I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse-Chapter 942 - 1031: Sorry, I’ll Take Everything the Rich Don’t Want
Of course, if we were to talk about which car parts were the most valuable, before the apocalypse it would naturally be compressors and gearboxes, but after the apocalypse, since cars are no longer being produced, the generators and batteries on them have become the most valuable.
Some parts can be refurbished and reused, but of course, after years buried in the sand, some cars are too damaged for that, so all you can salvage is the sheet metal, car body, and seats.
Some cars can still run or hold value as luxury cars, so they are transported whole, earning a bit of oil, equivalent to the price of scrap metal, which can be traded for some oil.
All in all, it’s not a loss, otherwise keeping those rotten mermaids around would be for nothing.
On the pitch-black roadside, it was usually very quiet; at this time, most people were asleep. Those still awake would be the rich still attending auctions, throwing parties, or figuring out how to make money off the poor.
But tonight, the surrounding streets were a bit noisy, with rustling sounds, as if rats had moved in.
Some poor people living in buses, thinking there were thieves, got up to see what was going on.
At this time, especially children, would wake up at the slightest disturbance, stand by the window, and ask their mothers, "Mom, Mom, look quickly, why are those cars moving on their own?"
Only to be scolded, "It’s so late, and you’re not asleep yet? What nonsense are you talking about? Go to sleep!"
Then the child would cry loudly, "Really, I’m not lying, all those cars are moving on their own and then disappearing."
It would alarm the adults who would look into the darkness and, oh my, the cars piled on either side of the road, almost buried in sand, were indeed gone.
Rustling, like rats carrying things away.
The adults covered the children’s eyes, praying for God’s forgiveness, thinking something sinister must be happening.
"Sleep, sleep! When we wake up, everything will be over!"
The adults pulled the curtains closed, covering the children’s eyes, and kept praying.
Until the noise gradually faded away.
This scene happened all over the city, in poor places and areas where the rich gathered; those once luxurious cars, like a pile of scrap, were mercilessly compressed and crumpled into chunks by insects and carted away.
Some residents waking up the next morning would find the cars once buried in the sand gone, or only the motors remained, with everything else missing.
"I really don’t get it; people are still stealing this scrap these days?"
"They did a good deed. Those junk cars cluttered the street, and now it’s clear, so we can put other things there."
Of course, there were also many cars parked in the wealthy district. Jing Shu led people to a large underground parking garage, its entrance nearly buried in sand. Inside, all kinds of luxury cars filled the space.
Some were even brand new, with their protective film still on.
If she hadn’t just heard this was a wealthy person’s private residence, she would have thought it was a car dealership’s parking lot.
The rich man’s estate was emptied, the house in shambles, but nobody wanted these cars.
Yang Yang analyzed a few possibilities, "Either after the apocalypse, earthquakes and various natural disasters wrecked the roads or buried them in sand, making these sports cars unusable here, so they were abandoned.
Or the rich fled or died, unable to deal with all this stuff."
Everyone nodded.
Zhang Lang was puzzled, "Then why didn’t they take these expensive cars with them when they ran away? Each one costs millions."
Yang Yang coughed, "When you’re very wealthy, would you take a few clothes worth a couple of bucks when you flee?"
Zhang Lang shook his head, "I’d definitely take something more valuable. Honestly, I wouldn’t bother picking up a few clothes now."
Yang Yang snapped his fingers, "Exactly! For the rich, these cars are just like a few pieces of clothing in the wardrobe, clothes that can no longer be worn. Why take them?"
Zhang Lang opened his mouth, feeling the sting, "Oh Old Tie."
"Since the rich probably forgot about this place, let’s not be polite, help him clear the parking garage, save them from gathering dust."
Tan Ke, using his immense strength to help the insects transport the cars, asked, "Jing Shu, since you mentioned the parking garage, why don’t we go to the car trading city? There must be more cars there."
Jing Shu scratched her head, "It’s not about haste, we’re not picky; whatever we find, we take. Plus, not knowing this area well, we don’t know where the car dealerships are. If it’s a small market, there aren’t many cars, and it’s not worth our time." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
"Clickity-clack," Yang Yang’s fingers flew over the screen, quickly reporting, "About two kilometers from us is the largest local second-hand car trading city, turned into an abandoned capital after the apocalypse, and has been raided several times—going there probably wouldn’t find many intact cars."
Tan Ke asked, "Should we just not go then?"
Yang Yang snapped his phone shut, "Let’s move, have the insects transport these cars, let’s head to this second-hand car market. If I’m right, there should be a lot of raw materials over there."
"Raw materials?"
Yang Yang nodded, "Yes, back in the day, the second-hand market was definitely scoured, but it also collected many generators and batteries, and these are valuable, especially in a backward place like Iran."
Jing Shu’s eyes lit up, "True, since phone factories stopped producing phones, when our phone’s lithium batteries go kaput, we have to source replacement lithium batteries elsewhere. In the Black Market, batteries and generators are always in demand."
"Let’s go."
The group raced to the largest local second-hand car market. This was a small town, once very prosperous, as evident by the vast expanse of abandoned cars forming a skyline. Unfortunately, now it was just a heap of scrap metal.
Even Jing Shu had to shake her head, nothing worth picking; this place’s been raided multiple times. Valuable cars taken, only a field of ordinary Mercedes left.
The rich don’t want them, and the poor can’t afford them.
Well then, it seems these remaining ordinary cars are all Jing Shu’s for the taking.
Jing Shu had Zhang Lang direct the insects to dig tunnels and transport the cars.
Meanwhile, the rest headed straight for the materials warehouse, which also housed the largest auto repair shop.
