Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Chapter 44 Chamber of Commerce
The scavengers arrived in modified pickup trucks.

The entire vehicle was covered with armor of varying specifications and colors. The armor also had numerous bullet holes.

The original rear cargo area was now a small truck bed supported by steel bars and tent fabric.

This has a very scavenger's style.

This is the vehicle that scavengers use to escape in the wilderness.

Li Yelai could even smell a faint scent of blood.

But he didn't care. Instead, he carried the black umbrella and sat in the cargo box with the boss.

Three scavengers sat beside him and opposite him, staring intently at him.

Upon seeing Li Yelai carrying a large black umbrella, the fierce-looking burly man sitting opposite him frowned.

He keenly sensed that this might be a weapon.

However, it is too big, and the umbrella handle is long and thin, which does not resemble a firearm.

Could it be that there's a hidden weapon inside? A knife hidden inside?
That's very much in the style of a scavenger.

Some scavengers who can't afford guns have no choice but to carry knives for courage.

Then, the fierce-looking burly man glanced at Li Yelai and let out a mocking laugh. Hiding weapons in front of a scavenger was truly like showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu.

Moreover, do you think that carrying a weapon makes you safe?

Even in a major city where guns are prohibited, they still find ways to bring guns in.

Thinking to himself, the fierce-looking, burly man knocked on the armored vehicle compartment, signaling to start the car.

For Li Yelai's boss, the only good news is that the pickup truck did not drive out of the city.

This relieved the boss; if they had gone outside the city, their safety would have been truly at risk.

Within the megacity, scavengers generally wouldn't dare to kill. The security detail kept a close watch on them.

Even so, one should not provoke scavengers.

Their overall strength varied greatly. There were indeed quite a few thugs, but there were also some bloodthirsty thugs who were truly desperate criminals!

If you provoke them, you will be in danger even if you don't leave the giant city.

Thinking about this, the boss became somewhat frightened.

The courage I had mentioned earlier is now gradually dissipating.

Li Yelai asked in a low voice, "Boss, you really didn't take their things, did you?"

"We've known each other for so long, don't you trust me anymore?" the boss said angrily.

Li Yelai was speechless for a moment. They had indeed known each other for quite a while, more than four years.

He found this job when he was nineteen. A guaranteed 1,000 Giant City Coins a month was considered decent in the Old City.

But the boss is indeed stingy, just like Li Yelai. It wouldn't be like him to not take that opportunity.

The shopkeeper said in a low voice, "There was no chance to take anything! At the time, one side even brought out a machine gun, so I didn't dare to get close and hid far away. I could only see them frantically looting something, and then after a long time, the scavengers' convoy arrived. Naturally, I had no choice but to leave."

"You'd better be telling the truth!" The burly man grinned, making his already menacing face even more terrifying. "Otherwise, you'll be the one who suffers!"

Li Yelai nodded slightly in his heart; it would be best if the boss hadn't taken it.

If you accidentally come into contact with something forbidden, it could be disastrous.

Li Yelai was thinking to himself, while silently pressing the communicator hidden under his sleeve.

Without him saying a word, the East City branch on the other end of the communicator would understand his situation through the conversation they had just had and provide relevant support.

When necessary, the liaison officer will also request support from the city defense forces or the Iron Guard.

Meanwhile, in the West City branch's processing team...

Someone frowned: "Night General from the East City branch? How did he, an clerk from the East City, manage to barge into our West City? Did he just cross the entire city to intrude?"

From this perspective, it is indeed absurd, given that the megacity has a large population and covers a vast area.

The processing department then divided the area into four branches, each responsible for managing one of the four urban areas.

For example, the Dongcheng branch manages the old eastern city area, the eastern ring road area, and the eastern new city area. The main urban area is managed by the headquarters.

Generally, members from other divisions will not participate in the mission.

The last time the various divisions collaborated was because of the Fantasy Band incident.

So when they learned that an officer from the East District had suddenly gotten involved, the West District officers were a bit flustered.

Is it really appropriate for you to just barge in like that?

So you're going to cross the megacity, pass through headquarters, and run to the West District?

“No, it was definitely an accident. He seems to work at some antique shop owned by a buyer, and just happened to be there when this happened. Now he's been taken away by a group of scavengers.” One of the handlers looked at him strangely: “Is this bad luck or good luck?”

"Regardless of luck or misfortune, how strong is this 'Night General'? Will he disrupt our plans or even become a burden?" The first officer to speak frowned and said, "According to our investigation, this merchant guild has connections with wild psionicists outside the giant city. If a conflict breaks out, we'll have to support him."

For the team that had been investigating for some time, Li Yelai's involvement could very well disrupt their plans.

"Let me check. Night General is a newcomer, a member of the Myriad Manifestations Path, and has only been with the East City Branch Team One for two months. During his first awakening, he killed the wanted criminal, Victim Skinner. I can't find any more information after that; our permissions aren't high enough yet, and we need to communicate with the East City Branch. Currently, we only know that he has successfully completed his second awakening." An administrator replied, "Achieving second awakening within two months—his talent is very high. And he even killed Victim during his first awakening. His combat strength is considerable!"

"The first team from the East City branch, that former champion team?"

The lead investigator's brow relaxed slightly: "In the last incident, they suppressed the Black Prison of the East City branch, preventing a single forbidden item from escaping. However, the losses were extremely heavy, with nearly half of their personnel killed. To survive in that kind of battlefield, this Night General must possess considerable strength. What did the East City branch say?"

"The East City branch said that Ye Jiang has no chance of contacting us now and hopes we will keep an eye on his safety. They also said something strange: 'This incredible wealth will be yours to enjoy.'"

"What do you mean?"

The vehicle traveled for a long time, finally arriving at its destination in the afternoon.

When Li Yelai and his boss got out of the car, they saw a factory in the old city of the northwest.

These factories occupy a considerable area, with many modified vehicles parked all around, including fully armed trucks.

In front of the factory building stands a sign.

Red Darts Merchant Guild.

Yes, the Chamber of Commerce.

Those scavengers were all members of this merchant guild, or rather, guards of the merchant caravans under this guild.

As mentioned before, in the wilderness, the identities of settlements, caravans, scavengers, and bandits can change at will.

This is the case with the Red Dart Merchant Guild. They control a scavenger community in the wilderness, and they also escort caravans or scavenge in abandoned cities.

When necessary, they would also transform into bandits, attacking other scavengers or caravans.

The Red Dart Merchant Guild is considered a relatively large merchant guild in Border City No. 3.

If it weren't for the extreme danger and the need to leave the giant city, Li Yelai might have joined this kind of merchant guild a few years ago and become a scavenger living on the edge.

Of course, even with such immense power, the Red Dart Merchant Guild had to sheathe its fangs and act as amicably as possible within the giant city.

The boss had some dealings with them, frequently purchasing goods from their trading points outside the city. Now, as he got out of the car, Li Yelai saw members of this chamber of commerce: some were thugs with open shirts revealing tattoos and wielding knives; some were scantily clad young women exhaling smoke; and others were muscular men, faintly reeking of blood.

Some people laughed when they saw Li Yelai get out of the car carrying a large black umbrella. Some women, and even some men, winked at Li Yelai.

"Boss, do you usually trade with them?" Li Yelai asked.

"They have a lot of goods, and they're sponsored by some wealthy businessmen, so their supply is stable." The boss reminded him, "Don't say anything too much. You might be the one buying them in the future, so don't offend them."

Li Yelai readily agreed, carrying a black umbrella and following behind the fierce-looking, burly man, entering the factory with the boss.

At this moment, a number of people have gathered inside the factory.

They carried various weapons, but did not directly display their firearms.

They sized up Li Yelai and the boss with cold, calculating eyes, which made the boss's expression even more unpleasant. He kept warning Li Yelai, "Don't be impulsive, don't say anything."

At this moment, the fierce-looking, burly man spoke up and asked, "I've brought the people from the East City. Have you found everyone else?"

"No, one of the companies in the north of the city ran away, but they can't have gotten very far." A woman with a hideous scar on her face sneered, "Dare to take our goods? We'll teach him and his family a lesson!"

"What about the rest?"

"We've arrived at everything, except for this one you brought." The scarred woman sized up the shop owner and Li Ye.

Seeing Li Yelai's large black umbrella, he was somewhat surprised, but then smiled and said, "Take them in first. If this kid causes trouble later, don't kill him directly, leave him alive for me. Be careful not to hurt his face."

Laughter and giggles could be heard from the side.

"Kid, Scarface has taken a liking to you. Aren't you going to thank her?"

"You've risen to the top in one step, kid! Why don't you stay with the Chamber of Commerce? Hahahaha!"

They mocked him mercilessly, their words filled with malice.

The boss's face grew even uglier, and he whispered to Li Yelai, "We are innocent, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong."

Li Yelai didn't really care about this, so he just nodded silently.

On the other end of the communicator in his wrist.

When these conversations reached them, the cautious liaisons were both amused and exasperated.

The doll that passed by the office area paused for a moment.

The image of the billboard subconsciously appeared.

[(╬◣д◢)]
Afterwards, Li Yelai, along with the boss, the fierce-looking man, and the scarred woman, entered deeper into the factory.

We arrived at a large room.

There were already quite a few people here; some were antique shop owners, some were stewards of wealthy merchants, and some were traders of unknown origin.

They were all connected to the previous incident; their subordinates or comrades had participated in that shootout.

At this moment, these dozen or so people were forcibly brought here, and most of them looked very unwell.

One of the old stewards, however, widened his eyes in shock when he saw Li Yelai.

But his years of professional experience kept him calm.

This was indeed an acquaintance; it was the old steward of the Wang family whom Li Ye had met when he took on private jobs before.

After Wang De's death, many of the Wang family's businesses were seized, and the Wang Group plummeted in value.

Unexpectedly, even the old butler had to personally intervene.

Li Yelai didn't greet the old steward; pretending not to know him was the best course of action at this moment.

"It seems that, apart from the one in the north of the city, all the groups that participated in the transaction are here," the boss said in a low voice.

At this time, a voice sounded.

"No, the one from the north city is here too."

Then, a person covered in blood was thrown into the room and slammed heavily onto the ground, leaving a trail of blood.

The man's limbs were twisted and broken, and he was panting in pain.

The bloody scene suddenly chilled the air. Some people trembled, while others showed signs of struggle.

At this moment, the person who spoke came out of the room.

It was a man with a cigar in his mouth, followed closely by a male and a female bodyguard.

The one leading them should be Xu Shi, the person in charge of the Red Darts Chamber of Commerce.

Behind him, Li Yelai narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Don't be afraid, I am Xu Shi, I just intend to retrieve the goods." The man who called himself Xu Shi said casually to the crowd, and then stepped on the head of the seriously injured man.

The leather shoe pressed hard against the man's face, and as the man screamed in pain, the man bent down and stuffed a cigar into the man's mouth.

Then, he watched the man writhe in agony.

Xu Shi laughed and said, "You still have one chance. Hand over the item, and I won't pursue the matter. If we find it, your fate will be even worse than his."

Seeing that no one spoke, they were clearly all stunned by Xu Shi's methods.

Xu Shi nodded slightly: "Very good, I hope you will all remain silent until the end. Then I will search in my own way."

Then, with a slight raise of his hand, a scavenger came out carrying a box.

It was a small treasure chest, and the classical patterns on it suggested that the items inside were quite valuable.

However, the other party did not seem to have any intention of opening the treasure chest, but simply placed it in front of Xu Shi.

Li Yelai was wondering what was going on when he saw two people trembling not far away.

His eyes were filled with greed as he looked at the box.

They actually approached the treasure chest under the watchful eyes of a dozen or so scavengers, seemingly forgetting about the weapons in the scavengers' hands.

"Look, we've found two already," Xu Shi said, shrugging.

The next second, the female bodyguard behind him suddenly made a move, appearing in front of the two people in an instant at a speed that was difficult for ordinary people to keep up with.

With a sudden slam, their hands came together, and with a loud 'smack,' they slammed their heads together.

The two men collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads in pain. One of them, enduring the pain, reached for his waist. He was clearly carrying a gun.

But the female bodyguard broke the man's arm with just one kick.

A sharp crack sent chills down everyone's spines.

Xu Shi seemed not to hear him and continued looking at the crowd: "There are two more among you. Let's continue."

Li Yelai gripped the large black umbrella tightly, truly impressed by his own luck.

You can even run into wild psionicists here.

(End of this chapter)