Wang Shangmeng worked his wrists and shoulders, saying sternly, "Ning Yu, create disguises for us. Yoda and I will find a safe place to settle first. You and Ye Ying can scout how to enter the Black Star Dominion Tower."
Ning Yu shook her head, her expression cold. "No. I'm familiar with this place. I can act alone. I'll infiltrate the Black Star Dominion Tower first and find Hai Yang's whereabouts."
"Ning Yu." Wang Shangmeng grabbed Ning Yu's wrist. "Things are different now. We know the timeline of this world has changed. There might be unexpected developments."
"It's precisely because the timeline changed that Hai Yang appeared so early." Ning Yu said, her voice laced with anger. "At this rate, the first batch of 'pupae' will likely appear before long."
Yoda saw two men dressed in black trench coats and wide-brimmed hats flash by the alley entrance. A moment later, they retreated, glanced at them sideways, and hurried away.
"Let's go, we might have been spotted," Yoda said nimbly.
"The plan has changed. We need to withdraw and find a safe location before making further decisions," Wang Shangmeng reacted quickly.
Being in the enemy's lair, every move required caution.
But Ning Yu wouldn't listen. She summoned her exoskeleton armor and leaped onto the skyscraper's wall.
The suction cups on her hands, knees, and feet firmly adhered to the wall as she climbed higher. Her camouflage armor rapidly changed color.
Three seconds later, Ning Yu had vanished without a trace.
Wang Shangmeng cursed under his breath and, with Ye Ying and Yoda, darted out from the other end of the alley.
He had intended for Ning Yu to create disguises to help them blend in.
Wang Shangmeng, Yoda, and Ye Ying did not have the typical appearance of Black Star inhabitants. Walking on the streets would easily draw attention.
If they tried to hide, it would only arouse more suspicion.
If this continued, not only would finding a safe place to settle be impossible, but their appearance alone would surely make the landlords suspicious.
Currently, all the Xianxia agents and informants hidden in the city were unreachable.
Wang Shangmeng felt a chill in his heart. They were truly like tender fish on a chopping board, thrown into a pond full of crocodiles.
But facing difficulties, they couldn't just do nothing; that would only lead to more trouble.
Wang Shangmeng glanced at a group of somewhat ostentatious young men not far away and an idea formed in his mind.
"Looks like we'll have to sacrifice your appearances," Wang Shangmeng said reluctantly, thinking that Gu Ya would kill him if she knew.
Yoda was more understanding. "Just tell us! As long as we can leave here quickly and find a safe place to settle, anything is fine."
Wang Shangmeng disguised himself as a foreign refugee who had entered the city, and through cajoling and deception, he led the young men into an deserted alley.
After some threats and a few blows, these minor thugs revealed that there was a clandestine beauty salon two blocks away, specifically serving foreign women trying to escape into the city.
After knocking out the thugs,
The three of them, evading several checkpoints and suspicious glances, took three hours to cover a distance that should have taken twenty minutes, finally reaching the beauty salon.
"I'll go in and scout first," Wang Shangmeng said calmly.
Before stepping through the door, he maintained a proper demeanor.
But once the alloy gate opened, revealing Sun Jian, he completely changed his demeanor, adopting a dejected, shabby, and despicable posture, walking with a bow-legged, pigeon-toed gait and hands shoved in his pockets.
Contrary to his expectations, the place was quite crowded, mostly with men.
However, from behind the counter, the screams of women echoed one after another.
It seemed they were all bringing "goods" for modification.
The owner behind the counter immediately recognized Wang Shangmeng as someone down on his luck, hoping to strike it rich. He sneered slightly, adjusted his posture, and said expressionlessly, "What service do you need? Where is the merchandise?"
Wang Shangmeng raised his left hand and placed it on the counter, his fingers tapping rhythmically. Putting on a flippant air, he scanned the men in the room and whispered to the owner, "Both are top-quality foreign goods. Just make them look like Black Star women."
At that moment, the narrow door behind the counter was pushed open, and a gaunt woman covered in blood was shoved out.
Judging by her appearance, she had clearly endured something horrific.
A man in the room coldly got up and walked over, tossing her a coat to cover herself. Without regard for her condition, he grabbed her and pulled her out of the store.
The owner chuckled and said, "Bring the goods in. Pay half the deposit first."
Wang Shangmeng nodded and walked out of the store. A few seconds later, he returned with Yoda and Ye Ying.
The moment the fair-skinned, elegant Yoda and the exquisite, beautiful Ye Ying appeared, they instantly drew the fixed gazes of all the men.
Envy, lust, depravity, and malice were all evident in their expressions towards the women.
Ye Ying had often seen such looks in Adaya.
This pure malice instantly tensed Ye Ying's nerves, her fists clenching with cold anger.
Yoda gently took Ye Ying's clasped hand and whispered, "It's okay, I'm here."
The owner, clearly unfazed by such scenes, cleared his throat and said coldly, "Take the goods in. Pay and wait."
Wang Shangmeng said dismissively, "Add one more person, and I'll do it."
"Twice the price for a man. Pay and go inside," the owner said gruffly.
Wang Shangmeng transferred tens of thousands of White Star coins to the owner, who accepted them readily. The exchange rate between White Star coins and Black Star coins was similar; both were universally accepted currencies, and besides, this was a black market establishment, with plenty of ways to launder and exchange them.
Wang Shangmeng and the two ladies walked into the back room.
The moment the alloy gate closed, two burly men emerged from a small room in front.
Their arms had been replaced with mechanical ones, and they were covered in blood.
One of them stared at the two women with a wicked glint in his eyes, raising an eyebrow and smiling, "Ladies, follow me. You need to be examined first, hehehe."
"Men, follow me. You'll be examined first and then priced. That's the shop's rule. The better the goods, the higher the price!" the other said maliciously.
From the surrounding rooms, more piercing screams of women could be heard,
Making Ye Ying and Yoda tremble.
Wang Shangmeng exchanged a glance with Yoda and followed the man deeper into the establishment.
Ye Ying and Yoda followed the two men down a left-hand corridor.
After several turns, the men pushed them into a small room.
Without even closing the door, the man began to undress, saying as he did, "Goods this good are rare to see even once a year! And now two have come at once! You'll definitely be sent to high-class establishments. Let me have my fun first! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and undress for the examination! Hehehe!"
Yoda glanced at Ye Ying and shyly said, "Could you close the door? I'm shy."
"Heh heh, no need to let good things go to outsiders. Speak nicely!" the man said lewdly and turned to close the door.
The instant the door was closed, a sharp blade plunged into the man's nape.
Ye Ying moved faster than Yoda, her cold, sharp gaze wishing she could flay the man alive.
With a twist of her wrist, the man's head was cleanly severed and fell to the ground.
Yoda walked over, staring at the man's bloody corpse, and asked, "You killed him, who will modify us?"
Ye Ying wiped the dagger on a dirty bedsheet, removing the bloodstains, and said coldly, "What modification? Didn't you see the woman who went out? Aside from bleeding from down there, there were no signs of modification on her."
"This place is a den of organized crime."
"Foreign women are abducted here and violated, then branded with proof of their affiliation with the criminal organizations. Only then can the traffickers bring these foreign women to engage in illegal activities in the city."
"They use all sorts of despicable means to control the women, exploit them for money, and then turn them over here in exchange for protection and operating rights."
Ye Ying finished coldly and took a step back, avoiding the blood flowing from the corpse from staining her shoes.
Yoda asked in surprise, "How do you know all this?"
Ye Ying replied very calmly, "Crows are all black under the sky. The things I saw in Adaya were far more sordid than this place."
Yoda nodded and whispered, "Now, what should we do?"
Just as the two women hesitated, contemplating how to get out,
The door was suddenly knocked upon three times,
Immediately after, the alloy gate automatically opened!