Chapter 205: Legal Trade

On the way out of the Zhouqiao Grass Market, the focus and emotional relaxation brought on by caffeine and alcohol began to fade, and Luo Qi trembled all over. Today he had learned two things. The first was that Du Zhengyi's body was just as poor as he had suspected. The second was that the nervous system of a Telepath had subtle differences from that of an ordinary Mage; the aftereffects of caffeine and alcohol in his body were exceptionally intense.

His heart kept pounding in his chest like a crazed water pump, forcing blood into his vessels, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging. Luo Qi walked along the road unsteadily, knowing his appearance must be somewhat alarming.

His head was splitting with pain, and he stumbled into the nearest Pendragon Orbital System entrance; the atmospheric pressure of the spring night felt as if it were about to crush his chest. He swayed while dizzy, as if walking through raging waves, and he did not know where this vortex would take him.

He loosened his unfamiliar tie, pulled open his shirt collar, and walked down the entrance to the subway. A damp, cold gale blew from the entrance leading underground; his bangs were blown upright, and the wind rushed into his newly opened collar and filled his stomach. He swayed like a lone sail caught in a vortex.

He did not want to complain about fate; his friend had used all his strength to support him in the vortex, and if he could keep going, it was all thanks to him.

But...

But Luo Qi could no longer hold it back; he leaned against the wall and vomited. The fact that Du Zhengyi would no longer exist in his life finally churned in his brain. The longer all the emotions related to this had been suppressed, the greater the recoil. Now, it was as if drums were beating in his ears, his pulse was jumping so hard it felt like it would burst his vessels, golden sparks danced before his eyes, and his breathing was rapid. He covered his mouth, frantically trying to slow his breathing; he had actually fallen into a panic.

Suddenly, like a thunderclap, a voice intruded, carrying a name that made his emotions explode: "Ha, even Du Zhengyi has times when he's this miserable."

Luo Qi turned around abruptly, looking at the people surrounding him from behind. There were five of them. Or maybe six; Luo Qi's vision was too blurry to focus.

"Du Zhengyi, did you eat something bad?" Was someone mocking Du Zhengyi?

He remembered; he had forgotten to remove his disguise. He still looked like Du Zhengyi. Although this layer of disguise was already crooked and barely holding on, it could never fool a decent Mage with a brain. But these people must have been following him since the Zhouqiao Grass Market, seeing that Du Zhengyi was in a bad state and thinking they were finally about to strike gold.

Du Zhengyi's wanted notice might be even more interesting in the Black Market; they were dying to take him to Qionglin to exchange for a large bounty of credit points.

He stood unsteadily, looking carefully at the people who had come. The two Mages standing closest to him had a strange smell; his overexcited spirit amplified all his senses, even though all his senses were already unreliable.

Luo Qi covered his nose. "You don't bathe!"

"What kind of crap are you spewing, you little brat from Qionglin?" a man said. His face was somewhat strange; the skin under his left eyelid looked as stiff as a dead man's skin. Another Mage was wrapped up tight, trembling slightly.

"Like Forbidden Magic?" Luo Qi pointed at his face; he remembered what this smell was about. "Often getting nerve massages in the Black Market's underground massage parlors? And popped some drugs? You can freely choose which nerves to stimulate; what a wonderful life, even better than human heroin, right? But if you get too much of a kick out of it, you get retribution, don't you?"

"What does that have to do with you?" The man's complexion turned truly like a dead man's. In Luo Qi's eyes, his gaze was undisguised cruelty. If he could get his wish today, he would return a thoroughly dead Du Zhengyi to Qionglin.

"What was your hobby when you were a kid? Skinning little frogs or kicking little chicks to death?" Luo Qi asked.

"Stop pretending, Du Zhengyi. Do you really think you're the embodiment of justice, you fucking Iron-Guts Subway Hero?" the man said.

Luo Qi hummed, and upon further thought, he found it quite humorous. "You're actually quite interesting."

"Yo, Master Du has a sense of humor today? A bit different from usual," the man said.

"Usual?" Luo Qi laughed. "Do I usually talk to you?"

"Indeed, you haven't." The man smiled maliciously. "If you weren't in trouble, you wouldn't look down on us."

His gaze passed over Luo Qi and looked behind him. Luo Qi turned his head and saw two more shadows vaguely appearing in the tunnel behind him.

Luo Qi turned back and looked at the man indifferently. "Even if there were another box full of people like you, it would be useless."

"That's not necessarily true. Life requires being proactive. How would we know if it's useful or not if we don't try? Perhaps today we'll be useful," the man said, glancing at Luo Qi's lower body.

Luo Qi suddenly frowned. "You want to castrate me and then dismember me?"

The two men froze at the same time and looked at each other uneasily. The one who hadn't spoken started to get overly nervous, his two hands twitching even more violently. Luo Qi glanced at his hands and knew he must be long addicted to nerve stimulation, and now his nerves were about to give out.

Luo Qi laughed angrily in a low voice. "You say your guts aren't big enough, but your hearts are cruel enough. Catching me and sending me to Qionglin is enough to sell for a good price. What's with the murder and dismemberment?"

The man sneered. "Qionglin didn't say they wanted you alive. According to old habits, sending a head over is enough. However, you're just one person, but there are several buyers. It's not just Qionglin that wants to buy; buyers in the Black Market offer higher prices. The buyers outside are all collectors, doing it to vent their anger and get a kick. So it's more cost-effective to take you apart and sell you—left hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. There are plenty of rich people who hate you."

The man next to him, who had been trembling with excitement, let out a shriek-like laugh, as if his nerves were about to lose control completely. "Buddy, guess which part of you sells for the highest price?"

Luo Qi bit his lip tightly, controlling his rage. The path behind him was also blocked; he knew they were delaying the move just to wait for the moment to completely surround him. Now, it was time for them to close the net.

The man took out a crystal and waved it in front of his eyes. "An Energy Field Interference Crystal bought at a high price. Don't think about using Teleportation to escape, Du Zhengyi."

Luo Qi looked at him gloomily. "Who all wants to spend money to collect my body parts?"

"What's the point of asking so much?" the man said through gritted teeth.

Luo Qi continued to ask, "Where can I find them?"

"I already told you..." the man roared, but Luo Qi suddenly reached out to stop his words.

"No need to say it, I already know," Luo Qi said.

A flash of cowardice appeared in the man's fierce eyes, only to be suppressed by his own fierce murderous intent.

Luo Qi raised his hand again. "No need to go to the trouble. I won't use Teleportation, because I have never been able to use Teleportation. And I said, I already know who the hell wants to buy the goods, and I know where to find them! Because I am not Du Zhengyi at all!"

A pungent, urinous smell suddenly permeated the air. The man paused and looked at his companion. "Fuck, a single Du Zhengyi scared you into pissing your pants?"

"No, it's not, no..." the twitching man replied, trembling.

"I noticed his bladder was full, so I helped him relieve the pressure," Luo Qi said. "Have you ever heard of the Great Civet Cat King?"