18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 116

She was no ordinary woman. Monkey thoughtfully offered, "I’ve got fresh meat from the butchery this morning, 200 pounds in total, bones and all."

The Boss had given up a lot of supplies, traded through special channels to get this meat. And not a pound had been sold yet.

Just as she said, the rich didn't lack food, the poor couldn't afford it, hence, finding customers wasn't easy. Even if someone was interested, they would only buy half a pound or a pound at a time. How long would it take to sell all of it?

200 pounds seemed a lot, but the beef bones were heavy. The pure meat was probably no more than 120 pounds.

Opportunities were rare, and as the day went by, the meat would eventually run out.

Stella was shrewd, she wanted everything up from the cow legs, all 200 pounds of it.

"Wait here. I need to ask the Boss." Monkey didn’t want to risk getting beaten up again.

He left hastily and returned about twenty minutes later, accompanied by another person, wrapped up so tight only his eyes were visible.

The Boss agreed, but wanted to check Stella's goods.

Stella pretended to reach into her pocket and pulled out a condom from her Arcadia. It’s XXS.

Stella got those condoms from Max King, and they were of a variety of sizes. As a smart girl, she needed to sell the less popular ones first.

The man was professional, he didn't unwrap the condom, just checked the print and seal. "It's genuine."

200 pounds of beef for 200 condoms, but who would carry so many goods around?

Even if Monkey was willing, Stella couldn't carry 200 pounds of beef. For safety's sake, both parties agreed to multiple transactions, fifty pounds at a time.

They each went back to get their goods and met at the appointed place, across from the department store's north entrance.

Stella kept her eyes peeled. There were no signs of being followed. She arrived at the meeting place when the time was right.

Not long after, Monkey arrived carrying a black bag. Stella carefully checked the meat. The frozen beef was a deep red color, not only fresh but also odorless.

She weighed it with a spring scale she brought out from her bag.

Monkey watched her nervously; this woman was really tough to deal with. Thankfully, no weight was missing.

After verifying the beef, Stella pulled out the corresponding condoms.

The verifier frowned, "Why are they all tiny?"

Stella countered, "Is there a problem?"

Monkey stepped in, "Bro, as long as it's genuine, it's fine. You don't know those rich folks, they might be good at making money, but they actually are really small and quick to finish."

Stella was speechless. Was she supposed to hear this?

The trade went smoothly, Stella put the beef into her backpack and when she was in a secluded spot, she stored it in Arcadia.

Four trades in two hours, she was a step closer to beef freedom.

Monkey was totally sure she was one of them, as he left he said sentimentally, "Girl, don't forget me if you have good stuff in the future."

"You too."

Now that they were acquainted, Stella took the opportunity to ask, "Do you have fresh vegetables?"

"We have frozen ones, but they're damn expensive, almost as expensive as meat."

Stella probed, "What kinds do you have?"

"Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and radishes."

Monkey didn't sell these, and if she wanted them she would have to find someone else, and after a few trades, they wouldn't be worth it.

After asking about the market, Stella left.

As she neared her neighborhood, she took out three 5-pound bags of frozen potatoes from her Arcadia bag, the radishes, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes were frozen too, and she didn't forget to cut two pounds of beef.

When everyone else chipped in with their shares, it would already be a feast compared to what other survivors had.