Colonial Suit

"Gauntlets?" The bandage merchant was taken aback for a moment, and it took him a long time to react. "Oh, you mean that bone junk."

"Yes, that's the one. Do you have more?" A glimmer of anticipation flashed in Blood瞳's eyes.

After the last battle, Blood瞳 already knew the true nature of the bone gauntlets. They weren't weapons at all, but part of a so-called "Colony Gear." Although Blood瞳 still didn't know what "Colony Gear" was, he guessed from the name that it should be a type of individual armor, similar to powered armor. Moreover, its power and strength might be even greater. So Blood瞳 very much hoped to collect it completely. Even if he couldn't collect it all, getting another part would be good.

"So troublesome, I have to rummage through the inventory again." The bandage merchant muttered annoyedly, but still knocked on the carriage.

"Hey, you inside, bring out the junk I collected. Someone's interested."

There was a chaotic commotion in the carriage, and after a while, a side door opened. A stall extended out, densely packed with various goods. Blood瞳 could see clearly that these goods were exactly the same as what he had seen in Refuge #1, mostly weapons made from the carapaces and bones of mutated beasts. There were also some seemingly dirty and tattered armors. Most of them were filthy, and some had battle scars.

"Hey, kid, welcome to the second-hand goods stall. These are all second-hand goods that people gave me to settle debts. Don't look at me, I don't know how much junk is in there, but since you want that gauntlet from last time, look for it here."

"Okay." Blood瞳 nodded and walked over to rummage through the items.

There were many and disordered goods on this stall. Although the area wasn't large, it was divided into several layers. There was a jumbled mess of everything. Blood瞳 patiently searched, not letting anything go. He didn't know how long it took, but his eyes lit up.

In a corner of the third layer of the stall, two special bone plates revealed a small corner.

These two bone plates were rectangular and not very large. The thickness was only less than three centimeters. From the outside, their function couldn't be seen. But Blood瞳 discovered that the material of these two bone plates was extremely similar to his gauntlets. No, they were exactly the same. The two bone plates were casually thrown there, covered with black, sticky substances.

Picking up the two bone plates, Blood瞳 asked the bandage boss, "What are these things?"

"Wait, let me see." The bandage boss turned around and carefully picked up the bone plates with two fingers, looking at them with a puzzled expression. "Huh, I've never seen these things before. Did I collect them?"

"Could it be that you forgot?"

"How is that possible? I'm a genius who's going to be an interstellar merchant. Overlook nothing is me. Do you think I would forget my goods?" The bandage merchant retorted dissatisfied. He looked at the bone plates again carefully. "But I've really never seen these two things before. Did someone leave them here by mistake?"

"If that's the case, then give them to me."

"Don't dream, kid." The bandage merchant chuckled and stretched out his hand. "Have you forgotten my rules? No matter how useless something is, if you want to get it from my hands, you have to pay. Although I've earned a lot today, I don't mind getting more."

"..." Blood瞳 reached out and threw a bag of ore over. "How much are these worth?"

The bandage merchant opened it and took a look, and laughed slyly. "Oh, copper ore, and rich ore at that. I didn't expect you to get rich in just a few days. It seems my initial investment was indeed correct. These ores are of excellent quality, I'll give you two gold Vicks."

Two gold Vicks. Blood瞳 had ten such bags of ore. That was twenty gold Vicks. Blood瞳 thought for a moment and decided to exchange all the copper ore with the bandage merchant. Then, after paying the price of one gold Vick, he obtained the two bone plates. He also wanted a double-barreled shotgun and five hundred rounds of ammunition.

The double-barreled shotgun was a very common weapon in the wasteland, so it wasn't expensive. But those five hundred rounds of ammunition cost Blood瞳 a lot of money. It cost him a full five gold Vicks to get them. Blood瞳 felt a pang of heartache.

But there was no other way. If he wanted to venture alone in this apocalypse, he couldn't lack any necessary equipment. Leaving the gathering point, countless dangers awaited him in the wild.

Saying goodbye to the bandage merchant, Blood瞳 returned directly to the location of the troop. It was already evening. The sky was darkening. A cold evening wind blew in the air.

The troop was just having dinner. Seeing Blood瞳 return, Old Vick smiled and waved his hand. Little Sarah jumped over.

"Hey, Mr. Blood瞳. Guess what I got?"

"What?" Blood瞳 had a good impression of Sarah, who had saved his life. A rare smile appeared on his face.

"Tunan grass." Sarah happily handed a clump of black grass roots to Blood瞳. Her eyes sparkled with pride. "This is the best anti-radiation herb. This small clump cost me three bags of ore. All my savings are gone."

"This is a good thing. It must sell for a good price."

"Of course. Tunan grass can be made into high-grade anti-radiation medicine. It's the most sought-after commodity on the market right now. Just a little bit can earn me back the cost. I'm going to get rich." Sarah said happily. "When I have money, I can send Toby to live in a big city. Mr. Blood瞳, do you know Karlster?"

"Of course." Blood瞳 nodded. Karlster was one of the best cities in this world, a city that had not been affected by the nuclear destruction. It was called a dream paradise by people. Old Vick's information had detailed records. It was said that the city's appearance was extremely similar to the cities of the Sixth World. The supporting facilities were complete, and there was not only first-class quality purified water, but also food that had not been contaminated in any way. It was a place that everyone yearned for.

However, although Karlster was beautiful, it implemented a strict entry ban. Only the most outstanding talents and wealthy people could live there. It was said that the city lord there was the most powerful lord on Planet X35, and he attracted talents to Karlster as a base to improve the civilization level of Planet X35.

Being able to live in Karlster was Little Sarah's dream. She dreamed of owning an ordinary house there. Even if she had to pay the price of her life for it, she would not hesitate.

"I'm going to save enough money to go there." Little Sarah held Blood瞳's hand tightly, sharing her joy with him. "As long as I have five hundred gold Vicks, I can send my brother there as an apprentice. I've already saved three hundred. As long as this batch of medicine can sell for a good price, I'll reach my goal. Although the life of an apprentice is also very tiring, I won't have to worry about filling my stomach in the future. Mr. Blood瞳, I'm so happy."

"Congratulations." Blood瞳 smiled slightly and reached out to stroke Sarah's soft long hair. He knew that Sarah was a competent sister, and she tried everything she could to make her brother live a good life. Being able to send her brother to a big city to live must be Sarah's greatest happiness.

The nights at the gathering point were also very cold. But fortunately, there was no need to worry about safety. Everyone lit a bonfire by the convoy. The troop had a good harvest today. They sold a lot of goods. The most valuable of them was undoubtedly the motorcycle that Blood瞳 had snatched from the bandit group. It earned the troop a full thirty gold Vicks. This was a lot of money. Enough to make the troop's tight finances very rich.

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Dinner was roasted sand lizard meat. The meat of the sand lizard was very white and tender, and because it had a layer of scales, the pollution was low. It was an excellent ingredient. Only when the harvest was good would the troop eat such good things. As usual, Blood瞳 received the largest piece, and also received an extra half a piece of butter and a little salt, as well as a bag of low-radiation potatoes.

Amid everyone's laughter, Blood瞳 quickly finished his dinner. Then he refused everyone's invitation and returned to his compartment.

Outside the window were travelers singing and dancing. Blood瞳 wasn't very interested in sharing their joy. He sat quietly on his bed and took out the two ordinary bone plates.

The dirt on the bone plates had been cleaned off by him. But he still couldn't see their function. If his guess was correct, these two bone plates should also be part of the "Colony Gear." But where did it belong? Blood瞳 picked up the bone plates and gestured on his body a few times, but couldn't find a suitable place.

"It" in his body seemed to be asleep. It didn't give Blood瞳 any clues. This made Blood瞳 very headache. If he couldn't find the true use of the bone plates, what was the point?

After thinking for a while, Blood瞳 suddenly thought of a possibility. He stood up and walked to the open space in the compartment.

"Colony Gear!"

A dazzling bright light flashed. The exquisite gauntlets reappeared on his hands. The beautiful crystal lines on it flowed with substantial red light. Then Blood瞳 picked up the two bone plates. Sure enough, he felt the call of "It" in his body again.

"So, it belongs here..."

Blood瞳 closed his eyes and felt it for a while. Finally, he took the two bone plates in his hands. Then he pressed them to the front of his calves.

Silently, the bone plates melted. A large amount of muscle tissue gushed out from the junction of the bone plates and the calves, covering the calves like a viscous liquid. A tingling sensation came from within. Countless tiny tentacles grew out of Blood瞳's calves, visibly to the naked eye. They stretched out as if they had self-awareness, climbing and gradually covering Blood瞳's entire calves and feet. Then they began to intertwine and weave in front of Blood瞳's eyes, forming a skeletal structure for a set of foot armor.

Muscle tissue surged onto the skeleton, quickly filling it out. At this time, Blood瞳 had lost sensation in his lower legs. It was as if everything below his knees had disappeared. He watched with his own eyes as his flesh was turned over, revealing the pale bones inside. Then it was invaded by tentacles. There was no pain, only a faint itching. He didn't know how much time passed. The flesh merged again. Then keratinous armor began to appear on it. Gradually, a pair of foot armor with a streamlined appearance appeared before Blood瞳's eyes.

When the last piece of armor was generated, he heard a cracking sound from within his body. The crystal lines on the gauntlets shone brightly, and countless blue lines connected from the gauntlets to his heart. At the same time, exquisite crystal lines also appeared on the foot armor. They also emitted a soft blue light.

Indistinctly, Blood瞳 heard a sensation coming from deep within his body.

"Colony Gear second part, foot armor simulation completed. Total completion rate, thirty percent."