Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 96 Designer Bags, Deadly Deals

This convoy wasn’t heading the same way as the one led by that middle-aged guy. They came from Southark City, over seventy vehicles - buses, SUVs, off-roaders, trucks, even fire engines and regular cars - all modified nicely, a bit below the Ice Regiment’s standards but still impressive.

From the looks of it, they had at least 300 people. No sign of a base camp. Seemed more like they were on the move to seize one. Didn’t feel like they were here just to trade for water.

"Caroline, alert everyone. Combat-ready. Hand out the Crystals. Watch for my signal," Magnus ordered fast.

As the large convoy rolled closer, what surprised Magnus was them actually playing by the rules. They stopped about 100 meters away and someone got out, raising a white towel.

This time Caroline didn’t move on her own. She glanced at Magnus. He gave a small nod. Then she raised the green cloth.

The convoy crept forward and stopped about 10 meters from the Ice Regiment at the junction. Another man jumped down. Just as he hit the ground, three centipedes lunged at him. He moved fast, drew his blade, and took them down in seconds. After a glance at the sky swarming with giant mosquitoes, he walked straight over to Magnus.

Wearing military gear - definitely part of the rogue army. Ice Regiment’s women had already raised their assault rifles. When he got to Magnus, the guy asked coldly, "You the band of female bandits?"

Female bandits? Magnus had a hunch. Probably some of the rogue soldiers that Emily had disarmed and let go. No wonder their vehicle mods looked so familiar - they copied theirs.

"What do you want?" Magnus asked calmly, face hidden under his helmet.

"We’re here to trade," the soldier said. "You trade anything?"

"What are you offering?"

"We want guns and water."

"No guns," Magnus shot back without hesitation.

"Why not? Those were ours!"

Magnus let out a cold snort. "Why? Because winners take all. If you’d beaten us, you wouldn’t have spared our lives, much less our gear. We let your people go. Didn’t wipe you out. That’s mercy. Or am I wrong?"

The soldier stood stiff, silent. No comeback.

After several seconds, Magnus stared at him, not rushing. The man waited a few more moments, then sighed. "Fine. We’ll trade for water."

"Then get in," said Magnus, turning away. The soldier didn’t follow right away. Instead, he waved at his people. Four more came rushing up, joining him. The five of them followed Magnus to the sleeper bus.

Magnus knocked on the door. Inside, the middle-aged man and his two sons were still there, along with over twenty female team members. The rest stood guard near the bus.

As usual, Magnus took off his helmet and searched the five newcomers. Two were carrying pistols. They didn’t resist. Magnus took the guns and handed them to Sophie.

"Sit," Magnus said, taking his seat first. The middle-aged man and his sons quickly stood to give the five men their seats, stepping aside. The windows were sealed shut, nothing visible outside.

When Magnus got out of the vehicle, the three middle-aged men caught a glimpse of the massive military convoy through the door, and their hearts sank. No way this was a setup - no one would blow resources like that for a con.

But it didn’t matter. They still had gas canisters. They’d wait and see what kind of deal these people wanted.

Magnus pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, lit one, and threw the rest to the five soldiers. "Speak. What do you want for the water?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

One of them stepped forward. "Rice. We’ll trade rice for water."

Sophie stood up and handed each of the five men a pricing notebook. They flipped them open and frowned.

"These prices are bull," the soldier growled.

Isabel rolled her eyes. "Then find someone else who’ll give you prices you like."

"You’re just being unreasonable!" one of them snapped.

"Unreasonable?" Isabel snorted. "So we gotta trade by your rates or we’re cheats, huh?"

Another soldier suddenly looked up, locking eyes with Magnus. "Says here you trade anything, right?"

"If it’s got value," Magnus replied calmly.

"Alright then. Evan!" he called, turning to their leader, Evan Chandler. "Why don’t we give them the stuff from Kyle’s truck? They’re all women anyway..."

Evan hesitated, eyeing Magnus. "Do you take women’s handbags? We’ve got a truckload. All designer."

"Designer?" Sophie perked up. "Don’t try to fool me - I know the real stuff. Fakes won’t pass."

"They’re real," the soldier assured quickly. "We had someone check."

The story behind those bags wasn’t much - before merging with Evan’s unit, some survivors from a mall had dragged them along. When food ran low, someone remembered that leather belts could be cooked in desperate times... so maybe handbags too?

Once the groups joined forces, the bags came with them. After raiding a rural town packed with rice but no clean water, the bags lost whatever little use they had.

Magnus saw how excited the women were and quietly sighed. Fine, if it made them happy.

"One bag, no matter the brand, gets you one bottle of water. Not a drop more."

"Done!" the man, ignoring Evan, jumped at the deal. Those bags were worthless to them anyway. Might as well please the ladies and stroke their vanity.

"Anything else?" Magnus asked.

The same man scratched his head. "We’ve also got new clothes, fresh bedding from a mall, and more rice..."

Magnus cut in, "Brand-new women’s clothes, one outfit for a bottle. Bottles not included. Rice, one box per fifty pounds. We’ll throw in bottles. As for the bags, same deal - one for one."

Evan frowned. "And your rice price couldn’t be any higher?"

Before Magnus could speak, Isabel jumped in, "We’ve spent over two weeks sweeping villages. We’re drowning in rice. Swapping one box for a water case is already generous. Truth is, we weren’t gonna trade for rice at all. The commander’s just softhearted. If it were up to me, not even one bottle for a whole sack. Takes too much room."