Black Market Target

In the cold light of the Special Operations Ninth Division safe house, Lin Xiao leaned back against the thick pillows on the hospital bed. The wounds on his right shoulder and back, nourished by the Su family's "Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder," sent waves of cool, moist itching through him, as if countless tiny lives were wriggling and repairing the flesh and blood deep within.

He toyed with the smooth, white jade bottle in his hand, its warm surface seeming to retain the cool touch of Su Qingxue's fingertips.

[Source Energy Points: -1.94].

The faint blue light screen in his mind, after absorbing a wisp of scattered spiritual energy from the plants, seemed to have its deathly dark silence diluted by an extremely subtle trace. The jagged black cracks, though still spread across it, appeared at their very edges... no longer on the verge of shattering as they had before?

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

A 0.01 point increase, so minuscule it was almost negligible.

But like a drowning man grasping a straw, it allowed Lin Xiao to truly see hope—repairing the core, escaping this despair-inducing state of depletion, was not impossible!

The key was energy, vaster, purer energy!

The Su family's secret medicine was good, but it was like a drop in the bucket, and moreover... unsustainable.

Su Qingxue's cold, distant attitude clearly drew a line.

This bottle of medicine was a settlement for a transaction and a favor, not a perpetual meal ticket.

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

"Black market... energy stones..." Lin Xiao muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the smooth surface of the bottle.

The mixed energies contained within low-grade energy stones were the only "hard currency" he had confirmed could be stably converted into Source Energy Points.

And Fatty Wang, this guy who mingled in the underbelly, was his bridge to that gray world.

The thought had barely formed when a gentle knock sounded on the ward door, the rhythm carrying a hint of cautious probing.

"Come in." Lin Xiao put away the jade bottle, his face regaining a touch of the paleness and exhaustion of someone recovering from severe injuries.

The door was pushed open a crack, and Fatty Wang's round, shiny head cautiously poked in. His small eyes darted around, quickly scanning the simple, cold furnishings of the ward. After confirming there were no Special Operations Ninth Division officers in black uniforms, he breathed a sigh of relief. His bulky body squeezed in, closing the door behind him.

"Brother Xiao! My dear brother!"

Fatty Wang rushed to the bedside, the fat on his face scrunched up with excitement and worry. Tears even welled up in his small eyes. "You scared me to death, brother! Those Blood Wolf Gang scumbags, and that explosion... I almost passed out when I heard the news! Thank heavens, Brother Xiao, you're blessed with great fortune!"

As he spoke, he habitually reached out to pat Lin Xiao's shoulder to show affection. But his gaze fell upon the thick bandages on Lin Xiao's shoulder and his pale face, his hand freezing in mid-air before he awkwardly withdrew it.

Lin Xiao twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a weak but slightly roguish smile. "I'm not going to die. What's the buzz outside now?"

"Buzz? The whole place is blown wide open!"

Fatty Wang lowered his voice, nearly spitting on Lin Xiao's face. "The Blood Wolf Gang took a huge hit this time! Three of their six elites are dead, and the remaining three are crippled! Scarface Qiang, that bastard, is said to have been injured too, and is currently being chewed out by the Blood Wolf Gang higher-ups! The Special Operations Ninth Division has sealed off the scene, and they reportedly found..."

He glanced around, his voice dropping even lower, tinged with mystery and dread, "...the Shadow Alliance's mark!"

The Shadow Alliance! Lin Xiao's heart tightened.

Qin Bing hadn't kept the news under wraps, or rather, she hadn't intended to.

The appearance of the Shadow Alliance made this murky situation even more unfathomable.

"Brother Xiao, this Shadow Alliance... they're ruthless characters who don't leave a trace! More sinister than the Blood Wolf Gang! How could they have targeted you?"

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

"Who knows? Maybe they were just passing by."

Lin Xiao brushed it off lightly, not wanting to dwell on the issue. He steered the conversation back. "Never mind the Shadow Alliance for now. Fatty, did you get any leads on what I asked you to look into?"

Upon hearing the important matter, Fatty Wang immediately dropped his exaggerated expression. A shrewd glint flashed in his small eyes as he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Brother Xiao, you're a genius strategist! There's movement in the black market! It's at 'Old Weasel's' place!"

"'Old Weasel'?" Lin Xiao recognized the name. He was one of the more well-known brokers in the underground black market in the west of the city. He had wide connections, was well-informed, but also black-hearted and ruthless.

"That's right! Him!"

Fatty Wang nodded vigorously. "The information came from Skinny Monkey, who paid a hefty price to pry it from a drunken 'Weasel's Den' thug. It's absolutely reliable! The night after tomorrow, 'Old Weasel's' place will be holding a small internal auction! One of the highlight items is the initial share of profits from a small mine recently discovered in the west of the city's 'Wild Dog Mine'! Although it's a low-grade mine, the share is substantial! It's said to be enough for a One-Star Martial Artist to absorb and cultivate with for half a year!"

A share of a low-grade mine!

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat!

This was exactly what he needed most right now!

A stable, large source of low-grade energy stones!

"How reliable is the information?" Lin Xiao's eyes sharpened. Although his face was still pale, the sharp glint emanating from beneath the facade of weakness made Fatty Wang instinctively shrink his neck.

"Ninety percent! Although Skinny Monkey is slippery, gathering this kind of information is his specialty, and he personally saw people from the 'Weasel's Den' preparing the venue and invitations!"

Fatty Wang patted his chest and guaranteed, "Brother Xiao, this is a godsend! As long as we can secure this share, 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 were never just about having money.

The excitement on Fatty Wang's face instantly deflated. He rubbed his hands, his voice somewhat awkward and low. "The starting bid... is said to be fifty thousand Credit Points... and that's not the most troublesome part. 'Old Weasel's' rule is that these internal auctions are only open to those holding his issued 'Weasel Tooth Tokens,' or... you need a person of sufficient standing to introduce and vouch for you. Money, we can still figure out how to scrape together, but this 'Weasel Tooth Token' and the guarantee..."

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

This was by no means a small sum.

The money he had extorted from Zhao Hu's subordinates earlier had been mostly used to cover their basic expenses.

Now, he had only a few thousand Credit Points in his pocket, at most.

As for the "Weasel Tooth Token" and the guarantee... Lin Xiao, as a student who had just thoroughly offended the Blood Wolf Gang and was being monitored by the Special Operations Ninth Division, was a nobody in the black market of the west of the city.

Fatty Wang was even lower-class than a street thug, not even fit to carry Old Weasel's shoes.

It was already the limit for Skinny Monkey to gather information; there was no way he could get an entry ticket.

Money and status, two mountains, blocked the path dead ahead.

A brief silence fell over the ward.

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

Lin Xiao leaned back against the soft pillow, closed his eyes, and tapped his fingers unconsciously on the edge of the bed. In his mind, the faint blue light screen remained dim, its cracks appearing menacing. The number "-1.94" felt 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 fallen into a vicious cycle.

But in Lin Xiao's dictionary, there was no such word as "give up."

Beneath his roguish exterior lay a cunning and resilience honed by struggling in the lower depths.

"I'll figure out the money," Lin Xiao opened his eyes, a glint of decisiveness flashing within them. "Five thousand Credit Points isn't entirely impossible."

Fatty Wang's eyes lit up. "Brother Xiao, do you have a way?"

"A way is forged by walking it."

Lin Xiao didn't elaborate, a few vague thoughts flashing through his mind: Ye Qingyan? Qin Bing? Su Qingxue? Or... a more direct approach? "As for the 'Weasel Tooth Token' and the guarantee..." A cold arc curved on his lips. "Who says we have to follow Old Weasel's rules?"

Seeing the familiar smile on Lin Xiao's lips, a smile tinged with madness and calculation, Fatty Wang felt a chill in his heart, yet an inexplicable surge of excitement followed. "Brother Xiao, you mean..."

"Help me arrange a meeting with Skinny Monkey."

Lin Xiao interrupted him, his voice low and clear. "Time, location, the specific process of the auction, who will be participating, the security arrangements at Old Weasel's place... the more detailed, the better. Tell him that if he handles this well, he'll be rewarded handsomely in the future."

"Understood! Don't worry, Brother Xiao! That Skinny Monkey kid, I know him! I guarantee I'll find out how many mouse holes there are in the Weasel's Den for you!"

Fatty Wang patted his chest, his small eyes gleaming.

"Also," Lin Xiao added, his gaze falling on Fatty Wang, "over the next couple of days, find a way to get me some things."

"What things? Just say the word, Brother Xiao! As long as it's not standard issue equipment from the Special Operations Ninth Division, if it's available on the black market, I, Fatty Wang, will risk my life to get it for you!"

Fatty Wang thumped his chest, his expression one of utter determination.

Lin Xiao beckoned, and Fatty Wang immediately leaned in.

Lin Xiao's voice dropped extremely low as he whispered a few terms into Fatty Wang's ear.

They weren't contraband, but put together, they exuded a strange and dangerous aura.

Fatty Wang listened, stunned, his small eyes widening, the fat on his face trembling. "Bro... Brother Xiao, what do you need these for? This... putting them together is a bit..."

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

Seeing Lin Xiao's calm yet unquestionable gaze, Fatty Wang swallowed hard, forcing the question back down his throat. He nodded vigorously. "Alright! Brother Xiao, just you watch! I guarantee it'll be done without anyone knowing!"

Fatty Wang accepted the order and left, the ward falling silent once more.

Lin Xiao leaned back against the soft pillow again, picked up the luminous white jade bottle from the bedside table, and removed the stopper.

The crisp medicinal fragrance once again filled the air, slightly invigorating his spirit.

[Detected high-purity life energy aggregate (continuous diffusion)... Absorb?]

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

A faint stream of energy flowed in. The faint blue light screen flickered with extreme difficulty, and the sense of desolation at the core seemed to be smoothed over by an infinitesimally small amount.

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

Still a drop in the bucket.

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

The black market auction... the share of the inferior mine...

These were the ladders before him, the ones that could lift him out of his depleted state!

Money? Status? Rules?

In the face of absolute power and... necessary "technical means," these obstacles would be crushed!

He carefully poured a tiny amount of "Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder" from the jade bottle, looking at the fine, snow-like powder on his fingertip, which shimmered with a faint jade luster.

He felt the vast essence of plants and trees locked within its exquisite energy structure.

"Old Weasel... I, Lin Xiao, have reserved a spot at your auction."