Chapter 38 Underground Trading Ground 1
As he left the Science and Technology Museum, Chen Yan kept looking back at the giant mecha silhouette on the roof, muttering to himself, "The feedback from the Dawn's joystick is incredible, especially when the mental power is synchronized to 80%, that energy flow..."
Lin Yao tugged at his arm and was almost dragged back by this kid: "If you don't leave now, the staff will come out to clear the area."
“I know, I know…” Chen Yan muttered as he followed, his toes leaving shallow scratches on the ground, as if he was still simulating the movements of a mecha.
"But seriously, Brother Xiaoyao, you were really fierce in the simulator just now. With that cartwheel shot at the end, I thought you were going to hit the wall."
When they made an appointment last night, the two of them had an in-depth chat about basic information. Lin Yao and Shen Yan are the same age, but Lin Yao is half a month older than him!
Logically, Chen Yan should call him brother, but Chen Yan felt that he was the younger brother at home. After finally making a friend outside, he still couldn't escape the fate of being a younger brother, so Chen Yan was a little resistant.
But there is no way. One hour is considered big, let alone half a month?
After a compromise, Chen Yan called him "Brother Xiao Yao" and Lin Yao just called him by his name.
Lin Yao smiled and didn't respond.
He really didn't expect that someone like him who used to spend years in the laboratory would be so excited by the surging energy in the mecha, especially the moment when his mental power was synchronized with the core of the mecha. Shasha trembled excitedly on his wrist, and the tip of the vine almost pierced through the operating screen of the simulation cabin.
It immediately fully activated Shasha's fighting energy, and that wild impulse was more vivid than any experimental data.
The two walked side by side on the suspended walkway, and the evening breeze brought over the aroma of street snacks.
Chen Yan suddenly stopped and looked around, as if to confirm whether anyone was paying attention. Then he approached Lin Yao and said in a low voice, but his eyes were shining:
"Brother Xiaoyao!"
"What's wrong?" Lin Yao responded with a look.
"Do you know about the underground trading market?"
He looked like a little mouse trying to steal an oil lamp. Lin Yao raised an eyebrow: "I've heard of it, what's the matter?"
"Hehe." Chen Yan rubbed his hands and moved closer to him, his shoulder almost bumping into Lin Yao's arm.
“I’m telling you, there’s some good stuff in that place.
The mecha models in regular science museums are all censored, and the energy core data is all encrypted and reduced. But the underground market is different. There are mecha parts left behind on the battlefield, privately stored synchronized training data, and even records of the mental fluctuations of the "Guardian" pilots of the past.
He became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice rising a little, and then he quickly covered his mouth and lowered his voice:
"I asked someone, and there's a black market auction going on tonight. They say they have the wreckage of the Wind Chaser's propeller. If we can get it..."
Lin Yao looked at the light in his eyes and suddenly remembered the boy in the simulation cabin just now. When the staff urged him to leave because he exceeded the time limit, he looked so reluctant to leave and clung to the cabin door.
He was exactly like Shasha when he saw the high-energy ore, his eyes shining and his whole body exuding the energy of desire.
"Do you want to go?" Lin Yao asked.
"I do!" Chen Yan nodded vigorously, then scratched his head hesitantly, "It's just that the place isn't very formal, it's full of good and bad people, and it's a bit difficult for me to go there alone..."
He didn't finish his words, but his eyes conveyed the second half of the sentence. His eyes were bright, with a hint of temptation and expectation, like a puppy wagging its tail to be taken out.
Lin Yao looked at him and shook his head helplessly.
Seriously! Chen Yan's boldness really surprised him.
You say he was reckless! He knew that the place was full of good and bad people; you say he was cautious! He only planned to ask Lin Yao to accompany him.
"From what you said, it seems unsafe there, just the two of us?" Lin Yao's tone was filled with obvious concern.
The light of the setting sun fell on his eyelashes, casting a small shadow. "You also said that there are good and bad people here. We are two guides, unarmed..."
"Oh, no," Chen Yan waved his hand hurriedly, took out a folded paper from his pocket, and said as he unfolded it.
"This is a map of the underground trading market. When I say a mixed bag, I mean the people there are of varying demographics. High-ranking officials, wealthy individuals, poor people, gamblers, and so on all go there.
But don't worry, it may look chaotic, but there are actually rules! It's said that there are big shots behind the scenes, so as long as you don't cause trouble, no one dares to take action.
The security system is also impressive. Last time a friend of mine went there, he said there were more guards than customers..."
He became more and more excited as he spoke, his spit almost splashing on Lin Yao's face: "Really, it's very disciplined! Even if the deal doesn't go through, there's still friendship. At most, we'll have a few words, but if you use a weapon, you'll be thrown out!"
Lin Yao looked at him with such confidence and said nothing.
He really couldn't agree with Chen Yan's logic. The more an underground place claims to have "rules", the deeper the water is. If something really happens, the so-called "rules" are not worth mentioning at all.
Not to mention the complicated participants. If they accidentally run into bad luck, will they still be able to survive?
Lin Yao shook his head and still felt that it was unreliable. The main reason was that they were just guides. What if there was a sentry or some security guards?
Lin Yao suggested to Chen Yan that he take the security guards that his brother had prepared for him, but Chen Yan flatly refused. The reason was simple: his brother felt that the place was dangerous, and if the security guards followed him, his brother would definitely know, and then he would have no other choice!
Lin Yao was speechless. Rebellious child, do you know that you have let it slip?
Chen Yan's self-exposure made Lin Yao feel that it was not feasible! Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Chen Yan add:
"Besides, there's more than just mecha parts. There's also a lot of good stuff hidden over there, rare minerals brought back from outer space, ancient medicinal herbs, and even..."
"Medicinal herbs?" Lin Yao's fingertips that were playing with Shasha suddenly stopped, and he tapped on Shasha's vines intermittently.
Chen Yan didn't notice his strangeness, and his hand moved back and forth on the paper, pointing to a place:
"Yes, right here! This inconspicuous corner is home to the largest medicinal herb dealer in the underground market. The medicinal herbs here are beyond your imagination, and there's nothing you can't find..."
-
Lin Yao's thoughts drifted back to noon.
When he first learned that there was something wrong with the medicine, he chose to keep it secret for two reasons.
The first is Uncle Fu. No matter in the original owner’s memory or now, he is gentle and considerate to him. The second is Sha Sha. The energy of that medicine is a snack for Sha Sha. No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat!
But unexpectedly, Uncle Fu became more and more excessive. Not only did he make him drink the fake healing medicine, but now he also brought him the "poison" that had caused the original owner's spirit body to shrink.
There was no way Lin Yao could only choose to tear off that bit of warmth and go find the evidence he wanted.
His second uncle De Lincheng had assigned a waiter to come over, but Lin Yao felt that daily cleaning could be done by robots, and there was no need for so many real people to get involved in his residence.
And that was assigned by my second uncle! Who knows if there are any spies?
In addition, Uncle Fu refused to come and live with Lin Yao at that time, so he was the only one in Zhuyuan. The group of waiters assigned to him only hurried to bring him meals every day, which made it convenient for Lin Yao to go out and do things alone.
Lin Yao knew that there were only two pieces of evidence: the medicinal residue and the prescription. Both needed to be taken to the servants' residence, where Uncle Fu lived and where the medicine was boiled.
The servants' residences are divided into two places. One is on the west side of the main house, where the servants serve the residence exclusively; the other is near where the original owner lived, in the northwest corner of the Delin family manor.
It is almost at a large diagonal to his current bamboo garden. If Lin Yao wants to get there, he must try to be as secretive as possible. First of all, he cannot take a hover car.
The only way is to use mental power to conduct preliminary detection. This method is very good and effective. It helped Lin Yao avoid the waiters several times along the way. The only drawback is probably that it consumes too much mental power!
Lin Yao first targeted the medicinal residue, so he avoided people and went to Uncle Fu's room. It was locked, but it didn't matter. He had mental power, and after scanning the room, he found nothing!
In other words, Uncle Fu made the medicine for him in the servants’ public kitchen!
Lin Yao complained: "Is it so blatant? You don't even do this kind of harmful thing behind people's backs?"
He had no choice but to go to the public kitchen. Fortunately, it was lunch break and there was no one in the kitchen. The stove was cold, and only the ventilation fan in the corner was still turning slowly.
Lin Yao stood in front of the stove, his eyes fixed on the copper pot.
The body of the pot is so shiny that you can see your reflection in it, the inner wall is so smooth that there is not even a trace of medicine stain, and the texture on the bottom of the pot is as clear as new. This is definitely not what it should look like after boiling medicine for three years.
Lin Yao originally wanted to look for traces of medicinal residues. Even a tiny bit of debris would allow him to find out something.
But even after scanning the trash cans and sewers with his mental power, he didn't see even a dry grass root.
[Tsk, that old man, Uncle Fu, is really something. If he can't make medicine, then don't do it! He has to replace the pot every month, and every time we submit a request for purchases, he gets scolded.]
A vague memory suddenly surfaced.
That was what the original owner heard when she passed by the waiter's room last year. Two maids were complaining about the copper pot, saying that Uncle Fu's craftsmanship was really bad. A good pot would definitely be broken in less than a month.
She also said that if it weren't for serving that person, Uncle Fu wouldn't have to endure this hardship and they wouldn't be scolded.
The original owner felt sad when he heard this. He secretly saved money for a long time and bought some ointment for Uncle Fu. He had always had leg pain. Thinking about it now, the guilt he felt was simply ridiculous.
After nearly three years of making the medicine, how is it possible that he can't even control the heat?
It is obvious that the pot is deliberately polished and cleaned after each use, even the gaps on the edge of the pot are not spared, just to completely erase the traces of the medicine juice, which makes the pot so fragile.
Lin Yao pursed his lips and went to clean the small cabinet where Uncle Fu kept his miscellaneous items.
The cabinet was neatly packed with pestles, filter cloths, and even a few old medicine books, but the prescription he was looking for was not there, and there was not even a hint of the medicine's name.
Just as he was about to leave, footsteps were heard outside the door.
Lin Yao subconsciously hid in the shadow behind the stove and held his breath.
They were two servants who were in charge of pruning flowers and trees. They were leaning against the door frame to rest, holding empty buckets in their hands.
"It's so hot today, and old man Uncle Fu ran to the garden again." One of them wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with a bit of complaint in his tone.
"Every day, without fail, he would carry a black cloth bag and spend half an hour behind the rose bushes. Whenever asked, he would tell me he was going to put nutrients behind the flowers."
Another sneered:
"That old man is just weird! I passed by the other day and saw him squatting in the garden burning something again. The smoke was choking, and he wouldn't let anyone get close, saying he was 'getting rid of pests'! Didn't I remember he just got rid of pests two weeks ago? Why would there be so many insects to burn at this time of year?"
"Who knows? You can't predict what the old man is thinking. Anyway, just don't touch his precious garden. Last time, Aunt Li saw a bunch of beautiful flowers in the middle and wanted to go there to pick roses, but he scolded her and made her cry."
"That's why he's single!"
As soon as these words were spoken, both of them felt as if they had seen through something and burst into laughter.
The two of them walked away chattering, and the sound of their footsteps mixed with the sound of the shaking bucket gradually disappeared.
Lin Yao walked out from the shadows and tapped lightly on the slightly cool wall of the pot with his fingertips.
Rose bushes, burning things...
Uncle Fu was in charge of the overall management of all the gardens in the Delin family, so it was natural for him to go to the gardens, and he went there almost rain or shine. The original owner had even advised him against it, but the old man said that he was just doing his job.
Lin Yao turned and walked out, his steps light. There were three gardens in the manor. The two waiters did not say which one Uncle Fu went to, but Lin Yao speculated that based on the cost value, the closest one was the most likely.
Golden Garden is not far from the public kitchen, just through two archways.
The afternoon sun shines through the gaps between the leaves of the sycamore trees, weaving a mottled web on the ground. The roses are in full bloom, and the fragrance is rich.
Lin Yao followed the servant's instructions and walked around to the large patch of roses.
It was time to use mental power again. Lin Yao mobilized his vast mental power to first explore Uncle Fu's whereabouts and whether there were other people here.
Uncle Fu, who the servant had mentioned coming to the garden, was indeed not there. The others were probably away due to the weather today, so the Golden Garden was empty at the moment.
After confirmation, Lin Yao's mental power covered the extremely wide area of roses. Sure enough, he found a piece of firmly trampled land here. The color of the soil was darker than elsewhere, and there were faint burn marks on it.
Behind the most lush and best-blooming cluster of roses next to it, there was a pottery jar half-buried in the soil. The mouth of the jar was covered with a bluestone slab, and some gray-black debris could be seen from the cracks.
Lin Yao followed the guidance of his spiritual power and came here. He gently moved the stone slab, and a scent mixed with wood ash and medicine hit his face.
There were a lot of medicinal residues piled up in the jar. The surface was still damp, but the bottom had already dried up and formed hard lumps, which were obviously accumulated over time.
Perhaps it was because the original owner and he who traveled through time had never doubted this old man, so Uncle Fu dared to be so bold.
He hid the destruction point in the garden he took care of every day, and used the excuse of tending to flowers and trees to process the medicinal residue. It was so hidden that it seemed as if it had never existed, but such a secret was hidden in the most conspicuous place.
Lin Yao picked up a little bit of medicine residue on the top, which should be the medicine for today's lunch, and sniffed it lightly.
In addition to the familiar bitterness, there is also a very faint fishy smell similar to burning metal.
-
After carefully selecting the medicinal residues, he collected two portions and placed them in the storage ring. Lin Yao was planning to find someone to see what kind of medicine these were, but he didn't expect the opportunity to come this way.
Seeing him silent, Chen Yan thought he was worried about his safety, and quickly patted his chest: "It's really okay! Let me tell you, the security there are all retired sentinels, comparable to a legion..."
"I didn't say I wouldn't go." Lin Yao raised his eyes and interrupted him, "But there is a condition."
Chen Yan's eyes lit up: "You tell me! Don't mention just one, I'll agree to all ten!"
"We're just going to take a look, not participate in the auction." Lin Yao's tone was very serious, "Especially those mecha data and core parts you mentioned, you can't touch them at all."
He paused, looking at Chen Yan's face that instantly fell, and added, "We are just two guides, and you are unwilling to bring the security your brother has given you. If we really take a picture of something like that, we will have a problem even being able to walk out of the trading grounds."
Chen Yan's lips were pouting like oil bottles, and his fingers were unconsciously picking at the wrapper of the energy bar: "Just... just take a look? That would be so boring..."
"Either you go or you don't go." Lin Yao spread his hands, his tone unquestionable.
He still felt that the things at the auction were dangerous, so even if he had a demand for them in the underground market, if Chen Yan could not comply, he would give up the opportunity to pursue the truth.
Anyway, he now has an inspiration. Either he will go to a doctor he trusts for help, or he will go to someone who knows about medicine in the gray area.
Chen Yan hesitated for a long time, looking at the gradually setting stars in the sky, and thinking of the legendary mecha wreckage in the underground market, he finally lost his temper, slumped his shoulders and nodded:
"Alright, alright, let's just take a look! If you don't want to touch it, then don't touch it!" His eyes suddenly lit up again, and he came closer. "Then you can always take a look at the minerals, right? Maybe there's something good in there!"
Lin Yao looked at his aggrieved expression and smiled helplessly: "Okay."
"Yeah!" Chen Yan almost jumped up, quickly covered his mouth, and turned back into his sneaky look, pulling Lin Yao towards the hovercraft docking station, "Hurry up, hurry up, change clothes just in time for the show!"
Lin Yao was dragged forward by him. The Shasha on his wrist suddenly moved, and the tip of the vine probed in the direction Chen Yan said.
He pinched the killing vines and said silently in his heart: Behave yourself, this time I am going to check something, not find snacks for you.
Shasha curled up the vine in grievance, but still stuck to his wrist obediently, only the leaves trembled occasionally, revealing its irrepressible curiosity.
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