Black Market of Light Chasing

"Three hundred thousand bits?"

"That much?"

After hearing this, Lin Qi could not help opening his mouth wide. He had not expected the two sons of the White Feather Gang's deputy leader to be worth so much—or rather, that deputy leader to be so wealthy.

In the dazzling, decadent City of Light Chasing, among those who had clawed their way into the upper ranks of gangs, which one did not have more than a dozen children, with some having dozens? Their whole philosophy was spreading branches and leaves, with many children bringing many blessings.

The reason for this was simple.

Martial artists changed destinies. As long as one child became a martial artist, it was like winning the lottery.

Moreover, with more children, the Lineage's influence would grow and gain more resources. For someone who had reached the position of deputy leader in the White Feather Gang, it was normal not to care much about the life or death of his children, much less offer a sky-high reward.

Unless they possessed extraordinary martial talent. But if they truly had martial talent, they would have long been sent to one of the city's key high schools for training instead of roaming the wilderness.

For that White Feather Gang deputy leader to now be willing to spend three hundred thousand bits on a reward was truly beyond expectations.

"Mm, normally, he really wouldn't offer such a high price. I heard the White Feather Gang suspects that some force targeted them and specifically robbed their goods," Qin Mu said with a smile. "Rather than saying these three hundred thousand bits are for finding the culprit, it would be more accurate to say they're for finding the force targeting the White Feather Gang and uprooting it completely. After all, if they can be robbed once in the wilderness, there will definitely be a second and third time. That is something the White Feather Gang absolutely cannot tolerate."

"Indeed." Lin Qi nodded in agreement.

He had indeed thought of that before.

One robbery yielded over a hundred kilograms of Blood Essence Rice, worth more than forty thousand bits. Compared with growing it himself, that was undoubtedly far faster.

But this time had been purely accidental. If he truly went out robbing people, he would be courting death.

Under normal circumstances, when those six White Feather Gang members were robbed, they would definitely use their Smart Watches to notify nearby members, who could identify them immediately. But those six had wanted to swallow the Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros meat for themselves, so they had blocked their Smart Watches. They wanted to prevent an insider among the six from appearing and having the benefits snatched away by other gang members. That was the only reason Lin Qi and the others had gotten their opportunity.

Otherwise, the White Feather Gang would not be sending people around with reward notices now—they would have come knocking directly.

There was also a reason the White Feather Gang suspected another wilderness gang.

Devices capable of blocking Smart Watch signals were not something ordinary people could afford. Usually, only gangs could buy them, specifically for black-eats-black jobs. That was why the White Feather Gang suspected a gang was behind this.

"I wonder which gang it was. They're really impressive, daring to rob even the White Feather Gang's goods," Qin Mu said with some admiration. "No matter what, among the many wilderness gangs, the White Feather Gang ranks within the top hundred. Although they don't have any Quasi-Martial Artists, they have several Peak Apprentices. Without a certain level of strength, a gang truly wouldn't dare provoke them."

"Yeah." Lin Qi nodded repeatedly, wearing an expression that said it had nothing to do with him. "I wonder which gang is so formidable."

He had long known the White Feather Gang was not easy to provoke, but he had not expected them to be this powerful. They had several Peak Apprentices, equivalent to having several Qin Mus. If they were discovered, they would definitely be dead.

"When you go out recently, all of you need to be more careful. Your new gang was probably only established not long ago, so don't go provoking the other wilderness gangs. If you go too far, I'm afraid even I won't be able to protect you." Qin Mu nodded, then looked at Lin Qi and spoke in a low voice.

"Us? A gang?" Lin Qi's eyes were filled with surprise when he heard Qin Mu say that.

"Isn't it the Iron Shovel Gang? Or was it the Shovel Shovel Gang? The Gray Robe Gang?" Qin Mu asked strangely. "I usually see you all wearing matching clothes and carrying alloy shovels. Didn't you all go into the wilderness together yesterday?"

"Mm, that's right! I didn't expect Brother Qin Mu to notice after all." Lin Qi nodded with a bitter smile.

He had not expected the players' group activities to be mistaken by Qin Mu for a newly formed gang. But on second thought, it was only natural. The so-called gangs in the City of Light Chasing were merely groups formed by weak people.

Still, Qin Mu's misunderstanding was quite beneficial. That way, the players who appeared from Obsidian Martial Arts Hall in the future, as well as the actions of the many players, would not arouse the suspicions of other drifters in the abandoned district. It would make things much more convenient.

"You little fellows still need to be careful in the wilderness. Keeping your lives comes first. Don't throw away your lives for a few bits. Once that happens, you'll have nothing left." Seeing Lin Qi admit it, Qin Mu patted his shoulder, looking deeply gratified like an elder comforted by the younger generation.

"Only by staying alive will you have opportunities. Once you develop in the future, perhaps you can even let our abandoned district share in the glory."

With that, Qin Mu turned and left, heading elsewhere to inspect the area.

"Looks like that Blood Essence Rice will be difficult to sell."

Lin Qi watched the White Feather Gang members posting reward notices all over the streets and understood that it would be impossible to sell the Blood Essence Rice anytime soon. Otherwise, suspicion would arise easily. After all, they only suspected another gang was responsible for the deaths of the six White Feather Gang members.

But if an unregistered drifter suddenly sold a large amount of Blood Essence Rice, it would not be hard to connect it to the deaths of those six White Feather Gang members.

However, Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros meat was not easy to sell either. The Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros was something only martial artists could kill. How could an unregistered drifter possibly be worthy of obtaining it?

"Looks like I can only take a risk and visit the black market." After considering it, Lin Qi decided to disguise himself before heading to the black market.

The City of Light Chasing was enormous, home to more than ten million people. But because there were vast numbers of unregistered drifters, many shady trading markets also existed in the suburbs.

These trading markets were all controlled by the major suburban gangs. They were called trading markets, but in reality, one was trading with those major gangs. There were two major benefits to trading in these markets.

First, they would not ask where the goods being sold had come from.

Second, they would not ask for identification. Everything was settled on the spot: money and goods exchanged, with no debts remaining.

Because of these two points, countless unregistered drifters and gang members came here for private transactions, making both goods and identities more difficult to trace. But there was also a major drawback: sold goods generally fetched much lower prices. It was essentially spending money to buy peace of mind.

City of Light Chasing, Phosphor Fire Trading Market.

Though the sky had already darkened, with only a bright moon hanging overhead, and ordinary residents of the City of Light Chasing had long since gone to sleep, the Phosphor Fire Trading Market was brightly lit, with people constantly coming and going.

The Phosphor Fire Trading Market was controlled by a major gang of the Half-Scale Race. Because the Half-Scale Race had risen to power recently, the trading market had become even more bustling.

"Buying or selling?"

At the market counter, a woman with golden vertical pupils, standing more than two meters tall, a long black tail swaying back and forth, and a few scales on her cheeks glanced at the petite Lin Qi as he entered wearing a metal mask. Her words were filled with indifference.

"Both buying and selling." Lin Qi was used to this and directly stated his purpose.

In a world of high martial prowess, strength reigned supreme. Body size was often an outward display of it. Although his attributes now counted as those of an ordinary person, his physique had not changed at all.

"What are you buying? What are you selling?" the Half-Scale Race woman asked calmly.

"I want to buy batteries for a Big Three-Wheeler and three sets of repair tools. Secondhand ones are fine." After speaking, Lin Qi set down the large metal case he carried on his back. "Inside is Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros meat that I want to sell."

"Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros meat?" The Half-Scale Race woman looked at Lin Qi in surprise. She had not expected him to have such meat for sale.

The flesh of wilderness monsters was a treasure that increased vitality and blood. Even martial artists ate this monster meat daily to speed up their improvement. It had always been in short supply. Even if ordinary people obtained it, they would keep it and eat it slowly themselves, since improving one's own strength was the foundation of everything.

"You can weigh it. If the price is right, I'll sell all of it." Lin Qi did not explain. He merely opened the large metal case.

The case was filled with meat Lin Qi had painstakingly cut from the Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros. Originally, he had planned to bring people with him and push the Big Three-Wheeler here to sell it, but considering the need to conceal his identity, it was better to act alone.

Though he could carry less at one time, it was more discreet.

As for having the players handle it, that would expose too many issues involving the game's pricing for now. In the end, it was best for him to come alone.

"It really is." Seeing the chunk of meat brimming with rich energy, the Half-Scale Race woman called over a Half-Scale Race guard. "Go weigh it."

A Half-Scale Race man wearing azure battle armor stepped forward, lifted the large metal case with one hand, and carried it off to be weighed as easily as if it were a toy.

"A6 Battle Armor?" Lin Qi looked at the armor worn by the Half-Scale Race guard, his face full of envy.

Battle armor differed from protective gear. The protective gear Qin Mu and the others wore in battle only offered simple protection, while battle armor not only protected the entire body but also provided a certain degree of assistance. Like Iron Man, it could increase the wearer's strength and speed.

A6 Battle Armor could more or less allow a Peak Apprentice to possess the strength and speed of a Peak Quasi-Martial Artist, while even Quasi-Martial Artists would find it difficult to damage A6 Battle Armor.

"Not bad." The Half-Scale Race woman nodded and said with a smile, "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Xia Ling. If little brother likes it, our Phosphor Fire isn't unable to sell this model of battle armor."

"How much?" Lin Qi asked curiously.

"Eight million bits for a brand-new one. If it's secondhand, six million will do." Xia Ling smiled, not caring in the slightest whether Lin Qi could afford it.

"Good stuff. If I get the chance in the future, I'll consider it." As Lin Qi watched the heavily laden Half-Scale Race guard return, it would have been a lie to say he did not want one.

With something that could let a Peak Apprentice suppress a Peak Quasi-Martial Artist, it would not be impossible for one person to take on the entire White Feather Gang.

"A total of 167.3 kilograms," the Half-Scale Race guard reported.

"Over a hundred kilograms?" Xia Ling nodded, then looked at Lin Qi. "How about this, little brother? Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros meat goes for 670 bits per kilogram on the market. Since you're selling quite a lot, I can give you 650 bits per kilogram. I'll round it off for you—109,000 bits for all this meat. How does that sound?"

"Fine." Lin Qi was somewhat surprised that Xia Ling had offered such a reasonable price. Anyone who turned down money was a fool. The weight was also roughly what he had estimated. "What about the things I asked for?"

"Three sets of repair tools—I'll make the call and give them to you, little brother. As for the Big Three-Wheeler batteries, how about 19,000 bits?" Xia Ling said with a smile. "If you agree, I can transfer ninety thousand bits to you now. Of course, cash is fine too."

"Cash. It puts my mind at ease." Lin Qi chose cash without hesitation. Electronic transfers were easy to track, but cash could not be traced.

"Alright." Xia Ling raised her head and glanced at the guard beside her. "Go bring all the items over."

The Half-Scale Race guard did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately went to fetch what Lin Qi wanted, along with the bits.

Only after Lin Qi had left the trading room with everything did the Half-Scale Race guard beside Xia Ling speak.

"Miss, Crocodile Fang Rhinoceros meat is hard to come by. Should I go investigate that kid's background properly now?" The Half-Scale Race guard watched Lin Qi leave, his gaze turning sharp.