Friends, Delicious

Almost instantly, the other side reacted.

[?!]

[Ma'am, why don't you just go rob someone?]

Jiang Mian's expression did not change. She had never expected the other party to agree to that price; she only wanted to lower his expectations.

The more anxious he acted, the more dire the situation was.

As one of the few normal "customers" left, she could practically be put on a pedestal.

After all, in the city's current state, he was far from the only dealer desperate to sell off inhibitors.

[Then name your price. If it's within what I can accept, maybe I'll buy a few more.]

This time, the other party fell silent for a long while before sending another message.

[Ten thousand. That's my bottom line, and it's already at cost.]

[Nine thousand each. Five units. Take it or leave it.]

In the dim room, Du Biao stared hard at the words on the screen.

Five units!

The other party's demand this time seemed far beyond what he had imagined.

By her usual habits, she only bought one at a time, and would haggle back and forth for ages over a few thousand bucks.

He had thought that, because she needed to hide her identity, she could only work ordinary jobs in the city and did not have much money on hand.

Yet this time, she was exceptionally abnormal, throwing out a huge order worth forty-five thousand in one go...

Aberrants were not ordinary customers. Buying one or two units was generally normal.

But someone like the person on the other end—buying more frequently and in greater amounts—was very likely experiencing a rapid deterioration in their own condition.

Given the state of the city, she might also be stockpiling medicine.

But Du Biao had no choice but to consider whether she intended to rob a Black Market dealer.

With the city in this godforsaken state, those Aberrants who had gone red-eyed were capable of nearly any mad act, let alone simply robbing a Black Market dealer of his medicine.

But selling five units at once... the temptation was immense.

Since this woman could calmly haggle like last time, even faintly keeping him in check, her mental state should not be a problem for now.

Screw it!

[Deal. Eleven tomorrow night. I'll send you the location when the time comes. Same old rules for the transaction.]

Du Biao was not sure whether she had people behind her, so he could only use this method to ensure that she could not make preparations in advance or scout the location.

It was troublesome, but safe.

As for sending one of his underlings... she had already discovered the last time he had done that. If he sent that kid A Gui, who knew what might go wrong.

A few seconds later, Jiang Mian's reply arrived, still as brief as ever.

[Fine.]

The conversation ended.

Jiang Mian exited the channel and checked the time. It was not too late.

If tomorrow's deal went smoothly and she got five inhibitors, they should last her for a while. But then... what next?

A channel like Du Biao's would probably be cut off completely before long under the authorities' increasingly severe crackdown.

Other dealers would either be arrested or, like Du Biao, have nothing on their minds but getting out.

"Ugh, what a headache..."

She rubbed her temples. The authorities' meddling had stirred the entire situation into a complete mess.

Once the Public Security Bureau, the Containment Bureau, and even City Defense began mobilizing, the number of Aberrants in the city—whether out of control or hiding—would plummet to an unprecedented level.

Accordingly, the underground inhibitor market would shrink drastically, perhaps even shut down for a time.

When that happened, where would she get medicine?

As for why it would only be temporary—so long as humanity still existed, Aberrants would continue to emerge without end.

That was something the authorities could not stop, no matter what measures they took.

But that had nothing to do with Jiang Mian.

She only wanted to survive.

"Maybe... I need to find a way to trace it back to the source."

The next afternoon, the sky was overcast.

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Jiang Mian stood outside the same Drink Shop from last time and looked up at the sky.

"It's going to rain again..."

She could "smell" the damp Water Vapor carried on the Flowing Wind, and it was still steadily rising. By the time she went over there to pick up the goods later, the rain would probably be coming down hard.

But she had already packed a raincoat in her bag, so it should be enough.

She pushed open the shop door. There were barely any customers inside, likely because of everything that had been happening in the city lately. The owner was exceptionally enthusiastic as well.

Jiang Mian headed straight for the booth at the very back and ordered the same thing as last time.

Not long after, Ye Chenyang pushed open the door and walked in. He wore a black hoodie, rather similar to the one Jiang Mian had on.

"Good afternoon."

Jiang Mian looked up to greet him and pushed the freshly served hot coffee toward him.

"Yours."

"Thanks."

Ye Chenyang sat down across from her.

Last night, Jiang Mian had probably just come out after her break. Curious about the situation in the city, she had asked him about it.

But he had no idea why she had asked him to meet in person.

Judging by the girl's expression, she seemed to be in a bad mood. Had something been troubling her?

But since she hadn't said anything, it wasn't really his place to ask. Should he find something to talk about?

Ye Chenyang took a sip. It seemed...

"Is it sweeter than last time?"

"I added sugar."

Jiang Mian bit down on her straw, her voice slightly muffled.

"You didn't seem to like it last time, so I took the liberty of adding some."

"...That was thoughtful of you."

Ye Chenyang looked at the coffee in his hand, then at Jiang Mian across from him, who was clearly absentminded.

The girl was still faintly frowning, and her Mental State didn't look too good either.

"Has City Defense been tiring lately?"

"Not too bad."

Jiang Mian released the straw and let out a soft sigh.

She had come this time to glean some information from him. Some things weren't convenient to discuss online, and besides... she could return the favor while she was at it. She wasn't the sort of person who liked taking from others for free.

Ye Chenyang had even taken the initiative to teach her how to use her abilities before. Come to think of it, [Gale] paired with firearms really was quite interesting. Returning the favor was only natural.

"It just feels like... the atmosphere in the city is strangely oppressive. Is something big about to happen?"

Ye Chenyang neither confirmed nor denied it. Matters concerning the Public Security Bureau's work... even Jiang Mian, who was currently interning with City Defense, couldn't be told.

During this period, because of the information on the stone monument, the higher-ups had placed great importance on the Aberrant population, intending to settle internal matters before looking outward.

Public Security Bureau personnel, himself included, were frequently reassigned to take part in all kinds of encirclement and suppression operations.

After thinking it over, he still spoke to comfort her.

"Don't overthink it. The higher-ups have their own considerations. You only awakened not long ago—just take care of yourself."

Jiang Mian raised her head. As she looked into Ye Chenyang's concerned eyes, something in her heart seemed to stir for an instant.

Along the way, she had indeed met quite a few kind-hearted people. Their identities varied: Security Officers, teachers... then what was the identity of the person before her?

A friend?

The more Jiang Mian thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

When Li Hao had threatened and coerced her back then, she could kill him Without Hesitation.

But when it came to this kind of soft blade, Jiang Mian had no idea where to begin.

What was more, there was a high chance that he was a hidden Sequence 4, the pinnacle of the Radiance Path. Not only did he possess tremendous potential, she also always had this... urge to eat him.

In the literal, physical sense.

He just looked delicious... definitely far more nutritious than those trash calamities.

Jiang Mian might hesitate now, but she was certain of one thing.

The moment Ye Chenyang posed a threat to her, or the moment her identity was exposed, she would absolutely kill him Without Hesitation—perhaps even absorb him as "Fuel."

Monsters didn't need friends.

Living on was what mattered most.

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