Tianhai City's western outskirts, deep inside the abandoned Line Three subway.
The city had long since forgotten this place. All that remained were cold steel skeletons, mottled peeling walls, and a damp, moldy stench that never dispersed.
Yet at this moment, deep inside a platform half-buried beneath enormous concrete rubble, a deliberately muffled commotion seeped through, utterly out of place in the deathly silence.
Several powerful mining lamps hung from twisted steel beams. Their light was dim and wavering, barely illuminating the relatively open space below.
The air was thick with the pungent smells of cheap tobacco, sweat, machine oil, and some kind of chemical solvent.
Dozens of figures dressed in all sorts of clothing, their eyes gleaming with vigilance and greed, stood or sat gathered in the heart of this underground black market known as the "Weasel's Den."
Among them were lone martial artists who kept to themselves and radiated ferocity, gang members in matching outfits with vicious eyes, and masked brokers unwilling to reveal their identities.
At the end of the platform, a crudely built wooden stage covered with filthy red velvet stood before the star of tonight's event—"Old Weasel."
He was short and wiry, wearing an old-fashioned suit washed nearly white. His sparse hair had barely been combed into a center part and clung greasily to his scalp.
Most striking were his eyes. They were small and murky, yet they darted over the crowd like those of the shrewdest old rat, carrying an almost imperceptible calculation and cruelty.
He held a crude loudspeaker in his hand. His voice was hoarse yet remarkably penetrating:
"...The next item up for auction is the initial extraction share of a newly discovered small vein in Wild Dog Mine! It contains raw low-grade Energy Stone ore, with an estimated total of one hundred and fifty kilograms! The purity is poor, but there's plenty of it! Bidding starts at fifty thousand Credit Points! Each increase must be at least five thousand! If you want it, place your bids!"
When his voice fell, a low murmur rose from below the stage.
Shares in a low-grade vein held little appeal for true experts, but to bottom-level martial artists and small factions, they were genuine hard currency!
The foundation of cultivation!
In a corner, Lin Xiao leaned against a cold load-bearing pillar covered in rust. The hood of his oversized hoodie was pulled low, concealing most of his face and revealing only his tightly pressed, bloodless lips.
His face remained pale, and cold sweat still clung to his temples. He deliberately kept his breathing slow and deep, but every faint breath tugged at the suppressed dull pain radiating from behind his right shoulder.
The injuries from forcibly overdrawing his strength on the arena stage were far from healed.
His left hand was in his pocket, gripping the bulging prize money bag so tightly that his knuckles turned white. It held eight thousand Credit Points, plus the more than two thousand Fatty Wang had scraped together by selling his belongings—for a total of just over ten thousand.
The distance to fifty thousand was a despair-inducing chasm.
But he had to obtain this share!
It was his lifeline, his only hope of escaping depletion and repairing his core!
Source Energy Points: -1.93.
The ghostly blue light screen in his mind remained dim, riddled with cracks. His core flickered like a candle in the wind, and every turn of thought brought needle-like pain.
He did not dare use the modifier recklessly again. That would be dancing on the edge of a cliff.
"Fifty thousand!" A booming voice rang out first. It came from a burly man with a scar across his face and a ferocious aura, clearly the leader of some small gang.
"Fifty-five thousand!" From another direction, a lone martial artist in a leather jacket and with sinister eyes followed.
"Sixty thousand!" The scarred burly man refused to back down.
The price rose slowly, but not by much.
Clearly, most people had limited budgets for this low-grade vein.
Lin Xiao's heart sank.
Even at this pace, the final price would still be far beyond his reach.
Just then, a lazy voice laced with obvious mockery and malice rang out from the back of the crowd:
"Seventy thousand!"
The bid immediately raised the price by an entire tier!
It instantly overwhelmed the previous bidders!
Lin Xiao's pupils shrank beneath his hood!
That voice... he recognized it! It was "Venom Fang," Ah Qi!
Scarface Qiang's top enforcer!
The man whose leg had been crushed by a crossbeam during the last ambush!
What was he doing here?
And... seventy thousand? Could the Blood Wolf Gang really be interested in a low-grade vein like this?
There was only one answer—he had come for Lin Xiao!
Sure enough, after calling out his bid, Ah Qi's eyes, like those of a venomous snake, pierced through the crowd and locked precisely onto Lin Xiao in the corner, filled with venom!
He even raised his chin provocatively and drew a finger across his throat!
Driving up the price out of spite! Blatant revenge!
"Seventy thousand! This gentleman bids seventy thousand! Anyone higher?"
A glint of concealed excitement flashed through Old Weasel's eyes. He was clearly delighted by this "unexpected" bid, and his voice rose several notes.
"Seventy... seventy-five thousand!"
The sinister lone martial artist gritted his teeth. He had clearly reached his limit.
"Eighty thousand!" Ah Qi followed almost at once, his voice filled with the delight of a cat toying with a mouse, his gaze still nailed to Lin Xiao.
The sinister martial artist's face turned livid. He glared fiercely at Ah Qi, but in the end, he reluctantly fell silent.
Eighty thousand for a low-grade vein was not worth it.
"Eighty thousand! Anyone higher?"
Old Weasel's small eyes swept across the crowd before finally settling on Ah Qi with an inquiring look.
Ah Qi grinned smugly and looked provocatively at Lin Xiao, as if saying: You want it, little bastard? Beg me!
The eyes of the entire "Weasel's Den" focused, intentionally or otherwise, on Lin Xiao's corner.
Everyone could see that Ah Qi of the Blood Wolf Gang had come specifically for this hooded stranger!
He was trying to drive Lin Xiao into a corner!
Beneath his hood, Lin Xiao's breathing quickened slightly. His fingers clenched the prize money bag so hard that his knuckles went white.
Humiliation, fury, and a trace of icy killing intent churned madly within him! But he forcibly suppressed them. Acting on impulse would solve nothing.
Eighty thousand! He did not even have enough for the change!
What could he do? Give up?
That meant falling into the desperate situation of Source Energy Points running dry! It meant being left at the mercy of others!
The figure -1.93 in Source Energy Points flickered faintly in his mind like a death warrant.
To hell with it! I can only gamble one more time!
Lin Xiao's gaze swept rapidly across the entire scene like that of the calmest hunter.
Several ill-tempered enforcers clustered around Ah Qi, grinning viciously as they watched him.
Two silent bodyguards stood in the shadows behind Old Weasel. They were built like iron towers, their auras restrained and their eyes sharp.
Every exit from the entire "Weasel's Den" was guarded.
Force his way out? A dead end!
The only opening... was Ah Qi!
Specifically, the black personal terminal at his waist, its communication indicator blinking!
When Ah Qi had bid moments ago, Lin Xiao had clearly seen him habitually tap the terminal with his thumb, seemingly confirming something or communicating.
It was most likely his means of contacting someone outside—probably Scarface Qiang!
Interfere with it! Create chaos!
The moment the thought arose, tearing pain immediately ripped through the depths of his soul!
The ghostly blue light screen in his mind flickered and twisted wildly as black cracks spread frantically!
His core let out a sharp wail on the verge of disintegration!
Warning! Core extremely unstable! Forcibly modifying external precision electronic equipment (target: personal communication terminal)... Source Energy Points required: 0.3! Risk: extremely high! Failure may cause complete core collapse or abnormal explosion of the target device!
0.3 points!
Subtracting 0.3 from -1.93 would make -2.23!
The risk was even higher than when he had detonated Liu Meng's old injury on the arena stage!
Lin Xiao's teeth sank deep into his lower lip, and the sweet, rusty taste of blood spread through his mouth.
The fear of annihilation deep in his soul was like icy water poured over his head!
But when he saw Ah Qi's arrogant, smug face and Old Weasel preparing to bring down the hammer and announce the winner...
There was no choice!
"Scan and lock onto the target terminal! Modification parameters: instantly overload the core communication module, triggering strong electromagnetic pulse interference and a brief shutdown! Duration: three seconds!" Lin Xiao's thoughts issued a silent, hysterical roar from the abyss of despair!
Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.3!
Source Energy Points: -1.93 - 0.3 = -2.23!
Parameters modifying... (The light screen is collapsing violently! Black cracks instantly devour the remaining light! The core emits a mournful cry like shattering glass!)... Modification complete!
Boom—!
A soul-rending sensation and withering emptiness far more violent and profound than what he had experienced on the arena stage swallowed Lin Xiao in an instant, like a cosmic black hole!
His vision abruptly went black. The edges of his sight were instantly covered by thick blood-red hues and snowy scrambled static!
A bloody sweetness surged straight up his throat, but he forced it back down!
His body swayed violently, and his back slammed hard into the cold iron pillar with a muffled thud!
Cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt!
In the real world.
Just as the small wooden hammer in Old Weasel's hand rose high and was about to fall, and a cruel victor's smile appeared on Ah Qi's face—
Buzz—crackle!!!
An invisible, extraordinarily powerful electromagnetic pulse suddenly erupted like a storm, centered on the terminal at Ah Qi's waist!
"Argh!" The smile on Ah Qi's face instantly froze, then twisted into extreme pain and shock!
The personal terminal hanging at his waist seemed to turn into a red-hot branding iron in an instant!
An indescribable pain and numbness, like a high-voltage electric shock, instantly spread through half his body!
At the same time!
"Crackle! Bzzzzzz—!"
The expensive black personal terminal erupted with dazzling blue sparks across its surface!
Its screen flickered and warped wildly as if suffering from a bad connection, then emitted a pungent plume of scorched green smoke!
Immediately afterward, the entire screen went dark, becoming a dead, silent black!
A faint burnt smell spread through the air!
The sudden change happened in the blink of an eye!
"Damn! What the hell is that?!"
"The terminal exploded!"
"Enemy attack?!"
The several enforcers beside Ah Qi cried out in alarm. They instinctively drew their weapons and nervously looked around!
The other bidders below the stage also erupted into an uproar. Startled by the strange explosion and sparks, they retreated in all directions, and the scene instantly descended into chaos!
"Silence! Silence!"
Old Weasel onstage was startled by the turn of events as well. The wooden hammer stopped in midair while his small eyes swept suspiciously over the chaotic crowd, especially Ah Qi, who was clutching his waist and groaning in pain with a pale face.
Now!
Amid the chaos, Lin Xiao endured the soul-shattering agony and the waves of blackness in his vision. Using the last bit of strength he had, he suddenly raised his left hand!
His voice was hoarse and weak, yet it cut clearly through the din like a blade:
"Eighty thousand five hundred! I bid eighty thousand five hundred!"
His bid was only five thousand higher than Ah Qi's eighty thousand, exactly enough to clear the minimum increment!
The entire "Weasel's Den" fell silent for a moment!
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the figure leaning against the pillar, hood concealing his face and body unsteady, yet calling out a bid at that moment!
Ah Qi clutched his painfully numb waist and glared at Lin Xiao in shock and fury, trembling with rage!
He wanted to bid! He wanted to crush this bastard completely!
But his terminal was destroyed! He could not contact Scarface Qiang outside to confirm the funds!
Moreover, the pain and numbness in his waist made it difficult even to speak!
"You... you fucking..." Ah Qi pointed at Lin Xiao, trying to say something, but his words broke apart from the pain.
Old Weasel's eyes flickered uncertainly.
He looked at the chaotic scene, then at Ah Qi, who was in agony and clearly unable to bid again, and finally at the mysterious man—Lin Xiao—who, though weak, had made his bid clearly. As a shrewd broker, he instantly made the decision that best served his own interests—cut through the knot quickly!
"Eighty thousand five hundred! This gentleman bids eighty thousand five hundred! Anyone higher?"
A trace of urgency entered Old Weasel's voice as his gaze swept across the crowd below.
The chaotic crowd looked at one another.
Eighty thousand five hundred for a low-grade vein was already a poor deal.
Moreover, the strange "terminal explosion" just now felt deeply ominous. No one wanted to invite trouble.
For a moment, no one answered.
"Eighty thousand five hundred! First call!"
"Eighty thousand five hundred! Second call!"
"Eighty thousand five hundred! Third call! Sold!"
Bang!
Old Weasel's small wooden hammer struck the table heavily with a crisp crack!
"Congratulations, sir! The Wild Dog Mine share is yours!"
A merchant's smile spread across Old Weasel's face as he pointed toward Lin Xiao.
The dust had settled!
Lin Xiao's taut nerves suddenly relaxed, followed by an overwhelming wave of dizziness and depletion!
-2.23! His soul seemed to have been completely hollowed out, leaving behind only endless cold and darkness!
His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed, supported entirely by the iron pillar behind him.
"Sir, please come to the back to settle the payment and complete the paperwork."
A black-clad enforcer with a blank expression walked up to Lin Xiao. His voice was cold, and his eyes held a scrutinizing gaze.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath and forced himself to remain standing. With his left hand, he pulled the bag containing ten thousand Credit Points from his pocket, then fumbled out several small bearer bonds he had prepared earlier—part of what Fatty Wang had gathered. His voice was hoarse. "The money's here.
The rest... can be covered with this."
The black-clad enforcer took the bag and bonds, quickly counted them, then handed them to a bespectacled accountant holding a calculator.
The accountant pushed up his glasses, his fingers flying over the calculator. A moment later, he nodded at Old Weasel.
Old Weasel narrowed his beady eyes as he looked at Lin Xiao. "Boss, this is still quite a bit short."
Lin Xiao pulled an oil-paper package from inside his robes—the item Fatty Wang had acquired—and tossed it to Old Weasel from several steps away. "Add this. It's new stock from Old Pi of the Black Market, with an improved formula. It's more potent. It's more than enough to cover the rest."
Old Weasel caught the oil-paper package and opened one corner. A pungent mixture of sulfur and saltpeter struck his nose.
He sniffed it carefully, and a glint flashed through his beady eyes.
He weighed the package in his hand, then glanced at Lin Xiao's weak yet composed appearance. In the end, he broke into a grin, revealing a row of smoke-yellowed teeth. "Done! Boss, you're refreshingly straightforward! This share of the mineral vein is yours! Ah Biao, take this boss to the back to collect the certificate!"
A burly bodyguard with a fierce presence walked over and gestured for Lin Xiao to follow, but his eyes held an unmistakable warning.
Lin Xiao did not look at Ah Qi, who was practically breathing fire. Forcing himself onward, he followed the bodyguard under the gazes of the crowd—some suspicious, some greedy, and some wary—and staggered toward the deeper darkness behind the platform.
Every step felt as if he were walking on the tip of a blade.
The depletion of his soul was like a frigid tide, constantly battering his tottering consciousness.
The deep blue light screen in his mind had fallen into absolute, deathly darkness. Only those black patterns resembling cracks in an abyss remained, radiating an aura of despair.
Source Energy Points: -2.23!
The price was enormous!
But he had obtained the mineral vein share!
Before you continue