Chapter 127: Chen Xingde

The trio arrived at the commercial district. Fang Xia was quite surprised; he wondered how Jing Ru had found this place so directly, as she had never been here before.

"I’ve been wanting to look around for a few days, so I asked someone for directions. It was actually quite simple; I found it right away," Jing Ru said, acting like a clever person waiting for praise, which made Fang Xia chuckle.

The commercial district was bustling with people. Many who had returned from outside the city with loot chose to come here to sell items they didn't need or had in excess. Weapons were the most common, followed by daily necessities.

For instance, a toilet was worth 50 upgrade crystals, and a bathtub was worth double that—100 upgrade crystals. After all, not having a toilet wasn't a major issue; as long as you weren't concerned with modesty, you could just go outside.

Besides the daily necessities found in airdrop crates, there were also many pre-apocalypse goods. Everything from toothpaste and toothbrushes to face towels and sanitary napkins was available. There were even clothing stores.

However, such shops were largely ignored. At this stage, people were focused on how to fill their stomachs; who had time to look at clothes? As long as it could be worn, that was enough. Many people hadn't even taken a bath since the apocalypse began, so buying clothes was pointless.

Jing Ru, however, was quite interested. Whenever she spotted a clothing store, she had to go inside and browse. Unfortunately, Fang Xia had such a vast collection that she usually found the same styles already in his possession. This was unavoidable, given that Fang Xia managed over a thousand female members; he had to have a large stock of women's clothing.

As the three walked and stopped through most of the street, Jing Ru finally set her sights on an outfit. She was very pleased, and it was one that Fang Xia didn't seem to have—or perhaps it was just buried under his massive inventory.

"How much?" Fang Xia asked casually.

"Boss, this outfit is from a top brand from before the apocalypse, and it hasn't suffered any damage. Plus, given the lady who would be wearing it..."

Fang Xia frowned. "Get to the point."

"Ten upgrade crystals."

Fang Xia put the clothes down.

"Eight! Boss, eight is fine."

Fang Xia's arms were already being held by the two women. I have money, he thought, but I’m not an idiot. In two years, this outfit might be worth 200 upgrade crystals, but right now, even five was pushing it.

"Boss, it’s really hard to get these things. Give me a break, just give me a few."

Fang Xia stopped walking and tossed three upgrade crystals to him, and Jing Ru immediately stuffed the clothes into her spatial storage. The owner didn't dare protest; at this point, selling it for anything was better than nothing.

Just as they stepped out of the shop, a large crowd had gathered ahead, looking as if something exciting was happening. Before Fang Xia could speak, Jing Ru had already dragged Bai Xing toward the commotion. Fang Xia shook his head helplessly; even at a time like this, they couldn't break the habit of being onlookers.

"What's wrong? It's your honor that the young master has taken a liking to you, yet you dare to resist?"

Before Fang Xia was even close, he heard a man’s arrogant voice. The people around were whispering.

"Isn't that the City Lord's son? I remember the commercial district manager calling him 'Young City Lord' earlier."

"It must be him. Otherwise, who would dare to act so lawlessly here without anyone intervening?"

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. People like that are not to be trifled with."

Fang Xia squeezed through the crowd and saw the scene inside. Oh, a familiar face. If he remembered correctly, this was indeed Chen Gang’s son, Chen Xingde. However, this man possessed absolutely no virtue.

In his previous life, Chen Xingde didn't start acting this way until a year into the apocalypse. Now, with the progress of the timeline accelerating and Dawn City entering a period of peace earlier, he had surfaced sooner.

Fang Xia had no interest in intervening. It was nothing more than Chen Xingde fancying a woman, and her refusing him. Chen Xingde’s interests were always fleeting; someone had calculated that over five years, he changed women on average once a month. Whether it was a young girl, a mature woman, or even someone’s wife, he never let them go if he took a fancy to them. The only thing that kept him from being a complete monster was that he hadn't yet devolved into killing for pleasure. After he moved on, he would usually give the woman some meager benefit to send her away.

The woman he was targeting now was a married woman. If one asked how Fang Xia knew, it was because her husband was lying on the ground next to her, looking as if he had already been severely beaten. Although the woman’s face was dirty and her clothes hadn't been washed in a long time, her charm was still evident. It was no wonder Chen Xingde had taken notice.

"Tell me, wouldn't it be easier if you just agreed? You could save your husband from further physical suffering."

"Wait ten or fifteen days, and I'll give you some money. You can just go back and continue living with your husband, can't you?"

This sort of thing wasn't uncommon in Dawn City now. Many men truly did this—sending their pre-apocalypse wives to the entertainment district to earn money for them. Regarding such men, whether in his past life or this one, Fang Xia held nothing but contempt. A man who would stoop to that level might as well go feed the zombies.

However, everyone had their own ideas, and Fang Xia wouldn't try to dictate anyone else's thoughts. At least for now, he had no interest in what Chen Xingde was doing.

Facing Chen Xingde’s words, the woman remained silent. Her husband, who was sprawled on the ground, tried desperately to crawl up, but before he could move, one of Chen Xingde’s lackeys kicked him back down.

"Look at him, he can't even feed himself. What’s so good about staying with him? Come back with me, young master. You’ll have the finest food and drink, bathe every day, and wear the most beautiful clothes."

Chen Xingde’s words seemed to have a magical pull, tugging at the woman’s heart. When she heard the mention of good food, she couldn't help but swallow hard. Yet, she still didn't agree. Even if she knew Chen Xingde was telling the truth, and even if her survival instincts urged her to accept, she couldn't cross that mental hurdle.

Just as Chen Xingde was about to lose patience, he scanned the crowd and his eyes suddenly lit up. There were two such beauties in the crowd. Compared to them, the disheveled woman in front of him suddenly lost all her charm.

"Not agreeing? Fine then. You can take your husband and get lost."

The moment those words were uttered, everyone around was stunned. They had been prepared to watch a scene of forced abduction, but the situation had taken a sudden turn, and he was letting them go. The woman was also stunned, as if in a dream. She had already braced herself to sacrifice her body to save her husband, only to be forced to eat well, drink well, wear the finest clothes, and use the most expensive cosmetics. How did the script suddenly go wrong?

Chen Xingde didn't care about her thoughts; his mind was now occupied entirely by the two women in the crowd.