There were actually several Black Markets within the Base City, and the one Xie Yuan mentioned happened to be located within the South City Gate Zone Z.
Xu San San followed the coordinates on her navigation, stopping and starting along the way. Mainly because her “pregnancy” was too advanced—heavy and cumbersome—she had to alternate hands to support her belly, otherwise it was really quite tiring!
At 06:35 in the morning, Xu San San finally reached her destination. It was an unremarkable, dilapidated little building with three floors. The walls on each floor had large patches of peeling paint, and while there weren’t many windows, not a single one was intact. The place exuded an atmosphere of decay, desolation, and unreliability.
“Huff—”
Taking a few deep breaths, she entered the first floor. The hallway was narrow and cramped. Following Xie Yuan’s instructions, she first turned left, then right at the first fork, left again at the second fork, and finally took the elevator on the right-hand side down to the third basement level.
The lighting along the way wasn’t great, but she didn’t encounter anyone.
Well, it made sense—so early in the morning, the Black Market probably wasn’t even open yet…
The reality hit her quickly.
With a “ding,” the elevator doors opened, and she was immediately met with a cacophony of voices and a motley crowd.
Xu San San widened her eyes, unsure whether she should immediately press the button for the first floor and head straight back.
But before she could hesitate for even a second, an impatient voice sounded from outside the elevator,
“Hey, auntie! Are you coming out or not? If not, don’t block the way!”
Several tall, burly men stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the elevator, yawning with dark circles under their eyes—clearly, they had pulled an all-nighter.
“Oh, oh, oh—coming right out.”
Xu San San treaded carefully, remembering to lower her voice. She figured that, compared to sharing a confined space with these burly men, venturing into the Black Market felt far safer.
After exiting the elevator, she turned right and arrived at the main street—the truly bustling area.
Shops lined both sides of the main street, displaying all sorts of signs, and a steady stream of people came and went.
Wasn’t this just an underground city?!
Aside from the narrower streets, smaller shops, and the somewhat shady-looking crowd, it wasn’t much different from the small streets above ground in Z District. Plus, here, she didn’t have to endure the sun!
Xu San San suddenly felt a surge of interest and, following the flow of people, began looking around here and there. As she walked, she eventually reached the end of the Black Market.
She looked up at the shop sign—well, there wasn’t one. She examined the door—it was indeed very small, easy to miss if you weren’t paying close attention. Hmm, she compared it again with Xie Yuan’s description:
Location: End of the Black Market
Sign: None
Storefront: Very small
Characteristic: Hard to notice
It matched all the criteria!
Xu San San felt things were going smoothly, so she knocked on the small door four times—three long knocks followed by one short.
“Come in, the door’s unlocked.”
Hmm, it was indeed a man’s voice. No mistake there.
“Boss, got any new goods?”
Xu San San pushed the door open and entered.
A man in his thirties stood behind the counter. Looking at Xu San San’s protruding belly, he adjusted his glasses and asked uncertainly, “Is it for you or for someone else?”
Xu San San thought to herself, Huh? This isn’t how it was supposed to go.
So she asked again, “Got any new goods?”
The bespectacled man looked at her belly once more, then glanced at the wall hung with whips, handcuffs, chains, and other such items. He seemed surprised but answered truthfully, “We don’t have any new goods, but we do have plenty of bestsellers. But are you sure… you can handle them?”
Xu San San frowned. The code phrase wasn’t matching up. She scanned her surroundings…
Alright,
Sorry to bother you.
She decisively stepped out the door, leaving the bespectacled man alone to prop his chin and question his life choices. Are all business tactics this wild nowadays?
After Xu San San left the adult store, she mentally reviewed Xie Yuan’s description from last night again and confirmed she hadn’t misremembered or missed anything. So she circled the area a few more times.
Just then, a head suddenly popped out from the wall beside her, followed by a section of “wall” about 1.5 meters tall slowly swinging open. An old man emerged holding a broom, bent over, and began sweeping garbage outside.
Xu San San observed:
Location: End of the Black Market
Signboard: None
Storefront: Very small
Characteristic: Hard to notice
With the door blending seamlessly into the wall, this was truly hard to spot!
When the old man finished sweeping and was about to turn back, Xu San San stepped forward and whispered,
“Boss, got any new stock?”
The old man waved his hand dismissively:
“New stock doesn’t come every year!”
Xu San San: “Then let’s see what you have every year!”
The old man raised an eyebrow, turned to look at her, paused, and said disdainfully:
“What’s available every year isn’t worth looking at.”
Xu San San: “We’ll know once we take a look.”
The old man gestured for her to enter.
Thud!
The door closed.
The old man scanned her up and down impatiently: “What’s your name?”
Xu San San smiled: “My name is Nian Nian!”
The old man’s breathing suddenly quickened. He whirled around, hunched over, and peered through the door’s peephole for a moment. After confirming it was safe, he led Xu San San deeper into the room, eyeing her sideways: “Someone sent you?”
Xu San San nodded.
The old man’s eyes tightened, his voice trembling slightly: “…Is he still alive?”
Xu San San nodded again.
The old man took a few deep breaths and didn’t ask further.
He could guess Xie Yuan must be in trouble—why else would his Optical Brain show as deactivated, and why had people been snooping around the shop lately?
The old man’s surname was Qin, and everyone called him Lao Qin. He had a son named Qin Nian Nian.
Five years ago, he and his son were in peril in City 303, nearly losing their lives, when Xie Yuan saved them…
“Take out what’s in your belly.”
Lao Qin said indifferently and walked back to the counter on his own.
Xu San San froze. Damn, was it that easy to see through her?
If she’d been exposed all along, why had she bothered acting so hard!
Lao Qin seemed to read her concern and added coolly:
“Hmph! I, Lao Qin, have been in this business for over a decade. If I didn’t have a sharp eye, how would I survive!”
Xu San San smiled awkwardly, retrieved the giant egg from her embrace, and placed it on the counter:
“It’s an egg… um, the uncontaminated kind.”
Lao Qin raised an eyebrow, squinting.
Go on, girl, keep spinning your tale.
Xu San San: “Shh~ Healing-type Nucleocrystal Energy…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Lao Qin gasped sharply. His eyes darted, and he immediately swatted Xu San San’s hand away, personally cradling the giant egg and carefully placing it on a black instrument. He pressed a few buttons without a word, his eyes fixed intently on the display.
Soon, the Detector showed: High-level Healing-type Energy, Energy Value 577.
Lao Qin finally lost his composure. Hugging the egg, he turned his head: “You… what do you want in exchange?”
Xu San San looked around; it was a small second-hand store. Apart from the counter, the entire space was filled with shelves that reached the ceiling. Each shelf was crammed with various items, mostly metal instruments and accessories. Great—she didn’t recognize a single one. So she had no choice but to ask in return:
“How many Contribution Points are you offering for this egg?”
Lao Qin was a bit excited. Such treasures were hard to come by! The Base was currently facing a severe shortage of medicinal agents. Take the Restoration Agent, for example—it used to cost 500 Contribution Points per dose, but due to the extreme scarcity, it was now being resold on the Black Market for nearly 800 Points!
Moreover, all medicines had their side effects, and the Restoration Agent was no exception!
But this giant egg was different—it had high energy value and was completely uncontaminated. If word got out, its price would definitely double!
“Ahem~”
Lao Qin cleared his throat tactically. Friends were friends, but business was business. After a moment’s consideration, he said:
“I’ll offer 800 Points. You won’t find a higher price anywhere else!”
Xu San San was shocked. Why was it so much higher than Xie Yuan’s estimate? Could it be that he was deliberately offering a high price out of respect for their acquaintance?
Friends were friends, but business was business!
She felt a bit uneasy:
“This… doesn’t seem quite right…”
Lao Qin’s heart skipped a beat. So she knew the market rate! His eyes darted again, and he steeled himself, gritting his teeth:
“At most, 1,100 Points. I can’t go any higher!”
Xu San San nearly choked on her breath!
She was an expert at haggling when buying, but this was the first time she’d encountered a buyer voluntarily raising the price when selling.
Could it be that the old man’s offer wasn’t actually influenced by their acquaintance after all… So this giant egg was really that valuable… She’d stumbled upon a windfall…
Once she figured out the situation, she decisively made the decision: “Deal!”
Lao Qin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Little did she know, he had actually been prepared to raise the price to 1,200 Points…
“Boss, to be honest, I also want to buy a cooling system.”
Lao Qin, overjoyed, hugged the giant egg tightly, unwilling to let go. His previously indifferent tone shifted to one of extreme enthusiasm: “No need for ‘Boss’—just call me Lao Qin! Let me tell you, I just got my hands on a high-end cooling system. Don’t let the fact that it’s second-hand fool you—whether it’s functionality, lifespan, appearance, or any other aspect, it’s top-tier…”
Lao Qin praised his product to the skies, while Xu San San listened in a daze. Well, since he was recommended by Xie Yuan, she decided to trust him for now.
In the end, Xu San San acquired the second-hand high-end cooling system for 580 Contribution Points. She also spent 390 Points on 36 metal splicing plates and 6 extendable metal pipes, 50 Points on 5 bottles of ordinary Nutrient Solution that would expire in 4 days, and 40 Points on two towels. After all that, she had 40 Points left, plus her original 26 Points, bringing her Optical Brain balance to 66 Contribution Points.
After haggling for a while longer, Xu San San managed to get Lao Qin to throw in a small hoe for free. Only then did she feel satisfied and began loading her purchases onto the cart.
First, she stacked the metal sheets onto the handcart, then tied the radiator on top. Metal pipes and a small hoe were wedged on either side, followed by draping the plastic sheet she’d snagged from Lao Qin over everything—intentionally leaving the hoe and metal pipes visible to create a diversion. Finally, she wrapped the whole load with rope a few times to secure it. Perfect!
Xu San San stuffed the nutrient solution into her cloth bag, then took two new towels, crumpled them up, and with an awkward laugh, tucked them against her lower abdomen.
After a wave of her hand, she left the second-hand store.
Life is truly like a play—it all depends on acting!
The moment she stepped outside, she immediately got into character: left hand supporting her belly, right hand straining to pull the handcart.
Even though she had prepared her disguise before leaving, because of that highly sought-after radiator, Xu San San couldn’t help feeling jumpy at the slightest sound.