"I see you really like drinking it." Being looked at by such a beautiful woman, Jason Carter started to feel a bit embarrassed, so he smiled and said.

Her lips pressed together slightly, but Grace Bennett didn't say anything. After a brief silence, she returned to her usual bold demeanor, popped open the can, and took a big gulp of the cola in her hand.

"Gulp, gulp... Ha! Refreshing! In this damn weather, helping you move gold outside nearly killed me from the heat. Huh, it's still cold?" Grace Bennett glanced suspiciously at Jason Carter.

"The fridge in the kitchen still works. The solar power equipment in this villa is surprisingly still intact." Jason Carter wasn't lying about this. Although most appliances had been destroyed by the EMP, the solar power setup on the villa's roof had unexpectedly survived, and the fridge was still working.

Maybe someone used to live here and repaired some of the usable appliances. But judging by the thick layer of dust on the floor, that must have been a very long time ago.

"...Forget it, even if I ask where you got it, you probably wouldn't tell me." Grace Bennett gave up, waving her hand dismissively and tossing the empty can onto the floor. "So, what's next? If we want to blow open the vault and move the gold here, we'll probably need help from professionals. At the very least... we'll need powerful explosives, or a skilled hacker to crack the electronic lock."

"Where can we find those things?" Getting explosives wasn't easy. In a harmonious society, buying food was simple enough, but getting contraband like that was basically impossible. After all, Jason Carter's current identity was just an ordinary citizen. After thinking for a moment, Jason Carter asked.

"Most survivor bases have them, like Liuding Town." Grace Bennett showed a somewhat nostalgic expression, her gaze drifting out the window. "That's actually a pretty interesting place on this wasteland..."

"Is it far from here?"

"Not too far, but it's a bit expensive." Grace Bennett narrowed her beautiful eyes. "Except for locals who own 'property' and 'laborers' who have lost their freedom, visitors need to pay 1 unit of energy crystal to enter, or something of equal value."

"1 unit of energy crystal?" Jason Carter frowned in confusion.

"This thing." Grace Bennett casually pulled a greenish-black crystal from her pocket. "This energy crystal still has about 37 units left, you can check with Epaid. It's not easy to get—only those powerful mutant creatures form this kind of biological crystal at the back of their heads. If possible, I really hope I never run into those things..."

A monster that even she is afraid of? Jason Carter shuddered at the thought.

Taking the pitch-black crystal, he felt a faint tug of energy from his right hand. Jason Carter was shocked—this thing could actually charge his wristband?!

However, Jason Carter's face showed nothing. He just absentmindedly played with the energy crystal in his hand for a moment before handing it back to Grace Bennett.

"What can 1 unit of energy crystal get you?"

"One-tenth of a can of meat, or half a can of low-quality meat, 10 nutrition shots, 1 C-type battery, or 3 energy weapon magazines. There are a lot of things you can trade for. This kind of energy material is used as currency in many survivor bases. You could even use it to spend a night with a woman in Liuding Town." Grace Bennett shot Jason Carter a teasing look, clearly enjoying flirting with this little man.

"Ahem, 37 units of energy crystal—how about I trade you 4 cans of food for it?"

"Deal." Grace Bennett didn't hesitate at all, tossing the energy crystal back to Jason Carter. But as if she remembered something, she sighed and added hesitantly, "Honestly, I know you eat a lot, but this trade is a loss for you. If you trade like this with others, you'll definitely get ripped off..."

"Oh?" Jason Carter shrugged indifferently. He didn't really care about the 3 units of energy crystal as change.

"Sure, 10 units of energy crystal is worth a can of food, but it depends on what kind of can... Most of the cans in Liuding Town are made from mutant fish, and a lot of them have sand mixed in. And that's already the best-case scenario... You know, some cans even have human meat inside..."

The helplessness and numbness in her words made Jason Carter feel suffocated. He swallowed hard, unable to speak for a long time.

"Curry chicken, braised beef... These delicacies, this is the first time in my life I've tasted them." Grace Bennett said with lingering satisfaction, giving Jason Carter a meaningful look before turning away. "Most traveling merchants on the wasteland use mutant cattle to transport goods. I was lucky enough to eat mutant beef once. That dry, tough texture already made me very satisfied."

"I believe you." Jason Carter's voice was very soft.

He suddenly felt a bit afraid. Compared to Grace Bennett, he was completely powerless. If she ever coveted his "wealth," she could probably take him out in an instant.

Trust her? Right now, Jason Carter could only feel a chilling sense of fear. He even had the urge to grab the gold and teleport back to the modern world, leaving everything here behind—apocalypse or wasteland, who cares. With these few kilograms of gold, he could live the life of a millionaire.