Arrival at the Black Market

"Seriously? They'd only been fighting for a few days, and it already made it to the black market?" Tang Yu asked without showing any emotion. It was simply unbelievable. Only a week had passed since the news came out, yet the remains of the Mechanical race had already found their way onto the black market? Not just Tang Yu—even Meng Xuanxuan was puzzled.

Old Black chuckled quietly at Tang Yu's question. After glancing around and seeing that no one nearby was paying attention, he said, "Actually, the two sides had already had small-scale clashes before this. This thing was loaded onto a spaceship headed for Earth before the big war even began!"

So that was it. Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan finally understood after hearing Old Black's explanation.

As they talked, Tang Yu felt the train gradually slowing down. Then the announcement system said they would arrive at X City Station in five minutes. Looking outside, the scenery was becoming increasingly prosperous as well.

"Ping County! Leaving now! One hundred per person, just one seat left!"

The moment they left the platform, they heard drivers at the station entrance shouting hard for passengers.

"Tang Wei, want to come with your big brother?" Old Black came out from inside at that moment. He had not hurried off when Tang Yu got off the train, seemingly worried that someone might steal his belongings. He only came out after most of the passengers had gotten off, which made him rather late.

Tang Yu had originally planned to go to the black market himself, but he was unfamiliar with X City and did not even know how to get there. Old Black seemed like a decent enough man and worth trusting, so Tang Yu did not refuse.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Old Black."

"What trouble? Wait here, I'll make a call!" As he spoke, Old Black pulled out his phone.

"Hello, Big Fei. I'm at the station entrance. Where are you?" Old Black shouted into the phone in his rough voice.

"Yeah, hurry your ass up!" With that, Old Black hung up.

Before long, an inconspicuous old white sedan stopped in front of the three of them. A young man stepped out, wearing a blue-and-white shirt, loose shorts, and flip-flops. He looked about Tang Yu's age, perhaps even younger. He was probably the Big Fei Old Black had mentioned.

"Master!" Big Fei hurried over to Old Black with an excited expression as soon as he got out, reaching to take the bag from his hand, only for Old Black to smack his hand away.

"Don't touch it! Get in the car first!" Old Black glanced around, then motioned for Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan to get in. Once the car left the station, Big Fei could no longer hold back his question.

"Master, who are these two?" Big Fei's eyes kept darting toward the rearview mirror. He had seen plenty of pretty women while hanging around Old Black, since Old Black often brought such women home for the night. But this was the first time he had seen a beauty on Meng Xuanxuan's level.

"They're two friends I met on the train. Tang Wei... what was this girl's name again?" Old Black said, turning his gaze toward Meng Xuanxuan.

Meng Xuanxuan was about to answer when Tang Yu gently squeezed her palm.

"Lin Xi. She's my classmate."

At Tang Yu's words, Big Fei gave an "oh" and said nothing more. Old Black, on the other hand, chuckled as though something had occurred to him, his thoughts drifting away. Back then, when people had asked who the girl beside him was, he had given the same answer. But unfortunately...

"Master, are we going straight to the black market to deal with the goods, or heading home first?" The car stopped at a fork in the road. One sign pointed toward Big Locust Town, Ping County, while the other road had no sign at all.

"Straight to the black market! There are more people at night, more excitement!" Old Black snapped back to his senses and answered his apprentice. Then, as if recalling something, he turned to Tang Yu and asked, "What do you think?"

Naturally, Tang Yu had no objections to Old Black's suggestion. He simply nodded in agreement.

"Old... Old Black, can you really buy anything at the black market?" Outside the window, safety nets stretched one after another as far as the eye could see. Bored with the view and having nothing else to do, Meng Xuanxuan could not help asking Old Black.

Old Black smacked his lips, reached up to rub the stubble on his chin, and said, "More or less. As long as you've got money, you can get whatever you want. Nobody governs the place. But once you get there, find somewhere safe to settle down first. Otherwise, before tomorrow morning comes, the two of you will be eaten so thoroughly that not even your bones will remain!"

"What do you mean by somewhere safe? Didn't you say nobody governed the black market?" Meng Xuanxuan felt that Old Black was contradicting himself. He had first said it was lawless, then told them to find a safe place to stay.

Tang Yu, however, knew that although the black market was lawless, it still had a White District. Everything inside had to follow the rules, though he had heard that getting in cost quite a bit.

"Since you two are going to the black market for fun, don't blame Old Black for being nosy. Don't try to save those few bucks. Once you're inside, go to the White District first, find a hotel, and settle down. Then buy a black market guide and visit a few venues for some fun. Don't trust people too easily, and don't go anywhere with too few people!" At that point, Old Black hesitated, as if there was something else he wanted to say but did not know how to put it.

"Old Black, just say what you want to say," Tang Yu urged when he saw his expression.

"It won't sound nice, so don't take it the wrong way, Miss Lin Xi." Only after saying that did Old Black turn serious and address Tang Yu. "Little Tang, don't you think this girl is pretty?" The girl he meant was naturally Meng Xuanxuan. Tang Yu did not deny it and nodded.

"Everyone likes pretty girls. It's one thing elsewhere, but it's different in the black market. You understand what your big brother means, right?" As he spoke, Old Black's usual smile disappeared, and he looked at Tang Yu solemnly.

Tang Yu nodded seriously. Looking at Meng Xuanxuan again, the excitement she had felt before coming here was gone from her face after hearing Old Black's words.

"Leave Big Fei your number. When you've had enough and are ready to leave, have him pick you up. Don't take cars from inside the black market. You two don't understand anything. Being conned is one thing, but losing your lives wouldn't be worth it!"

Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan were both stunned by Old Black's words. "Old Black, are you going back tonight?" Looking out the window, the sun was already close to setting. Was he really going back that night?

"Hehe, don't worry about my master! Oh, right, Master, don't forget the thing I asked you to get. Remember to buy it for me!"

Tang Yu understood now. Big Fei was definitely going back that night. As for Old Black, he was probably going out to have some fun. After all, people came to the black market in search of excitement.

After driving for more than two hours, a black town appeared in their field of vision. The surroundings were desolate, with not even a safety net in sight. It stood there all alone, bathed in the lingering glow of the sunset, carrying a peculiar sort of charm.

"Master, I'm heading back first. Don't forget what you promised me!" After dropping the three of them off in front of the iron bridge, Big Fei called out to Old Black, then drove away.

"Hurry up! The gates are about to close!" The city gates were half-open at the moment. It was nearly eight o'clock. After calling out to the two of them, Old Black took the lead across the iron bridge and entered the pitch-black passage. Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan exchanged a look and quickly followed.

Inside stood rows of ruined buildings. Looking into the distance, though, the interior was brilliantly lit, forming a stark contrast with this place.

"The gates open at ten every morning and close punctually at eight every night, but that doesn't matter much to you. I'll take you to the White District first, then we'll part ways?" Though he asked, Old Black had already started walking.

The alleyways along the road flickered with lights from time to time, but Old Black did not even spare them a glance.

Only when they arrived did Tang Yu understand what the White District was. The buildings here were almost entirely white and spotless, standing in sharp contrast to the dilapidated buildings outside.

"This street is called White Street, and this area is called the White District. Don't ever start trouble here, or you'll die horribly. It can be considered a safe haven. Plenty of desperate criminals with blood on their hands like to come here to enjoy a little peace when they have some money. But it isn't cheap. The low end costs eight hundred or a thousand a night, while the expensive places can charge several thousand or even tens of thousands. Decide for yourselves. I've got business to attend to, so I'm leaving first!" With that, Old Black tucked his bag under his arm, turned, and disappeared down another street.

White Street was no different from the cities outside. It was lined entirely with high-end hotels, though strangely, all their storefronts were rather small. Tang Yu had no idea why.

After walking farther in and turning a corner, Tang Yu discovered that it was a dead end. The establishment at the very end was far beyond any of the hotels near the street entrance, whether in storefront, decor, or number of floors.

Only then did a satisfied expression appear on Meng Xuanxuan's face. This was where she was supposed to stay! She lifted her foot to head inside, but Tang Yu stopped her.

"Are you stupid? This place must be ridiculously expensive. Let's just find any hotel to stay in."

But Meng Xuanxuan was unhappy to hear that. "You're the stupid one! Military training is going to be miserable enough. We might as well enjoy ourselves properly while we can!"

Tang Yu really had no answer to that. It actually seemed to make sense.

"Oh, come on, let's go! I'll treat you, all right? You're a grown man, so stop being so fussy!"

"Sorry!" Meng Xuanxuan had been so focused on pulling Tang Yu inside that she failed to notice someone coming out at the entrance. She nearly bumped into him.

"It's fine." The man walking toward them had a shaved head and looked around twenty-five or twenty-six. His eyes shone sharply, and one look was enough to tell that he was a trained fighter. His strength was definitely greater than Tang Yu's and Meng Xuanxuan's.