Chapter 953: The

Su Yang felt a stir in his mind and asked curiously, "Are you a resident of the Lower City District?"

Cai Xu nodded without taking a stance, "I live on Luoshui Street, it's a ten‑plus‑hour walk from here, but an hour by subway."

Luoshui Street.

Before undertaking the Task, while riding in the vehicle, Su Yang reviewed the background of this world.

White Bear City, as the provincial capital, is quite large in area and is divided into three major districts—

Upper City District, Middle City District, Lower City District.

They are arranged in an overall circular layout.

The Lower City District lies on the outermost rim, is the largest in area, and encloses the entire Middle City District.

The Middle City District is only one‑third the size of the Lower City District and surrounds the Upper City District.

Wealth levels rise exponentially as one moves inward layer by layer.

The disparity is indeed huge.

At the same time, White Bear City also has extremely strict class divisions.

Residents of the Lower City District must possess a pass to go to the Middle City District.

Conversely, Middle City District residents can freely enter and exit the Lower City District using their identity information.

Aside from the massive wealth gap, the Lower City District's infrastructure is also abysmal.

Not even a surveillance camera lines the streets, and other high‑tech devices are nowhere to be found.

Luoshui Street and Mingguang Street are exactly a quarter of the circle apart.

The distance is considerable.

Su Yang immediately became interested and asked, "You came all this way to sell cigarettes? What, can't you make it work over there?"

Speaking of that makes Cai Xu uneasy; he sighs again, "You don't know, this trade is getting more cut‑throat, and the regulation is getting stricter."

"Originally, I could earn a few hundred to a thousand each day on average over a month, but now those bastards have wiped out all my profit."

"And they also bind customers, creating some… Membership System!"

"Spend 999 to get Standard VIP, and cigarettes are uniformly at twenty percent off."

"1999 gets SVIP, cigarettes at forty percent off."

"Higher tiers exist, even a top‑up card system; who could keep up with that?"

"There's no choice; I have to look farther afield—any profit is better than starving."

Su Yang believed the first half.

He scoffed at the latter part.

How much truth is there in the Drug Addict's words?

This guy earning over a thousand a day in the Lower City District is already a Human Dragon and Phoenix.

Even supporting an entire family wouldn't be much pressure.

The competition is indeed real.

Not making money is false.

Su Yang immediately smiled meaningfully, "The people you mentioned… are they an Organization?"

Cai Xu nodded, "That's not a secret; anyone can find out."

"The Organization is called Huichun Pavilion, boasting a name that promises a return to youth and self‑discovery."

"The ads are loud, but the product lacks my purity."

"You know, once something gets a National Rating tag, it's hard not to sell well."

"Also, I heard their Boss colludes with senior Enforcers of the Middle City District, so they dare act so brazenly."

From that, Su Yang understood the gist.

This kind of work is inherently a black market activity, cannot be done overtly.

Many Enforcers in the Lower City District don't arrest because of two reasons.

First, they paid a Protection Fee.

Second, they themselves have become infected with this thing.

Small independent sellers can sell covertly if they're cautious and sharp‑minded.

The fear is forming a criminal organization.

They will spare no expense to seize market share.

As for those small‑scale sellers with low volume and uncompetitive prices,

naturally, a little effort can block their path to fortune directly.

Sometimes without resorting to violence.

Cai Xu is a typical example.

"Your goods aren't any better than yours, but that wouldn't push you out, right? You've been in this trade so long you should have amassed plenty of customers," Su Yang said.

Cai Xu gave a wry smile, "The problem is they sell more than just this product."

"Oh?" Su Yang raised an eyebrow, "What else?"

At that, Cai Xu looked around anxiously, leaned in, and whispered, "They also sell a potion that can rejuvenate people!"

Huh?!

The key phrase made Su Yang's pupils contract slightly.

He snapped his head around, his gaze blazing, "Tell me the effect."

Cai Xu thought for a moment, then explained, "I haven't bought it, but I've heard—"

"That potion, once injected into a person, can erase all facial wrinkles in under ten minutes."

Not only that, even a paralyzed person can stand up directly.

Afterward, going to the hospital for a check‑up still can't find any flaw!

Su Yang thought for a moment, then asked, "How much per piece?"

Cai Xu was startled for a second, looked him up and down, and said, "You want to buy?"

"I'm just purely curious," Su Yang said.

"If you become a member, the price will be cheaper," Cai Xu said.

"Even a Normal Difficulty 999‑price member can get a twenty‑percent discount?"

"Hmm, the original price is 500,000, but as long as you buy Membership System you can get the discount."

Strange...

It feels like a pig‑butchering scheme.

"Any Huichun Pavilion Organization members have used it?" Su Yang asked.

"Not sure, but based on the Intelligence I have now, Luoshui Street has at least twenty people who have injected it."

"That many rich people?"

"Definitely not. Recently the bank launched something called a Happiness Loan; anyone brought over by Huichun Pavilion can get the money."

Su Yang immediately Scent Perception a clue.

One link follows another; no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem as simple as just making money.

First, the launch of the Membership System alone reveals the other side's ambition.

Second, the Cigarette market isn't large, but it can't resist the many repeat customers.

Finally, the Rejuvenation Needle that Cai Xu mentioned makes Su Yang feel something's off.

Even the bank cooperates; how does a Lower City District Organization Boss have such huge power?

Even if there are superiors, they wouldn't dare be so arrogant.

At this moment, Su Yang suddenly thought of "Suppress Desire" and hurriedly asked, "Do people who have injected the Rejuvenation Needle also smoke this Cigarette?"

Cai Xu nodded slightly, "Only Drug Addicts of a certain age are qualified to inject; they don't sell to new customers."

I see...

Su Yang suddenly understood.

It matches.

Everything matches!

Find addicted Drug Addicts to inject the drug, suppress Desire through the Cigarette.

And the Membership System is the shackles that bind them completely to the ship.

"Huichun Pavilion..." Su Yang mutters a few times in his mind, a strange hue flashing in his eyes.

He turned back to glance at Li Sanjiang's residence, feeling puzzled.

Since the Rejuvenation Needle costs money to buy.

Why did his house yield one million cash?

Paid purchase and voluntary purchase are two different concepts.

To get to the bottom of it, Su Yang ordered, "Is there a way to get me one?"

"You want to inject?!" Cai Xu jumped in fright.

"Don't worry about that, is there any way?" Su Yang asked.

"This..."

Cai Xu's eyes rolled, and his face showed a look of difficulty.

Su Yang, seeing this, understood, patted his Shoulder, "Consider this a reward for saving your life."

"Of course, I won't shortchange you; that house contains one million."

"That money is only for buying the Rejuvenation Needle; how much you spend depends entirely on your skill."

The implication is obvious—

Everything else belongs to him.

"One million?!" Cai Xu's breathing suddenly grew heavy.

"How about it?" Su Yang said with a Laugh.

Cai Xu wasn't blinded by the money.

He first pondered the pros and cons, then gritted his teeth and patted Su Yang's hand on his Shoulder.

"Alright!"

"I'll take it!"