Apocalyptic Mechanist

"Or... you can fight me. If you win, you don't have to pay the toll," Venom Boss said playfully.

Xi Ling disguised her voice to sound hoarse and sneered, "A joke. When did the Viper Race ever have integrity? Three thousand, that's the price. Take it or leave it?"

After speaking, the Source Energy aura emanating from Xi Ling grew stronger.

Venom Boss's expression turned serious. The opponent seemed to have been at Tier 1 Peak for a long time. Even if they couldn't match the firepower of his many brothers, if pushed, it was possible for them to take down one of his four brothers in a desperate struggle.

This wasn't a normal robbery; there was no reason to fight to the death.

But if he agreed directly, how would he maintain his dignity in front of his subordinates?

Venom Boss fell silent. The atmosphere immediately became tense. Bruce and Xi Ling secretly gathered their Source Energy, while the subordinates of the Venom Hunting Party clenched their weapons.

Just then, a sharp-nosed Viper Race member behind Venom Boss twitched his nose and suddenly looked towards the vehicle.

"The scent of a Pan-Human!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Ling and Bruce's expressions changed. Their black robes could mask their scent, but they had forgotten that Jiang Xiao didn't have one!

Damn it, I forgot about that! Xi Ling became anxious.

The Viper Race's hostility towards Pan-Humans was notorious on Prison Star. There would be no more negotiation.

Venom Boss's eyes lit up, and a sinister grin spread across his face. "We could have discussed the three thousand Sin Coins earlier, but not anymore!"

"I don't know if Pan-Humans are your cargo or your food, but passing through my territory with such a lowly creature requires extra payment!

Either five thousand Sin Coins, or... leave that two-legged beast behind!"

"..."

Crack!

The car door opened, and Jiang Xiao walked out with a helpless expression, standing in front of Xi Ling.

Venom Boss immediately looked over, his eyes like he was looking at a delicacy, filled with greed. "Hahaha, I didn't expect you to deliver yourself. It seems you've trained this human well.

Alright, let's go. This Pan-Human belongs to us."

Ignoring Venom Boss, Jiang Xiao didn't look back. He said calmly to a stunned Xi Ling, "Please protect yourself from now on."

Then, he took out his terminal goggles and put them on with one hand.

Instantly, a fierce wind surged!

The two steadied themselves and looked.

Jiang Xiao's figure had already vanished, leaving only an impact crater a meter in diameter in his place!

Before Venom Boss could react, he felt an irresistible force hit his chest. He instinctively tried to mobilize his Source Energy, but the immense force blocked him. The terrifying power left his mind blank.

Boom!

Venom Boss's body was sent flying like a cannonball into the convoy. Immediately after, a cold glint flashed, and two heads were tossed high into the air.

In a single exchange, only one of the four Tier 1 Peak members of the Venom Hunting Party remained, frozen in place.

The sudden turn of events silenced all the creatures present, leaving only the dying groan of Venom Boss, whose chest was caved in, echoing in the distance.

The Thunder Cannon Floating Cannons hovered, linking with the radar map of the terminal goggles.

Rumble!!

Without a word, the Thunder Cannon Floating Cannons fired rapidly after being amplified by the Origin Data, their rays tearing through the air and sweeping in all directions, causing several jeeps to explode on the spot!

Jiang Xiao's figure moved like a phantom, charging into the enemy ranks at nearly a hundred kilometers per hour, his two Source Energy Battle Blades slashing wildly.

The azure rays of the Thunder Cannon Floating Cannons intertwined with the cold light of the battle blades, casting the rain of blood into a scene resembling an oil painting.

Only then did dozens of Alien beings react to what was happening.

In an instant, the Venom Hunting Party collapsed. The Venom subordinates were terrified and fled in disarray with no intention of resisting, but before they could even act, they were annihilated by the rays!

All of this happened in less than ten seconds!

Xi Ling and Bruce stared at the scene in stunned silence for a long time.

"Is... Mr. Jiang really Tier 1?" Bruce finally recovered, his voice filled with shock.

What kind of Tier 1 was this? Had the level of Tier 1 reached this point in the outside world?

Xi Ling looked at the iconic goggles on Jiang Xiao's face and suddenly remembered something, exclaiming in horror, "Old Capital Killing God?!"

The universe truly held wonders. She had encountered such a coincidence?

"Mr. Jiang? Old Capital Killing God?!"

Bruce looked at Jiang Xiao, who was now moving silently through the rain of blood, efficiently reaping the lives of the Alien beings, and couldn't equate him with the cheerful and kind youth he had met in the camp just a day ago.

That was the Old Capital Killing God! Ever since his arrival, any Alien he encountered, regardless of their Tier 1 or Tier 2 status or numbers, had never survived!

Logically, shouldn't he be radiating killing intent and possess a cold, ruthless personality?

The two silently watched the battle, which held no suspense.

In less than five minutes, the battle was over.

With the amplification from the Origin Data, the Thunder Cannon Floating Cannons not only had their lethality and range increased by twenty to thirty percent, but their charging time was also reduced to 0.8 seconds!

No Venom Hunter could escape the floating cannons' barrage; the furthest only managed to flee a little over three hundred meters.

Jiang Xiao took some time to scavenge the vehicle wreckage and the Sin Coins on them, then walked up to the still-breathing Venom Boss.

He kicked it, "These Sin Coins and your lives are considered the toll for passage to the underworld. You're welcome."

With that, he casually took a grenade from a nearby Viper Race corpse, pulled the pin, and shoved it into the Venom Boss's mouth under its terrified gaze.

BOOM!!

He took off his goggles, and a powerful Source Energy aura pulsed, shaking off the bloodstains.

Jiang Xiao looked at the two of them, unconcerned that his identity had been exposed, and put on his sunny smile again.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't expect this Venom Hunter group to be so broke. It took this long just to find over fifty thousand Sin Coins."

Xi Ling opened her mouth, many words wanting to be spoken, but in the end, she replied as usual:

"Hunters are just a branch of wanderers; they don't have much money. Besides, fifty thousand can do a lot in Sin City."

"That's good. I'll likely have quite a few expenses in Sin City from now on."

Jiang Xiao smiled, opened the passenger door, and looked at Bruce, who was still a bit dazed. "Let's go, Bruce."

"...Okay."

The three of them set off again. Jiang Xiao continued to make small talk, while Xi Ling responded concisely, just as before.

What had just happened felt like a hallucination.

Xi Ling gazed at Jiang Xiao, whose demeanor remained clear and cheerful even after the slaughter, and her curiosity grew.

However, there was something else that concerned her more.

What was the probability of persuading such a master to take such a risk? How much would it cost?

Xi Ling couldn't be sure. I should go find Uncle Li in Sin City to discuss it first.

The rest of the journey was uneventful.

The three of them arrived at Sin City the next day, crisp and smooth. Gazing at the incredibly grand, cyberpunk-wasteland-style metropolis in the distance, Jiang Xiao's face showed amazement.

Chapter 22: Sin City (Seeking Reads)

Sin City, a land of sin that houses over twenty million Galaxy prisoners!

Thugs and bastards are the foundation here, and it's precisely because of this that Sin City has developed an urban style rarely seen even in the galaxy.

Chaotic, rugged, filled with irregular buildings and scattered skyscrapers, a mix of elevated walkways and a sprawling, tangled transportation network connect this vicious nest that lacks any discernible layout!

It's like a colossal beast forged from steel and sin, sprawling at the end of the horizon.

Yet, this very chaotic style, complemented by all sorts of holographic projections and towering buildings, gives off a sense of frenzied freedom!

Disorder is the synonym for this place—

Even from more than ten kilometers away from Sin City, Jiang Xiao could already see dozens of wisps of smoke drifting from various parts of the vast metropolis—that definitely wasn't smoke rising from chimneys.

Looking up, he could faintly see three colossal steel behemoths hovering in the sky's clouds.

Orbital Defense Ships!

They cast their shadows over Sin City, like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over the heads of every prisoner in Sin City, reminding them of their status as criminals.

"Sin City..." Jiang Xiao murmured.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would spend most of his time here before leaving Prison Star.

"What are the conditions for entering Sin City?" he asked.

Xi Ling explained, "There are no conditions. The most important thing in Sin City is gang identity or council certification. Ninety percent of shops and markets only accept payment from gang members or Sin City Council members. Specific authentication is done through network terminals."

"Is Spark Gang certification also valid?"

"No, but that's not a problem," Xi Ling continued.

"Just because the Spark Gang can't operate openly in Sin City doesn't mean they're weak. On the contrary, the Spark Gang's strength among the major gangs in Sin City is upper-middle. They secretly control quite a few small and medium-sized gangs.

The black markets and illicit shops in Sin City are basically related to the Spark Gang, and many major gangs also have business dealings with them.

The few major gangs that truly consider the Pan-Human race mortal enemies are actually the Sin City Council, the Viper Gang, and the Blade Armor Gang."

Jiang Xiao understood, his grasp of Sin City's situation becoming clearer.

Currently, the Sin City Council's actual control over Sin City didn't seem strong, and there appeared to be many loopholes.

Jiang Xiao immediately had some vague ideas.

"What about the Black Mech Gang?"

Xi Ling's tone became hesitant, "The Black Mech Gang... it's always been a neutral faction, neither hostile nor friendly to any gang. Its only relationship with other gangs is trade.

However, because of the vast resources and technology it controls, the Sin City Council and its affiliated gangs have been secretly targeting the Black Mech Gang, which has led to many major conflicts in Sin City.

Furthermore, the Black Mech Gang's leadership is extremely mysterious; they haven't shown themselves for decades, and no one knows what they're doing."

"Not showing their faces for decades?" Jiang Xiao mused, then asked, "Can the Spark Gang acquire knowledge and data related to mechanical technology?"