A night with clear skies and sparkling stars. Just like the previous few nights, Helen took out the telescope that Waldo had given her and enjoyed the rare moment of observing the stars. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the blue star or the familiar galaxies.
Today was an excellent environment for stargazing, and Helen was observing when she suddenly noticed an unusual trajectory. She found it hard to believe. Rubbing her eyes and bringing the telescope closer, she was horrified to discover that it wasn't an illusion.
Groups of meteors with trailing tails were falling toward the direction of the apocalyptic world. If nothing unexpected happened, they would likely arrive next month.
Helen couldn't waste any time and quickly woke up Waldo and Alanna, who were already asleep in the middle of the night, to tell them this despairing fact.
Waldo supported his chin, lost in thought. "Helen, are there a lot of meteorites in this group? If they hit the ground, what level of destruction would they cause?"
Helen pondered for a moment and then decisively said, "Total destruction! Nothing but destruction! It would damage the ecosystem, withering trees: it would damage the ground, leaving pits and holes. Most importantly, for the survivors, it would be a catastrophe."
Waldo tapped his fingers on the armrest of the couch and muttered, "The blueprints we obtained for the underground bunker might come in handy. But the construction materials could be a challenge. An underground bunker could provide safety during a meteor shower disaster like this. However, it requires a special material that has never been seen before: S alloy."
Waldo had collected so many supplies but had never heard of S alloy before. Nevertheless, it was essential for constructing the underground bunker.
Waldo felt a mix of joy and worry. Helen didn't know about the construction materials needed for the bunker, so she was still excited.
"Waldo, the underground bunker blueprint we obtained from the Wolf Pack will finally be put to use! Once we build the underground bunker and gather enough supplies, we can safely weather this meteor shower," Helen said, filled with anticipation.
Alanna also looked at Waldo with hope in her eyes.
Waldo shook his head and explained with a wry smile, "If building this underground bunker were that easy, I wouldn't be so concerned. Let me show you the blueprint so you can see what materials are required."
As he spoke, Waldo took out the underground bunker blueprint from his backpack and handed it to Alanna and Helen.
Both of them frowned involuntarily as they received the blueprint for the underground bunker.
"What is this S alloy? I've never even heard of it," Alanna murmured.
Waldo helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, it's this special S alloy. We know nothing about it, not even what it looks like."
Alanna whispered, "It seems like we'll have to go out and desperately gather supplies during this period, searching for that S alloy. That's the only way to have a chance at survival."
Suddenly, Helen suggested, "Why don't we check the trading platform? Perhaps someone has it listed for trade."
Waldo could only approach the trading platform with a trial-and-error attitude to see what was available.
Unexpectedly, they found actual S alloy listed for sale. The prices were varied, ranging from cheap to expensive. The reason for the inconsistency in prices was simply that there were no merchants willing to buy.
The scattered S alloy available was collected by individual survivors by chance.
Due to the lack of reference prices, the prices for S alloy were relatively random. As for many traders, they naturally noticed the appearance of S alloy. Some wanted to snatch it up and occupy a share, intending to raise the price later.
However, there was no clear description of the purpose of S alloy. Hasty bulk purchases could be risky if there were future abundant production of S alloy or if its application was not widespread, potentially resulting in an inability to break even.
Therefore, everyone was in a wait-and-see mode.
Waldo opened the chat channel and found that people were already discussing the uses of S alloy. Apparently, many survivors had obtained this item. Waldo felt a tingling sensation of curiosity. He hadn't even seen a strand of S alloy.
Number 453493: "Hey, guys, I just found two pieces of S alloy in my search. What the heck is this thing for? There's no description at all. Is it a mission item?"
Number 454756: "I collected it too, but honestly, I have no idea what it's used for. It's a batch of hard material. I thought of using it to make a shield, but I couldn't even process it."
Number 967969: "Hahaha, do you think you're that muscular guy in a tight suit, planning to make a shield? I don't think this S alloy is meant for crafting equipment for us. Maybe it's for making battle armor?"
Number 223954: "You guys are getting more ridiculous by the minute! If you can't even handle the coarse processing of a shield, how can you think of battle armor? In my opinion, there must be something that needs to be crafted using S alloy!"
Upon seeing this discussion, Waldo silently admired. It seemed to be the case. If a meteor shower occurred later, an underground bunker would be a necessity for survivors.
Therefore, S alloy, the essential material for constructing the underground bunker, would become a highly sought-after item. When that happened, a price surge would be inevitable, but it would be a momentary event.
Number 957565: "So, is there anything that requires S alloy for crafting? I have no idea."
Number 754534: "Exactly, this S alloy is currently useless. I was thinking of hoarding some on the trading platform and becoming a profiteer, but now I dare not make a move! I'm afraid it will backfire, and I'll lose all my capital. Then, I won't need to wait for the zombies to eat me. I'll starve to death directly!"
Number 948292: "I listed S alloy for one pound of rice. Come and make a purchase, haha!"
Number 752534: "Get lost, you fool! Many people are listing it for a bottle of water or a loaf of bread, but no one is interested. If you set that price, you're just waiting for a sucker to buy it."
Numerous survivors were chatting on the channel, expressing their opinions. Although some were already close to the truth and guessed the purpose of S alloy, most survivors still believed it was useless.
At this moment, Waldo couldn't hide his smile and began to take action. He quickly purchased large quantities of S alloy from the trading platform, starting from high to low prices.
In fact, he was concerned that the survivors might catch on and temporarily drive up the prices. To prevent this, Waldo handed sufficient supplies to Alanna and Helen, urging them to join the buying frenzy.
The three of them happily began their shopping spree. They deliberately avoided purchasing the S alloy with exorbitant auction prices, not because they couldn't afford it, but because they didn't want to cause a rapid increase in S alloy prices and lose control.
Although their current actions were inevitably triggering a chain reaction and causing the price of S alloy to rise, Waldo remained restrained.
He didn't clear out the entire trading platform but instead controlled the purchases at what he considered a reasonable price, acquiring all the S alloy below that threshold.