The Land of Death
This unfamiliar place was like a medieval fortress. At its core was a huge city built with white stone. Outside the city were low-rise houses and tattered tents. The sky was gloomy, and dark clouds shrouded this desolate land. The streets were bustling with people, people selling arts, alcohol, and even their bodies.
The people here were all pale and had wretched eyes. They were dressed in tatters, and every one of them was as thin as a stick. Many of them even had a pungent stench coming from their bodies. Who knew how long it had been since they last bathed?
The bald man led his two subordinates, one tall and one short, toward the huge stone city in the distance. Xia Fei quietly followed behind them. There were too many eyes here, and Xia Fei was very eye-catching in his combat suit. He suddenly had an idea and ducked into a tattered gray tent by the side of the road.
Inside the tent, a child around seven or eight years old was sitting on the ground, playing with a broken toy hover car in his hands. His face was as pale as the adults, his body was thin and small, and his nails were full of dirt.
Seeing Xia Fei come in, the child did not seem to be alerted at all. He only stared at Xia Fei dumbly as if he did not care why Xia Fei had barged into his home.
"Don't look anymore. This child also takes the Bliss Powder like those adults." Phantom sighed.
Bliss Powder? Xia Fei was confused.
A type of drug that can numb the human brain, causing them to hallucinate. The person who takes it will become extremely crazy, but after that, they will be as numb as the walking dead, Phantom explained.
Xia Fei did not say anything. There was practically nothing in the tent other than a few broken bowls and a pot. He even slept in a pile of straw.
Xia Fei took the only rainproof cloak from the clothes rack and put it on. Before he left, he took out dozens of energy bars and chocolates from his spatial ring and placed them next to the child. The child curiously fiddled with the things Xia Fei left behind. His eyes suddenly became a little brighter than before, as if he was very curious.
"It's useless. I'm afraid that the food you give to the child won't reach his stomach. Once his parents find out, they'll exchange it for Bliss Powder. Taking that stuff is like being possessed. There's no cure," Phantom said.
Perhaps, Xia Fei said with a frown. Xia Fei furrowed his eyebrows. Children who did not understand reason would definitely not take drugs on their own. It was most likely a sin committed by their parents.
"Parents who give their children drugs?" Xia Fei muttered to himself. "This place should be called Sin City."
Breath Control allowed him to be completely silent, and with this cloak that was riddled with holes, Xia Fei would not attract the slightest bit of attention when he walked in the crowd.
Along the way, Xia Fei could not help but sigh. Nine out of ten locals were addicted to the Powder of Bliss, ranging from the elderly to the young children. It was as if drugs had become a part of the lives of the locals here.
When they were about a kilometer away from Grand Boulder City, the muddy road turned into a beautiful stone road. The surrounding people were also dressed differently from outside the city, at least it was clean and tidy.
The bald man and the other two were quietly discussing something as they walked. It was so noisy all around that Xia Fei could not hear them even if he strained his ears. Out of caution, Xia Fei deliberately kept his distance from them, using the surrounding terrain as cover to blend in with the crowd.
Outside the city was a moat that was about fifty meters wide, with a pontoon bridge across it. There were a dozen or so fierce-looking guards at the city gates, glaring at anyone who entered or exited the city with unkind eyes. The bald man and the other two stepped onto the pontoon bridge, preparing to enter the city. That short, middle-aged man did not forget to turn around and sweep a few glances at them.
Xia Fei hid in front of a stall selling oranges by the roadside, pretending to pick some fruits. At the same time, he was thinking about how he could sneak into the city. It was not difficult for Xia Fei to use his speed ability to sneak through the gates, but he did not know if there were any perception-type ability users among these guards. It was best not to get into any trouble in this unfamiliar place, so the best way was to sneak in.
That was when a hovercar whizzed by from afar, madly honking its high-pitched horn, completely ignoring the people on the streets as it barged forward with an arrogant and despotic attitude.
The crowd tactfully parted to make way for the hovercar. No one dared to block its advance. Xia Fei had a thought and quietly bent over, pretending to tie his shoelaces. Actually, he had been observing this hovercar from the corner of his eye, looking for an opportunity to strike.
The street was muddy, and the hovercar spilled a lot of dirty water as it passed by a puddle full of mud. The surrounding people all raised their arms and covered their faces with their sleeves.
That was when Xia Fei suddenly stomped on the ground and made his way under the hovercar. Then, he did an incredible inverted golden hook move and entered the cargo hold through the area that was not covered by the canvas.
All of this happened in a fraction of a second, and no one noticed it.
The anti-vibration system of the hovercar was already damaged, so the vehicle was abnormally bumpy, but Xia Fei was very comfortable in the cabin, for it was filled with bags of flour.
Xia Fei rubbed his nose. The smell of the flour was very strange, and it was filled with an alluring fragrance.
Taking out a dagger from his spatial ring, Xia Fei lightly cut open one of the bags, and a dark yellow powder slowly flowed out.
This is Bliss Powder. Such a large vehicle of drugs is probably worth more than a hundred million star coins, Phantom said.
Xia Fei nodded. He could tell that this place seemed to be the lair of a drug dealer. With such a large amount of drugs running rampant in the city, and with the countless drug addicts around, Xia Fei could tell that this was not a peaceful place. There was a good chance that the man nicknamed Hook was a drug dealer.
This hovercar clearly had many privileges, for it could pass through the city gates without being inspected. Xia Fei saw through the damaged canvas in the cargo hold that he had already entered the city, so he quietly snuck out again.
White Stone City was quite prosperous. Though there was quite a lot of people, it was rare to see those drug addicts with pale faces. It was evident that the people living in the city were very sensible and did not want to touch the deadly yellow powder.
There was a large building in the center of the city that looked very much like a stadium. The top was shielded by a compound pulse laser, so not even a bird could fly in. From time to time, there would be a loud commotion coming from the stadium, as if there was some intense competition going on. The voices of the spectators were hoarse and crazy, completely immersed in it.
In a place like this, it was no longer appropriate to wear that tattered cloak that was riddled with holes, so Xia Fei did the same thing, grabbing a light blue cotton robe that was commonly worn by the locals from one of the residences. He also stole a wide-brimmed straw hat from a peddler before blending into the crowd once more.
About a minute or two later, the bald man and his two subordinates finally entered the city. Beside them was a short-sighted young man. The bald Lu San was very attentive to this young man, not even daring to breathe too loudly as he followed behind him.
The few of them walked toward the center of the city. The small-eyed young man would pick up any delicious food he saw on the roadside and take a few bites. If he felt that it was not bad, he would get someone to wrap it up for him without paying for it. The peddlers carefully smiled, not daring to say anything despite their anger.
They wandered around the streets a few times before arriving at a large mansion with red walls. There were many guards around the mansion, and just the high-class hounds alone numbered in the dozens. The young man did not lead the bald Lu San through the main entrance, instead turning into an alley and entering through a side door.
The person who opened the door was a stout shrew, who did not ask any questions after seeing who they were. She simply opened the door and let them in.
Xia Fei hid to the side and saw everything clearly. If his guess was right, all of this must have been caused by the owner of this mansion.
Xia Fei was not in a hurry to sneak in. He wandered around the outside of the mansion and chose the most suitable spot. There were few guards here, and behind the high walls was a secluded grove. It was very quiet all around.
Hiding in the alley, Xia Fei picked up a pebble from the ground and lightly flicked it with his right hand.
* Shing! *
The pebble hit the hound next to the guard. The hound could not take the pain and immediately ran off into the distance. The guard was still holding onto the reins, and the hound was extremely strong when it went berserk, directly dragging the guard to the ground.
"Help! The damned hound has gone berserk! "the innocent guard yelled.
"Whats going berserk?"
"The hound has gone berserk! Stop it!"
The surrounding guards all ran over to restrain the hound and rescue their companion. The moment they left, Xia Fei leaped into the mansion.
…
This mansion was very large and could be described as magnificent. However, the interior decoration was just like this city made of stone. It was grand but lacked style in the details, giving off a feeling of being open and open.
The rooms were large and spacious, and the decorations were huge and crude. Even the hound was a large Saladilla wolfdog, which was even bigger than a human. The roads were wide, and the trees on both sides were quite old. The huge canopies of the trees made it hard for anyone to breathe.
Logically speaking, it would not be suitable to conceal himself in such a grand courtyard, but it was not a problem for Xia Fei. His Breath Control provided him with the best protection, and it would be very difficult for him to attract attention even if he were to walk past someone.
Xia Fei guessed that the owner of this mansion would live in the middle of the courtyard or in the backyard, so he deliberately followed the wide main roads to search, going wherever there were the most people.
Sure enough, Xia Fei heard the baldy Lu San's laughter outside a hexagonal building. It seemed that he was having a pleasant conversation with someone.
There were many burly men looking around vigilantly, so it would not be easy to sneak in. Fortunately, there were huge trees on both sides, and since he could not pass through the ground, Xia Fei turned his gaze to the sky.
There was no one around, so Xia Fei nimbly climbed to the top of a large tree and moved along a branch that was close to the balcony.
Xia Fei had not discovered any surveillance devices since he entered the mansion, which did not match the style of the mansion at all. It was as if the owner of this mansion was very confident, believing that the large number of guards would be enough to defend the mansion.
The treetops were only seven or eight meters away from the balcony on the third floor. A gust of wind blew, causing the trees to rustle and the leaves to sway. Xia Fei took this opportunity to lightly step off the tree branch and glide out like a bird, landing on the balcony.
Opening the window and sneaking in, Xia Fei made his way to the first floor after many twists and turns. He saw that he was in a living room, where the baldy Lu San was happily chatting with an old man with an aquiline nose. His two followers, one tall and one short, were cautiously standing a little further away.
Aside from them, there were also several dozen burly guards scattered around the place, observing the surroundings. Several rather good-looking women were constantly serving them tea.
Needless to say, this aquiline nose was most likely Hook. Xia Fei was somewhat disappointed. He had thought that Hook would be wearing a metal hook on his right hand, just like the legendary Iron Hook Captain, but he was wrong. The reason why Hook had such a nickname was not because of the metal hook on his arm, nor was it because he used a metal hook as a weapon, but because of his nose.
This nose probably weighed more than two catties. Xia Fei had never seen such a large facial organ in his life. Not only was it tall and straight, but the tip of the nose was also curved, like the beak of an eagle. It was strangely grown on the old man's face, taking up a third of his face. Anyone who saw this unique nose would be attracted to it, and they would remember this man.
Hook used his thumb to dig into his nostril without a care for his image. A normal person's nostril was small, and it could only fit a pinky finger, but this old man's thumb still had more than half the space left in his nostril. Xia Fei suspected that it could even fit a fist.
"Yes. You guys have done well on this matter. I'll definitely reward you handsomely. Do you want money or women? Just say it. There's nothing I, Skyhook, can't do," Hook said as he dug his nose.
The baldy Lu San and his two subordinates were very excited. Lu San hurriedly said, "Lord Hook, it's our honor to work for you. How can we accept your gifts? As long as you're happy, we'll be happy too."
Skyhook laughed. "You rascal, only knowing how to suck up to me. How about this? From today onward, you're all my men. I have a place on Venal 7 that was originally managed by one of my subordinates, but that kid wasn't cautious enough and got arrested by the DEA a while ago. You guys can go there and take care of it." Xia Fei was slightly surprised.
It was obvious that they were talking about the drug business, and Hook wanted Lu San and the others to be the middlemen, in charge of supplying the drug addicts.
Where there were people, there would be gangs, and there would be drug addicts. The prosperous capital ring was no exception. He did not expect Hook's influence to have already infiltrated the capital.
Lu San nodded. The drug business was a lucrative business, and countless people wanted to take the risk but could not find a way to get their hands on it. As gangsters, there was nothing they would not dare to do. Of course, being Hook's assistant was not a long-term plan, but as long as nothing went wrong in three to five years, they would be able to make a lot of money. By then, they would be able to retire and live comfortably for the rest of their lives. If they were unlucky enough to get caught, they could only blame their bad luck and the fact that their ancestors did not give them any food to eat.
Hook and Lu San were not on the same level, so after exchanging a few words, he got someone to escort Lu San and the others out. Xia Fei was secretly puzzled. He had only heard them talking about the drug deal from beginning to end, and he had not mentioned a single word about Avrils or the Jian family. Just why was that?
After sending Lu San off, Hook stood up and stretched. He waved his hand to summon a black-faced man beside him.
"What's the match in the Death Matrix today?" Hook asked.
The black-faced man answered, "There's nothing new recently. It's just some normal duels. Today's finale is a plant-type Advanced Star Base Warrior against a gravitational type Beginner Star Domain Warrior. The plant-type is good at controlling mandalas, so it's quite interesting."
Hook pursed his lips. "What's the point of a plant-type ability? It's just a bunch of green leaves. Boring! Make the arrangements for a deathmatch tonight. Let a speed-type Advanced Star River Warrior fight Butcher. "
The dark-skinned man had a troubled look on his face. "Lord Gou, we don't have any high-grade speed ability users on hand. We only have a Mid Star Base level pretty boy who was crippled by Butcher a few days ago. By now, he has already been thrown into the mass grave outside the city.
Hook nonchalantly said, "Don't worry. I've already prepared the person for you. Tell Butcher to get ready. His opponent is very strong."
Xia Fei's heart suddenly shrank as a bad feeling welled up in his heart. 'No, something must be wrong! But what's the problem? '
Looking around, Xia Fei confirmed his escape route once more. This was also his habit. Whenever he entered an unfamiliar place, he would always prepare at least two escape routes.
* Bang! *
Just as Xia Fei turned his head, a pulse laser beam suddenly burst forth! All the escape routes on the first floor were completely sealed!
"Sh * t! There's an ambush! "Xia Fei did not say anything else as he stomped the ground with all his might, his entire body dashing forward!
In front of him was a seemingly normal concrete wall. His right arm, Chasing Light, let out a series of shrill sounds as it tore through the air! Xia Fei was prepared to destroy the wall! This was precisely the last escape route he had left for himself in order to prevent the worst from happening!
The eighteen circular blades formed a circle in the air as they spun toward the wall. According to Xia Fei's plan, this series of attacks would create a circular hole in the wall, just big enough for him to pass through. As long as he could pass through this wall, he would enter the back garden, and with his speed and psychokinesis abilities, he would definitely be able to carve a bloody path out!
* Bang! Bang! Bang! *
The circular blades accurately cut into the wall, but the wall did not break. Instead, it was like a magnet that firmly attracted Xia Fei's Chasing Light! He could not move!
Concrete fragments flew everywhere!
Xia Fei could not help but be shocked when he saw that this wall that led to the outside world had a hidden layer! The thick and heavy Blackflash Alloy had blocked Chasing Light's attack! The Blackflash Alloy was sturdy and tough, so the incredibly sharp Chasing Light was unable to break through it. Half of the blade sank into the wall!
The bodyguards around Hook heard the commotion and quickly gathered around, dozens of them surrounding Xia Fei so tightly that not even a drop of water could escape.
Hook tilted his head and looked at Xia Fei, frowning as he said, "This house of mine is very expensive, and every wall has a hidden layer. If you know what's good for you, don't even bother trying."
Now that things had come to this, Xia Fei completely understood that this had been a trap from the very beginning! A trap that he had not been able to detect!
He was somewhat vexed, but Xia Fei chose to calmly walk over to the wall. He used his hands to pull out the circular blades one by one before he reinstalled them on the spring on his right arm.
Even horses stumbled. Xia Fei was no saint, so it was impossible for him to calculate every single time. However, this time's mistake was indeed quite painful. Not only had he fallen for someone else's trap, but what was worse was that Xia Fei had no idea where he was at all!
Turning around, Xia Fei very calmly looked at Hook. "Skyhook?"
Hook nodded, not saying a word.
Xia Fei flexed his wrists as he walked toward Hook. The bodyguards could not help but take a few steps back, their eyes glued to Hook. As long as he gave the order, these dozens of burly men would pounce on him without hesitation.
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