Chapter 23 – Black Bear Corporation
Skywater City, the train station.
An ordinary-looking young person appeared here. He was Xia Ping, but his appearance this time was completely different from before.
That was because he was wearing the skin mask he previously bought. This mask was a type of high-end technological facial mask. When worn on the face, it could completely alter its appearance.
Between children, this type of mask was very popular, practically a toy. Just twenty credits and you could buy one from a shop. As for the reason he bought one? That was because the trip to Blackmoon City this time around would be very dangerous. In a chaotic place where gangs ran rampant, where the different factions were so complicatedly intertwined, it was best if he didn’t use his real face there.
Actually, many people who headed to Blackmoon City also did the same thing and altered their appearance. They did that to avoid some of the dangerous situations that might appear and as a means to protect themselves.
Xia Ping clenched his fist, “I must buy that Golden Medication!” His thoughts drifted back to Zhou Taian’s arrogant figure from before.
If he had the strength to completely overwhelm him, then would Zhou Taian still dare to be so arrogant?! Relying on his sixth layer cultivation base and his family’s background to humiliate him without any care at all for the consequences. He practically didn’t put him in his eyes at all.
He would remember this debt. When he got back from Blackmoon City, he would collect on it in full with interest.
Thinking up to here, Xia Ping boarded the hover train.
From Skywater City to Blackmoon City, there was a distance that spanned more than a thousand kilometres. However, with the hover train’s speed, that only meant an hour’s ride to reach the destination. During that time, the train offered an almost seamless experience with no jolting whatsoever.
Of course, the price was also just as great, costing upwards of four to five thousand credits per ticket. Still, for Xia Ping, this much money was absolutely acceptable within his budget range.
One hour later, Xia Ping arrived at Blackmoon City’s train station. Almost the instant he stepped off the train, he could feel the complete difference between here and Skywater City.
His first feeling: chaos!
The ground was littered with trash and debris of all colours and sizes, all of it flying everywhere with the fierce oncoming winds. On the once white walls, graffiti decorated the entire surface, their bizarre depictions almost eerie. Looking around, it was as if this station didn’t have any janitors working here at all.
What’s more, there were also a lot of people. And not just a lot, the variety they came in was also just as considerable.
Men of all shapes and sizes appeared here. Wearing an undershirt, the majority of them had brutal faces, their shoulders tattooed with frightening caricatures, while their entire body bulged with muscles. Their hair came in a variety of colours too, almost as if it was a bird’a nest, tattered and messy. Of course, there were also some who chose to go bald instead.
As for the ladies there, they stood scattered about the station, the majority of them dressed in very provocative clothing that displayed all of their curves in full, their faces a veritable palette of makeup. Just as colourful? Their ages. From girls in their teens to women in their late fifties, they could all be found here.
Their profession was pretty obvious. The instant a man appeared, they would enthusiastically gush forward to ask them whether or not they needed a night or two.
Seeing the circ.u.mstances, Xia Ping quickly left the area before those aunties could surround him. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have any idea at all where those girls might trick him into going.
“Right. According to the map, the Black Bear Corporation isn’t far from here.” Opening his cell phone, Xia Ping looked at the map of the surrounding area.
The Black Bear Corporation was Xia Ping’s objective this time. On the surface, this was a registered and legal corporation of the Federation, however in reality? It was just a sh.e.l.l company.
In the dark, they were a group of smugglers whose existence ranked highly even in Blackmoon City. As one of the larger underworld factions there, they had more than ten thousand formal members, their underlings and a.s.sociates innumerable. It could be said that the Golden Medication was just one of the many things that they sold.
And because of how big and famous this Black Bear Corporation was, it was unlikely that they would sell any fake goods, thus after considering his choices carefully, Xia Ping chose to buy from their company.
Following the map, he walked several kilometres as he headed towards his destination. Along the way, he discovered that all of the nearby buildings were all worn out, some of them even missing windows. When he took a closer look, he could see that it wasn’t just the windows that were missing, the entire building seemed as if it hadn’t fully built. Despite that, inside those buildings, many poor and homeless people lived there, their figures so thin and scrawny that they looked like a sack of bones. Occasionally, a dangerous character could also be seen lurking amongst them.
What was worse was that the terrain here was just as complicated. Every building stood close together, their chaotic layout creating a convoluted maze of alleyways.
And although it was daytime, the mess of buildings clumped together created a structure that blocked out all of the light, plunging every alleyways into darkness.
“Is the Black Bear Corporation really in this place?” Xia Ping followed the map as he walked, but he couldn’t find any clear paths at all and was forced to enter into one alleyway after another.
Eventually, even the human presence started to fade as less people came over to this area.
c.r.a.p, I really did head the wrong way!
Xia Ping took another look at the map with a bizarre expression. He surprisingly discovered that he arrived at the Black Bear Corporation’s back entrance and not at the front like he had been expecting. No wonder why there weren’t many people around.
Although the map expressed that it was the same place, he still need to make another trip around to enter from the front entrance. After all, that was where the Black Bear Corporation sold their wares. Since that was the case, it was unlikely that he could just waltz right in through the back entrance.
“Forget it. It seems like I still need to make another loop around.”
Just as Xia Ping was planning to leave, his vision darkened as something overshadowed his head. It caused a loud whistling sound as it fell from the fifty-storey Black Bear building and made a straight path towards his cranium.
b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Who the h.e.l.l would throw something from that height?!
He was really irritated at the moment. After all, the person who would just so casually throw something from that height really was just too churlish. However, very quickly he adjusted his frame of mind and circulated his True Qi. Once he was prepared, he punched out towards that rapidly falling object.
Tiger Fist – Fierce Tiger’s Descent!
Ever since that battle with Xiong Batian, Xia Ping had been tirelessly cultivating as he constantly used the [Pure Yang Everlife Incantation to absorb the essence of the sun and strengthen his cultivation base. At this point, his understanding of the Five Form Fist had deepened even further to the extent where he could naturally display it at the realm of complete perfection without any effort at all.
Just this one fist alone contained a might that exceeded his limit during his battle with Xiong Batian by three times over! As it blasted out, it was as if countless tigers were roaring, their aura rending the air itself as it tore everything apart!
Even if a fifth layer Martial Disciple were to take this punch straight on, they would die on the spot!
Boom!
This one punch struck that unknown object straight on, instantly blowing it several dozen metres back, the powerful force ripping everything in its way to shreds like a tiger feasting upon its prey.
”Ahh!”
However, that unknown object abruptly gave out a tragic scream. Alongside it was the cracking sound of shattered bones. In the deathly silence of the alleyway, it was extremely clear to the ears.
What?!
When he heard that sound, Xia Ping was shocked. Could it be that this unknown object wasn’t an object after all and was a person instead?
Taking a look, his guess was proven right. That unknown object rolled several times on the ground as it spat out a mouthful of blood. Soon after, it viciously glared at him, as if it were absolutely furious, while killing intent swirled around it!