The tunnel was very dark. Although it was a bit low, requiring people to duck when walking inside, it was wide enough that it wasn't cramped. Several Myriad-Year Fluorspar Lamp, identical to those in the secret room, hung in the tunnel, providing light.
Although unwilling to admit it, Zhang Tie felt like a rat crawling through a tunnel.
The tunnel's sides and ceiling were made of stone, and to eliminate echoes from walking through it, a soft carpet was laid underfoot. As Zhang Tie walked, he thought about how Tang De had traversed this tunnel countless times before—was Tang De always using it to gather intelligence? According to Tang De, the organization behind him was already being generous by sending someone like him to this tiny Black Flame City. They probably didn't need him to do anything else.
Zhang Tie's question was answered when he was halfway through the tunnel. As Zhang Tie walked, he felt as if he had kicked something soft. Curious, Zhang Tie bent down, picked it up, and brought it close to his eyes.
It was a black lace bra lined with soft sponge, larger than Alice and Beverly's, and seemed to have a strong perfume scent. It was spotless, looked brand new, and seemed to have only been there a short time ago.
Holy crap!
Zhang Tie tossed the bra to the ground. He seemed to understand Tang De's Disguise Technique and the ultimate purpose of this tunnel. No wonder Tang De disappeared from Black Flame City after closing his general store at night. Zhang Tie could guess what Tang De did at night. During the day, he always looked like a dead dog, lying in a chair, unable to get up. Turns out, he transformed into the Big Bad Wolf at night! This guy's hobby was really peculiar, but thinking about it carefully, even Zhang Tie had to admit that this kind of thing seemed particularly exciting. He'd heard that even some emperors living in palaces in history liked to do this. After disguising themselves, they'd run out of the tunnel to pick up girls and play all sorts of mummy and goldfish games.
It didn't take long for Zhang Tie to reach the end of the tunnel. Standing at a hidden observation window at the end of the tunnel, Zhang Tie saw the scene in the private room of the underground bar.
The private room was small, less than twenty square meters, and the lighting was much dimmer than inside the tunnel. It contained a set of dark red sofas, a bed, a table, and two stainless steel pipes resembling water pipes standing in the room, their purpose unclear. The rest were scattered decorations. The room's style didn't seem particularly sophisticated, yet the atmosphere was incredibly ambiguous.
Seeing that the private room was empty, Zhang Tie activated the mechanism in the secret passage and stepped out. After coming out, Zhang Tie looked back; the entrance to the secret passage was behind a decorative pillar on the wall of the private room.
Zhang Tie then put the pillar back in its original position.
The room key was on the table in the private room. The door was locked from the inside. Zhang Tie picked up the key, took a deep breath, and opened the door. He then went out.
The atmosphere in the underground bar seemed perpetually dim, 24/7. The scarce light sources created numerous shadowy areas. Some parts of the bar appeared to be deliberately kept completely dark.
Zhang Tie had heard about the "excitement" of underground bars like Black Flame City from Sista before, but this was his first time actually being inside.
The underground bar in Black Flame City is open 24/7 and never closes. It is the favorite place for Black Flame City workers who don't have much money in their pockets, low-level employees of merchant groups, small shop owners like Tang De who run grocery stores, as well as Black Flame City guards who have taken off their uniforms to receive their pay, and lecherous men like Sista to seek pleasure.
Here you can drink, dance, and even book private rooms. Just like the lighting here, this kind of bar operates on two words—ambiguity! It's not as direct as the streets outside, nor does it have the pretense of those rich clubs and private rooms. Everything here takes place in the ambiguous atmosphere of dim lighting and shadows.
The women here range from fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls who come to earn money during their holidays, to lonely young women in their twenties or thirties, and even glamorous middle-aged women in their forties and fifties—you name it. Many streetwalkers also come here to solicit business. Officially, these women will only dance or drink with you for a fee. But often, after dancing or drinking, if the atmosphere is good and you're willing to spend a couple of coins, you can usually get them into bed. Sometimes, if you encounter a particularly eager young woman, you don't even need to pay—just the room fee. If you don't want to stay overnight, you can solve the problem on the sofa or in a dark corner of the dance floor or bar—this is what that lecherous man Sista, concluded.
The underground bars of Black Flame City Black Flame City a treasure trove for lonely men and women to seek pleasure, spend money to buy laughter, and make a side hustle.
Zhang Tie had barely stepped out of the private room, and hadn't even figured out which way to go, when he heard some strange sounds coming from the next private room. The sounds were a rhythmic clapping sound and a woman's panting and moaning.
Early in the morning, some men and women were leaving the bar from the private rooms, while more men and women were coming in from outside.
This underground bar is huge, with a single floor area of at least tens of thousands of square meters. The bar is divided into two floors, with all the private rooms on the lower floor, numbering at least a hundred. It never closes, so people are coming and going all day long. In the huge dance floor and in every dark corner around the bar, it seems that men and women are entangled and embracing everywhere.
Several musicians were playing seductive music beside the dance floor. To Zhang Tie, the sound of the saxophone sounded exactly like wildcats in heat.
Tang De, that bastard!
This place is far too ambiguous, too lewd, and too tasteless.
It's unclear what kind of compromise or shady dealings Tang De had with the bar owner, but Tang De assured Zhang Tie that everything was fine and the private room was safe, so Zhang Tie stopped worrying about it.
Emerging from the private rooms and crossing the dance floor, Zhang Tie somewhat nervously shook off the advances of several scantily clad women standing along the dance floor corridor. Passing through two curtains, he followed a group of men and women up the underground entrance of the underground bar. The light at the entrance gave Zhang Tie a feeling of seeing the light of day again.
The bar's entrance is located at the intersection of Monet Avenue and Starlight Avenue. From the outside, it looks like an underground shopping mall, but inside is a completely different story. Several burly men with various tattoos on their arms stand at the entrance checking tickets.
Early in the morning, men and women eager to enter the bar were buying tickets at the entrance, each costing 20 copper coins. Those leaving the bar kissed goodbye at the door before going their separate ways. This scene gave Zhang Tie a deeper understanding of the rules of the game among adults.
Zhang Tie had many things to do today, so he didn't waste any time. He had just stepped out of the bar when he saw a tram approaching. He jogged a few steps, caught up with the Zhang Tie, and jumped on...
Ten minutes later, Zhang Tie got off the train at a platform near the Black Flame City train station. He then walked straight towards the busiest warehouse and supply distribution area in Black Flame City, which was close to the train station.
This is a truly bustling commercial district. Regardless of who rules Black Flame City, this area is always filled with trucks carrying all sorts of goods. The streets are lined with signs and service windows of various trading companies and merchant groups.
Zhang Tie strolled around the street for a bit, saw a "Warehouse for Rent" sign by the roadside, and went inside—it was an agency that rented out warehouses near the train station. There was only one person inside, a somewhat thin middle-aged man in his forties wearing glasses.
"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?" The middle-aged man approached Zhang Tie warmly as he walked in. Zhang Tie looked like a young man sent out on business by a merchant guild.
"I'm looking for a warehouse!"
"Then you've come to the right place! I guarantee no one knows the warehouses of Black Flame City better than me! Whatever you need, I can find it for you!" the bespectacled middle-aged man said enthusiastically. "How big of a warehouse do you need, and how long do you plan to rent it for?"
"I need a standard warehouse of about 400 square meters, for short-term rental, two weeks!" Zhang Tie replied simply and efficiently.
Are there any special requirements regarding the number of floors in the warehouse?
"Ideally, it should be single-story, easy to move, and conveniently located!"
Do we need an insurance policy for the goods issued by the warehouse?
"Unnecessary!"
"Alright, please have a seat and wait a moment!"
The middle-aged man went behind the desk in the room, picked up a notebook and started flipping through it. Just thirty seconds later, he put the notebook down, smiled at Zhang Tie, and said, "I happen to have a standard warehouse here that meets your requirements. If you only rent it for two weeks, the rent is 4 gold coins and 40 silver coins. You know, short-term rentals are usually quite expensive. Including my agency fee, your total cost will be 4 gold coins and 64 silver coins. If you agree, I can take you to see the warehouse right now!"
"Good!"
Zhang Tie's arrival allowed the man to close a deal early in the morning, so the man was quite pleased. After taking a key out of his drawer, he led Zhang Tie to a warehousing and logistics area nearby.
A standard warehouse is a fully enclosed warehouse built to the standard of shipping containers. This type of warehouse has only one main door for trucks to enter and exit and one small door for people to enter and exit. Apart from that, there is no place in the entire warehouse that can see the light. Moreover, the building materials of the warehouse are generally high-strength steel sheets, making it difficult for others to enter.
The man found Zhang Tie a standard warehouse of over 400 square meters, which was 10 meters high, over 40 meters long, and about 10 meters wide.
The man opened the warehouse door with the key and showed it to Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie went inside and walked around, finding it very clean and meeting his requirements, so he decided to book the warehouse.
Returning to the man's office, Zhang Tie gave him five gold coins, and the man gave Zhang Tie 26 silver coins in change, along with a deposit receipt for a warehouse key and lock worth ten silver coins. He was told that if Zhang Tie returned the key two weeks later, the man would return the ten silver coins to Zhang Tie.
After leaving the warehouse broker's office, Zhang Tie had two more warehouse keys on him.
Arriving at a nearby transportation hub, Zhang Tie boarded a shuttle bus. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Mingguang Street in Black Flame City —the location of the renowned Golden Roc Bank Black Flame City...
Previously, Zhang Tie would feel somewhat inferior when he came to Mingguang Street, but this time, touching the 5000 gold coin note in his pocket, Zhang Tie's courage grew stronger than ever before... (To be continued, please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)