Seeing Liu Nian's expressionless face, Li Sha leaned close to her ear and whispered, "There are probably several hundred people in this community, divided into three factions."
Liu Nian caught a whiff of fragrant hair and became interested: "Tell me about it."
"The Liu brothers control the security. They have the most people, and their men are stationed at the main gate. They mainly rely on collecting protection money."
"The market is controlled by Yan Kuan. There are not many others, but they have a lot of weapons."
"The entertainment venues are controlled by Chen Ling, and everyone believes that she has powerful backers."
Seeing that Liu Nian was interested in these things, Li Sha told her everything she knew.
Liu Nian just listened to the commotion; everything in the world has its own laws.
A three-way balance of power might not be a bad thing.
Hotels, bars, casinos, and markets are all attractive gathering places.
"Where is the market?" Liu Nian asked, resisting the urge to inquire about Li Feng's location.
“The market only has some regular items right now. The really good stuff only opens at night. It’s not dark yet. How about we go to my room to chat?” Li Sha struck a seductive pose and winked at Liu Nian.
It must be said that although her face is not pretty, Li Sha makes good use of her assets.
The top two buttons of the white shirt were undone, no more, no less. From Liu Nian's angle, looking down at the snow-white expanse beneath the shirt, one could see a faint trench in the middle, making one want to explore its depths.
Ahem, just kidding, I'm a serious person, okay?
Li Sha's ambiguous smile made Liu Nian's heart skip a beat, and she naturally looked away: "Take me to the market."
Li Sha skillfully navigated a few turns and led Liu Nian to a spacious square.
It has to be said that this neighborhood is quite lively, and the constant flow of people reminded Liu Nian of peacetime.
I passed by a barbecue stall and traded a bottle of water for two hot dogs.
"For me?" Li Sha looked at the hot dog skewers being handed to her in surprise.
"Losing weight?" Liu Nian didn't understand why she was so surprised. She didn't have the habit of eating alone, especially when there was a girl with her.
"Thanks"
After taking the hot dog, the two chatted casually, with Li Sha doing most of the talking and Liu Nian listening.
In the market, many people are wearing masks and shopping for items that would not exist in peacetime.
Many stalls are not open yet, presumably they will only open at night.
The transaction follows the primitive principle of barter, where one estimates the approximate value of the goods. Where there is buying and selling, there will inevitably be unscrupulous merchants, and of course, secondhand dealers are also an indispensable part of the business.
After understanding the general layout of the community, Liu Nian readily paid the guide's fee.
Black Angel Bar, under Chen Ling's jurisdiction.
Without the glitz and glamour, it has a medieval-style decor.
Liu Nian ordered a cocktail and sat down at a two-seater table by the window.
He subtly glanced around and discovered that those who could afford to have a drink here were survivors with some strength, and most of the weapons on the table were extraordinary.
Sitting by the window, I could hear conversations between survivors all around me.
"Did you know? Yan Kuan's material-searching team was defeated by a mysterious creature in the city today, and only one person escaped back."
How did you know?
"It was said by the husband of my fourth great-aunt's ninth maternal aunt's third aunt's younger sister. He works over there."
"What's so strange about this? When we go out to find supplies, everyone's risking their lives. We might not come back any day. What's so special about it? Mysterious creatures, indeed."
"A few days ago, Brother Liu Wei went to the supermarket in the East District and found a dungeon. There were fifteen people, all level four experts, led by a level seven expert, but none of them came back. Recently, the Liu brothers have been much more behaving themselves; most of the experts are dead," the man at the next table said mysteriously in a low voice.
"What's even more surprising is that Liu Wei sold the information to Boss Chen, who then organized a group of people to search for the place, only to find it empty. As a result, the two groups are now at odds with each other."
"Could it be that someone else has cracked the supermarket's copy?"
"That's hard to say."
"Did you know? That vampire Ma Feng is planning to steal someone else's wife again."
"Who? That loan shark?"
"Who else could it be but him? A lapdog who'd give his wife to someone else just to get a better position. A spineless coward who bullies the weak just because he has a few followers," the guy at the next table said disdainfully.
"Keep your voice down, are you out of your mind? He's backed by Young Master Zhu, someone we can't afford to mess with." Another person at the next table lowered their voice when they mentioned Young Master Zhu.
"He has ruined so many good girls; sooner or later someone will take care of him."
"Miss Ye is also a pitiful person. Old Ye is such a good person. After getting sick, he had no choice but to borrow money from loan sharks."
"Hmph, they think they're so great just because they have a few people. They've all moved to Building 18."
"Forget it, let's not talk about it. It makes me angry just thinking about him."
Hearing this, Liu Nian roughly understood the reason, picked up his wine glass and drank it.
Hmm... a bitter taste.
After paying for the drinks, I turned and walked out of the bar.
Night had fallen, and torches were lit in the square, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.
The stalls that weren't set up during the day are now full of goods.
Following the example of others, she covered her face, leaving only her eyes visible. Liu Nian mingled in the crowd, searching for usable items.
Food, water, guns, ammunition, medicine, drugs, cards, even people!
Unlike during the day, the market was heavily guarded, with armed guards standing every few steps.
Looking at each stall one by one, one of them caught Liu Nian's attention.
The boss was wearing a black, floor-length robe, a mask from Peking Opera, and a bamboo hat.
The stall on the ground contained a card and other items, and next to the stall was a sign that read, "Only food is needed."
Liu Nian controlled her excitement and pretended to inquire about the price of each item, chatting with the shop owner one by one.
When I received the cards, the shopkeeper said, "The cards are very expensive. A bag of rice, no bargaining." A bag of rice weighs 100 jin (50 catties), black market slang.
"A bag of rice? And no price negotiation? Are you out of your mind? It's true that cards are valuable, but this card has a class requirement. And to make matters worse, it's limited to Necromancers. You can wait and see. I don't care. Do you think I'm some kind of scapegoat?" Liu Nian suddenly launched an attack.
"How much are you offering?" The boss's momentum faltered, and he clearly wavered, adopting a more conciliatory tone.
"I wouldn't even take it for free"—decisively discarding the cards is a strategic retreat; only a fool would fall for that.
After another round of bargaining, Liu Nian finally picked up a power bank and three novels.
When paying, Liu Nian deliberately opened her travel bag to show the shopkeeper, saying, "This is all I have, and I've bought a little more than I should have. Give me that card with the bird on it, and we'll call it even. Otherwise, you can just wait for the big bastard."
The bread, biscuits, and water glistened enticingly in the firelight. The shopkeeper swallowed hard, then shoved the card into Liu Nian's hand: "Deal."
Fearing that Liu Nian might change her mind, she snatched the package from Liu Nian's hand and held it tightly to her chest.
People here are looking at Liu Nian with pity for his mentally challenged nature. He's traded all this junk for a bunch of food. Which landlord's stupid son has been released?
Of course, there were also some people whose eyes gleamed with ill intent.
Liu Nian felt the burning gaze behind him, picked up the spear and slammed it on the ground, the pistol at his waist inadvertently revealed.
Those malicious gazes were stunned and slowly left Liu Nian's side.
The item may be good, but risking your life to get it would be a huge loss.
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