Chapter 6: Searching for Mercury

With the oasis gone, the greatest change on Earth is the weather. The shift between heat and cold is so rapid that Ye Yang finds it impossible to adapt. During the day, he and Qi Fang trudge through the desert under a scorching sun, while at night, the cold is enough to freeze a man into an ice sculpture.

Beneath a cliff, Ye Yang is curled up into a ball, wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket. The reason? Naturally, the young miss is unwilling to share her cold-weather gear with a slave like him.

Whatever. Ye Yang is a man, after all, and feels too embarrassed to beg a young girl for a share of her quilt. In truth, he would have loved to snuggle under the same blanket, but the large bump on his head serves as a reminder that such hopes have been thoroughly dashed.

"Don't worry, when we get to the camp in a few days, I'll help you get a new blanket. Hehe, my haul this time is quite impressive!" Qi Fang says, happily rummaging through her pack.

"A haul? What exactly are you all collecting? And what do you use to buy things? Surely not RMB?"

Qi Fang pauses, tilting her head. "What is RMB? Never heard of it. Is that currency from the big cities? We use metals and minerals. We search abandoned cities or mountain areas; if we find valuable metallic minerals, we can trade them for all sorts of things."

"Oh, gold and silver, you mean? Ahem... you aren't going around looting the ruins of jewelry stores, are you?" Ye Yang asks, wiping sweat from his brow. That sounded dangerously close to picking through trash for profit.

"Not gold and silver. While you can trade those, they aren't the most expensive. We mainly look for mercury. Processed solid mercury is the most valuable, and liquid mercury isn't bad either. We also hunt for minerals like calomel or cinnabar—these can be refined into mercury, which makes them very valuable."

It is clear that Qi Fang is in a fantastic mood. Her bulging pack must be filled with the items she needs. Ye Yang, however, is stunned. Mercury? What is that even used for? He only knows it’s for thermometers or barometers. Are people in this era really that desperate for thermometers?

"Mercury is used for weapons! Those zombies and monsters are terrified of the toxic effects of mercury-based weapons. Nothing else—not even guns or artillery—does much damage to them."

"There was a time during the wars when mercury weapons were used, and they beat those monsters back with ease. It’s a pity the consumption was so high; they can’t be used for bullets anymore, at best just for plating swords and blades."

As she speaks, Qi Fang pulls a small, gleaming dagger from her pack. "See? This one is mercury-plated. It took me a huge amount of effort to get, and it’s very valuable, even if it is a bit small."

"..." Ye Yang stares at the little knife, which would struggle to slice an apple, and feels a sense of gloom. Is mercury really that rare now? He doesn't know the exact value of what Qi Fang considers "valuable," but for even a thin plating to be worth that much?

"Look, this is all my haul from this trip! Don't touch that stone, it’s toxic—you need gloves. Only processed mercury weapons are safe to handle; these raw materials are poisonous." Qi Fang opens the small bag like she’s showing off treasure. Inside are a dozen or so various minerals, and... there are actually two large, broken, antique barometers.

Looking at the ores, Qi Fang’s eyes sparkle with anticipation. "We’ll hit one more place tomorrow. If the haul is good, heh heh, your mistress will be able to treat you to food and fun for at least a year!"

"Ha! Just thinking about it makes me happy. Tell me, what kind of nice clothes do you want? I can buy you anything, no matter how expensive!"

"Mm... I'll buy you a chain to wear, just so you don't get taken away by someone else."

"Snore..." Ye Yang starts to snort. He is too tired to bicker with this girl. Her personality is so abrasive it's maddening. Sigh... he really misses the gentle, well-behaved schoolgirls from back in his day.

Under the blazing sun, a massive motorcycle rumbles across the desert. Two people sit on it: Qi Fang and Ye Yang.

Ye Yang really wants to mock the look of the motorcycle. It is incredibly ugly—the only word that describes it is "huge!" It also has three wheels, looking much like the sidecar motorcycles from the Second World War.

However, the girl treats it like a treasure. Ye Yang understands why; only a vehicle like this is suited for a wanderer. Ordinary motorcycles would easily get bogged down in the sand, and dirt bikes can't carry enough weight.

"We're almost there. I hope there aren't any markings," Qi Fang shouts. As she speaks, a pile of broken bricks and rubble appears in the distance—an abandoned city.

In Ye Yang’s memory, Chinese cities, large or small, were beautiful. Whether it was his hometown of Nanjing or the places he traveled to, even the older areas felt peaceful and serene, like the courtyards of Beijing or old neighborhoods.

But this city feels incredibly oppressive. It is nothing more than a ruin. While the architecture has kept the desert from completely swallowing the city, the lifeless atmosphere is almost unbearable.

At the entrance, Qi Fang examines the area carefully, looking for markings.

It is an unspoken rule among wanderers: if there are markings, it means other wanderers have already scavenged the area. If there are many, it means there’s nothing left to find, so others don't have to risk their lives or waste their energy. These marks are usually carved into the rubble at the crossroads or on the few remaining trees.

However, no markings could mean the city holds hidden treasures, or it could mean it is teeming with danger.

"Yay! Long live! Not a single mark!" Qi Fang cheers. Ye Yang shakes his head and sighs. This girl really isn't afraid of death. Perhaps she has never once considered the possibility that she might die.

"Stay sharp. Let's walk in slowly and try to avoid trouble," Ye Yang warns. After a moment, he adds, "Give me the mercury dagger; you take the rifle."

"Okay." Qi Fang nods, then hesitates. "But do you know how to use a dagger? It’s very short, which makes it dangerous to use."

"I know," Ye Yang nods.

"You don't! Because it’s so short, by the time you can attack those monsters, they can attack you too," Qi Fang says, sounding quite unconvinced.

"Yes, I know that." Ye Yang continues to nod.

Qi Fang pauses. She watches Ye Yang take two quick steps forward, gripping the dagger tightly as he moves to block her behind him... For some reason, she feels a sudden shock. Is he trying to protect her? They have only just met.

"Where do we usually look for mercury?" Ye Yang asks, turning back. He could spot a KFC or a Walmart in an instant, but mercury... sorry, he doesn't even know where to buy a thermometer.

"Thermometers and barometers are sold in shops, and there are even more in hospitals. Though they are small items, even a tiny bit of mercury is very valuable," Qi Fang answers with a smile. "It would be even better if we found some factories, but this city isn't very large, so I doubt there’s an industrial district."

Ye Yang nods, feeling a sense of frustration. He would much rather be robbing a jewelry store; the two of them running around the ruins of a city looking for thermometers... it’s just too ridiculous.

Although it sounded simple when Qi Fang explained it, Ye Yang soon realizes how tedious it truly is. They have to enter every small shop and search every supermarket. In some places, they have to dig holes in the sand just to squeeze inside. Sometimes, after searching until they are dizzy, they find that the shop didn't even sell thermometers in the first place.

"How long is this going to take us?" Ye Yang is so exhausted he feels like he’s about to collapse.

Qi Fang rubs her chin. "Hmm... judging by the size of this place, it should take about four or five days to finish searching. Heh heh, if the harvest is good, I can spend the whole year living in luxury! When the time comes, I, your mistress, won't forget you. I’ll make sure to keep you fat and healthy."

"Pfft..." Ye Yang is practically spitting blood. Four or five days? He wants to commit suicide just for some relief. He used to love going to the supermarket with girls, but shopping like this is just too exhausting.

It’s not just the exhaustion; they have to be on guard against danger at every moment. City ruins are not like the desert; once you run into a monster, escape is nearly impossible. But they are lucky—Ye Yang and Qi Fang haven't encountered anything yet, neither zombies nor the terrifying monsters she described.

Ye Yang can't help but be suspicious. Is this girl lying to him? Where are the zombies? Where are the monsters? She claimed they were everywhere, but he’s been following her for days and hasn't seen a single one.

But... danger always appears when you least expect it. Especially the kind of danger that, once seen, is already impossible to escape.