, which had become somewhat thin due to long-term malnutrition, being reshaped, becoming firm and strong. His bones emitted a slight popping sound, and his vision and hearing instantly improved to a new level.

Outside the warehouse, the soft rustling of a sparrow landing on a withered branch sounded as clear as thunder to him.

Ten minutes later, the warm current subsided. Jiang Chen slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking like popping beans, and an unprecedented surge of power filled his body.

He got out of the car, walked to the corner of the warehouse, bent down and picked up a discarded solid iron bar about the thickness of a wrist. This thing was originally used to prop up the door; it was rusty and extremely heavy.

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, gripped both ends of the iron rod with both hands, let out a low shout, and exerted force with both arms.

"Squeak—creak—"

A sickening metallic creak echoed. The solid iron rod, hard as steel, bent little by little in his hands, rust falling from its surface, until it was finally forced into a U-shape!

"This is the power of enhancement..." Jiang Chen casually tossed the scrap metal on the ground, making a dull thud. Although it wasn't quite at the level of Superman, this power was more than enough to deal with the three idiots.

He dusted off the rust from his hands, turned, and went back to the car. Looking at the tempting aroma of the sea monster meat on the passenger seat, Jiang Chen sneered and started the engine.

"Idiot Zhu, let's see how you cook this dish this time. This is a specialty from the Grand Line. If you dare to back down, I'll show you what 'dimensional reduction attack' really means."

The jeep roared and sped out of the abandoned warehouse, heading towards the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.