The bartender's face lit up with a look of desperate thirst upon seeing the old-world social security magazine.
He swallowed hard, extending his cracked hands with trembling excitement, muttering, "That's... that's enough to fill the remaining half of the jug!"
However, just as his hand was about to touch the severely detached magazine, Xia Leng suddenly pressed his hand down on it, preventing him from taking it.
"I believe this magazine should be worth more than just half a jug. Fill this jug as well, and the magazine is yours."
Xia Leng pulled out another 2-liter empty water jug from his backpack and placed it on the bar, saying expressionlessly.
The bartender's face immediately turned ashen, his mouth twitching. "Don't push it. I can only give you an extra liter at most. You must understand, clean drinking water in this era is as precious as gold from the old world. Moreover, our company has a rule: each person is allowed a maximum of 2 liters per week. Giving you an extra liter has already come out of my share."
"Is that so? Then forget it. If I were to trade this magazine at your company's fortress market, I should be able to exchange it for around 5 liters of clean water."
Xia Leng pretended to take back the magazine, and the bartender, seeing this, immediately threw himself on top of the magazine, his expression one of agonizing conflict.
"Fine! I'll give it to you! But don't tell anyone about this. This is a private deal between us!"
The bartender gritted his teeth and said, then took the two empty jugs and the magazine, heading to the bar's back to fill the water.
"Return the bag of crystal stones to me. The magazine alone is more than enough for the water."
Xia Leng gestured with his fingers, smiling as he watched the bartender roll his eyes and toss the crystal bag back to him, easing his annoyance.
The bartender's barely concealed joy confirmed that the magazine held a value in his eyes far exceeding the life-sustaining clean water.
It seemed he was a person who valued "spiritual nourishment"...
Xia Leng watched the bartender go to the back to fill the water and then waited in his seat, bored, observing the chaotic crowd in the dance area.
The people dancing here emitted a strong stench of unwashed bodies accumulated over years, as in an era where even water is scarce, only high-ranking members of mercenary companies might have the luxury of bathing.
Using water contaminated by the black rain would likely cause severe skin decay after washing...
Although these people were filthy, their skin wasn't rotting like other scavengers, which meant they weren't carrying a host of infectious diseases. Otherwise, the security at the entrance wouldn't have let them in.
While Xia Leng waited for the bartender to fill the water, a sudden jostle from behind caused the low-level crystal stones in his bag to scatter across the table.
He usually would have sensed such a jostle and avoided it. However, in this frenzied environment, and with his deliberately reduced sensory perception, he was caught off guard.
Turning around, Xia Leng saw one of the post-apocalyptic bikers he had encountered on the highway!
With an open leather jacket, piercing chest hair, a big beard, a notably large beer belly, and sunglasses worn day and night, the man was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
The burly biker, seeing Xia Leng's cold stare, gave a menacing smirk. "What are you looking at? I'm just drunk and bumped into you. Look again, and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
He glared at the slender youth before him, while another biker member stealthily approached from behind, slipping his thick right hand into Xia Leng's backpack and starting to search.
The biker distracting Xia Leng prepared to get angry when he saw the youth's icy stare. However, upon meeting Xia Leng's dark, cold gaze, he shivered uncontrollably, as if plunged into an abyss of ice!
This sudden, inexplicable fear gripped him!
Meanwhile, the thief silently found a smooth handgun in the backpack. Just as he was about to pull it out, he felt a tightness around his wrist, as if clamped by an iron grip, trapping him inside the backpack!
Then, a sharp, searing pain shot through his wrist, making him cry out in agony, but the deafening music and cheering masked his screams.
His eyes widened in terror as he saw Xia Leng's slender fingers pinching his wrist through the backpack, making it impossible for him to pull free.
He never expected that this skinny youth could have such immense strength. Could he be a strength-type purifier?!
At that moment, the remaining three bikers, who were closely watching the scene, noticed the anomaly. They saw one of their comrades trembling uncontrollably and another seemingly screaming in agony.
Realizing something was wrong, they hurried over.
Upon closer inspection, they saw that the biker being stared at by Xia Leng was soaked with sweat, as if he were under some spell.
Another biker, clutching his pinched hand, was howling in heart-wrenching pain...
"You bastard!!!"
The three newcomers, seeing the bizarre situation, disregarded the strangeness and furiously drew sharp knives from their waists, aiming them at Xia Leng's hand holding their comrade's wrist!
Xia Leng, aware of the impending attack from behind, knew that even if he didn't act, the tendrils extending from his body would defend him, and they would turn the attackers into a bloody mess to be absorbed.
However, Xia Leng forced himself to restrain the virus within him from initiating an attack.
In a crowded and chaotic place like this, revealing such a terrifying power unknown to anyone could lead to becoming a target for mercenary companies, turning him into their prey or experiment!
So Xia Leng decided to act himself to turn the situation around!
Just as he was about to use his elbow to counter the knife-wielding attacker behind him, suddenly, a larger hand grabbed the biker's knife-wielding hand from behind and casually twisted it.
Crack~
The unfortunate biker's hand was twisted 360 degrees, hanging limply by his wrist. After a brief daze, he let out an even more agonizing scream than his comrade...
The remaining two bikers, stunned and enraged, turned around to see a massive man standing behind them like a mountain...