Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 477 - 349: Black Market Welcome Gift

Sofia drove Qu Jianlei to a large mall that sold toy supplies.

The mall housed hundreds of stores with various toys, as well as clothes, shoes, hats, and masks.

She picked out a set of ragged clothes and a two-headed mask. "What are you choosing?"

Qu Jianlei looked at her, a bit surprised, "The Fallen... Aren’t you afraid of getting beaten up?"

"It’s a popular film series," Sofia replied with a surprised glance at him, "Even villains have rights, don’t they?"

Is there face-ripping even in Imperial society? Qu Jianlei was momentarily speechless.

However, if you dare dress like this on Garbage Star, someone might shoot you dead without any responsibility!

Of course, this is the peaceful Hope No.2 Star. Although the security isn’t great, you can’t bring Garbage Star’s mindset over here.

But he couldn’t help but say, "The Fallen are real!"

"They can’t come to Green Water City," Sofia confidently replied, "It’s just toys."

Qu Jianlei paused and shook his head, "This... I can’t quite accept it. Is there a more legitimate role?"

Old-fashioned! Sofia silently criticized him, then suggested out loud, "How about the heroic Huang Shuangxing?"

This person... I’ve never heard of him. Qu Jianlei felt the difficulty of fully integrating into the Empire.

Besides needing to earn money and cultivate, do I also have to... binge-watch dramas?

He shook his head, "I’m not familiar with this person. What’s his image and style? Is he evil?"

"Of course not evil, he’s a gentleman. But if you don’t even know Huang Shuangxing, how sheltered must you be?"

Qu Jianlei ignored her rambling, looked at Huang Shuangxing’s style, and indeed, he was impeccably dressed and dignified.

After selecting the clothes, the two went into the dressing room to change.

When they emerged, Qu Jianlei was indeed well-dressed, looking like high society.

Sofia looked rather conspicuous, with strips of cloth on the left and holes on the right, as if her clothes might fall apart.

Her figure was already quite voluptuous, and now with so much skin exposed, she was strikingly noticeable.

Fortunately, she had already donned the two-headed mask, and others could easily tell she was role-playing.

Yet even so, many eyes followed her, with some wondering if the face behind the mask was as attractive.

Perhaps it was because Green Water City’s daytime security was decent, or due to Qu Jianlei accompanying her, that no one whistled.

After getting in the car, Sofia drove steadily while telling Qu Jianlei the story of Huang Shuangxing.

He was a hero who once ruled over two stars, hence called Huang Shuangxing, but was eventually eradicated by the Empire.

According to Sofia, he was actually a good person, just extreme in his actions, seeking light in the darkness.

In short, he was a tragic figure and an idol in the hearts of many young people.

Qu Jianlei genuinely wasn’t interested in these film plots, but considering the need to integrate into the Empire, he tolerated it.

However, as he listened, a sense of tranquility unexpectedly emerged in his heart, as if he were back on Blue Star.

In a comfortably inhabited society, listening to ordinary trivial ramblings, these were like songs from the past.

But finally, he couldn’t help but ask, "Can such a story pass review... Does the Empire allow it to be shown?"

"It’s purely fictional, of course it can be shown," Sofia responded nonchalantly.

After a pause, she added, "But it’s said that many scenes are based on real events."

By the time it was completely dark, Qu Jianlei also put on the Huang Shuangxing mask.

The mask design was good, with bushy eyebrows and big eyes, though the goatee somewhat gave a sleazy and sinister impression.

He and Sofia walked along the Muddy River bank, heading towards the bridge.

The surroundings of Muddy River were park-like, providing nice scenery and very bright lighting, suitable for nighttime outings.

Although the two were dressed extravagantly, hardly anyone paid them mind—just role-playing, after all. Who hasn’t seen it before?

The one occasionally catching eyes was still Sofia, with her graceful figure clad in ragged attire.

Approaching the black market, the lights dimmed considerably.

Sofia explained in a low voice, "There used to be lights here, but they were destroyed by black market guys repeatedly."

"Over time, the government got too lazy to bother."

The outskirts of the black market were dark, but under the bridge, the light suddenly brightened, as all stalls had their own lighting.

The stalls were quite informal, mostly laid out on the ground, but some brought small tables and stools.

There were even a few who drove in small light trucks, setting up troughs to sell their goods.

Just as they walked under the bridge, a child around ten years old bumped into someone and rushed straight toward them.

Qu Jianlei grabbed the child’s hair with one swift motion, flung his arm, and tossed the kid into the Muddy River over sixty meters away.

Some people were casually watching them, but witnessing this scene, they all gasped in shock.

It’s not that they hadn’t seen tough people, but someone this ruthless was rare indeed.

Moreover, this child wasn’t light, around seventy or eighty pounds, and yet being tossed so far by the hair—at least a Modified Warrior.

This move left all onlookers speechless, and for a moment, no one spoke a word.

After a moment of silence, finally someone spoke up, it was a middle-aged man.

He spoke lazily, "Friend, have you considered? That child might not know how to swim."

"I didn’t quite catch what you’re saying," Qu Jianlei coughed lightly, "say it again."

"Heh," the middle-aged man chuckled dismissively, "Wearing a mask, you really think you’re Huang Shuangxing?"

What the other party said was exactly Huang Shuangxing’s favorite catchphrase.

Qu Jianlei’s body flickered, and he was instantly beside the man—daring to stand up for a child, he must have a vested interest.

The man’s reaction wasn’t slow, he directly pulled out a short dagger from his waist, aiming for Qu Jianlei’s waist.

Judging from his skills and reaction, it was clear he was a Modified Warrior.

Yet he was fast, Qu Jianlei was even faster.

Qu Jianlei’s body twisted mysteriously, reaching out, he grasped the man’s wrist holding the dagger.

Then he shook his hand once again, swinging the man up and tossing him into the Muddy River.

As he swung the man, a popping sound came from the man’s elbow and shoulder, clearly indicating a joint dislocation.

That little kid was one thing, but this man’s weight was at least 180 or 190 pounds, and he was thrown so far.

How much strength does it take to do that?

Causing the man’s joints to dislocate from the swing was quite normal—over 100 pounds, thrown out with a grip on the wrist!

Muddy River isn’t deep, but the depth by the riverbank is over two meters, and the water is flowing.

Even if the man can swim, with a dislocated arm, whether he can swim ashore is another matter.

Qu Jianlei’s reaction was so violent, it was almost like intentional homicide.

However, he didn’t think so, considering the man only stabbed at his waist, this was just a minor punishment.

As for whether the man couldn’t swim, or wasn’t skilled in the water, and might drown, what did that have to do with him?

If you’re not good at swimming, don’t risk playing in the water, walking by the river often, how can you not get your shoes wet?

His action this time completely intimidated everyone present.

This is the black market, and the gangs making a living here must have more than just two or three people, but no one dared to come forward again.

Qu Jianlei didn’t pay attention to the two people who fell into the river, he casually started browsing the stalls.

Some people ran to the riverside to save those two, whether they were kind-hearted bystanders or part of the same gang was unknown.

The majority of people returned to normal, as if nothing happened, the excitement was over, life must go on.

However, after this incident, people nearby all realized the power of "Huang Shuangxing."

Most stall owners would put on a smile when he came near, those who were exceptionally indifferent would nod slightly.

As Qu Jianlei and Sofia were strolling, someone reported the situation to a group of people under the bridge pier.

This group had seven or eight people, sitting there chatting and boasting, some even had guns on them.

After hearing about what just happened, a man with tattoos on his arms sneered.

"Ah, Pinhead always extorts customers whenever he’s got nothing to do, finally met someone tough, serves him right."

Another short and stout man frowned, "But he can help the market test strong ones."

Pinhead was the middle-aged man thrown into the river, leading a small team to make a living in the black market.

Supposedly, doing what they did, creating chaos in the market, would affect the black market’s reputation.

But their existence indeed helped the managers differentiate tough characters, otherwise, they’d have been dealt with long ago.

Another person spoke up, "Since we’re a black market, everything being peaceful isn’t good, we need people to bear respect."

"Peaceful my ass," the tattooed man snorted disdainfully, "When Pinhead picked on others, did we care?"

The man who spoke earlier was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Second Brother is right, we didn’t care."

The tattooed Second Brother snorted disdainfully, "That’s why our market has high freedom, business has to care about reputation."

"Since the other side didn’t use guns... that trash, are they even worthy of us stepping in?"

This group wasn’t the black market’s managers, at most they were small fighters overseeing the place, but they could make small decisions like these.

Qu Jianlei didn’t care about the market’s reaction either.

He was provoked a bit yesterday, thinking that it’s just a fake identity anyway, encountering those seeking death, he might as well satisfy his desire for enlightenment.

Today, hearing that most of the surveillance were just for show, he felt a bit like letting loose.

Anyway, when he came to the black market, he was also wearing a mask, which increased his courage.

After wandering around the black market for a while, he felt a bit uninterested, it’s not just cultivation supplies being sold here.

In fact, most were not cultivation supplies, there were various smuggled goods, mysterious antiques, and strange objects.

There were also plenty of ammunition and firearms—Star No. 2 doesn’t ban guns, but getting a gun permit is quite difficult.

Qu Jianlei stopped beside a light truck, frowning, "What’s this?"

(Updated and asking for monthly tickets and continued reading.)