Lu Heng put down the long saber in his hand, then turned and walked towards the outside of the shop. He didn't necessarily need to buy this saber, as he had quite a few good weapons in his spatial storage.
It was just that this saber seemed uncommon. Its entire body was black, allowing for excellent concealment in darkness, and he happened to lack a similar blade.
Seeing Lu Heng about to leave, the shop assistant grew anxious. After all, Lu Heng had been browsing for a long time, and he hadn't said he couldn't afford it, only that he didn't have crystals on him. The assistant couldn't let this sale slip away.
"Wait a moment, sir. Where did you park your car? According to regulations, our merchandise cannot be taken out of the shop without payment." The shop assistant quickly stepped out from behind the counter to stop Lu Heng.
"My car is parked outside the market. You can send a couple of people with me to get the crystals. Do you think I'd try to trick you?"
"This..." The shop assistant looked at Lu Heng. Just as he was hesitating, a young man came down from upstairs. The man glanced at Lu Heng and then subtly frowned.
Lu Heng immediately heard the young man's inner thoughts: "Could this person be that newly arrived fifth-tier esper? Why can't I see his esper level? I recall that espers of the same tier can see each other's levels."
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and glanced at the man, then quickly shifted his gaze back to the shop assistant.
While the shop assistant was still deliberating, the man from upstairs spoke, "I'll go with you to get the crystals. This place looks like it belongs to someone important, so we can afford to give you this credit."
Lu Heng then turned his head, looking at the man who had now approached them. This man was a fifth-tier esper, and Lu Heng also sensed that he possessed two elemental abilities: fire and lightning.
Lu Heng nodded and said to the man, "Alright, I'll trouble you to make a trip with me."
Afterward, Lu Heng led the man to the parking lot outside the market.
As they approached his car, Lu Heng used his consciousness to place the prepared crystals into a backpack, which he then put inside the car.
Because all the car windows were tinted black, it was difficult for outsiders to notice anything unusual about a bag suddenly appearing inside.
Lu Heng opened the car door, pulled out a backpack, and then took out a box from within.
"Here are exactly four hundred level two common crystals. Do you want to count them here, or shall we go back to the shop to count?"
"If you're not in a hurry, let's go back to the shop to count. I have quite a few good items on the second floor of my establishment. You can also come up and see if anything catches your eye."
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow, placed another box filled with crystals into the backpack, grabbed the backpack, and said to the man, "Sure, I'm not in a hurry. It wouldn't hurt to take a look with you."
Returning to the shop, Lu Heng followed the man directly to the second floor. The shop assistant from downstairs had already brought the long saber Lu Heng had chosen upstairs and respectfully placed it on the tea table.
"Hello, sir. This is the long saber you picked earlier. Please inspect it."
Lu Heng glanced at the long saber. Weapons made of this material were rare, so Lu Heng wasn't worried about it being swapped.
He generously took out the box containing the four hundred common crystals from his backpack. "Then you count these and see if there are four hundred."
The shop assistant looked up at the young man sitting beside him and then began to count on the spot.
"Exactly four hundred level two common crystals."
The young man beside him nodded. "You can go down now. Don't let anyone disturb us unless it's important."
The shop assistant nodded and retreated without a word.
"You manage this quite well. Your subordinates are truly sensible," Lu Heng remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Haha, you're too kind. My subordinate lacked foresight just now and almost missed a big deal." The young man chuckled, casually pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, and offered it to Lu Heng.
Lu Heng shook his head. "Thanks, I don't smoke."
"Oh? That's quite rare here. After all, life in the apocalypse is stressful for everyone, so the sales of cigarettes and alcohol are quite good."
"Yes, indeed. Many people have a difficult time surviving in the apocalypse."
"By the way, we've been talking for so long, and I haven't introduced myself. My name is Leng Tian. What should I call you?"
"Lu Heng."
"Oh? Are you the fifth-tier esper who just arrived at the base?" Leng Tian asked knowingly.
"Yes, I just arrived two days ago and am not very familiar with this base. That's why I'm out and about to get acquainted with the environment," Lu Heng nodded and said.
"As expected, he's that fifth-tier esper. It seems I made the right decision not to go out today, as I've run into him so coincidentally," Leng Tian mused inwardly.
"I lead the strongest team in our base – the Thunder Fire. I wonder if you're interested in learning more about us."
Lu Heng shook his head. "I'm sorry, but since the apocalypse began, I've been alone and accustomed to it. I'm not looking to join any other teams just yet. However, if it's convenient, you can tell me about it. After all, I've only been here for a short time and don't know much."
"Oh, I see. It is indeed quite difficult to survive alone in the apocalypse. For you to reach fifth-tier by yourself, your strength must be considerable. I imagine you wouldn't be willing to join any team."
"Well, I wouldn't dare to be overconfident about my strength, but I've been fortunate enough to reach fifth-tier through sheer luck."
"Then, please take a look around the second floor. The items here are much better than those downstairs. See if anything catches your eye. As you're already a returning customer, I'll give you a twenty percent discount."
Lu Heng nodded. It seemed that since this person couldn't recruit him, he wouldn't press the matter of his team any further. Lu Heng wasn't in a hurry; he would eventually figure out the situation here.
Lu Heng stood up, bid farewell to Leng Tian, and then left the reception area to browse the second floor.
The second floor was also a commercial area, but it also included a lounge area. It was likely that no one usually entered this area, except for Leng Tian when he came to rest.
The items sold on the second floor were indeed rare commodities, such as medicines and fuel.
In the apocalypse, besides the zombie virus, the water resources and land outside were polluted. Consequently, many people unknowingly drank water from the wilderness and contracted illnesses. Therefore, with production halted, medicines became life-saving supplies.
Fuel was also essential. Without vehicles, it was difficult to search for large quantities of supplies outside and transport them to safe locations. Thus, energy-related resources like fuel also became scarce.
However, Lu Heng lacked none of these. His spatial storage was inexhaustible. Not only did he have medicines, but the hospital within his space was also operating normally, although he couldn't bring people inside for treatment.