Black Market Target

Under the cold lights of the Special Operations Ninth Division safe house, Lin Xiao sat propped up in a hospital bed, his back cushioned by thick pillows. Under the nourishment of the Su family's "Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder," the wounds in his right shoulder and back tingled with waves of cool warmth, as if countless tiny lives were wriggling deep within his flesh, repairing it.

He toyed with the lustrous white mutton-fat jade bottle in his hand. Its warm, smooth touch seemed to retain the coolness of Su Qingxue's fingertips.

Source Energy Points: -1.94.

After absorbing a trace of the scattered herbal energy, the dead darkness within that eerie blue light screen seemed to fade by an almost imperceptible degree. The sinister black cracks were still everywhere, but at the very edges, they seemed... no longer poised to burst apart at any moment as they had before.

An extremely faint, almost illusory sense of "stability" lingered around the core.

The 0.01-point increase was so tiny that it was almost negligible.

But like a drowning man clutching at a straw, it let Lin Xiao truly see hope—repairing the core and escaping this despairing state of depletion was not impossible!

The key was energy—more abundant, purer energy!

The Su family's secret medicine was effective, but it was only a drop in the bucket, and... it couldn't last.

Su Qingxue's cold, distant attitude had clearly drawn the line.

This bottle of medicine was the settlement of a transaction and a favor, not a long-term meal ticket.

He needed a new, stable source of Source Energy Points!

"Black market... Energy Stones..." Lin Xiao muttered under his breath, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the smooth surface of the bottle.

The impure energy contained in low-grade Energy Stones was the only confirmed "hard currency" he currently had that could be stably converted into Source Energy Points.

And Fatty Wang, a fellow who had made his way through the lowest levels of society, was his bridge to that gray world.

The thought had barely arisen when the hospital room door was lightly knocked on, the rhythm carrying a cautious hint of probing.

"Come in." Lin Xiao put away the jade bottle, his face regaining some of the pallor and fatigue of someone still recovering from severe injuries.

The door opened a crack. Fatty Wang's round, gleaming bald head cautiously poked through, his beady eyes darting around. He quickly swept his gaze over the hospital room's simple, cold furnishings, and only after confirming that no Special Operations Ninth Division personnel in black uniforms were present did he relax. His bulky body squeezed inside, and he closed the door behind him.

"Brother Xiao! My dear brother!"

Fatty Wang rushed to the bedside in a few strides. The fat on his face bunched up with excitement and worry, and tears even glimmered in his beady eyes. "You scared your brother half to death! Those Blood Wolf Gang bastards, and that explosion... I nearly passed out when I heard the news! Thank heavens, Brother Xiao, you've got a charmed life!"

As he spoke, he instinctively reached out to pat Lin Xiao's shoulder affectionately. But when his gaze landed on the thick bandages around Lin Xiao's shoulder and his pale complexion, his hand froze in midair before he awkwardly pulled it back.

Lin Xiao tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a weak but slightly roguish smile. "I'm not dead yet. What? What's the word outside?"

"The word? The whole place has gone up in flames!"

Fatty Wang lowered his voice, spittle almost spraying onto Lin Xiao's face. "The Blood Wolf Gang took a huge hit this time! Six elites—three dead, and the other three crippled! That bastard Scarface Qiang apparently got injured too, and the Blood Wolf Gang higher-ups are chewing him out until he's covered in blood! The Special Operations Ninth Division sealed off the scene, and apparently they even found..."

He looked left and right, lowering his voice further with a hint of mystery and fear. "The Shadow Alliance's mark!"

The Shadow Alliance! Lin Xiao's heart tightened.

Qin Bing had indeed failed to keep the news hidden—or rather, she had never intended to hide it.

The Shadow Alliance's appearance had made this muddy water even more unfathomable.

"Brother Xiao, the Shadow Alliance... those people are ruthless enough to eat people without spitting out the bones! They're even more sinister than the Blood Wolf Gang! Why would they set their sights on you?"

Fatty Wang's face was filled with lingering fear and confusion.

"Who knows? Maybe they were just passing by and minding their own business."

Lin Xiao brushed it off lightly, unwilling to dwell on the matter. He brought the conversation back around. "Forget the Shadow Alliance for now. Fatty, any news on what I asked you to investigate?"

At the mention of business, Fatty Wang immediately reined in his exaggerated expression. A shrewd glint flashed in his beady eyes as he leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Brother Xiao, you're truly a master strategist! There's movement on the black market! At Old Weasel's place!"

"Old Weasel?" Lin Xiao had some impression of the name. He was one of the more famous brokers in the underground black market west of the city—well connected, well informed, but also black-hearted and ruthless.

"That's right! Him!"

Fatty Wang nodded vigorously. "Skinny Monkey spent a fortune coaxing the information out of a drunken enforcer from Weasel's Den. It's absolutely reliable! The night after tomorrow, Old Weasel's place will hold a small private auction! One of the headline items is the initial allotment of shares in a small ore vein recently discovered at Wild Dog Mine west of the city! It's low-grade ore, but the allotment is substantial! Supposedly, it's enough for a One-Star Martial Artist to absorb and cultivate with to their heart's content for half a year!"

An allotment of shares in a low-grade ore vein!

Lin Xiao's heart gave a violent leap!

This was exactly what he needed most right now!

A stable, abundant source of low-grade Energy Stones!

"How reliable is the information?" Lin Xiao's gaze sharpened. Although his face remained pale, the keen light shining through his weak exterior made Fatty Wang instinctively shrink his neck.

"Ninety percent! That kid Skinny Monkey may be slippery, but gathering this kind of information is his specialty. Besides, he personally saw people from Weasel's Den preparing the venue and invitations!"

Fatty Wang thumped his chest in assurance. "Brother Xiao, this is a godsend! As long as we secure this allotment, we'll have a stable source of stones!"

"What's the starting bid? And what's the entry requirement?" Lin Xiao asked the most crucial questions. Black-market auctions had never been places one could enter with money alone.

The excitement on Fatty Wang's face instantly collapsed. He rubbed his hands and said awkwardly in a low voice, "The starting bid... is supposedly fifty thousand Credit Points... But that's not even the biggest problem. Old Weasel's rule is that this kind of private auction is only open to those holding a Weasel Tooth Token issued by him, or... people need an influential figure to vouch for them. We can figure out a way to scrape together the money, but this Weasel Tooth Token and the guarantor..."

Fifty thousand Credit Points! Lin Xiao's brows furrowed deeply.

This was by no means a small sum.

The money he had extorted from Zhao Hu's underlings earlier had basically been used to cover the ordinary living expenses of himself, Fatty Wang, and the others.

Now, counting everything he had, he only had a few thousand Credit Points in his pocket.

As for the Weasel Tooth Token and a guarantor... Lin Xiao was merely a student. He had just made an enemy of the Blood Wolf Gang and was under surveillance by the Special Operations Ninth Division. In the black market west of the city, he was a complete nobody.

Fatty Wang was even more of a low-level thug, not worthy of carrying Old Weasel's shoes.

Skinny Monkey had already reached his limit by finding out the news. There was no way he could obtain an invitation.

Money and status—two massive mountains—blocked the way ahead.

The hospital room fell into a brief silence.

Only the instruments' low hum and Fatty Wang's slightly heavy breathing could be heard.

Lin Xiao leaned against the soft pillows, closing his eyes as his fingers tapped unconsciously against the edge of the bed. In his mind, the eerie blue light screen remained dim, its cracks sinister, the number -1.94 like a cold mockery.

Strength! He needed strength! He needed Source Energy Points to repair his core!

He needed strength to acquire resources!

And acquiring resources required strength as a stepping stone!

It seemed to have become a vicious cycle.

But "give up" was not a phrase in Lin Xiao's dictionary.

Beneath his roguish exterior lay the cunning and tenacity forged through struggling at the bottom.

"I'll find a way to get the money." Lin Xiao opened his eyes, a resolute glint flashing within them. "Fifty thousand Credit Points isn't completely impossible."

Fatty Wang's eyes lit up. "Brother Xiao, you've got a connection?"

"Paths are made by people walking them."

Lin Xiao did not elaborate. Several vague thoughts flashed through his mind: Ye Qingyan? Qin Bing? Su Qingxue? Or... a more direct approach? "As for the Weasel Tooth Token and the guarantor..." The corner of his mouth curled into a cold arc. "Who says we have to follow Old Weasel's rules?"

Fatty Wang looked at the familiar smile at the corner of Lin Xiao's mouth, tinged with madness and calculation. An inexplicable chill rose in his heart, followed by an inexplicable surge of excitement. "Brother Xiao, you mean..."

"Arrange a meeting with Skinny Monkey."

Lin Xiao cut him off, his voice low and clear. "The time, the location, the auction's exact process, who'll be participating, Old Weasel's venue security arrangements... The more detailed, the better. Tell him that if he handles this well, there'll be plenty of benefits for him in the future."

"Got it! Don't worry, Brother Xiao! I know that kid Skinny Monkey! I'll make sure he finds out how many rat holes there are in Weasel's Den!"

Fatty Wang thumped his chest, his beady eyes gleaming.

"And one more thing," Lin Xiao added, his gaze settling on Fatty Wang. "Over the next two days, find a way to get some things in here for me."

"What things? Just give the order, Brother Xiao! As long as they aren't standard-issue weapons from the Special Operations Ninth Division, if the black market has them, I, Fatty Wang, will risk my life to get them for you!"

Fatty Wang thumped his chest, his expression one of total commitment.

Lin Xiao beckoned, and Fatty Wang immediately leaned his ear over.

Lin Xiao lowered his voice to a whisper and said several words into Fatty Wang's ear.

None of them were contraband, but combined, they gave off a strange and dangerous air.

Fatty Wang listened in a daze, his beady eyes widening until they were perfectly round. The fat on his face trembled. "Br... Brother Xiao, what do you need this stuff for? This... this combination is a little..."

"Don't ask." Lin Xiao's gaze was calm and unwavering. "Just do it. Be careful, and don't attract the Special Operations Ninth Division's attention."

Seeing the calm yet unquestionable look in Lin Xiao's eyes, Fatty Wang swallowed his saliva and forcibly swallowed the question at the tip of his tongue. He nodded hard. "Done! Just watch me, Brother Xiao! I guarantee it'll be done without anyone noticing!"

Fatty Wang departed with his orders, and silence once again returned to the hospital room.

Lin Xiao leaned back against the soft pillows, picked up the lustrous white jade bottle on the bedside table, and pulled out the stopper.

The clear medicinal fragrance spread through the room once more, giving his spirit a slight lift.

High-purity life energy aggregate detected (continuously dispersing)... Absorb?

"Absorb." Lin Xiao responded calmly from the depths of his consciousness.

A faint stream of energy flowed in. The eerie blue light screen flickered with extreme difficulty, and the desolation at the core seemed to be soothed by another infinitesimal degree.

Source Energy Points: -1.94 + 0.01 = -1.93.

It was still only a drop in the bucket.

But a fiercer flame than before burned in Lin Xiao's eyes.

The black-market auction... the low-grade ore vein allotment...

This was the ladder right before him, the one that could let him escape his depleted predicament!

Money? Status? Rules?

Before absolute power and... the necessary "technical means," all these obstacles would be crushed!

He carefully poured a tiny amount of Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder from the jade bottle and watched the powder, fine as snow and shimmering with a jade-colored glow, rest on his fingertip.

He sensed the enormous herbal essence locked within by an exquisite energy structure.

"Old Weasel... at your auction, I, Lin Xiao... am claiming a spot."