Build Bigger, Grow Stronger, Create New Glory!

One week after Zhuang Xiaolin and the others entered Lungmen.

Lungmen city center, Lungmen Guard Department.

As one of the busiest places in Lungmen, the Lungmen Guard Department had no shortage of incidents to handle.

Today, a blue-haired dragon police officer who liked to handle everything personally seemed particularly interested in the illegal medicine being sold in Lungmen's slums.

"Good morning, Chen."

"Good morning."

As usual, after greeting the officers around her, Chen of the Lungmen Guard Department's Special Operations Inspectorate began her work for the day.

"Have you found out where those illegal medicines came from?" Once inside her office, Chen asked the tall green-haired figure who had been standing by the wall for some time without even turning her head.

"Chen, you seem pretty interested in what's going on over there." The green-haired oni woman leaned against the wall in Chen's office and asked with interest.

"Hoshiguma, no one gets to violate Lungmen's laws. Selling prohibited drugs is wrong to begin with. If there were only a very small amount, it might be manageable, but the quantity of these drugs has already reached a terrifying level. Nearly sixty percent of the entire slum is using them. And that's only an estimate. If this medicine spreads to the upper districts, or even all of Lungmen, the consequences will be severe." Chen's expression was grave, her face completely blank.

"Alright, alright. I knew you'd still be like this." Hoshiguma blew a bored whistle, then tossed Chen a slip of paper.

"That's the code they use when meeting up for deals. You can try going there, but remember not to stand out too much. I heard the people selling those medicines aren't simple. Every one of them has powerful guns that only Sankta can use."

"I will."

After replying, Chen returned to her office chair and seriously began handling the day's work.

Hoshiguma sighed helplessly, slowly closed the office door, and left.

Meanwhile.

"Here's today's supply." Machine Gun Guy, wearing a bulletproof mask and green combat gear, sold medicine on the street with a bored expression.

After several days of promotion, the medicine Zhuang Xiaolin had obtained from the system had begun gaining a modest reputation in this neighborhood. Many people came here to try it. After all, most people living in the slums were poor, and many of them were infected with Oripathy.

Medicine capable of suppressing the spread of Oripathy was extremely expensive. Even remedies that only slightly weakened its effects could be sold at astronomical prices.

"Here are 2,000 Lungmen Dollars. Please count them." The customer was clearly familiar with the process. He pulled a stack of crumpled Lungmen Dollars from his pocket and handed them to Machine Gun Guy.

"Oh, right, sir. How much is the shirt?" Machine Gun Guy asked out of habit.

"Nine pounds and fifteen pence."

"Come again."

As an intelligent man, Zhuang Xiaolin naturally understood just how coveted such cheap medicine—medicine capable of saving most of the world's people—would become.

During the conflicts with rival companies in his previous life, Zhuang Xiaolin had learned that lesson deeply. If his previous world had not been a civilized society ruled by law, his competitors would have wanted nothing more than to run him down with a fully insured semi-truck.

To be safe, Zhuang Xiaolin had deliberately set up several codes. Regular customers usually had to answer a question after completing their purchase. He had taken the famous "nine pounds and fifteen pence" from his previous life as the answer.

Before a purchase, they would also randomly be asked a riddle.

During the transaction, they would be asked another.

Anyone nearby who had bought the medicine and experienced its effects understood that these layers of protection existed to ensure the medicine reached those who truly needed it. As for those who wanted to jack up the price, destroy the source of the medicine, or uncover its production method, it was difficult for them to penetrate the medicine's inner circle.

In other words, Zhuang Xiaolin and his team had earned considerable prestige here. Though local gangs had come to provoke them over the past few days, under the threat of heavy machine guns and all kinds of modern weapons, those fellows armed with swords, knives, and crossbows had all dropped to their knees and surrendered.

All that was missing was some music and pained declarations of, "Bu has drifted through life for half his days, only regretting that he never met a worthy lord. If you do not abandon me, Bu is willing to call you my sworn father."

"I heard you sell medicine here that can ease the pain of Oripathy?"

Something was wrong!

The instant he heard the voice, Machine Gun Guy sensed that the atmosphere nearby had subtly changed.

He raised his head and looked directly at the newcomer. Blue hair, a pair of sharp dragon horns—Machine Gun Guy did not know who she was, but her presence was overwhelming. At a glance, she was clearly not someone who belonged in the slums.

[We have trouble.]

Machine Gun Guy slightly moved his right hand behind his back and silently sent a message through the communicator behind him.

"Constant changes, the odd stays the same."

"Look at the quadrant for the sign."

The response came smoothly.

But after seeing the blue-haired dragon woman's increasingly imposing presence, Machine Gun Guy still decided to classify her as a potential defensive target.

[Glaz, target directly at your twelve o'clock.]

[Frost, at your seven o'clock.]

[Mozzie, at your one o'clock.]

The communicator transmitted the information, and Machine Gun Guy immediately relaxed somewhat, ready at any moment for a conflict with the target before him.

"The tea house collects interest at fixed points."

"Hydrogen on the left, non-hydrogen on the right. In oxides, write oxygen last."

The answers came smoothly.

The person before him had clearly made thorough preparations. Now, they could only take things one step at a time.

"Alright, you passed. How many doses would you like?"

"Please give me three."

"You understand the rules, right?"

"Money and goods change hands at the same time."

"Straightforward!"

"She seems to have noticed me." Glaz sent a message through the communicator that shocked everyone.

Glaz's concealment abilities were not something ordinary people could detect. Yet just after he found a hiding place, she had instantly noticed him. This showed just how powerful the person before them was.

"What should we do? Should we call the commander over?" Mozzie asked over the comms channel.

"No. That would be walking straight into the tiger's jaws. We might be playing right into their plan." Frost rejected the suggestion.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate.

A heavy tension hung over the slums. The children who had been laughing and playing nearby seemed to sense something and retreated fearfully into their homes.

"Brother, can we meet the boss behind you?" After receiving the medicine, Chen handed over the required 6,000 Lungmen Dollars, then casually tried to pry for information.

"Th-That... probably won't be possible, miss..." The atmosphere froze. The surroundings suddenly felt bleak, the sound of wind blowing past exceptionally loud. In the stillness, even the vigorous beating of hearts seemed especially clear.

"Oh, ladies and gentlemen, there's no need to come to blows over this." Just as the situation was about to erupt, a teasing voice came from behind Machine Gun Guy.

"Commander?" Machine Gun Guy looked back in confusion at the figure behind him, dressed in a black overcoat and wearing a black round hat that concealed his forehead.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, people of the Guard Department." Zhuang Xiaolin stepped before Chen.

"Hmph! Since you know who I am, how dare you appear before me so boldly? Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you and take you back to the Guard Department?" Chen let out a cold snort and looked at the self-assured man before her with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Oh, miss, I believe we both have our own matters to attend to. The medicine in your hands has the effects I claimed it has. If you do not trust me, you may have someone verify it. If the medicine fails to produce the effects I described, I am more than willing to accept the Guard Department's punishment." Zhuang Xiaolin removed his hat and looked sincerely at Chen.

"..."

Chen fell silent.

After a long while, a plastic bag was tossed over. Zhuang Xiaolin easily caught it and opened it to find a business license and a pharmaceutical production permit inside.

"I'll go back and verify them. If these medicines do not work as you claimed, I will arrest you immediately. And next time, remember to get these procedures handled beforehand." With that, Chen left.

Huh, was that really so easy? I thought I'd have to deal with her for quite a while.

Watching her figure gradually disappear into the distance, Zhuang Xiaolin could not help but sigh in relief. He had naturally expected something like this to happen as their dealings expanded over the past few days. Being approached by government officials was not impossible.

That blue-haired girl with dragon horns was very strong.

The information given by Eye of Death indicated that even if he used Death's Revolver to fire every bullet at the blue-haired dragon woman's vital points, it still might not be enough to kill her.

This world seemed even more dangerous than he had expected.

Still, the result was good.

He took out the business license and looked at it. The slogan he had used in his previous life to brush off his boss—build bigger, grow stronger, create new glory—seemed like it might actually come in handy.

The daily missions these past few days had all been based on the original first stage. He needed to sell medicine for an entire month, with sales increasing day by day. Compared to other missions that changed constantly and varied in difficulty, this one was relatively simple.

Zhuang Xiaolin also needed time to familiarize himself with this place and this world.

"Interesting. Something that can treat Oripathy... I've never heard of such a thing before. He's an interesting fellow. Strengthen surveillance. Do not get too close. Watch from a distance. Do not arouse suspicion, and do not do anything unnecessary."

"Yes, sir."

A low reply sounded through the spacious office before silence returned once more.

The brilliant colors of the skyscrapers outside the window seemed entirely unrelated to the office's resplendent luxury.

"It seems these next few months are destined to be anything but ordinary."