The black market was not what Lu Chao had imagined.
The cent roads were pitted and uneven.
Densely packed, low-rise gray cent tenent buildings squeezed against each other. Ranging from six to ten stories, the buildings rose like malford bamboo shoots, stacked one on top of the other in a chaotic heap.
The iron bars on one old window after another were yellowed with rust. Hundreds of bamboo poles crisscrossed between the floors of the buildings, draped with all sorts of drying clothes.
Black pipes snaked along the gray walls, branching out in all directions.
On the rooftops of so cent buildings, people had used rusted iron poles to construct an even higher shantytown, with only army-green tarps stretched over the top to serve as crude roofs and walls, sheltering them from the wind and rain.
"This... is the black market?"
The patrol car stopped by the side of the road. Lu Chao looked up, a bit dazed by the scene.
In the shantytown on the rooftops, many people in old, worn-out clothes were lining up with iron basins to fetch water for washing. Whenever the cold wind blew, the tarps would flap up, looking as if they would tear away at any mont, a heart-stopping sight.
And below.
Many of the drying clothes were still dripping, blocking out much of the light.
Narrow, dark alleys followed one after another, incredibly crowded. You could even see people setting up stalls between the tightly packed cent buildings, with nurous motorcycles or secondhand appliances and wardrobes strewn along the walls.
Oppressive, dilapidated... it was like a vertical slum, a gigantic beehive.
He almost suspected he had traveled back in ti to a backward, walled city from a bygone era.
"Heh, I was the sa way the first ti I ca here."
Shaking his head with a smile, Chen Xiao naturally knew what he was thinking.
The black market. It sounded like a place filled with neon lights, holographic screens, and torrents of data.
But the reality was completely different.
"Don’t underestimate this place because of how it looks... My cousin’s husband told that every major city in the Alliance Country has a black market, and even so of the sanctuary cities in the wilderness do too."
He clapped Lu Chao on the shoulder, worried he might get careless, and said earnestly, "Their hiding spots may vary, but they’ve been able to exist for so many years that even the gacorporations can only turn a blind eye... There’s more to it than ets the eye."
His expression was serious, and Lu Chao grew thoughtful upon hearing his words.
’This black market must have ties to countless factions. How else could it have established such deep roots?’
Pushing aside his stray thoughts, the two of them started walking forward.
Most of the people coming and going wore old clothes and looked like residents of the area.
The aroma of stir-frying food wafted from the windows of so buildings, while soone carelessly dumped a basin of dirty water from a rooftop, earning a string of curses from the people in the alley below.
The narrow passageway was too crowded for them to walk more than shoulder-to-shoulder. Even though they were wearing Patrol Departnt uniforms, no one gave them a second glance.
TAP TAP!
Soon, once the two had fully entered the alley.
Their vision dimd slightly as most of the light in this walled city was blocked by the drying clothes.
"Where are we supposed to find him?"
Lu Chao asked, looking around in confusion. The whole place felt like a maze.
"There."
However, Chen Xiao’s eyes shifted, and he gestured ahead. "Our escort is here."
Several figures approached from the opposite direction. So wore padded jackets, their expressions wary. Others were large and wore hoodies, with fluorescent lines from prosthetic implants visible on their necks.
The man in the lead had salt-and-pepper hair and wore a black jacket.
He looked their Patrol Departnt uniforms up and down, as if confirming sothing, then quickly stepped aside and gestured. "Gentlen, Lord Qin has invited you."
...
TAP TAP TAP!
The crisp sound of footsteps echoed through the alleys as Lu Chao and Chen Xiao headed deeper into the walled city.
The further they went, the older the low-rise cent buildings beca.
Looking up, the rooftop shantytowns rged into one continuous expanse. Rusted iron poles clung densely to the walls, making it look like a block of condemned buildings awaiting demolition.
Drunks could occasionally be seen in the corners of the alleys. The number of residents living nearby dwindled, and the crisscrossing alleys gradually grew quiet and still.
"Are we there yet?"
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes and asked deliberately.
Without breaking stride, the guide answered with a placid, stone-like expression, "Almost."
"Lord Qin has already captured the man. You’ll see when you get there."
"Is that so."
Thoughtfully, Chen Xiao exchanged a glance with Lu Chao, and they both silently raised their guard.
The group continued without stopping. After several hundred ters, they passed through the alley, and the view suddenly opened up before them.
A cent plaza spanning several hundred square ters lay ahead, enclosed by a chain-link fence. Faint, crude white lines were visible on the ground, suggesting it was an abandoned basketball court.
The walled city’s cent buildings and rooftop shanties surrounded it, casting huge shadows that swallowed most corners of the plaza.
Nurous figures milled about. So had noticeable bulges at their waists, clearly carrying firearms. Others toyed with daggers, their expressions a mix of vigilance and mocking amusent as they stared at them.
Seeing this, Lu Chao and Chen Xiao narrowed their eyes slightly, their gazes drifting to the far end of the plaza.
Dry firewood burned in a massive iron basin with a CRACKLING sound. A spit-roasted half of a Mutant Beast lamb turned above it.
A bald man in a black suit, with an exceptionally brawny physique, sat brazenly on a wooden chair by the iron basin. He was enjoying a piece of roasted at cut for him by a subordinate while holding a glass and sipping red wine.
"Gentlen, please."
The aroma of roasted at wafted over from a distance. The guide spoke flatly and started walking forward again.
Chen Xiao and Lu Chao mulled it over for a mont before following, passing through the basketball court’s fence and stopping in front of the fire basin.
Amidst the SIZZLING of the roasting at, lamb fat dripped into the basin, causing the flas to flare up.
The man on the wooden chair had large-boned limbs. Below his bald head was the brutish, fleshy face of a middle-aged man with very faint eyebrows.
[Carbon-Based Human]
[Life Energy: 65 (Healthy)]
The panel appeared, and Lu Chao’s heart skipped a beat.
’Peak Professional Level strength, not far from Elite Level.’
"Lord Qin."
Chen Xiao stepped forward, cupped his fists in a show of respect, and then stated their purpose.
"I’ve been waiting for you two."
The bald man, Qin Guangrong, his mouth glistening with grease, lifted his eyelids to glance over the two of them.
Showing no intention of getting up, he used a greasy finger to casually point at the low-rise cent building behind him. "The man’s back there. See? Behaving himself."
Lu Chao and Chen Xiao followed his gesture. The rolling shutter and sliding iron gate of a ground-floor shop were both open, and they could faintly make out a sign that read [Qin’s Prosthetic Clinic].
Inside, a man was locked in a special iron cage, his hands bound with steel cables, unable to move.
Furthermore, his mouth was sealed with thick black duct tape, preventing him from making a sound.
"I, Qin Guangrong, make my living in this territory, and I’ve always had the utmost respect for the officers of the Patrol Departnt,"
Qin Guangrong slowly sliced off a piece of lamb with a small knife and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed as he spoke with a smile, "So when a lead ca up, I provided it right away."
"You are most righteous, Lord Qin. The Patrol Departnt will rember this favor."
Chen Xiao replied, neither servile nor overbearing, and thanked him for his trouble.
As they exchanged pleasantries, he was about to go forward with Lu Chao to take the man away.
But unexpectedly.
"Why didn’t Captain Yang co?"
Qin Guangrong suddenly put down his small carving knife and asked.
At the sa ti, a man stepped out from his side, blocking Lu Chao and Chen Xiao’s path like a wall.
"Oh?"
Seeing this, Chen Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly.
"Are you saying, Lord Qin, that Captain Yang himself has to co to take the man away?"
He looked at the man, his voice deepening, refusing to show too much weakness.
The black market was certainly not to be trifled with.
But the Patrol Departnt was a legitimate instrunt of force. If things truly escalated, the other side had nothing to gain.
"Of course not."
Qin Guangrong narrowed his eyes but did not get angry.
"However..."
He looked up, taking a napkin from a subordinate to wipe his mouth. He smiled. "This man isn’t weak. It’s been so ti since he broke through to Fighting Level."
"I suffered so serious injuries catching him the other day. I don’t dare just let him out so easily now."
A smirk played on his lips. His eyes darted, sweeping over Lu Chao before settling on Chen Xiao.
The man’s complexion was ruddy, his breathing steady. He didn’t look injured in the slightest.
The atmosphere grew tense. Lu Chao’s heart sank.
’He clearly doesn’t want to let us take the man easily.’
’As for drawing our guns, while the Patrol Departnt commands respect, there are only two of us here, both at Fighting Level.’
’He’s at peak Professional Level with nurous underlings. The odds are obvious at a glance.’
While Lu Chao was trying to think of a counterasure, Chen Xiao, his brow tightly furrowed, finally conceded a step. "Out with it. What is it you want, Lord Qin?"
He knew full well these people wouldn’t lift a finger without a profit motive. Providing a lead definitely ant they wanted sothing in return.
"Heh heh, Chen Patrol gets right to the point. Good. I do have a request."
Nodding in satisfaction, Qin Guangrong pointed to the roasted Mutant Beast lamb before him. "A rock sheep from the wilderness. Tastes pretty good."
"But two Wilderness Warlords have started a war recently, and the city defense is cracking down hard. They keep saying our goods are illicit. I just hope you esteed gentlen of the Patrol Departnt can put in a good word, tell them to go easy on us."
He didn’t spell it out, but Lu Chao and Chen Xiao understood his aning.
With the Wilderness Warlords at war, many people were moving goods, especially these black market types.
However.
"I’m afraid you overestimate , Lord Qin."
Chen Xiao shook his head. "City defense matters are outside our jurisdiction. You should know how those people operate."
"Is that so..."
Qin Guangrong glanced at him, his eyes darting as if he was contemplating sothing.
Finally.
"Haha! Never mind, then. Let’s just consider this a contribution to Ring City!"
Qin Guangrong laughed loudly and waved for his n to stand down.
Chen Xiao’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. He imdiately gave Lu Chao a look and whispered a reminder, "I’ll handle the man."
"You wait here for ."
Their eyes t, and Lu Chao understood the aning in his gaze.
’This is the black market, after all. One of us needs to stay on guard, just in case sothing goes wrong.’
He imdiately nodded.
He watched as Chen Xiao walked into the Prosthetic Clinic, took the keys from a lackey guarding the door, and was about to unlock the iron cage to take the man away.
But in the next instant.
CLANG!!
The clinic’s sliding iron gate was suddenly slamd shut. The two lackeys guarding the door smirked, quickly wrapped a chain around it, locked it, and pulled out the key.
The expressions on Lu Chao’s and Chen Xiao’s faces changed. Then, they heard a commotion from a higher floor of the cent building.
CRASH!
It sounded like a window shattering, followed by the sound of splintering glass.
"Lord Qin, he escaped!"
Amid the anxious shout, a figure could be seen leaping out like a great bird. After landing, it rolled several tis and sprinted toward the furthest dark alley!
Qin Guangrong remained seated, a smirk on his face. He didn’t move, only shot a mocking glance at Lu Chao and Chen Xiao.
The other black market denizens also wore amused expressions, watching the scene unfold with detached interest as if it were a show.
In that instant.
His face grim, Chen Xiao quickly drew his gun, chambered a round, and pointed it at the black market n who had locked the gate.
At the sa ti, his anxious gaze went past the iron gate to Lu Chao outside.
Their eyes t, and the unspoken understanding they’d built over many days on patrol surfaced between them.
"Ah Chao!"
"Leave it to !"
Without hesitation, Lu Chao sprang forward, as if transforming into a cheetah.
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!!
In just a few breaths, he had crossed the plaza, passed the crowd of gawking black market mbers, and was rapidly chasing after the figure into the alley where it had disappeared!
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