"Do they also know how to repair guns?" Long Yuehong asked, watching Bai Chen push open the car door at the driver's seat.

He meant that this was no longer simple repair work.

"If you can't make a living doing this, you can't run a store like this." Outside, the cold wind howled, and Bai Chen couldn't help but pull up the gray scarf around her neck.

"Besides, sometimes, broken guns aren't necessarily really broken, or they're not broken that badly," Jiang Baimian speculated based on her experience and knowledge. "It's just that the people selling the guns don't really know."

Bai Chen nodded.

"That's the most profitable part."

With that, she closed the car door and headed towards "A'Fu Gun Shop."

"Money?" Long Yuehong had learned the term, but had only seen it once in reality—when Shang Jianyao got the Old World coin from Wu Shoushi.

Jiang Baimian glanced through the windshield and said casually, "This place is part of a larger organization, so there must be currency in circulation, but it's usually limited to internal use.

"Actually, the company's contribution points are essentially equivalent to money. Have you forgotten the concept of a general equivalent?"

Long Yuehong thought for a few seconds and said weakly, "We haven't learned that..."

Jiang Baimian was speechless for several seconds before laughing. "I'll give you some books later, take a good look.

"Although it's not very useful for life within the company, it will help us understand many things when we're often on the graylands.

"Also, if you can understand it thoroughly, it will be easier for you to transfer out of the Old Task Force, and you might even be assigned to a department responsible for foreign trade."

"Great, great," Long Yuehong said, his eyes lighting up.

Although he would definitely be in the Old Task Force for the next six months, it was always good to plan for the future and prepare for a transfer.

Otherwise, after getting used to such a high-income position, it would be easy to feel disappointed with a lower one.

Besides, he still had to support a family in the future!

Jiang Baimian smiled and nodded, then looked suspiciously at Shang Jianyao. "Why aren't you talking?"

The quieter he was, the more she feared he would cause some trouble.

Shang Jianyao touched his stomach. "Conserving energy."

"Right..." Jiang Baimian also felt hungry.

It had been quite a while since lunchtime.

As they spoke, Bai Chen came out of "A'Fu Gun Shop" and returned to the jeep.

Behind her, a young man in an old windbreaker followed, opening the iron gate a few meters away.

It led to the rear of the building where the gun shop was located.

It was a square courtyard surrounded by several buildings, with gray-white stone bricks on the ground, but many were broken, and some rainwater had accumulated.

After finding a place to park the jeep, Bai Chen said as she opened the car door, "This is it."

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly, got out of the car, and carefully remembered the location of the four exits in the courtyard.

Then, they followed Bai Chen, entered the back door of "A'Fu Gun Shop," and went up to the second floor along a cold, damp, gray-white staircase.

A woman who looked to be in her thirties was already waiting there.

Her black hair was styled into a high bun, and her features weren't particularly outstanding, but she had an indescribable charm.

She was wearing a dark-red cotton-padded jacket with a dark-colored scarf around her neck, and she was quite well-groomed.

"Aunt Nan," Bai Chen greeted.

Aunt Nan glanced at the Old Task Force and, without asking anything, pointed to the end of the corridor on the second floor. "Your rooms are the two at the very end. If you encounter any problems, you can jump into the courtyard or into the street.

"The keys are on the doors."

Jiang Baimian looked at the scarf around Aunt Nan's neck and said with a smile, "Thank you."

"It's not like you're getting it for free," Aunt Nan smiled. "Two rooms, 500 grams of military canned food per day. I hope you don't end up owing us money."

Jiang Baimian said in a light tone, "Don't worry, if we really can't pay, I'll have them find something to do."

She was referring to Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong.

Aunt Nan said with little concern, "In Weed City, the competition among ruin hunters is fierce.

"Sometimes, they even take on tasks like delivering lunch and dinner for people."

She paused and added, "The toilet and bathroom are on the other side; you'll see them at the end.

"If you want to take a bath and are afraid of being cold, it's best to choose between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m., or between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. At these times, we've just finished cooking, and there's enough hot water in the stove wall that you can directly pump it up to use. Hehe, save some. If you miss these two times, you'll have to put water in the water heater yourself, heat it with electricity, and then mix it with cold water to get the right temperature.

"Well, it's winter now, and the water supply isn't plentiful. The living area only has electricity for five hours a day. Noon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and evening is from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. You'll have to calculate the time yourself."

Long Yuehong and the others weren't surprised by Aunt Nan's reminder. After all, within "Pangu Biology," the energy supply was even stricter, with a quota system.

"If we use electricity to heat water ourselves, do we need to pay extra?" Jiang Baimian knew that Bai Chen might not be comfortable asking, so she took the initiative to handle the bargaining.

Aunt Nan glanced at Bai Chen.

"Four times is one can of food.

"If you want us to prepare your meals, you have to tell us in advance."

After clarifying the details, Jiang Baimian waved goodbye to Aunt Nan and walked down the cold corridor, which was only illuminated at both ends, towards the rooms.

The two doors faced each other, painted with dark-red paint, both with some damage, giving them a very old feel.

The layout inside was the same: a bunk bed, a table by the window, a wooden cabinet with termite damage, and two square stools.

Because of the climate and environment here, the air was slightly humid, and the cold seemed to penetrate clothing and pierce into the bones.

"Same as usual," Jiang Baimian pulled out the brass-colored key for the room facing the street. "Shang Jianyao and I will be in one room, and you two in the other."

She had to keep an eye on Shang Jianyao to prevent him from doing anything crazy.

For example, turning on the speaker and disturbing the peace late at night.

For example, hearing some commotion on the street and jumping out the window to "participate."

And Bai Chen was obviously not able to handle Shang Jianyao.

Without giving Shang Jianyao a chance to speak, Jiang Baimian flipped her wrist and looked at her electronic watch.

"There are ten minutes until 12:30. Everyone, quickly take a combat bath, change clothes, and then go out to eat and contact the informant."

Compared to mechanical watches, she preferred electronic watches because they had more functions.

By now, the members of the Old Task Force were all well-trained enough. They each completed their showers in just two minutes and changed into clothing that was closer to that of ordinary ruin hunters and Weed City civilians.

Shang Jianyao was wearing a dark-blue, short down jacket that was slightly worn, but not too flat, and a pair of thick blue twill pants that had very little impact on movement.

Long Yuehong was wrapped in a black cotton-padded jacket that reached his thighs. Jiang Baimian had the same. Bai Chen was wearing a gray windbreaker that barely covered her weapon belt.

Their pants were similar to Shang Jianyao's. The men were wearing brown high-top leather shoes, and the women were wearing black ankle boots.

These were all benefits that the company gave to employees who needed to perform tasks on the surface in winter.

"Hide your handguns well," Bai Chen pulled up her scarf and reminded them. "In Weed City, there's a rather strange ban: 'You can't let the patrolmen see your weapons.'"

Those displayed in gun shops didn't count.

"Not forbidden, but you can't let the patrolmen see them?" Long Yuehong asked in surprise.

"That's right," Bai Chen nodded. "The first time they see it, they'll confiscate your weapon. The second time, they'll lock you up for a month. The third time, they'll lock you up for three months, then expel you from the city and declare you persona non grata, which will also cause your Hunter Guild credit points to be deducted."

"How strange. Why not just ban guns altogether?" Long Yuehong said, unable to understand.

Inside Pangu Biology, there was a clear ban on firearms.

"I don't know why," Bai Chen replied calmly.

Jiang Baimian laughed. "In many places, there are similar bans that seem strange, and every one of these bans has a deep historical reason."

"What's the reason for Weed City?" Long Yuehong pressed.

Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know. Hopefully, we can find the answer later.

"Such excavation is a kind of fun."

In fact, she had some guesses, but she didn't want to say them without being sure.

After chatting about this topic, Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao, who was touching his stomach and hinting madly, and chuckled.

"Let's go, let's go out for dinner."

Hearing this, Shang Jianyao was the first to turn around and walk down the cold corridor to the stairwell.

After going down to the courtyard where the car was parked, Bai Chen pointed at the jeep.

"We have to take some things to exchange for currency."

"How do we exchange them?" Long Yuehong always asked when he didn't understand, a qualified good student.

"Go to the Municipal Building. There's a row of 'exchange windows' where you can exchange different supplies for local currency. If you're not afraid of trouble and have acquaintances, you can go to the Hunter Guild, bars, teahouses, or nightclubs to find the black market, which will be a bit more cost-effective," Bai Chen explained simply. "In Weed City, within the sphere of influence of Initial City, all transactions on the surface can only use their currency."

"I see..." Long Yuehong suddenly felt some anticipation for what was to come, because these were all things he had never experienced, and they were very new.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the exchange window. Before contacting the company's intelligence personnel, it's best not to have contact with the local underworld forces."

Bai Chen had no objections and pointed to the remaining canned food, energy bars, and compressed biscuits.

"How much should we take?"

"What do you think?" Jiang Baimian always respected the judgment of "authorities."

"Half," Bai Chen replied without hesitation. "The value of the currency here often fluctuates, so it's safer to keep more supplies on hand."

"Fluctuates?" Long Yuehong asked curiously.

Bai Chen replied casually, "The smallest denomination of Initial City's currency is the Kas, followed by the Delasay, and the largest is called the Olei.

"Under normal circumstances, in terms of purchasing supplies, one company contribution point is approximately equal to two Kas, and one Delasay is equal to ten Kas, and one Olei is equal to ten Delasay. Well, that means one Olei can buy one pound of raw pork, but sometimes it can only buy eight ounces, and sometimes it can buy one pound and two ounces, or even more."

Kas, Delasay, and Olei were all words in the Red River language, derived from the names of several leaders when Initial City was established. 1 Kas, 1 Delasay, and 1 Olei were simplified names in the Ashland language.

In Weed City, the official language was the Red River language, but the Ashland language was the main language used by the people.

"In that case, couldn't you make a profit sometimes?" Long Yuehong asked keenly.

"That's right," Jiang Baimian laughed. "In the Old World, this was a specialized profession, and now, it's okay to make a profit like this occasionally, but if you make a living doing this, you'll be dragged out and shot."

"Cannon fire," Bai Chen corrected.

This was Initial City's custom for punishing similar personnel, solving them in batches.

Long Yuehong hissed, and as a result, he inhaled a large mouthful of cold air, deeply feeling what it meant to be chilled to the bone.

This time, without Shang Jianyao's prompting, Jiang Baimian had already heard someone's stomach growling. She smiled, ended the topic, and pointed outside.

"Load the stuff up!"