Chapter 24
Jiang Fei sorted out his thoughts. This meant that someone in the North District was controlling such dangerous pollutants and had already successfully attacked the person in charge of the base. It was really dangerous.
She picked up the piece of paper stained with black ink. She had clearly seen a line of words appearing on the ink, but unfortunately she couldn't see it clearly. She put away the glass bottle again.
It took her some time to study these two bugs. When she returned to the medical point, Lancer had already finished half of today's class. Luna's daughter Man Yue also inherited her mother's talent and learned very quickly.
"Oh, you're here." Lanser saw Jiang Fei and said, "Your base does have a promising candidate for a doctor, but your medical station is still lacking some equipment."
When they went to the tower to answer questions, the main supplies they collected were food and medicine. They also had medical equipment, but it would take up too much space, so they didn't bring much back. Moreover, at that time, there was not even a proper doctor in the medical center of the D-3 base.
"Then let's go to the tower again in a few days—"
"If you just want some common medical equipment, I still suggest you go to the market. Some bases will sell excess equipment." But the time and place of the market are irregular, and only common medical equipment can be seen. If you need it urgently, you can't wait for the market to open. This is why Carl and his friends were deceived by Eugene and would rather take the risk to go to the medical center to look for medical equipment. First, the medical equipment is rare, and second, they don't have time to wait for the market to open.
Jiang Fei thought about what Gru said. They must be talking about the same thing. "I understand."
"But... the market should be very busy recently." Lanser said, "After all, the Sky City selection competition has already started the audition stage." Countless people in the underground city hope to stand out in this selection. There are not only people selling things in the market, but also people selling information, which are the rumored information dealers.
Jiang Fei subconsciously felt that the Sky City Trials had nothing to do with her, so she nodded without much concern, "Then I'll go early."
"Have you never thought about participating in the selection competition?" He knew Jiang Fei was very good at answering questions. "This selection competition is not only for the guards, but also for the wise men."
Hearing him say this, it was a bit like the ancient champions of literature and martial arts. Jiang Fei said, "I never thought about it. If people hate Sky City so much, why would they rush to be chosen by Sky City?"
Lanser smiled and said, "Everyone hates people from Sky City, and everyone hates themselves for not being from Sky City."
This mentality is similar to the type of people Jiang Fei often encountered in modern times. They hate people with connections, and hate themselves even more for not having connections.
"But, I heard from Teacher Lucian that those who are selected from the dungeon will not be respected even if they reach the Sky City. They will still be at the bottom of the Sky City, and the selection competition is also very dangerous." Man Yue raised her head. Lucian mentioned it occasionally during class. She has a good memory and still remembers it now.
"Even the lowest level of Sky City is enough to look down on everyone in the dungeon." Lanser looked at the full moon. "Didn't your teacher Lucian tell you that? Educating children by simply teaching them beautiful things isn't enough."
"So Mr. Lancer thinks there's something wrong with my educational philosophy? I didn't know you were both a doctor and a great educator?" Lucian appeared behind Jiang Fei at some point, and his sudden words really scared Jiang Fei.
Jiang Fei turned around and asked, "Why are you walking without making any sound?"
"Your attention is elsewhere, isn't it?" Lucian glanced at Jiang Fei. "Are you planning to go to the market alone?"
"ah?"
"Don't play dumb. The market is full of people of all kinds. It would be dangerous for you to go alone."
Jiang Fei, who was actually planning to go to the market alone, smiled guiltily, "Really?"
Lucian immediately noticed that Jiang Fei was joking. He said unhappily, "Of course. Do you think everyone will just obediently participate in the trials and win based on their own strength? That's absolutely impossible."
Driven by huge profits, people will do everything they can to reduce their potential competitors as much as possible before the competition, so it is even more terrifying before the selection.
"I don't plan to participate in the Sky City selection competition, so this matter has nothing to do with me, right?" Jiang Fei is now thinking about how to develop the two lit bases.
"It's not what you think that matters, but what others think." Lucian's words sounded increasingly familiar. Oh, yes, Lancer had said that to her before. Their personalities were very similar, both cold on the outside and warm on the inside, both saying one thing and thinking another, which was why they didn't get along.
"Then let's go with a few more people." Jiang Fei also felt that this would be safer. Lanser said coldly beside him: "You really like to worry about others."
Hearing this, Lucian looked at Lancer and said, "You're quite brave to say that in another base."
"You're too kind. I don't have any other advantages except courage."
Jiang Fei stopped their bickering and said, "Then Lancer, you can continue teaching. I also need to talk to Lucian."
She pulled Lucian outside and said, "I'll have Anna go with me then."
"Anna has other things to do as captain."
"Then Gru..."
"He also has to train Xinyue."
"Jason, too."
"You just bothered him a few days ago."
Jiang Fei was getting a little angry because every time she made a suggestion, Lucian shot it down. She asked, "Who do you think we should look for?"
Lucian didn't even blink, a rare hint of amusement in his teal eyes. "Me."
"You? Don't you usually have classes?"
"I'm on vacation recently."
No wonder Man Yue can still jump around and learn from Lanser.
"It's not impossible..." In addition to going to the market to purchase some medical equipment, she also wanted to go to the market to inquire about the tattoo pattern that appeared on the neck of the deceased person in charge. This means she can't bring Jason or Hill with her. The two brothers are telepathically connected, and if one knows it, the other will know it too.
"From the looks of it, you have other things to do, right?" Lucian seemed to be able to see through Jiang Fei's inner thoughts and pointed out, "And it's something that others shouldn't know."
"Since you've guessed it, there's no need for me to say more. Just keep your mouth shut."
*
The market will open in three days. These mornings when Jiang Fei listened to the radio programs, the hosts of almost every channel were talking about the auditions.
"I can't believe it's already here again. I still remember the exciting moments of the last tryout. Every contestant fought to the bitter end for their future." The host's sweet voice rang out over the radio. "That scene was truly moving. I bet you, Rhodes, are looking forward to this tryout as much as I am."
The male host named Rod echoed, "Yeah, during that period everyone stayed up late to watch the games, and everyone's dark circles became very obvious."
"Hahaha... Yeah, even I almost got dark circles under my eyes."
Jiang Fei put on her clothes, put the dagger into her trouser pocket, changed into a pair of black boots, and disguised herself as usual. Even in front of the people in the D-1 base, she showed herself in disguise. Although the matter of the A-1 base had already had a result, she could not be too careless.
The two hosts were already talking about their favorite contestants from the last audition.
"My favorite is of course Richie from the West End. Don't you think the scene where he was temporarily blind but could still hear the sound and kill the opponent was really a classic?"
"Oh yes, Richie from the West End left a deep impression on the audience. His ability to locate the audience by listening to the voices was beyond everyone's expectations."
"Yeah, I thought he was going to die, and I couldn't help crying."
"Really? Aren't you really worried about the money you bet on him?"
"That's partly why, but... Hey, don't be such a dampener."
Jiang Fei turned off the radio. Lucian had been waiting outside the door for a long time. He also set out lightly, with only a backpack on his back.
This time they were driving a transport truck because they also had to transport medical equipment. Lucian was the driver. Before leaving, he confirmed the location of the market again. The market opened at 8 o'clock in the morning, and they left home at around 6 o'clock, when the sky was just getting light.
The medical equipment to be purchased has been listed on the list. This time, the procurement operation base also allocated her some exchange points to purchase things, and if there is an overspending, she can be reimbursed.
After they drove a distance, Jiang Fei could vaguely see the market behind the yellow sand. On the way, he could still see people who came to the market like them. Jiang Fei took a few glances and found that there were people from other districts. "Are those people from the West District?"
"Ah... yes, but they should be here for the trials. The people in the West District are a bunch of belligerent lunatics, and every trial is their game time." Moreover, in so many trials, most of the champions are from the West District, which shows how strong their overall combat strength is.
Jiang Fei's eyes met with those of a man in another car. The man glared at her fiercely, like a ferocious beast. She looked away and whispered to Lucian, "But in the end, won't they be facing off against people from their own district?"
"Yeah, when he gets crazy, he even kills his own people."
That's really crazy. Jiang Fei raised the car window and thought it would be better not to have too much contact with such people.
“Is everyone in the West End like this?”
"More or less. People in every region have similar personalities."
This is similar to the stereotypes about people from different regions in Jiang Fei's world. Here, people in the West District are very aggressive, while people in the East District are relatively kind. People in the South District are very optimistic, and as for people in the North District... they are probably all cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
The market is open-air, and there are about a few hundred stalls, not including the other stall owners who come in one after another. The things they sell are also strange and varied, with everything from small pendants to large medical instruments.
In addition to these things, there are also stalls specializing in selling weapons. Each weapon stall has a title like "Suitable for Sky City Selection" and something like "The champion of the previous selection used his brand's weapons." Some people actually believe such obviously misleading titles and form long queues in front of the weapon stalls, which is enough to show people's enthusiasm for the selection.
"This kind of thing is obviously a scam." Jiang Fei said in a low voice.
"But we can't resist people's fanatical pursuit of becoming the best through the selection competition." Lucian was used to this. He first took Jiang Fei to a stall selling medical equipment and bought everything according to the list.
Jiang Fei looked around the market. Her gaze attracted the attention of others. One of the stall owners asked, "Sir, are you looking for something?"
"Nothing." Jiang Fei shook her head. Jason said he had seen that pattern in the ghost market. Perhaps no one in the ordinary market knew about it. She thought about it and asked the stall owner, "Who should I ask for help?"
The stall owner showed an understanding expression, "So you want to buy information, then go over there." He pointed in a direction, which was the easternmost part of the market, but it was crowded with people, and it seemed that they were all here to buy information about the selection competition. According to the confidentiality level of Sky City, would they really leak information before the competition?
After Lucian finished negotiating with the previous stall owner, he walked over to Jiang Fei and said, "Ask whatever you want to ask."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll get you into something dangerous?"
"I've already been involved in something dangerous. Could there be anything worse than being nearly killed by pollutants?" Lucian said.
There really is one. After all, based on the information she has obtained so far, the danger of that pollutant is far greater than the two she has subdued now, and it is also a pollutant controlled by someone with ulterior motives, which makes it even more terrifying.
Jiang Fei walked all the way to the easternmost end of the market. As time passed, the market became larger and larger, and there were more and more people in the market. She struggled to weave through the crowd and finally squeezed into that area.
"This year's trials are different from previous years. Sky City has specially moved the competition forward to celebrate the young noble's birthday. As you all know, the trials were usually held in the fall, but this time they've been moved to the spring. Don't worry, though. The content is still pretty much the same. It's still a test of the contestants' survival skills, adaptability, and mental fortitude."
"From the analysis of previous years, it is not difficult to deduce a pattern of good and bad years. That is to say, if the difficulty of the last selection was too high, then the difficulty of the next selection will be appropriately lowered. You must know that the difficulty of the last competition was hellish, so this year will definitely not be too difficult. As long as each of you buys a copy of my information, I guarantee that you can all enter the finals. If you don't use it, just ask me for a refund!" The stall owner patted his chest.
Jiang Fei curled his lips. The mortality rate in the selection competition was very high. Let alone asking him for a refund later, it was unknown whether he could survive. The stall owner was also a businessman. He was really doing a one-time business and had no after-sales concerns.
The key point is that quite a few people actually believed it and even took out their laptops to buy information with exchange points. Jiang Fei stood still in the crowd. The stall owner saw her and asked, "Miss, are you also going to participate in the selection? There have been female champions in previous selections, so why don't you buy some information and take a look?"
After the crowd dispersed a little, Jiang Fei walked straight to the stall. She casually looked around the small stall and said, "I'm not here to ask about this. I want to ask about something else."
"What else?"
"For example, do you know the ghost market?"
The stall owner's expression changed, and he said, "Why are you asking this? Besides, the things in the ghost market are not something you can afford."
That means knowing. Jiang Fei asked again: "This has nothing to do with you. You just need to tell me the time and place of the ghost market."
"The ghost market usually opens at irregular times and has no exact location. Even if you want to know, I don't know. I'm just an information seller. Don't make things difficult for me. Otherwise, why don't you ask 'Shunfenger'?" As soon as he heard Jiang Fei asking about the ghost market, he knew that she was not someone to be dealt with easily, and he threw her to another information dealer like a hot potato.
Looking in the direction he pointed, there were only a few customers in front of the stall of the information dealer who was wrapped tightly in white cloth like a mummy. They were all angered by his few words and left in anger.
The "mummy" raised its head and turned it towards Jiang Fei. The scene was a little strange. Jiang Fei walked up to him and asked, "Are you 'Shunfenger'? Why is it called that?"
He didn't say anything, but just reached out and clicked on the sign on the stall, which read: 5,000 redemption points for each question answered.
Hiss, so expensive. Jiang Fei looked at her balance. After buying the medical equipment, she only had 20,000 exchange points left. She could only ask four questions, and she prepared a draft in her mind.
"Tell me the time and place of the ghost market."
"Nine o'clock tonight, four kilometers east from here." His voice was muffled. At first, Jiang Fei thought it was because there was a layer of white cloth between them, but she later realized that his mouth did not move when he spoke.
Was it ventriloquism? Her eyes slid across his stomach, but it didn't seem like it.
She didn't dwell on it and continued to ask, "What is this pattern?"
She took out the photo she had copied, and the other person's movements stiffened a little when he saw the photo in her hand. He waved his hand and pointed to another sign on the stall: Sorry, I can't answer that.
This sentence is very subtle, because not being able to answer does not mean not knowing the answer. She asked: "I can give you a higher reward."
He was very pleased with this sentence and pointed out a number to Jiang Fei. She looked at it and said, "Twice?"
Lucian walked over to Jiang Fei and said, "He means two hundred times."
"Two hundred times!?" Jiang Fei exclaimed, "Why don't you just go and rob it!"
He shrugged and told Jiang Fei with his body language: Believe it or not, if you don't give me money, there's no deal.
Lucian, having probably met the Swift Ear before, said, "You're still the same, focusing solely on the payoff."
However, Jiang Fei did not gain nothing. At least she now knew the time and place of the ghost market, and she could go to the ghost market tonight to see what was going on.
"Are you going to the ghost market?" Lucian obviously heard their conversation just now.
"Well, this involves the death of the person in charge of the D-1 base. I think someone secretly interfered with his serious illness." She also wanted to follow this clue through this pattern to find the mastermind behind the scenes, and then try to subdue this pollutant.
Lucian said, "You are very kind-hearted."
"Are you being sarcastic again? I did that for a reason. The person in charge of D-1 base started to suffer from poor health after attending a meeting. Coin didn't attend that time, but we can't be sure if the mastermind behind this will target our base next time."
Lucian finally calmed down a bit when the matter of the base was brought up. "You have a point, but if we investigate too closely, they might find out."
"Yeah, I know that." She went to the ghost market to gather information first and gain the upper hand, so as not to put herself at a disadvantage due to information asymmetry.
The two reached a consensus on this point. Jiang Fei walked around the market again. She was standing in front of a weapons stall, selecting a bayonet, when she suddenly heard roars from the crowd and the sound of a stall being overturned. She looked towards the source of the sound. A burly man with braided hair grabbed the stall owner by the collar and said, "Damn it! How dare you play tricks on me? I just bought the exclusive information from you, and you turned around and sold it to someone else!?"
Oh, it turned out that the middleman was caught in the act. Jiang Fei mixed in with the passers-by and watched the whole process.
Compared to the man, the stall owner was as thin and frail as a chick, and he was still trembling. "I, I'm innocent. Of course the information I gave you was exclusive! You misunderstood!!"
This group of people were the ones from the West District whom Jiang Fei had just met in the car. They were also the militants that Lucian mentioned. Now she believed what Lucian said was right.
The man made the stall owner spit blood after just a few punches. The people around him unconsciously stepped back, fearing that the other party's anger would be vented on them. Jiang Fei also stepped back.
Standing next to the burly man was a man about thirteen or fourteen, his face somewhere between boyish and teenage. He watched his companion beat him up without changing his expression. When blood splattered on his face, he wiped it with a handkerchief in displeasure. "It's so dirty! Can't you be a little cleaner?"
Jiang Fei saw clearly that the boy's eyes were different from those of normal humans. His pupils were vertical, like those of animals. When he smiled, his sharp canine teeth were faintly visible. He walked forward slowly and pinched the stall owner's collar with two fingers in disgust. "Since he said he was wronged, let him tell us how he was wronged?"
The stall owner was let go. His face showed fear mixed with joy of surviving the disaster. He opened his mouth and said, "I--" The rest of the words remained in his stomach forever. A red line gradually appeared on his neck. After a few seconds, Jiang Fei realized that it was not a red line, but a dense collection of blood beads.
The next moment, there was a snap—
The man's head rolled to the ground.
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