vncnus Chapter 94 Interlude
Chapter 94 Interlude
Chapter 94 Interlude
Walking alone on the streets of the inner city, Xu Mo deliberately slowed his pace, savoring the atmosphere so different from the outside world. The streetlights were already on, emitting a soft, warm yellow glow that illuminated the streets. There were still quite a few pedestrians, most of them walking leisurely, their faces carrying a relaxed quality rarely seen in the post-apocalyptic world.
However, beneath this seemingly peaceful exterior, Xu Mo's senses could still detect some discordant elements. For example, fleeting glances at him from certain corners; figures who appeared to be strolling around, but whose eyes were actually constantly scanning the belongings of passersby.
Just as Xu Mo was passing through a relatively crowded intersection, a thin figure with their head down and walking hurriedly bumped into him. The movement seemed unintentional, but at the instant of physical contact, Xu Mo clearly felt a hand slip like an eel towards the TT33 pistol at his waist!
"Interesting." Xu Mo felt helpless, never expecting to be targeted as well.
Just as his hand was about to touch the holster, Xu Mo's waist muscles tensed slightly. The thief felt as if his fingers had hit a piece of elastic rubber and were gently bounced away.
"I'm sorry!" The thief looked up, revealing a somewhat slick face, and appeared to be no more than twenty years old. He forced himself to remain calm and apologized, his eyes darting around as he tried to slip away from Xu Mo.
Xu Mo didn't speak, but simply stared at the other person with a calm gaze, causing the thief to freeze in place, his forehead beaded with sweat.
"Get lost." Xu Mo uttered a single word indifferently.
The thief glared at Xu Mo, then disappeared into the crowd without looking back, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
This was just a minor incident, but it gave Xu Mo a clearer understanding of the "peace" of the inner city. Beneath the glitz and glamour, there still filth and reckless behavior.
After walking a while longer, an enticing aroma of food wafted through the air. Xu Mo followed the scent and saw a wonton stall set up by the roadside. A large pot of milky white bone broth was bubbling and steaming, and the stall owners, an elderly couple, were deftly wrapping wontons. Several simple tables and chairs were set up by the roadside, and they were all full of people.
The familiar atmosphere of the marketplace stirred something within Xu Mo. He walked over and found an empty seat by the roadside.
"Boss, a bowl of wontons."
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"Alright, almost done!" the old lady replied with a smile, deftly putting the wrapped wontons into the pot.
Soon, a steaming bowl of wontons was served. The clear broth was dotted with oil and vibrant green scallions, and the thin-skinned, generously filled wontons lay like ingots in the bowl. Xu Mo picked up a spoon and slowly savored it. The taste wasn't particularly amazing, but the rare sense of peace and familiarity it brought relaxed his tense nerves a little.
Xu Mo ate while watching the pedestrians passing by on the street. Just then, two women and a man sat down at the empty table next to him.
"Boss, three bowls of wontons!"
These three appeared to be in their early twenties, dressed plainly, but their demeanor was strikingly different from those around them. Xu Mo's spirits instantly tightened. It wasn't because of their outstanding appearance, but because, in the instant they approached, Xu Mo's exceptionally keen senses, honed by his cultivation of the "Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Training," vaguely detected energy fluctuations within their bodies that seemed to be different from the power of blood and qi! These fluctuations were very weak, appearing and disappearing intermittently, yet they carried a unique "activity."
"A superhuman?" Xu Mo thought to himself, continuing to eat his wontons without making a sound, but his ears perked up slightly.
The three people didn't notice Xu Mo's unusual behavior and continued to talk quietly to themselves. Their voices were very low, but Xu Mo's enhanced hearing still made them clearly audible.
"Sister Weiwei, we owe you so much this time. Otherwise, our team would probably have been doomed in that abandoned factory," a girl with a ponytail said to another composed-looking woman with short hair.
"Yeah, Sister Vivi's ice wall was just in time, blocking the mutated hound's attack." Another boy wearing glasses chimed in, his tone filled with gratitude. "But speaking of which, Brother Wang's fire blast was also crucial, directly burning down the entrance to that guy's lair."
The short-haired woman, known as Sister Vivi, shook her head and said calmly, "It's good that the mission was completed smoothly. Everyone has worked hard, take a rest, we still have to report to the logistics department tomorrow."
"Hmm, I heard this mission rewards a lot of contribution points..." the girl with the ponytail said excitedly.
Hearing this, Xu Mo was basically certain that they were indeed superhumans, and that they seemed to have just returned from a mission.
He listened out of curiosity for a few more minutes, but then the three of them started talking about gossip and interesting stories from the base, such as which team had discovered something good, or what strange missions the research institute had issued. Xu Mo lost interest.
After quickly finishing the remaining wontons and paying the bill, Xu Mo got up and left. Walking along the road, he was still thinking about the three ability users. "Ice Wall," "Flame Impact"—they seemed to be elemental ability users. Although the energy fluctuations within them were weak, they were definitely present, a different feeling from his own purely condensed blood and qi power.
"I didn't expect to run into superhumans just by having a casual meal. It seems there are more superhumans in the Jiangcheng Sanctuary than I thought, at least not as rare as the intelligence reports suggested," Xu Mo pondered. "I just wonder how strong they are, and how they compare to my Bullhide Realm level."
Unbeknownst to him, Xu Mo had stumbled upon a bustling night market. This was a spontaneously formed trading market, smaller than the one at Base Six, but selling entirely different things.
The market at Base Six is teeming with weapons, ammunition, basic survival supplies, and mutant materials, filled with a raw, primal sense of urgency. The stalls offer a dazzling array of goods: vintage clothing and shoes in various styles, snacks in diverse packaging, glittering cheap trinkets, and even secondhand furniture, small appliances, books, and toys. Many residents stroll leisurely, the sounds of bargaining filling the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
This fully demonstrates that, in the inner city, at least for some people, survival is no longer the only theme; they have begun to pursue higher-level living needs and have become accustomed to this relatively stable order.
Xu Mo strolled along with the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the stalls. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a stall selling all sorts of miscellaneous secondhand goods. The stall was filled with old books, ornaments, and handicrafts, including a small basket containing dozens of stones of various shapes and sizes, such as pebbles and several pieces of jade rough or scraps of different colors.
Xu Mo's heart stirred. He had been at the "Thirteen Protectors' Formidable Body" level of cultivation for some time now, practicing diligently every day. His qi and blood were becoming increasingly abundant, and the toughness of his skin was slowly improving. He hadn't encountered any so-called bottlenecks. However, this was more like a slow and steady accumulation of effort. According to the cultivation method, breaking through to the next level, the "Iron Bone Realm," required a deeper level of tempering, which was by no means easy and would take an unknown amount of time.
In many novels Xu Mo had read in his previous life, it was mentioned that jade contained pure "spiritual energy" or "energy," which could aid in cultivation. Although he didn't know if this applied to this world, since he had come across it and the price wasn't high, he figured he might as well buy it and give it a try.
Squatting down, Xu Mo began rummaging through the small basket. Most of the stones were unremarkable, but he still managed to pick out two pieces of green jade scraps, about the size of an egg yolk, with a relatively fine and smooth texture, by touch.
"Boss, how much are these two pieces?" Xu Mo asked, picking up the jade stones.
The stall owner, a lean middle-aged man, squinted at Xu Mo, then looked at the jade in his hand, and held up five fingers: "Young man, you have a good eye! This is top-quality Hetian jade, which was quite valuable before the apocalypse. Since you're so eager to buy it, I'll give you fifty contribution points for each piece, or one hundred contribution points for both."
Upon hearing this, Xu Mo almost laughed in anger. This shopkeeper was really overcharging. The two pieces of jade were of average quality and were clearly machine-cut edges, with no artistic value whatsoever. In the post-apocalyptic world, they were practically just decorative items.
"Boss, you're not being honest." Xu Mo shook his head, put the jade back in the basket, "Two pieces, five contribution points."
"Oh dear! You're haggling way too much, buddy! This is jade!" The shopkeeper looked pained. "Forty! Forty contribution points, two yuan each, you can take it!"
'
"Eight o'clock."
Thirty! The minimum is thirty.
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"Ten o'clock, if you're not going to sell, then forget it." Xu Mo made a move to leave.
"No, no, no! Fifteen! Fifteen contribution points! I'll give you an extra one, you can choose whichever you like." The shopkeeper quickly grabbed Xu Mo and pointed to the other stones in the basket.
Xu Mo thought for a moment; fifteen contribution points were still within an acceptable range. He picked up the two jade stones again, and then casually picked up a fist-sized, rough, unremarkable stone from the bottom of the basket. "This one will do."
"Deal! Sold!" the boss readily agreed, seemingly afraid that Xu Mo would change his mind.
After completing the transaction, Xu Mo stuffed the three stones into his coat pocket and continued strolling. He hadn't gone far when a shrewd-looking man in a gray jacket approached him and said in a low voice, "Brother, just bought some stones? Good taste. I have some even better stuff here, interested in taking a look?"
Xu Mo raised an eyebrow and looked at the man. The man's eyes gleamed with a sly, mercenary glint. "What good stuff?"
"Hehe, I guarantee you'll be amazed. There are too many people around here, so it's not convenient to talk. Would you like to come with me?" The man in the gray jacket gestured for him to follow.
Xu Mo narrowed his eyes, wanting to see what the other party was up to, and nodded: "Lead the way."
The man in the gray jacket smiled even more broadly, leading Xu Mo away from the bustling main street and into a side alley. As they walked, he casually struck up a conversation: "Brother, you haven't been in the inner city long, have you?"
'
"Oh? How did you know?" Xu Mo was indeed a little curious.
"Eyes." The man in the gray jacket chuckled. "People who've been in the inner city for a long time either have numb eyes, shrewd eyes, or eyes that carry a sense of superiority. Someone like you, with a look that's scrutinizing, curious, and even... well, how should I put it, doesn't seem to take this 'comfort zone' of the inner city too seriously at all. You're obviously a seasoned newcomer. I've been around this area for so many years, I have that kind of eye for talent."
Xu Mo remained noncommittal.
The two men meandered through a maze of alleyways, finally arriving at the end of a quiet dead end, where an inconspicuous wooden door stood before them. The man in the gray jacket knocked rhythmically. The door opened from the inside.
"Please come in, all the good stuff is inside." The man in the gray jacket stepped aside.
Xu Mo stepped into the courtyard, which was small and somewhat cluttered. As soon as he entered, the wooden door behind him slammed shut. Immediately afterward, seven or eight people emerged from the corner of the courtyard and the shadows of the house, wielding steel pipes, machetes, and other weapons, surrounding him. One of them was holding an old-fashioned double-barreled shotgun, the muzzle subtly pointed at Xu Mo.
Among this group of people, Xu Mo saw a familiar face—it was the "thief acquaintance" who had tried to steal his gun earlier but was scared away. At this moment, the thief was staring at him with a smug and resentful expression.
"Kid, be smart and don't use your gun." The leader, a burly man with a scarred face, brandished his machete and grinned maliciously. "Let us break your leg, and we'll call it a day. Resist, and you'll get a bullet!"
Xu Mo showed no panic whatsoever, but rather a playful smile as he looked at the gray-jacketed broker who had led him there: "This is the 'good stuff' you were talking about?"
The man in the gray jacket dropped his pretense and said with a forced smile, "Brother, it's all your fault for being so careless and offending someone in the inner city. You look unfamiliar, and you seem like a fat sheep with some money, so we brothers can only ask you for a little something to spend. Just accept it; a broken leg is better than losing your life."
"Offended someone?" Xu Mo looked at the boy. "Just because he failed to steal my things?"
"Damn it, who stole your things! You're making false accusations!" the boy shouted, jumping up and down. "You're the one who bumped into me!"
Scarface interrupted impatiently, "Stop wasting your breath on him, kid. I'll ask you one last time: are you going to lie down yourself, or do you want us to help you?"
Xu Mo sighed and shook his head: "I didn't want to cause trouble."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Mo suddenly moved.
Instead of drawing his gun, he swiftly reached into his coat pocket with his right hand, grabbed the slightly larger piece of blue jade he had just bought, and with all his might, hurled it at the gunman.
"Whoosh—snap!"
The jade stone whistled through the air and struck the gunman's wrist with perfect accuracy. The man screamed, and the shotgun clattered to the ground.
Almost at the same moment the jade slipped from his hand, Xu Mo drew his machete from his waist with his left hand. He didn't use the blade, but instead flipped the blade over, using the heavy back of the blade to charge into the crowd like a tiger among sheep.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of muffled thuds rang out, accompanied by the teeth-grinding sound of bones colliding with metal and piercing screams.
Xu Mo's movements were concise and efficient. Each swing of his knife struck precisely at the opponent's wrist, elbow, or shinbone. His speed far exceeded the reaction limits of these thugs, instantly incapacitating them without inflicting fatal wounds.
In less than ten seconds, the seven or eight people who had been so aggressive just moments before, except for the terrified teenager and the ashen-faced man in the gray jacket, were all lying on the ground, clutching their wounds and groaning in pain, their weapons scattered all over the place.
Xu Mo stood with his knife in hand, his breathing steady, as if he had merely swatted a few flies. He calmly looked at the man in the gray jacket and the boy.
"B-Big brother...spare us!" The man in the gray jacket knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears. "We were blind and offended you! We deserve to die!"
The boy was also trembling with fear, his face pale, and he was no longer as arrogant as before.
Xu Mo pointed the tip of his knife at the groaning crowd on the ground, then at the man in the gray jacket and the boy: "Now, can we talk about 'compensation'?"
"We'll pay! We'll pay!" Scarface shouted, enduring the excruciating pain. "We're willing to give you all our contribution points, just please be lenient."
Under Xu Mo's "watchful gaze," the group of people began to tremblingly pull out their identity cards. After some scraping together, including the one in the gray jacket and the boy, they only managed to gather a total of seventy contribution points. Most of them only had single-digit contribution points on their identity cards, making them look truly penniless.
Looking at the pitiful group of people on the ground and the meager "compensation," Xu Mo was speechless. He had originally thought he could extort some money, but it turned out they were a bunch of penniless bastards.
"Forget it." Xu Mo waved his hand, not taking their contribution points. "Keep the contribution points for yourselves. Go and find me everything you've collected that you think is strange or that you don't understand. Remember, don't try to fool me."
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Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon. Although they were puzzled, they still struggled to get up, or asked the uninjured boy and the boy in the gray jacket to quickly search the house.
Not long after, the two returned carrying a small pile of things. There were several oddly colored stones, a rusty metal compass engraved with strange patterns, half a tattered old thread-bound book with blurred writing, and a small, strangely shaped statue carved from an unknown black wood.
"B-Big brother, that's all. We just... uh... took it casually, and kept it because we thought it was weird..." the man in the gray jacket said cautiously, not daring to admit he stole it.
Xu Mo was even more speechless; after all that, it turned out to be a pile of stolen goods.
After packing his things away and ignoring the group of boastful fellows, Xu Mo left this place of trouble.
Back in his room at the "Traveler's Home" hotel, Xu Mo laid out his "harvest" for the night on the table: two pieces of blue jade, a pile of strange stones, half a tattered ancient book, a compass, and a bizarre wooden carving.
The reason Xu Mo didn't take their contribution points was that he was afraid these people would resort to violence again once they lost their money. In that case, even more people might suffer, and besides, Xu Mo didn't care about such a small amount of contribution points.
Looking at the pile of stones in front of him, Xu Mo picked up a piece of cyan jade, held it in his palm, and tried to circulate the breathing method of the "Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training" to guide his qi and blood to sense and even absorb the energy that might exist in it.
However, half an hour later, the jade remained the same, cool and smooth, without any energy feedback, and his blood and qi showed no signs of abnormal activity.
"It seems we can't completely trust the plots in novels." Xu Mo shook his head and put the jade down. Perhaps the jade in this world doesn't contain any so-called "spiritual energy."
He picked up the half-finished ancient book again and flipped through it. The paper was fragile and yellowed, and the characters were in traditional ancient script. The content was obscure, and after looking at it for a while and realizing he couldn't understand it, he put it aside. The wooden carving was cold to the touch. It depicted a three-headed, six-armed monster with a ferocious face. The carving was rough, and he couldn't sense anything unusual about it.
Finally, Xu Mo's gaze fell on the messy rocks, and he tried to see if he could draw some energy from them, but unfortunately, he failed in the end.
"Forget it, consider it a lesson learned, and... a good workout." Xu Mo put away these useless things and stopped worrying about them.
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