"You got off work so early today?"

Barto pushed his small cart into the room and took out a large bag of roasted meat he had bought at a deli, handing it to Gu Ning.

He had packed up his stall and returned immediately after receiving Gu Ning’s message.

Gu Ning took the roasted meat. It was still warm, and when she opened the bag, steam and a fragrant aroma billowed out together.

She picked up a piece and fed it to Cook, who was squatting by her feet.

Cook nudged her hand with his nose, motioning for her to eat it.

"You eat it yourself," Barto said to Gu Ning while taking things out of his cart. "He’s been eating nonstop all day. Before we came back, he ate a whole roast chicken at the deli."

"This guy’s appetite keeps growing. We need to stock up on more food."

Gu Ning looked down at Cook. He was squatting like a puppy.

In fact, his current appearance had degenerated to a state very close to that of a dog.

His hands and feet were basically the shape of beastly paws, and his body was a size larger than when he was in human form. Aside from his face, his body was covered in thick fur.

He only wore a loose short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Because his feet had become bestial, he had stopped wearing shoes a few days ago.

Looking at Cook’s state, Gu Ning couldn’t help but worry.

His fur was so thick he probably wouldn’t be cold even without clothes, but if he degenerated any further, he would become a Mutant Species.

She took a pen and paper and wrote to Barto, "What about the Purification Crystal Stones?"

Barto glanced at what she had written, pulled a small pouch of Crystal Stones from his pocket, and tossed it to her. "This is all I have for now."

Gu Ning opened the pouch, took out an oval, thumb-sized Crystal Stone, and held it up to her eye to examine it closely.

The pale blue Crystal Stone emitted a faint glow, completely free of impurities.

’So this is a Purification Crystal Stone?’ Gu Ning marveled internally. ’It’s as clear and beautiful as a crystal.’

Gu Ning poured the Crystal Stones onto the table and counted them. There were ten in total.

She wrote on the paper, "How do you use them?"

Barto took one of the Crystal Stones and said to Cook, "Open your mouth, you stupid dog."

Cook obediently opened his mouth. Barto tossed the Crystal Stone straight in, and Cook swallowed it with a GULP.

Gu Ning: "..." ’Just... eat it directly? Can he even digest that?’

Seeing her shocked expression, Barto said, "Have you really never used a Crystal Stone before?"

Gu Ning, of course, had never used one, but she couldn’t admit it outright.

Barto didn’t pay it much mind and continued, "Just this small amount of Crystal Stones costs two hundred thousand Beast Coins."

Gu Ning looked at the nine remaining Crystal Stones on the table and wrote, "Twenty thousand for one? That expensive?"

Barto replied, "These are high-purity Crystal Stones. They can delay his degeneration for a month."

Gu Ning wrote, "Only delay it? Can’t they cure him?"

Barto said, "With just this many Crystal Stones, delaying it is already good enough. Once we get through the winter, most of the Mutant Species will retreat back to the No Man’s Land, and his condition should improve. If you have money, you could just buy concentrated Inhibitors. Those are more effective. But the Inhibitors in Zone 19 are pretty low-quality, even worse than the Crystal Stones."

Due to its location, entry and exit in Zone 19 were strictly controlled, and it was relatively isolated from other zones. Transporting goods and supplies was difficult, making prices high. Fortunately, Zone 19 was an industrial zone, so it was self-sufficient in many things, they just weren’t as plentiful or refined, such as food and clothing.

Zone 19 excelled at military manufacturing. As it was a quasi-military zone, its military industry was extremely well-developed.

At the same time, Zone 19 was a major producer of Energy Barytes. However, most of them were controlled by the military and large Crystal Stone corporations. Ordinary Beastmen either had to kill Mutant Species themselves or go scavenge for crystals in the No Man’s Land; otherwise, their only option was to buy from others.

Mutant Species usually traveled in packs, and going after them alone was an easy way to get killed. The only way was to join a specialized team and split the spoils. But such teams could easily fall into conflict over distribution, which created its own dangers.

As for the naturally formed Energy Barytes in the No Man’s Land, not only were they located in dangerous areas, but most of those areas were also guarded by the military and Crystal Stone companies.

If you didn’t have money, the best way to obtain Crystal Stones was to join the military. Not only would you receive Energy Crystal Coins as your salary, but you would also get a monthly ration of High-Efficiency Inhibitors.

Many Beastmen with Mixed Breed relatives chose to serve in the military zones for the sake of the High-Efficiency Inhibitors.

Cook’s brother was one of them.

"If it weren’t for this guy’s brother sending him Inhibitors every month, he would have degenerated into a Mutant Species long ago," Barto said.

Hearing that Cook had a brother, Gu Ning grew curious. She had never heard Cook mention this brother to her, so she asked Barto about it.

Barto said, "His brother is serving in the Second Military Zone just outside the No Man’s Land. He’s supposed to come back for him after the winter. When he does, you can have him take you both with him."

After saying that, Barto paused, then added, "But there’s no guarantee he’ll come back. Don’t wait around for him. If he doesn’t show, we’ll leave on our own. He’ll find Cook eventually."

Although Barto said this, he wasn’t very hopeful about Cook’s brother, Kaper.

Previously, Kaper would send Cook Inhibitors every month, along with a sum of money to him, asking him to help take care of Cook. But two months ago, all contact from Kaper stopped.

The No Man’s Land outside Zone 19 is one of the most dangerous regions. Kaper was likely...

After hearing this, Gu Ning patted Cook’s head. ’At least Cook still has family,’ she thought.

Barto looked at Gu Ning and asked, "How much money do you have left?"

Gu Ning: ?

Barto said, "This handful of Crystal Stones definitely won’t be enough for him, and you need to use them too. Give me whatever money you have. I need to find someone to buy more Crystal Stones from in advance, and see if I can get some better Inhibitors. In a little while, you won’t be able to find a seller even if you have the money."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ning pointed at his terminal.

Barto understood she wanted to pay online and opened the receiving interface on his terminal.

BEEP!

A transaction notification popped up immediately.

Barto tapped it open and saw a deposit of exactly five hundred thousand Beast Coins.

He stared at the notification, his eyes widening for a moment. He was once again certain that this Gu Ning person must have come from some major clan.

Last time, he had been surprised enough when she produced thirty thousand. Now, she was throwing around five hundred thousand just like that.

He had thought Gu Ning could come up with a hundred thousand at most. He had even been planning to front the money for the Crystal Stones for her and Cook.

These ten Crystal Stones were also taken from the bag the mercenary had given him last time.

After transferring the money to Barto, Gu Ning handed him what she had written.

Barto took the paper and read, "Should we move to a better place?"

"You want to move?"

’This girl really must have lived a good life before,’ Barto thought. ’The moment she has money, she immediately wants to stir things up.’

"The house we’re in is inside the industrial park. After winter sets in, there will be patrols by the Beast Police and the military. It’s very safe. No need to move."

Gu Ning wrote, "We can move to a safer house."

Barto said, "It’s not that I don’t want you to move to a better house. Take a look at him."

Barto pointed at Cook.

Gu Ning looked down. The puppy-like Cook was holding her hand and licking it.

"Now look at me," Barto said, pointing to himself.

Gu Ning looked at him—a fluffy, red-furred fox.

"And finally, look at you." Barto pointed at Gu Ning. "You don’t even dare to show your face. Who would rent a house to you?"