Chapter 27: The Black Market
Chapter 27: The Black Market
"Let me offer you a drink..."
Liu Wei raised his glass of soda again, "We cyborgs lead tough lives, like weeds struggling in the cracks. We have to fight for every ray of sunshine and drop of rain... After today, I'm going to focus all my efforts on preparing for the college entrance exam. From now on, we won't be friends but competitors."
"Yeah, cheers to our rivalry!"
Fang Xing also raised his glass, but he was a bit surprised inwardly.
This kid Liu Wei actually intends to cut ties with him.
'The brotherhood between men...'
He couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.
Liu Wei left in a hurry, as if this gathering was just a final farewell.
In the end, only Fang Xing was left, and he finished all the barbecue by himself: 'This is pretty expensive, can't waste it...'
He went home as usual, and it wasn't until he closed the door that his expression became solemn: 'Liu Wei...'
He had only suspected it before, but based on today's situation, it seemed that the original host's close friend was indeed involved with some forces.
However, from the fact that he took the initiative to cut ties, it seemed that he had good character.
As for the showdown in the ring? There shouldn't be any talk of friendship there anyway, it's not a matter of life and death...
'If I had the ability, I should still help him out... But unfortunately, I'm barely able to protect myself right now...'
Fang Xing sighed and went to bed.
...
The next day.
With a single-strapped backpack on his shoulder, Fang Xing boarded the maglev train.
The scope of Eagle Star was vast!
99.99% of the planet had achieved transportation and network coverage, except for areas with magnetic field disruptions, or places that were reduced to ruins and desolation, forming scars on the planet's civilization.
And the black market thrived in these very places!
"Outside of Maple Leaf City, there lies a city in ruins... It was once attacked by a faction of Evil God followers, which left half the city in ruins and contaminated with dangerous pollution and radiation..."
"The Federation could have cleaned it up, but it would have been more costly than building a new city, so they abandoned it. They built a new Maple Leaf City, and the old 'downtown' area gradually fell into disrepair, becoming a playground for scavengers and those without identities, eventually giving birth to the black market..."
"If one were to think darker, could it be that the higher-ups of Eagle Star deliberately left these 'wounds of civilization' to intentionally create a breeding ground for the black market?"
Fang Xing thought to himself as he held onto his ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at the train's final destination. Please hold on to the handrails and alight in an orderly manner..."
Time passed, and eventually, the maglev train reached its final stop.
Fang Xing disembarked and found himself on the outskirts of Maple Leaf City.
He started walking, gradually increasing his pace, then evading various surveillance cameras and slipping into the streets and alleys.
For this trip to the black market, he had left all his electronic devices at home.
As he navigated through the darkness, the flesh, muscles, and tendons on his face twitched, altering his appearance, and then he donned a black mask.
By the time he emerged from the alley, Fang Xing had changed his clothes and transformed into a strange-looking man wearing a leather jacket, a duckbill cap, and a black mask. He headed straight for the boundary between the new and old parts of the city.
Whoosh!
The old district lacked maintenance, resulting in crumbling walls and broken roads everywhere.
A gentle breeze blew, kicking up dust and sand.
The roads were in a state of disrepair, and what used to be a commercial street now had its signboards half-shattered.
Crunch!
Fang Xing stepped on a poster of a has-been female star, the sound alerting several hyenas lurking in the shadows.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that these hyenas were different from ordinary dogs; some had two heads, some had four eyes and eight legs...
"Mutated creatures..."
Fang Xing recalled the related information in his mind.
This was due to the combination of Evil God pollution and radiation, causing mutations in the local wildlife, resulting in these deformed offspring.
Although they were far from meeting the standards of lower-level minions, they might still possess some peculiar abilities.
The leading hyena, a three-headed beast, let out a low growl, seemingly finding Fang Xing unappetizing or already full, and turned away, leading the pack away.
Fang Xing walked through the commercial street and arrived at a residential area. Looking at the half-collapsed buildings, he wandered around and found a convenience store.
In the midst of the ruins, a convenience store that was still barely operating stood out like a sore thumb.
[Beep!]
As he walked through the door, a green light scanned him, emitting a mechanical sound.
"Excellent, very clean. You're not carrying any tracking or communication devices."
A round-faced young man smiled from behind the convenience store counter.
He was dressed in the store's uniform, with brownish hair, and was holding an ancient comic book.
He slowly put down the comic book, "Welcome to 'Trouble-Free Convenience Store'. What can I help you with today?"
"I'll take a communication device first."
Fang Xing scanned the row of communication instruments on the counter and nodded.
Naturally, the communication devices in the black market were untraceable, using either unregistered accounts or someone else's number, making it safer to contact others.
"No problem. How would you like to pay?"
The young man picked up a black wristwatch and smiled, "Ten thousand star dollars, cash or equivalent trade only."
"As expected, ripping people off. No, wait, ripping people off is child's play compared to the black market, huh?
Fang Xing casually glanced around and spotted a basic nano-protective suit on one of the shelves.
Here, it was boldly priced at a hundred thousand!
Obviously, an ordinary nano-protective suit wasn't worth that much, but one that removed the manufacturer's backdoor access was!
"Do you accept gold?"
Fang Xing took out a dog-head gold nugget the size of a fist from his single-strapped backpack and said, "Give me a quote, and transfer the extra money into a new account..."
"Sure."
The store owner took the gold, inspected it briefly, and said, "It's not pure... The net weight of gold is 2340 grams, with a gold price of 176 star dollars per gram, so it's worth 411,840 star dollars."
"With a 20% handling fee, minus another 10,000 star dollars, you're left with 319,472 star dollars, which I've transferred to your communication device account!"
...
After receiving the communication device, Fang Xing added the store owner's contact information and went to the back of the convenience store.
Surprisingly, there was another dilapidated street back there.
Although it looked desolate, there were occasionally a few figures moving among the ruins, each giving off an unapproachable aura.
'This feeling is somewhat similar to those loose cultivators in Qinglinfang City...'
Fang Xing looked around and unexpectedly felt a sense of familiarity.
The gold he had just exchanged for was, of course, easily obtained by trading spirit sand in the cultivator's market.
However, if he were to try and exchange a large amount of gold for spirit stones, it would be difficult, and he might even be forced to accept a low price.
"Weapons, potions, assassin guilds, entertainment venues..."
He browsed briefly and had to admit that the shops here were quite comprehensive.
"With over three hundred thousand star dollars, I'm considered rich."
Excited, Fang Xing entered a firearms shop.
The owner of this shop was an intimidating-looking muscular man wearing exoskeleton armor; he was at least at the Fourth Realm.
When Fang Xing entered, the man didn't even bother to look up, focusing solely on polishing a gun barrel in his hand.
Fang Xing casually glanced around and spotted the Swift Dragon brand laser gun that he had always wanted.
Below the silvery gun body was a small label:
['Swift Dragon' grade laser gun, second-hand, 90% new, can be used against humans, 2,000,000 star dollars]
"Two million?"
Fang Xing's pupils contracted, and he looked at the other firearms, only to find that this laser gun was actually one of the cheapest models in the shop.
"Sorry for disturbing you..."
He backed up a few steps and left the shop.
"I was careless. The black market really lives up to its name; three hundred thousand star dollars is just a drop in the bucket..."
As he thought about this, Fang Xing entered another shop.
Half an hour later.
Based on the tips he bought with his star dollars, Fang Xing found himself in a half-collapsed ruin.
In the ruins, there was only a wooden table and a woman with her head and face wrapped, only revealing her palms, sitting behind the counter.
Fang Xing glanced at her and noticed that her palms were covered in dense green tattoos.
'The aura here isn't good either; it gives me a dangerous feeling...'
He muttered to himself, then sat down in front of the tattooed woman and pulled out a chair.
Squeak!
The old wooden chair let out a creak, unable to bear the weight, but the tattooed woman across from him suddenly smiled and said, "Are you here to find some solutions, customer?"
"Yes, I want to launder money!" Fang Xing said solemnly.
He didn't want to give up his identity as a cyborg yet, so he couldn't afford to be too reckless.
However, he also didn't want to suppress his martial arts progress, so by the time high school started again in his second year, he would need a plausible explanation.
Without a source of income and large amounts of nutrient solution to support his progress, how could he possibly improve his realm so quickly? Therefore, he needed to launder his ill-gotten gains into legal income and then use formal channels to purchase a batch of nutrient solutions!
"What scale are we talking about?" The tattooed woman's eyes lit up.
"A few hundred thousand..."
"This little money..." The tattooed woman immediately sat back, looking bored: "Turn left at the door, go to the casino and gamble a few hands. The handling fee is 30%..."
"I can't go through the casino!"
Fang Xing was speechless. He was still a minor, so that route was obviously not an option.
"For this amount of money, it's excessive to set up a company and make some flow..." The tattooed woman smiled: "As expected, just a small customer."
She thought for a moment and replied, "We've acquired a lottery company. We can let you win a small prize; a few hundred thousand in winnings won't attract any attention at all. As long as you pay your taxes properly, the Federation won't care at all..."
"That's a good idea."
Fang Xing stroked his chin.
The Blue Star Federation prohibited minors from gambling but was more lenient when it came to lotteries.
And with this small amount of money, he was indeed a tiny shrimp that no one would bother to investigate.
"Let's do that, then."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
At least this way, he could make rapid progress in his second and third years of high school without raising too much suspicion.
Even if it caused a stir later on, as long as he got into university, became certified as an 'Occupationalist', and joined the privileged class, this little incident wouldn't amount to anything.
"Great, the handling fee is 50%!"
The tattooed woman smiled, revealing a set of pitch-black teeth, causing Fang Xing to feel a sharp pain in his heart as if he were bleeding: 'What a rip-off!'
(End of Chapter)
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