The Black Market

"Grenade, are you there? Say something!"

Xu Jiang sent a telepathic message, shaking the grenade back and forth in his hand.

"General, please stop shaking me. I'm trying my best to prevent the firing pin from dropping. If you keep shaking me, I'm going to explode."

Hearing this, Xu Jiang's heart skipped a beat. They were on a vehicle! If it really exploded, everyone would be finished.

He quickly asked Sha Tu for a new safety pin and, under everyone's strange gazes, reinserted it.

"Phew~~ Saved. Thank you, General. You can just call me Xiao Lei." Although the grenade referred to itself as a junior, its voice sounded like that of a middle-aged man.

Xu Jiang could picture a man rubbing his hands together, bowing obsequiously with a fawning smile, hiding timidly in the back. As long as he wasn't sent to the battlefield, he could sing your praises all day long.

Having this personality appear in a grenade was truly troublesome.

"A grenade that doesn't want to self-destruct isn't a good grenade. If you're greedy for life and afraid of death, how can you go to the battlefield!"

As Xu Jiang's foremost general, Qianji was the first to criticize this cowardly and weak personality.

But the grenade had its own reasons!

"Alas~~ There's no helping it. From the moment I was born, I carried the bloodline of grenades. I didn't want this either. Therefore, I'm determined to abandon combat and pursue medicine, to change my mechanical life."

If you're not going to write a book, your grand ambitions are truly wasted.

As a grenade, if you don't self-destruct on the front lines, what use are you to me?

"Replying to the General, I can provide healing for you from the rear!"

As he spoke, a white light emanated from the grenade, sweeping over everyone's bodies like ripples. The minor injuries sustained during the recent battle began to slowly heal.

"Huh? Xu Jiang, you can also use healing magic?" Sha Tu was surprised. How could the new disciple taken in by Elder Lei be proficient in so many skills?

"And they're all skills that don't serve their intended purpose," Xiao Zhen also chimed in.

It wasn't just me scolding you! Even Xiao Zhen, a straightforward little loli, had something to say. This was enough to prove how absurd it was for the Mechanical Department to possess healing abilities.

But the grenade wasn't ashamed and retorted, "Fighting enemies on the battlefield is for young people. When you get old, you just want to spend your remaining years peacefully. Everyone, keep up the good work. I'll be here in the rear to support you."

This unambitious thing, why not find a river and sink it? Keeping it around just takes up space.

While he was contemplating this, the vehicle stopped. Xu Jiang looked up and out the window, only to realize that they didn't seem to be heading back to base. Instead, they had arrived next to a dilapidated street.

"Where is this?"

"Blackwater District, the most chaotic place in all of Yong'an City," Sha Tu replied with a smile.

It was already two in the morning, but the Blackwater District was still in utter chaos.

Dim lights illuminated the messy streets, littered with garbage on both sides. Occasionally, gang members could be seen fighting each other in groups.

In the brief moment they had stopped, Xu Jiang had already seen three people lying in pools of blood. To describe this place as 'poor mountains and bad waters breed difficult people' would be most fitting.

It was clear that Ying Xiaoxiao and the others were quite familiar with this place. After getting out of the car, she led Xu Jiang into an alley.

Although he had come to trust the members of Team 17 to a certain extent, walking through such a dark alley in the middle of the night still brought a sense of tension, as if he might be killed and sold as pork.

Of course, the tension only lasted for a short while.

After turning two corners and pushing open an iron gate, they had reached their destination.

Unlike the darkness and chaos outside, this place gave Xu Jiang a feeling of prosperity and liveliness.

On a brightly lit long street, vendors on both sides were shouting their wares. The dazzling array of goods seemed to stretch endlessly.

Baozi clung to Xu Jiang's shoulder, giggling as it introduced, "This is the Black Market. It only opens late at night. What do you think? Didn't expect the Blackwater District to have such a prosperous side, did you?"

Light and darkness have always coexisted.

Yong'an City had its bright and luxurious side, as well as its chaotic and sinful filth.

Similarly, the despicable Blackwater District also contained the bustling Black Market.

"This is the dirtiest trading post in all of Yong'an City. Even contraband can be bought here, including human heads," Sha Tu said, slightly pulling down the brim of his hood.

In this place, almost everyone wore masks. No one asked about identity or source of goods; it was all about making a deal with a single, decisive price.

Xu Jiang nodded, feeling like his horizons had broadened. He began to look around curiously.

The Black Market's stalls and shops lined the entire street, displaying a dazzling variety of goods.

From large, five-meter-long laser cannons, whose muzzles were bigger than Xu Jiang's head, capable of obliterating everything with a single shot.

To small magic staffs, short swords, pets, and even some bizarre organs. Anything that could be sold was available here, making one's eyes blur.

Xu Jiang scanned the area and couldn't help but exclaim in wonder, "This place is truly amazing. By the way, are you guys here to buy something?"

"We're not buying something for ourselves; we're buying something for you," Ying Xiaoxiao said, stylishly flicking her cloak and patting the money pouch at her waist.

"Tonight is your welcome party. The 120 Exotic Crystals we just earned are all for buying you a gift."

These words stunned Xu Jiang.

So, this was the ultimate purpose of the welcome party!

To earn enough reward through a mission and give Xu Jiang a grand gift.

It also served as a test of everyone's mettle through a battle.

After tonight, they were comrades who had risked their lives together, able to entrust their backs to each other with peace of mind.

Thinking of this, Xu Jiang couldn't help but smile. It seemed joining Team 17 wasn't so bad after all.

As he mused, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his clothes, and a cool, yet adorably clueless voice reached his ears.

"Xiao Zhen and Xiao You want Black Market ice cream."

Turning his head, he saw Xiao Zhen looking at him with her big eyes, clearly craving something.

As for the Xiao You she mentioned, it was the pet little phantom she was holding, currently giving his clothes a gentle tug.

A cute little girl, looking pitifully at you and asking for ice cream, was there even a need to consider?

"Of course, no problem, my treat." Xu Jiang's generous words were met with Xiao Zhen's gratitude and affirmation.

"That's great, thank you, brother. You're a living person."

Xu Jiang: ???

He retracted his earlier assessment of her being cute. How could this child make such a bizarre judgment?

Treating someone to ice cream meant they were alive?

So in her eyes, he had been dead all along?

Seeing Xu Jiang's stunned expression, Baozi, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh and cry. He patted Xu Jiang's shoulder and explained, "Don't take it personally. The Black Market only opens at night, so it's not easy to get there."

"So?"

"So, the boss set a rule: if a new member joins, they have to take on a mission, and use the reward to buy a welcome gift from the Black Market."

"You mean, the people before me..."

"Four dead, two severely injured. None of them made it to the Black Market. I'm very glad you survived."

"...Thank you."