Information Point

Just as Gill was being taken to meet Toby, the emperor of this underground city, Chen Qiang and Lin emerged from the ship and began walking toward the location of the city.

It must be said that this so-called underground city was truly spectacular. The port where they had disembarked was a massive cavern not far from the sea, so the lighting remained quite bright.

Following the path from the pier deeper into the cavern, the light did not dim; instead, it grew even brighter. This was because the ceiling of the cavern was luxuriously embedded with a type of gemstone that emitted a natural yellow glow, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime.

However, Chen Qiang was not amazed by the gems overhead at this moment. On the contrary, the deeper he walked, the more his brows furrowed.

Lin, who was by his side, mirrored Chen Qiang's expression. Had Chen Qiang not been holding her hand to keep her from acting impulsively, she might have already attacked.

As for why they felt this way, it was because as they headed toward the underground city in the depths, they encountered people coming from the port as well as others leaving the city.

These people were all leading slaves by iron chains—slaves with numb expressions and collars locked around their necks. If any of these slaves walked too slowly, they were met with brutal punches and kicks, a truly miserable sight.

The passersby around them, however, did not take this scene to heart at all; instead, they pointed and laughed as they chatted.

Having originally lived in a world where everyone was equal, the young man had never seen such a thing. If Chen Qiang hadn't understood that acting now might not save them and could instead cause the collars around their necks to explode, he would have struck long ago.

Furthermore, he had promised Lin he would rescue her fellow villagers. If he acted now, he would expose himself prematurely, making it much slower to find the people they were looking for.

Yet, Chen Qiang had already told himself in his heart that once he found Lin's fellow villagers, he would definitely destroy this place that had completely extinguished its humanity and make everyone in this city disappear.

Lin, however, was much simpler. The place where she had lived was a small island, and she had never left it. She had no understanding of the outside world, let alone ever seen such things.

Had slave traders not suddenly invaded the island, captured everyone, and used the villagers' lives as leverage, she would never have been caught, nor would she have known of this cruel world outside.

Therefore, being kind-hearted, she might have already attacked upon seeing the abuse of the slaves had Chen Qiang not been holding her back. If she hadn't been saved by Chen Qiang, she would have nearly become one of these slaves herself.

"Wait a little longer! Once we find the people you are looking for, I promise you, I will make this place disappear completely!" Once again restraining Lin, who wanted to act, Chen Qiang leaned down and whispered into her ear.

Although Chen Qiang's voice was very soft, Lin could clearly hear the determination in his words.

"Let's go! Let's find the people you are looking for first!"

Taking Lin's hand again, Chen Qiang headed toward the underground city ahead with a somber expression.

They were not far from the underground city, and soon Chen Qiang and Lin entered it. However, they did not go to admire the prosperity of the city. After all, in Chen Qiang's view, this city was destined to disappear, so no matter how prosperous it was, there was nothing worth seeing. Thus, upon entering the city, Chen Qiang led Lin into a dim bar.

Chen Qiang didn't even bother to glance at the name of the bar as he walked straight in. Without any small talk, he led Lin to sit in front of the bar counter and placed the box containing the jewelry on top of it.

"I wonder what the guests would like to drink?" The bartender, naturally having seen their arrival, walked over a few steps and asked them with a smile.

"We aren't drinking. We are looking for someone!" Chen Qiang shook his head with a flat expression and said directly to him.

"I think the guests might have come to the wrong place. This is a bar, not a place to help people find others!" Hearing Chen Qiang's words, the bartender continued to smile, though he began to size the two of them up.

Chen Qiang didn't take the bartender's words to heart. He simply opened the box placed on the counter, stood up, and addressed the other patrons in the bar.

"I am looking for the people from the Defu Slave Ship. Whoever can lead us to them, these will be theirs!"

Chen Qiang's voice was not loud, but when he opened the box, everyone in the bar subconsciously looked over. One by one, they stared at the box of jewelry and swallowed hard. As a result, when Chen Qiang spoke, the entire bar had fallen silent, and even though his voice was not loud, everyone heard him clearly.

However, even though they heard Chen Qiang's words and were clearly moved by the jewelry in his hands, no one stepped forward to speak; they just watched Chen Qiang in silence.

"I told you the guests came to the wrong place! This is just a small bar, not a place to find people!" Seeing that no one responded to Chen Qiang, the bartender nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile again.

"Is that so? In that case, it seems I really did come to the wrong place!"

Hearing the bartender say this, Chen Qiang didn't waste words. He nodded, closed the lid of the box, and prepared to leave.

"Guests, don't be in such a hurry to leave. A bar is indeed not a place to find people, but I do know someone who can help you!" Just as Chen Qiang was about to leave with the box and Lin, the bartender stopped him, leaned his face toward Chen Qiang, and whispered.

"Then I will trouble the boss to lead the way!" Chen Qiang was not surprised that the bartender had stopped him, and his expression remained calm as he spoke.

"That's easy to say. Guests, please follow me!" The bartender did not look at Chen Qiang's expression, for after stopping him, his gaze had not left the box in Chen Qiang's hands.

Soon, led by the bartender, Chen Qiang and Lin were taken out of the bar through the back door. After walking through the alleyways behind for a while, they arrived in front of a tightly shut gate.

The bartender was clearly familiar with this place. After bringing them here, he didn't pause but went to the side of the gate and knocked on it with a rhythmic beat. Soon, the gate opened from the inside.

"This is the place, guests!"

After the gate opened, the bartender gestured to them and entered first. Chen Qiang, holding Lin's hand, followed closely behind and entered the gate.

After they had also entered, the gate automatically closed, as if it had never been opened at all.