Chapter 42: The Secret of the Black Core

In an inconspicuous corner of the Black Market, at a haphazardly set-up stall, a dirt slope rose behind it.

Zhang Hao and two dark-skinned brothers sat on the edge of the dirt slope.

Zhang Hao looked to be in his forties, and the two dark-skinned brothers also looked aged; the three sat together, looking like farmers from a bygone era who foraged for food in the Ground.

Simple in temperament, mature in appearance, the sunken wrinkles between their brows revealed a trace of sorrow.

Nowadays, those who had a plot of land to grow Dishes were the powerful elite, a form of high-class entertainment returning to nature.

The lower class ate factory machines—synthetic meat and synthetic vegetables 3D printed according to program instructions.

Every piece of meat and vegetable had the same texture from one mold; buying Dishes removed the trouble of picking and choosing, the vacuum bag packaging had a thief-long shelf life, and each was labeled as containing no additives or side effects, safe to eat with Rest Assured.

Zhang Hao held a cigarette butt between his index finger and thumb, took a deep drag, and asked: "That kid from the Incineration Plant hasn't come around for a while, right?"

Dark-skinned Face 1: "Mm, hasn't come."

Zhang Hao frowned: "Hasn't the Incineration Plant received any E Corpses recently?"

Dark-skinned Face 1: "It has. He went to the Incineration Plant Gate two days ago to stake it out and counted that vehicles delivering E Corpses go in every day on average."

Dark-skinned Face 1 pointed a finger at Dark-skinned Face 2, who silently nodded.

Zhang Hao took another drag: "Bad luck, didn't burn out a Black Core?"

Dark-skinned Face 1 shook his head again: "He was on the Road, followed that kid for a stretch, and used a Detection Device to test him, which showed residual values."

Dark-skinned Face 2 continued nodding.

Zhang Hao's brow knotted into a frown, and he said in a low voice: "Residual values mean a Black Core came out, but it's not on him—that kid handed it to someone else. Are there others in the Nine Districts also buying Black Cores?"

Dark-skinned 1 was about to speak again, but Zhang Hao grew impatient, glaring with his Eye as he growled lowly: "Stop speaking for him all the time; doesn't he have a mouth? Let him speak for himself."

Dark-skinned 1 made an "oh" sound.

Dark-skinned 2 had kept his head down poking Ant Corpses with a stick, but now he had to speak; he seemed unable to process things, and in frustration threw down the stick, the ground beside his feet already covered in Ant Corpses.

"A new kid came to the Incineration Plant; the detection values were very high." Dark-skinned 2 lifted his head and answered somewhat stammeringly.

Zhang Hao understood, and while he breathed a sigh of relief, he was also puzzled: "Since no one else buys Black Cores, why would that new kid at the Incineration Plant keep the Black Core for himself instead of coming to us to sell it for money?"

Dark-skinned 1's brain wasn't quite up to it; he hadn't thought so deeply. Hearing this, he froze and asked uncertainly: "Did that kid discover the Secret of the Black Core?"

Dark-skinned 2's taciturn face remained expressionless; he picked up the stick and picked at the Ant Corpses stuck to it.

He sucked his fingers and spat out four words flatly: "Kill him, I'll go."

Zhang Hao was considering it, but before he could figure it out, he saw the stall spread on the ground being dirtied by several muddy Shoe Soles.

"I've asked around; in the Black Market, only your family buys Black Cores, right?"

Qian Hao stepped onto the stall, looking at the three of them, and asked impolitely.

The several lackeys following behind all wore Short Blades or Iron Rods at their waists, stood casually, and their expressions all radiated the fierce air of numbers and strength unique to Gang Hooligans.

Zhang Hao stood up and walked over, his wrinkled face scrunched into a chrysanthemum shape, smiling: "It's me; are you here to sell Black Cores?"

Dark-skinned Face 1 sensed the atmosphere was off and hurriedly followed; Dark-skinned Face 2 kept his head down expressionlessly, fiddling with a Wooden Stick, poking Ants one by one.

Qian Hao snorted: "Sell, no no no, you misunderstand; we're here to buy Black Cores—however many you have, we want them all."

Some people nearby all looked over in surprise and Curiosity.

Zhang Hao's heart sank, and he asked tentatively: "You want Black Cores for what?"

Before Qian Hao could speak, an impatient lackey behind him snapped: "What our Boss wants is none of your damn business; hurry up and hand over however much you have."

After Qian Hao's lackey finished cursing, he looked at the silent middle-aged man before him, slightly furrowed his brow, one hand reaching for the Short Dagger at his waist, the other lightly patting the man's shoulder.

"Rest Assured, we won't short you on money; whatever price you buy at, we'll take them all at twenty percent off."

In Qian Hao's dictionary, being able to pay at twenty percent off was absolutely a great price of grand charity.

Zhang Hao realized these Hooligans were different from the curious inquirers of the past; these people were truly here to snatch the Black Cores.

In other words, these people knew the Secret of the Black Core, or rather, did their Boss behind them know the Secret of the Black Core?

Seeing Zhang Hao remain silent, Qian Hao's face instantly turned grim; the hand gripping the man's shoulder tightened slightly, pinching out several bruises through his clothes.

"You won't tell me you don't intend to sell to us, will you?" Qian Hao asked sinisterly.

Zhang Hao winced in pain, instinctively crouching half a head lower; the hand behind his back restrained Dark-skinned 1's movement to Step Forward.

He lowered his head and humbly smiled: "I wouldn't dare; we'll sell them all to you."

Qian Hao loosened his fingers: "Where are the goods? Take them out."

Zhang Hao: "The goods are in the house where our brothers live; like this, tomorrow at this time, we'll bring all the Black Cores, and you bring the money to take them."

Qian Hao raised an eyebrow and Cold Laughed: "You're not lying to me so you can run away, are you?"

Zhang Hao shook his head hard: "We're all Blank Citizens; we can't even leave the Nine Districts, and it's just one night—we're not stupid, we know we can't escape."

Qian Hao seemed to believe him and said: "Fine, just one night; we'll come to collect them tomorrow at this time."

After speaking, Qian Hao led his people away.

Not long after, Zhang Hao and the other two didn't even care about their stall, sneaking away from the Black Market furtively.

Not far away, in a dark corner, Qian Hao coldly watched the direction the three left, silently following them with his brothers.

Qian Hao didn't realize that his crew this time, the Yellow Hair and Red Hair who had died not long ago, seemed familiar.

20 minutes later.

Under a secluded bridge cave beside a river.

Corpses lay scattered everywhere, every face frozen with fear and distortion, especially the Eye Sockets all smashed, white Tofu Brain oozing out, staining the eye sockets a sinister white.

Qian Hao lay dying on the ground, a Tree Branch rooted in his right Eye Socket, the stick still stuck with Ant Corpses.

The Battle happened too fast—almost in a single breath; everyone Qian Hao brought was dead, leaving only him, his eyes also gouged out.

Too terrifying.

This absolutely wasn't combat power that a Gang or Black Market merchant level should have.

Qian Hao even found it hard to judge the opponent's strength, because he had never seen anything like this before—killing people with such ferocity yet such nonchalance.

The Green Wolf Gang's enforcers also kept some Martial Artists, but most were only First or Second Grade Martial Artists; Zheng Laoda was already the Gang's strongest Third Grade Martial Artist.

Above that, Qian Hao had never seen anyone; who would come mess around in a Gang with that kind of strength?

But just now, that dark face who took a tree branch and strung people's eyes into a string — the strength exposed in that instant, perhaps even Zheng Laoda couldn't match it.

Qian Hao couldn't figure it out; why would such a ferocious and ruthless guy hole up in a Black Market with no future, and the key thing was he only collected some worthless Black Cores.

You guys don't be so low-key; do we have eyes but no pearls to crash into an iron plate and crash ourselves to death?

Zhang Hao half-crouched before Qian Hao, a peasant-like smiling face; at this moment falling into Qian Hao's only remaining eye, it only made one tremble from the depths of the soul.

"I know you have many questions."

"Don't ask, save time; your life isn't much left; you only need to answer my questions."

Qian Hao gritted his teeth tightly; although he was afraid, since he was going to die anyway, he absolutely would not say another word.

Zhang Hao seemed to guess Qian Hao's thoughts; the next sentence spoken flatly made Qian Hao's hair stand on end and bones chill.

He said: "If you don't speak, I'll keep your life hanging; rest assured my skill is very good; I can guarantee ants gnaw away half your heart, liver, and lung, and you'll still be conscious to speak with me."

When his chest was split open by the tree branch, and the first ant crawled across his heart, Qian Hao collapsed.

"Tell me, who sent you to collect Black Cores?"

"Bin Ge, it was Bin Ge who sent us."

"Why does Bin Ge want Black Cores?"

"I don't know; Bin Ge didn't say; I really don't know ah ah ah, don't let it gnaw, it hurts so much ah ah ah—"

End of Chapter