"First, let's find a place to rest and replenish our energy," Shu Feizhang said calmly.
"Notify me when you find one," Gu Ya tossed Shu Feizhang an encrypted wristband. "I'll go scout ahead."
After parting ways with his teammates, Gu Ya pulled his thick trench coat tighter, put on his gas mask, and headed alone towards the city center.
The narrow, dark streets were bustling with activity. Small children chased each other in play, figures could be seen fighting in back alleys, and couples drunk on drink staggered past, arm in arm.
Occasionally, a unicycle motorcycle would speed by, immediately pursued by two more.
After walking for half an hour, Gu Ya stopped in front of a small shop.
Beneath the shop's sign, a small line of text read: [No consultation is free!]
The shop walls were hung with countless small mechanical parts.
Like a watchmaker, the uncle sitting behind the counter, chewing gum, looked at Gu Ya and asked, "Repairing an artificial limb?"
"What do you have?" Gu Ya asked nonchalantly.
"Anything except the head. Hearts, livers, lungs, arms, and legs too," the uncle said lazily, scratching his stubble.
Gu Ya glanced around, then steadily walked into the shop.
In the back room, a dirty operating table was set up. The grimy walls were covered with tools for dissecting human bodies, as well as several mechanical arms used for surgery.
Cockroaches scurried quickly over the tools and disappeared into a thick crack in the corner of the wall.
Some bloody mechanical parts were scattered on the floor.
To Gu Ya's surprise, a strange creature, resembling both a cat and a rat, was leashed in the room. It opened one eye and stared at Gu Ya.
The artificial limb repairman, dressed in a leather apron like a butcher, picked up two cleavers.
The moment he turned, a crimson lightsaber was pointed at his head.
Three minutes later, the master, tied up securely, sat on the operating bed, looking at Gu Ya in terror.
"I ask, you answer. Don't lie if you know what's good for you," Gu Ya asked coldly. "Where can I get information about the exclusive secret space?"
The master stammered, "That's high-end technology. I-I-I haven't come into contact with it. Ah—!"
The lie-detecting metal band embedded in his head tightened by an inch, contorting his face in pain.
After a moment to recover, the master quickly said, "The black market! You can find out in the black market! That's where people buy and sell Dunsaxin!"
Gu Ya leaned in and asked, "Where is the black market? How do I find those places?"
"In the Eternal Night District! Y-you need... you need an authentication card... you must be introduced by someone you know to get one," the master said, his teeth chattering from the pain.
As Gu Ya walked out of the shop, the small figure of Hei Yang materialized on his shoulder. "Master, that person did indeed betray us. I've already dealt with him. Also, I've found the address of the communication. Eternal Night District."
Gu Ya nodded, pulled his trench coat tighter, and continued walking forward.
"It seems that Joe didn't tell the whole truth. The military obtained the exclusive secret space through formal channels, while some scoundrels gain abilities by buying and selling Dunsaxin."
"Darkness breeds everywhere, no matter the place."
Just then, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out not far ahead. A shop was blown open by fire, and four unicycle motorcycles shot out from the flames.
The bandit riders roared with laughter as they sped away, not forgetting to toss their stolen loot into the air, drawing a throng of pedestrians scrambling to grab it.
Almost instantly, in front of them, a dark shadow plummeted from the sky.
The shadow quickly spread its arms, and giant mecha arms appeared on either side, spanning the street.
The four motorcycles crashed into it and flipped over.
The shadow slowly retracted its arms, stomping its feet as it turned.
The lights projected from high above illuminated the shadow. Its upper body was that of a woman, while its lower half was a mechanical horse body, marked with a symbol similar to that of the security forces.
Immediately, the horse body began to transform, wrapping around the woman's body. The woman gradually grew taller, transforming into a mecha infantry soldier clad in exoskeleton armor.
"According to岚夜城 (Lan Ye City) Emergency Order No. 3717, I am now arresting you four for robbery, illegal use of explosives, arson, and theft! You have the right to remain silent, but you cannot escape the law!"
The woman, ignoring the money they had stolen, lifted the four criminals into the sky.
The pedestrians on the street erupted into chaos, quickly snatching up the money and motorcycles. The street soon returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
"It's really chaotic," Gu Ya sighed.
"Uncle..." a little girl tugged at Gu Ya's coat, her big, watery eyes looking up at him. "Can you give my mother some food?"
Gu Ya walked forward indifferently.
The little girl followed, tears streaming down her face, her voice small, "Uncle, my mother is dying."
Gu Ya cautiously surveyed her. Her dirty, thin clothes made her look like a little beggar.
"Lead the way."
Deep within a narrow, dark alley between two tall buildings, Gu Ya found the little girl's mother.
In such cold weather, the woman wore only a dirty tank top that reached her knees. Her body was riddled with needle marks, and her eyes stared blankly ahead.
As Gu Ya extended his finger to check if she was still breathing, the woman suddenly bit down on his hand.
Soon, a crisp "crack" sounded from Gu Ya's mechanical index finger.
The woman bared her teeth and lunged, biting towards Gu Ya's neck!
The little girl also pulled out two nail blades from her abdomen and lunged at Gu Ya!
With several "crack-crack" sounds, Gu Ya's body was pierced with several holes by the attackers.
Looking at the man who had fallen to the ground, the woman spat out the mechanical parts from her mouth and said in a sinister voice, "This mission was so easy."
The little girl said coldly, "He's a novice, how dare he kill our hidden sentry?"
Just then, a crimson flash appeared, and the woman's head was cleanly severed.
Before the little girl could escape, she was knocked unconscious by a heavy punch.
If he hadn't been careful when turning the corner and sent Hei Yang to substitute for him, he would have had several more holes in him.
Gu Ya grabbed the little girl, kicked away the woman's head, and disappeared into the dark alley.
...
"Why did it take so long? I don't know this place... What did you bring back?!" Shu Feizhang exclaimed in shock.
Gu Ya threw the tightly bound little girl onto the bed and said tiredly, "I just got some information and was ambushed. This place isn't safe anymore."
Joe, who had since woken up, saw the eagle tattoo on the little girl's arm and said with a wry smile, "You've gotten into trouble with the wrong people. Even the military doesn't dare to mess with the forces behind her."
"Is that so?" Mu Ye Xingchen sneered dismissively.
Gu Ya woke the little girl and asked, "Tell me how to get to your headquarters."
The little girl gave a sinister smile, and her belly began to swell!
Gu Ya, with quick reflexes, wrapped the little girl in thick lead blocks.
With a dull "bang," an explosion shook the entire house.
Looking at the collapsed bed, Gu Ya sighed irritably, got up, and said, "Let's get out of here quickly!"
Shortly after the four left, two tall men in suits quietly entered the room.
After searching the area, they found nothing suspicious except for the square, heavy lead block.
One man pulled out his wristband. "Confirmed that subject 083 disappeared here. No body found, unable to determine if they defected from the organization."
The other man patted the speaker and pointed at the lead block.
After the two men removed their detection instruments from the lead block, one said, "Confirmed subject 083 is dead. The method of death was unusual. Expert team support is required."
"Boss, we seem to have encountered an extremely dangerous individual."
"Yes... Understood."
After ending the communication, the two men struggled to lift the heavy lead block, shuffling slowly out of the room.
As the hovercar carrying the lead block flew away, the two-story civilian house suddenly exploded, obliterating everything inside.
And all of this was witnessed by Gu Ya and his companions, hidden in the shadows.
"Trouble always comes faster than good fortune," Gu Ya said calmly. "Rather than wait to be annihilated, let's strike at the heart of the problem."
The few people behind him nodded in unison.