Chapter 353: Chapter 353

Never would I have guessed the opponents were such cowards. The Black man, who had just sent a wolf charging at us while shouting, "Go bite them!", immediately backed off when he got a clear look at Jing Shu and her companions, as well as their weaponry. He stood there, gibbering incoherently.

It wasn’t long before Little Black informed Jing Shu and the others, "That six-person team of softies gave up. They said Asians are trouble, claiming all of them practiced evil Cup Skill and were devils. Plus, my fierce appearance scared them."

Everyone listened to Little Black’s bluster with expressionless faces.

And so, Jing Shu’s team successfully made their reservation. They could come to accept the mission at three in the afternoon. If they succeeded in this mission, the Black Market would arrange another one of similar difficulty and reward.

"Hey, let’s grab some lunch and then rest for a bit in the truck; that should be just about the right amount of time. Now, I’ll take you all to check out the Black Market’s fancy restaurants. Don’t be shy, this meal’s on me. Black Market food is the safest around; it’s all licensed. Though there might be some unidentified creatures mixed in, at least it’s not poisoned." Little Black kept urging everyone on with a constant "Let’s go, go, go!"

The restaurants in the Black Market resembled old-fashioned, open-air food markets from before the apocalypse. They were similar to night markets, with long rows of stalls corresponding to thousands of tables and chairs. At this moment, the restaurant was packed with all sorts of people: fierce mercenaries, fragile-looking young people, Scavengers. Because it was located in a cave, the echoes made it quite noisy.

Following a fast-food model, you first queued up to buy food and then found a place to sit. But where were there any empty seats right now? Most people were squatting to one side, eating meals made of indiscernible ingredients.

"Hey, want to try some specialty high-protein fried maggots? They’re a bit fishy, though, because we’re short on spices and they’re not marinated. Or how about a high-end dish like white turnips stewed in salt? Look, we also have delicious and nutritious insect juice, or maybe try some freshly squeezed human blood? Oh, and over there we have bread with lettuce, but one of those costs 8 Black Market Coins."

According to Little Black’s introduction, the cheapest and most popular item was a ’mud’-like food. Made from the United States’ cheapest potatoes mixed with insects and unidentified meat, a serving cost only 1 Black Market Coin and was quite filling.

There was also black bread, made with intermixed wheat bran, which was difficult to swallow.

Slightly more expensive were the multi-grain burgers, containing unknown meat, which cost 3 Black Market Coins. Orıginal content can be found at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱

Normally, 5-10 Black Market Coins could get you pretty good food, and for 30 Black Market Coins, you could have a steak feast. This demonstrated why so many people became mercenaries. One mission could keep them living comfortably for seven or eight days. If they added some beer, they could enjoy themselves for four or five days without issue. This was unlike Huaxia, which had absolutely no high-risk, high-reward mercenary system.

Freshly squeezed human blood with added alcohol cost 5 Black Market Coins and was very popular, being much cheaper than beer. In the Black Market, the most expensive items weren’t grains but fruits, which were a luxury for the wealthy. Each piece of fruit cost at least dozens of Black Market Coins. Grains were cheaper than Jing Shu had expected. In the Black Market, a job that wasn’t too dangerous, paying 10 Black Market Coins a day, could feed a family.

And indeed, supplies here were much more abundant than in Huaxia, with plenty of daily necessities available—all side effects of previous overproduction.

"Hey, don’t be shy, but you can only choose items under 10 Black Market Coins; I don’t have that much money."

So, Snake Spirit got two roasted rats for 10 Black Market Coins. Lingling grabbed a handful of rice for 10 Black Market Coins. Monkey acquired three multi-grain burgers, and Tan Ke opted for a sandwich with extra lettuce, also totaling 10 Black Market Coins. Little Black was nearly in tears. This was especially true when he saw Snake Spirit giving the roasted rats to Ai She, Lingling giving the rice to the parrot, Monkey handing the burgers to Ah Huang, and Tan Ke gobbling down his entire sandwich.

"Hey, my dear Miss Jing, I knew you were the best, not ripping me off like them..." Before he could finish his sentence, Jing Shu picked up two eggs, saying, "They all got something; it would seem off if I didn’t. So, I’ll just take these eggs."

Little Black was rendered speechless.

This essentially served as Little Black’s initiation into Jing Shu’s team, marking their acceptance of him.

They ended up not eating at the restaurant. Little Black himself gnawed on a bread worth 3 Black Market Coins when the Mercenary Association sent a notification: there was a problem with the mission.

The team that had just been gloating now watched Jing Shu’s group, whispering amongst themselves. Unfortunately, though Jing Shu could hear their voices, she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

In the hall, a white man with only one arm left was jabbering away with a Black Market staff member. Little Black translated from the side, "Oh damn, the mission’s difficulty has increased! There are two armed forces near the Diamond Mine, and also many strange, man-eating creatures with strong Combat Power. This man said his team was wiped out, and they’re requesting the disbandment of their Mercenary Team, as well as payment for the intelligence he’s providing."

"The staff gave him 200 Black Market Coins as compensation and upgraded the mission to D-class difficulty for mercenaries, with a reward of 5,000 Black Market Coins. Damn it, we might not be able to take this mission now."

Snake Spirit said with a smug smile, "Just tell her that we’ve already booked the mission, so let us try once more. We only need a reward of 3,000 Black Market Coins. If we fail, she can simply re-release it tomorrow afternoon at three."

"Hey, buddy, you’re really smart! She agreed. Well then, I wish you smooth sailing. I’ll wait here for your good news."

Jing Shu and her companions: "??? You’re not going?"

"Me? I have pathetic Combat Power; I can’t go to dangerous places."

"If you don’t go, we won’t find our way."

"If you really won’t go, then we’ll have no choice but to kick you out of the team. You won’t get any of the benefits after we complete the mission."

Little Black struggled for a while before saying, "Hey, buddies, then I’ll just be in charge of directions. How about that?"

The team that had just admitted defeat watched Jing Shu and her companions leave the Underground Black Market with strange expressions.

The truck sped along, and Jing Shu’s stomach growled with hunger. She had no choice but to occasionally pop chocolate pieces into her mouth and eat some beef jerky to stave off her hunger. They continued until they reached the mountain range surrounding the Diamond Mine, where the truck could go no further. The entire team then restocked on supplies, ate some of the food they had brought, fully armed themselves, and set off on foot towards their target.

"Go, scout out how many people are on the other side, their combat strength, and whether there are any traps," Lingling said, releasing her parrot. Snake Spirit also sent out his Little Snake to investigate.

Monkey’s Ah Huang was constantly exploring the surroundings. As a Scout, Monkey had already gone ahead to survey the environment.

Jing Shu glanced at Fat Chicken, who stubbornly refused to get off the truck, and she felt an urge to kick it. Fat Chicken returned a disdainful look towards the mountain range, as if to say, ’You guys go ahead. It’s too dirty down there; it’ll get my crown and new clothes dirty.’