Of course, when it came to buying up rare materials, they couldn't push things too far.
Jiang Qi had specifically warned them that if they were buying from other people, each person could acquire at most one item per day.
After all, the production of valuable materials was unstable to begin with. If the numbers looked a little strange over a short period of time, people would probably just assume the scavengers had been unlucky lately.
But if they overdid it, trouble would come sooner or later.
As for the third business Jiang Qi planned to launch, that one was purely a benefit for them.
Or, to put it another way, a way to win people over.
Jiang Qi intended to prepare certain things that scavengers might need and sell them cheaply, helping them improve their working conditions.
As a former scavenger himself, Jiang Qi understood their everyday needs better than anyone.
With the help of his synthesis ability, and now with Old Homa's connections letting him use the Flying Crows Gang's channels, Jiang Qi could conveniently get his hands on things that had once been very difficult to obtain.
For example, gas masks—something incredibly practical for scavengers, yet also very hard to come by—were now items Jiang Qi could acquire with ease.
And as for his night-vision helmet, Jiang Qi planned to put that into circulation as well.
Not as a direct sale, however. Instead, he intended to make it a sort of periodic "grand prize," something to be awarded only when someone made an outstanding contribution or found something valuable enough to truly tempt him.
After listening to Jiang Qi finish explaining his ideas, everyone present had stars in their eyes.
They had guessed right.
A chance to get rich had really arrived.
Jiang Qi saw only the third item as a welfare benefit, while the first two were primarily for his own gain. But in the eyes of the scavengers, all three were incredible opportunities.
Selling damaged energy cores and rare materials had always been two of their biggest headaches, and Jiang Qi had solved both in one stroke.
Not to mention that there was now room for them to profit off the spread. With a deal this good, hesitating even for a second would have been an insult to themselves.
And just like that, the cooperative relationship was formed with almost absurd smoothness.
At the same time, without even realizing it, Jiang Qi had gathered a small force of his own.
A week later.
Jiang Qi looked at the mobile gun platform circling in front of him, then at the phone in his own hand, his expression turning strange.
He had long heard that most wasteland mech-fighters were controlled by mobile phones, but now that he was actually doing it himself, the sensation of playing what felt like a mobile game was still bizarre.
"Since both movement and weapons have to be manually controlled, operating most mech-fighters is actually far more complicated than outsiders imagine," said Old Homa, holding a phone of his own. "Generally speaking, a decent mech-fighter needs several people operating it at once. Especially with machines that carry a lot of weapons, it's not uncommon for each weapon to require a dedicated operator."
At the moment, the two of them were jointly controlling the first mech Jiang Qi had built. Jiang Qi was responsible for movement, while Old Homa controlled the mounted turret.
"Can't the wasteland get things like intelligent cores?" Jiang Qi asked.
"Intelligent cores? They're not impossible to find, but you'd need incredible luck," Old Homa shook his head. "Those things are only installed in humanoid machines from the Heavenly Palace. Unless you happen to dig up an entire one, there's basically no other way to get one."
"I see," Jiang Qi nodded.
Still, he had the vague sense that the "intelligent cores" Old Homa was talking about weren't the same thing as the active intelligent core Glaxia used.
"All right, that's that. This mech is finished," said Old Homa. "Want to give it a name?"
"A name? No need, right?" Jiang Qi shook his head. "Wasn't this just a teaching project? Besides, it's going to be sold to the gang right away anyway."
"Fair enough. Seems you really can't wait to build a real mech-fighter of your own," Old Homa chuckled. "Then I'll haul this one off and sell it for you. Add that to your previous 'savings,' and your startup fund for the second mech should be ready. Oh right—those design drawings I asked you to do. Are they finished?"
"Of course," Jiang Qi smiled. "I started on them a long time ago. They're already done."
"Not bad at all," Old Homa said with a smile. "You really do have talent. Then this time I won't revise the design for you. Try building it independently first. If there's anything you don't know, come ask me."
"Got it," Jiang Qi nodded solemnly, though inside he was overjoyed.
That was exactly what he wanted. Otherwise, he really would have had a hard time explaining how he'd managed to produce such a professional set of designs.
"All right, drive this mech up onto the cargo rack on my truck. I'll take it over to White Claw Wu," Old Homa said, cutting his control of the turret.
"On it," Jiang Qi replied at once, remotely driving the gun-platform mech up onto the Heavy Tread's cargo rack. "Oh, and remember to get me a good price."
"That, I'll do my best with. But nobody in this town dares say they can get the better of White Claw Wu in a negotiation..."
Boom!
Watching the wooden target explode in the distance, White Claw Wu nodded.
"Fire control is good. Movement has no issues either. The configuration is simple, but as a vehicle-mounted turret, it's more than qualified."
"That said, the fake barrel design works well for mech matches, but it's a bit superfluous on a vehicle-mounted platform..."
"Hmm. Then again, maybe not. Those fake barrels do look intimidating. At the end of the day, they're just sheet-metal shells, and the cost isn't high. If they can trick the enemy into wasting even two shots, they've already paid for themselves."
As he spoke, White Claw Wu turned to look at Homa and asked, "You supervised this build? That idea's interesting. Why haven't I seen you use it before?"
"I did supervise it, yes, but that idea wasn't mine," Old Homa said with a cigarette between his teeth, smiling. "The kid's got talent. That design was his, and while I taught more in the early stages, by the second half I honestly barely had to touch it."
"Very good. I'll take it. For the sake of that fresh design, I'll add another twenty percent on top of the old price," White Claw Wu said.
"Oh? The iron rooster is actually plucking his own feathers today?" Old Homa shot him an unexpected glance.
Normally, every time he sold something, he had to haggle with White Claw Wu, and even then he still got his price cut. This was the first time the man had offered more on his own.
"Heh. Innovation is a good thing. It deserves financial encouragement," White Claw Wu said with a sincere smile. If Old Homa didn't know what kind of man he was, he might almost have believed him.
"Speaking of which, your new apprentice is learning fast. Looks like the gang will have another mechanic soon enough?" White Claw Wu asked.
"Heh, well, I don't think there's any rush," Old Homa smiled faintly. "I plan to keep him at my side and teach him properly..."
"Oh? Is that so?" White Claw Wu gave Old Homa a meaningful look. "Makes sense. A man with your skills really should have someone inherit them completely. Otherwise, it'd be too much of a waste."
"What, you think I'm getting old?" Old Homa raised a brow.
"Not at all," White Claw Wu shook his head. "It's just that in this wasteland, who knows how long any of us will live?"
"That's not exactly an auspicious thing to say," Old Homa narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Nothing like that. Natuba only just died, so I've been a little reflective, that's all," White Claw Wu shook his head. "Sometimes I even think... perhaps our gang ought to have a deputy leader."
"Hm? Now that is surprising. I thought you'd go your whole life without appointing one," Old Homa lifted a brow. "What, you got someone in mind lately?"
"Not really. So I'm only talking," White Claw Wu shook his head. "Oh, right. I got word that a few Hunters may be passing through town in the next few days. They might come to you for equipment maintenance or the like, so make whatever preparations you need. If there's anything you require, tell me ahead of time."
"Hunters?" Old Homa's brow twitched, and his expression immediately turned grave. "What are those harbingers of trouble coming here for?"
"Who knows. They say it's a routine inspection," White Claw Wu shook his head. "They want to confirm whether there are any... ah, what was it called again..."
"It seemed to be..."
"Reactive core mutation signatures?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter95)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 55
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 45
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 32
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 31
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 31
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