Chapter 351: Chapter 351

The truck continued to speed along, and Jing Shu’s mouth gradually fell open in awe. Damn it, this was truly a small city carved out of a mountain! Although Qian Duoduo’s Stone Garden was unsurpassed in its way, this underground city had even more impressive aspects.

Firstly, Stone Garden was constructed from individual blocks of stone, while this city was directly carved out of the mountain interior. Previously a warehouse, it now boasted a series of light steel houses built right inside, practically indistinguishable from the villas outside, with an equally pleasant environment.

"Hey, this is the new city built by those damn hundreds of middle-class families," Little Black explained. "They just moved their houses in here. The second year it might have been damp, but at least they weren’t out in the rain. This is the most badass place in Sacramento. And what’s even more badass is that there are two levels to the Underground Black Market. Noble families live on the top level, and our level is where mercenaries and the poor come to mingle. I’ve heard that the first floor is ’Heaven,’ but it’s a pity I’ve never been in."

Jing Shu nodded. Even speaking a little louder here created an echo, but it didn’t feel oppressive at all. The ceiling was about ten meters high, and crucially, there was another level above...

It just feels a bit dangerous, Jing Shu thought. With the ongoing earthquake, even inside the mountain, it’s constantly shaking. If the level above were to collapse, those below would surely be buried. The danger in this Underground Black Market is indeed worrisome.

The large truck stopped in the parking lot, and someone paid 1 Black Market Coin, the currency issued within the Underground Black Market. Next, Jing Shu could see the densely packed houses on either side and a buzzing crowd, chattering away in English that she, the poor student, couldn’t understand.

Every one of them was equipped with a variety of weapons—machetes, handguns, axes, hammers, shotguns, and so on. Some even wore leather armor and bulletproof vests. Groups of three or five were certainly the so-called mercenaries of the Black Market.

In the Underground Black Market, there were many stalls. Race was not a limitation here; there were Chinese, Mexicans, Black people, White people—some selling weapons, others offering food, and some even dealing in slaves. It was truly a bustling marketplace.

"Alright, guys, grab your ’meal tickets’!" Little Black exclaimed, making a ferocious expression. "It’s time to show your strength! Here, you have to be the fiercest pups! Be fierce, even fiercer!"

"Inside the Black Market," Little Black continued, "firearms and other weapons can’t be used openly. Fighting and killing are not allowed. But if a dispute arises, as long as you pay Black Market Coins, you can challenge and kill anyone. The last one standing gets all the possessions of both parties. Of course, if you don’t want to be challenged, just pay double the Black Market Coins, and you can avoid the fight. Oh, these damn Vampire Black Market rules! You can continue to pay Black Market Coins to issue challenges until the other party can’t pay up, but then your challenge also becomes meaningless. Those damn Vampires."

After picking up her pot, Jing Shu felt something was off and decisively switched to the weapon she had long considered for this occasion.

Given my strength, the best option would be to carry a Wolf Fang Club, she mused. It looks powerful and formidable, ensuring that on sight, I’d be known as someone not to be messed with. But considering it can’t be stored in my space and I’d have to carry a huge club every time I went out, it’s too inconvenient.

So, Jing Shu equipped herself with a repeating crossbow that could be quickly assembled on her back, a steel machete hanging behind her, and a handgun tucked at her waist. Though it was a somewhat incongruous arsenal, at least her Combat Power was high. In this hellish place, Jing Shu also decisively wore a bulletproof hat. Official source ıs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥

DING. Your Huaxia Aunt has logged on.

Tan Ke was even more over-the-top. He had a huge shield on his back, wore a bulletproof vest, shouldered a machine gun, and dragged two heavy iron balls that made a loud, grating noise on the ground. The people around, who had approached with anger in their eyes, immediately backed down upon seeing Tan Ke—over two meters tall, with ripped muscles, and decked out in firearms.

Monkey and Snake Spirit’s equipment was much simpler. Jing Shu could only see a couple of handguns on them. Perhaps their primary weapons and trump cards were hidden away.

As for Lingling, she carried a sniper rifle and an assault rifle, donned her specialized gloves, and wore a monocle. ’Female assassin,’ the term unbiddenly popped into Jing Shu’s mind.

The Underground Black Market glowed faintly. Lingling’s fashionable and cute outfit attracted plenty of greedy and lustful stares, but as soon as she put on the monocle and made a ’BANG! BANG!’ gesture with the assault rifle from her back, many swiftly averted their gaze.

"Hey," Little Black advised, "if you want to kill someone in the Underground Black Market, it’s best to go through a duel. If you kill someone directly without a duel, their property will be taken by the Black Market, and you’ll face punishment from the Nobles. Of course, if you can pay enough Black Market Coins, that’s a different story. In the end, if you have money, you can do whatever you want."

Rules are only binding on the poor.

"The Black Market doesn’t turn anyone away, no matter where you come from," Little Black explained to everyone while greeting some traders in English. "As long as you complete tasks, you can become a mercenary of the Black Market. It doesn’t matter what schemes you have, even if you’re a spy sent by other countries; there’s no difference here. But you must always display enough strength. Huaxia has an old saying, ’Pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger,’ but that doesn’t apply here. In this place, there aren’t just tigers and elephants; there’s also a swarm of ants that can devour you completely."

"Hey there," Little Black called out to a vendor, "where did today’s slaves get snatched from?"

To another, he jeered, "Oh, you heartless maggot, still peddling food made from insects!"

Jing Shu also curiously observed the Black Market. It was much better than the slums. However, everyone had weapons. As they walked, a fight broke out in front of them, and the combatants began dueling under the watchful eyes of the Black Market guards.

One person threw an axe, striking the head of another who wielded a machete, instantly killing him. The duel took only a few seconds. The axe wielder then took all the machete man’s belongings, including stripping off his clothes. A guard then had the bloodied, naked corpse dragged away.

Little Black whispered from the side, "These corpses are taken to feed Domestic Poultry. Those heartless maggots... The canteen here even serves human flesh, though they claim it’s rat meat. I’ve seen fingers with long, unclipped nails still attached. I’ve also heard about their new wine, called ’Freshly Squeezed Human Blood Juice.’ It’s blood pressed from these corpses mixed with alcohol. They say it tastes pretty good. Next time, I’ll take you all to try it. If you’re lucky, there might even be meat chunks in it."

I’m truly grateful for Yang Yang’s foresight in having us bring our own food, Jing Shu reflected. Before, I was curious. In the food paradise of the United States, where food should be abundant, why did we still need to bring our own? Why not just raid each place and live off the spoils of war? Now I understand a little.

The people at the bottom eat anything, while only the upper echelons have access to endless luxurious food.