Chapter 1124
Chapter 1124 - 1110: The Dragon Crosses the River
1,320 words
•
7 min read
Battles in games and movies: a joyous departure, fierce combat, abundant spoils of war, no lingering concerns or consequences, a hundred battles fought, each one a move from glory to greater glory.
In reality, every battle is a rotation of life and death, no one can be sure the winner will be themselves, every combat decision is made with the utmost caution, and the effects of each war are measured in years, or even decades.
Reckless and passionate young warriors, no matter the reason they enter the battlefield, all change when they reach a certain age, having witnessed blood and glory, death and desperation.
Some waste away in hotels, others squander their days in casinos, some calmly read books, reminiscing the flash of massacres, while others numbly and frantically dissipate desires amidst countless money.
But for Lu Ping’an, who had nothing to begin with, he seemed to be realizing that he’s still alive, very much alive....
"Your little life is quite valuable."
"Heh, if they want it, let them come and get it."
Walking calmly on the streets of the Mysterious Steam Factory, surrounded by eyes full of vigilance and desire, Lu Ping’an still wore a carefree smile, his tone gentle as water.
This place is far from a safe zone; on the contrary, it’s a forbidden area for Ordinary People, with the "highest human evaporation rate."
Yet even alone, no bounty hunters dared to block his path.
The real local tyrants here, the bosses of the underworld, received the news and hurried over in a rush.
"Nine Leaves," "Heart Eater," and the masterminds behind various Black Market organizations, seen as the Magic King by those in the Black Market, were now panting as they gathered around the young man, taking the initiative to greet him.
When Lu Ping’an first arrived here, he was indeed a mere underling who had to be very careful, but now...
"Hello, Big Bosses, I’m just here to have a look, what’s all this for?"
"Heh, little brother Lu... Big Brother Lu, we heard you were visiting, and it’s rare that you have the time to come over, it’s only right that we, the landlords, play hosts. Just in time to invite you for lunch."
This was said with utmost humility.
But Lu knew... they couldn’t risk letting him wander around here unchecked.
Back when Lu was nothing but an underling, he could only bottle up his feelings upon seeing various gray industries, but now, if he really has a "bout of righteousness," the Steam Factory Secret Realm might become history by tomorrow.
Moreover, with the rumor that the "Trading Land" is his private property, he might indeed have the motive to rage against this competing Black Market Secret Realm on some pretext.
The most fatal part is, if he were to actually do it...
"Legal, reasonable, and lawful, many people would applaud it."
That’s quite a headache.
Considering his past experience with bloody underworld clashes... Back then, his prowess far exceeded the tier he was supposed to occupy, and it was said that the Crossing River Dragon’s professional mercenaries who faced him are now serving under him, he is someone who really can do anything.
So when the underworld bosses heard that Lu Ping’an had directly appeared on their streets, they immediately realized everything and, scared out of their wits, dropped all important matters and rushed over.
"Relax, today I’m not here to cause trouble..."
Does that mean tomorrow could be a different story?
Lu Ping’an wasn’t here to "clean house," after all, he knew a city always needs its "toilets," otherwise, where would all the filth go, spreading everywhere.
This wave of human dividends has not only filled the surface layers of the city to the brim; the gray and black organizations and powers underneath have grown madly, enormously.
After all, if powerful outsiders really go for profit without standards, in the Black Market, in the gray society, money comes obviously faster.
Also, due to the rapid expansion of these powers, frictions have occurred multiple times between the inner and outer worlds.
These bosses came so quickly because they felt guilty...
"So you’re here to see the goods, that’s good, that’s really good...."
For the bigwigs of the grey forces, this was tantamount to someone coming to their door with deadly weapons; since the other party said they were just passing by, they naturally would not take the initiative to puncture this pretense.
On the contrary, after they returned, they would even instruct their subordinates to avoid causing trouble for the time being, at least until this wise disaster had left Earth.
In their eyes, perhaps Lu Ping’an’s overt entry was intended to intimidate and show his power...
"If you don’t restrain yourselves, next time I won’t just be passing through."
This sentiment didn’t need to be stated so blatantly.
Lu Ping’an smiled slightly and said calmly,
"I am here to shop for some rare materials my car needs for modification...."
As he spoke, he took out a list of materials.
"How could we have you personally come all the way here, just a word would have been enough!"
Every boss present immediately expressed their enthusiasm and called over their subordinates to allocate and immediately procure and transfer the goods, wishing Lu Ping’an could immediately take the items and leave... Nevertheless, Lu knew that if he hadn’t come in person but just sent a list, these people would’ve all claimed to be unable to find anything.
Since when have these underworld figures been so honest and friendly? Only when a gun is pointed at their heads, and Lu Ping’an was that gun.
Lu Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry. He gave them enough time and even followed their arrangement to sit in a teahouse, drinking tea and reading the newspaper at ease... He knew they would come back to him.
Sure enough, half an hour later, most of the onlookers lost interest, and the bosses came back with smiles on their faces.
"We can handle most of the materials on this list, but the last...."
Yet the last few pages of the unfolded material list were full of names.
Among them, there were fugitives with huge bounties, criminals from the Foreign Domain hiding here, and notorious cultists... Their only common trait was that they were all enemies of the Ancient City’s public order.
"Is there a problem with these ’materials’?"
Facing the question, Lu simply responded calmly as if they were not a list of criminals but actual materials.
"...This, some people, really are not in our domain...."
"Well, I will wait until all the materials are ready before I leave. You don’t need to mind me; I’ll be going down the street to have some tea and take a stroll."
You ya walking down this street, do you think anyone else dares to conduct illegal transactions?
As long as he’s here for a day, trade volume will drop by half, and everyone will feel threatened. If he took up permanent residence, it might as well spell the end for this Black Market...
"We’ll gather everything. Although there are some people we really can’t handle..."
"Just tell me their locations."
Lu Ping’an smiled, seemingly quite understanding.
And this act implied that the entire Black Market was bowing down to the Ancienct City officials and the Bureau of Anomaly Management.
It also meant that the "grey individuals" had to be cautious in their actions, and the grey organizations here could no longer offer them shelter.
"Making money is certainly good, but violating social order and morals is quite another matter..." Lu Ping’an smiled, but he was pressing down on these bosses, making them nod in agreement.
— End of Chapter 1124 —